Leadbelly Part 3: Music and Murder

Posted in , , History, American History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Learning, Adventure, Cowboy, Folklore, Folktales, Archaeology, Archaeological Digs on Jul 8th, 2020 Comments

Music and murder collide in the third installment of the series highlighting the life of one of America’s greatest musical legends: Leadbelly. Ledbetter was already a fugitive when he murdered Will Stafford on a dirt road in Texas. No longer able to run from the law, Huddie faced difficult times in the brutal early 20^th century prison system where he wrote some of his most profound music. But Leadbelly wouldn’t go down without a fight (and at least two more prison breaks). In this episode, we explore the next chapter of his life, as well as learn the dark history of convict leasing and why the remains of 95 inmates, known as the “Sugarland 95,” lie buried just below the surface of a small, Texas town.

Read Full Post »

The Prehistory of Compassion and the Search for Human Happiness

Posted in , , History, Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Indigenous, Learning, Biology, Study, Survival Stories, Exploration, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Travel, World History, Paleolithic, Ice Age, Fear, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Ice Age Predators, Evolution, Archaeology, Archaeological Digs, Excavation, Grave on May 13th, 2020 Comments

This week we travel back in time 430,000 years to find some of the first examples of compassion in the fossil record. This time we fuse psychology and science with history as we discuss why compassion exists, its potential health benefits, the consequences of stress, fight or flight, and what that all has to do with human happiness. This one packs a scientific punch as we turn up the nerd level to 11.

Read Full Post »

Olympias Part 2: Mother of Empire

Posted in , DefaultTag, History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Warrior Culture, Education, Learning, Adventure, Discovery, Biography, Literature, Travel, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Ancient Art, Analysis, Archaeology, Festivals, Archaeological Digs, Excavation, Writer, Military History on Jan 29th, 2020 Comments

In Part 2 we continue to uncover the hidden history of Olympias of Epirus. Assassination, murder, and the political intrigue of an ancient royal court all take center stage in this episode. Come discover the next chapters in the life of one of the most vilified women in history as we sift through the propaganda of two millennia to get a glimpse of the incredible life of the most powerful woman in ancient Greece. Find out what she did next, at the budding of one of history’s largest and most fascinating empires, as we see just how far she would go to ensure the success of her dynasty.

Read Full Post »

The Screaming Mummies of Guanajuato and a Horde of Egyptian Cats

Posted in , , , , History, Animals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Science, Indigenous, Education, Learning, Study, England, Exploration, Expedition, Discovery, Travel, Halloween, Religion, Mythology, Folklore, World History, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Scary, Archaeology, Egypt, Egyptology, Cats, Mummy, Guanajuato, Mummies of Guanajuato, Mexico, Mexican History, Teotihuacan, Mummification, Beni Hassan, Bastet, Bast, Egyptian Gods, Festivals, Archaeological Digs, Excavation, History of Egypt, Ray Bradbury on Oct 23rd, 2019 Comments

In this two story episode we travel to Guanajuato, Mexico, and discover a cache of mummies that were literally evicted from their graves. Then we head to Beni Hassan, Egypt, where a farmer digging a well in 1888 accidentally stumbled upon one of the largest hoards of cat mummies ever found, and, possibly, an ancient, illegal crime ring of cat killers (seriously). We also meet Bastet, the ancient Egyptian goddess that started it all.