Once Dead, Twice Buried Part 1: A History of Death Tests and Safety Coffins

Posted in DefaultTag, History, Humor, American History, Funerals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Survival Stories, Survival, Discovery, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Poet, Author, Writing, Halloween, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Fear, Analysis, Scary, Excavation, Cemetary, Tomb, Graveyard, Grave on Sep 30th, 2020 Comments

It’s Halloween season, and that means it’s time for some spooky history. And what is spookier than being buried alive? Nothing really, and that’s where this two-part miniseries is headed. Today in Part 1 we cover taphophobia-the fear of being buried alive-and examine some of the ways we’ve dealt with this fear throughout history. Safety coffins, devices built to save the prematurely buried, and the death tests we used to determine if a person was really, completely dead, are showcased. Edgar Allen Poe, Houdini, and some ill-fated escape artists even make an appearance. If you love the macabre, you don’t want to miss this one. Come get your spook on.

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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.

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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.

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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.