Posted in History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Social Science, Education, Learning, England, Discovery, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Author, Writing, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, Fear, Scary, Archaeology, Archaeological Digs, Excavation, Writer on Dec 23rd, 2020
Bundle up, grab some nog, and get ready for a 117-year-old ghost story. We don’t tend to think of ghost stories when we think of the glitz and glamour of the holidays, but the tradition of gathering around the fire to tell dark tales and call upon the lore of ages long since passed goes back generations. Today, we discuss this tradition and hear M.R. James’s tale “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,” first published in 1904.
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Posted in DefaultTag, History, Podcast, History Podcast, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, War, Education, Learning, Adventure, England, Biography, Scotland, Literature, Travel, Author, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Analysis, Prehistory, Archaeology, Military History, Ireland on Dec 2nd, 2020
It’s a stone with many names--the Stone of Destiny, the Stone of Scone, the Coronation Stone, Lia Fáil-- and there are numerous legends and myths about its origins. For centuries it was used in the coronations of Scottish kings, that is, until it was taken to England by Edward 1st in 1296. From then on it was used in the coronations of English and subsequent British monarchs, symbolizing their rule over Scotland and its incorporation into the United Kingdom. For 700 years after it was taken by the English king, it remained in Westminster Abby under the Coronation Chair, until Christmas day, 1950, when four students from the University of Glasgow--Kay Matheson, Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, and Alan Stuart--decided it was time for Scotland to take it back. This is the true story of one of the most famous and unlikely heists in history. The most remarkable part of this incredible true story isn't that these four students planned on breaking into Westminster Abby to steal back a symbol of Scottish nationalism…it's that they were going to get away with it.
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Posted in History, American History, Funerals, Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Survival Stories, England, Survival, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Halloween, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Fear, Scary, France, French History, Cemetary, Tomb, Graveyard on Oct 21st, 2020
The finale of our miniseries comes to a close as we cover several real historical instances of people actually being buried along with a few who had some uncomfortable close calls. We hear about the incredible case of Mathew Wall and find out why on October 2nd for the last 450 years or so, the town of Braughing in Hertfordshire has celebrated “Old Man’s Day.” We learn about the curious cases of Nicephorous Glycas from Lesbos and Anne Green from Oxfordshire who nearly made it to their own funerals and/or dissections. We learn about Alice Blunden and why you should always check twice, maybe even three times, before you bury someone. After that we hear about the unfortunate case of Anna Hockwalt in 19th century Dayton, Ohio, before making a pit stop in France to visit Angelo Hays and find out just what a toilet was doing in a coffin in the 1970’s.
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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
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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Posted in History, American History, Funerals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Science, Indigenous, War, Technology, Education, Learning, Study, Adventure, Survival Stories, Exploration, Discovery, Journey, Biography, Literature, Travel, Author, Writing, Halloween, Folklore, Writer, France, French History, Graveyard, Military History, Grave on Sep 9th, 2020
In 1822 on Mackinac Island, French Canadian Fur Trader Alexis St Martin was shot in the side at a distance of less than one meter. The experiments following his miraculous survival just may be the weirdest piece of history ever seen in the Straits of Mackinac.
The bullet wound left a hole in St Martin’s side giving Dr. William Beaumont the first ever access to a living human stomach. The doctor would tie pieces of food to a silk string and dangle them down into St Martin’s stomach in order to better understand the process of digestion. But the experiments didn’t stop there. Nearly 250 experiments were performed over nearly a decade.
Dr. Beaumont’s book on the experiments first published in 1833 entitled “Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion” paved the way for our understanding of the human gastric system and earned Beaumont the title of Father of Gastric Physiology.
St Martin lived his entire life with a bullet hole his side, which became a gastric fistula, or “passageway” that never closed. He was buried in a secret location eight feet below ground with two feet of rocks on his coffin to deter grave robbers from stealing his corpse or his stomach, which was highly sought after when he died.
Come hear the true story of Dr. William Beaumont and Alexis St Martin in this extra strange episode of the History Cache Podcast.
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Posted in History, American History, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Learning, Journey, Biography, Cowboy, Literature, Travel, Writing, Mythology, Folklore, World History, Analysis, Writer on Jul 29th, 2020
We continue our way through the life of Leadbelly in Part 4. In this episode we see Leadbelly make a plea for a pardon with his music, and watch as he tries adjusting to life outside of prison. As hard as he tries starting life anew, he finds himself once again behind bars, this time in Angola, known as the Alcatraz of the South, one of the bloodiest prisons in US history.
We finally meet John Lomax and his son Allen who would become key figures in Leadbelly’s life as they traveled the South searching for American folk music to preserve for the Library of Congress. We clear up some Leadbelly myth with primary sources, learn a bit about the earliest attempts at musical preservation through recording, and even get to hear a 130-year-old Passamaquoddy war song recorded by anthropologist Jesse Walker Fewkes.
The adventure continues.
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Posted in History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, War, Education, Survival Stories, Biography, Literature, Travel, Author, Writing, World History, Writer, Military History on Apr 15th, 2020
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Dutch Resistance to Hitler was strong, with many Dutch citizens risking their lives to hide, transport, and secretly support those that his policies oppressed. In this episode, we continue or compassion series that showcases good people doing good things in times of crises. This week, we follow the life of Miep Gies, a woman who risked everything to hide and protect a group of her Jewish friends, including one young girl who would inspire millions throughout the world with the words she would write down while hidden away in a secret annex.
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Posted in History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Warrior Culture, War, Education, Learning, Adventure, Survival Stories, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Biography, Literature, Travel, Writing, Religion, Mythology, Folklore, World History, Analysis, Art, Archaeology, Writer on Feb 12th, 2020
The finale is here! In the final episode we explore the final years of Olympias’s epic life. We cover how she cultivated her own power at court, watch her rise to even greater heights after the death of Alexander the Great, see a war waged between two incredible women of the ancient world, and find out just how this mother of an empire met her end.
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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
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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Posted in , , History, Animals, American History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, War, Technology, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Shackleton, Antarctica, Polar, Polar Exploration, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Norway, Ross Sea Party, Aurora, Ice, Global Warming, Exploration, Expedition, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Midnight Sun, Maritime History, Biography, Canada, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Author, Writing, Folklore, World History, Fear, Analysis, Art, Archaeology, Psychoanalysis, Cats, Writer, Military History, Ireland on Dec 5th, 2019
The finale is here! Come find out just how one of the most inspiring stories of human endurance ended. We head back to Antarctica and watch the crew of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition make history as Shackleton attempts one last desperate attempt at a rescue mission. This episode has all the answers you've been waiting for.
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Posted in , , , History, Animals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Shackleton, Antarctica, Polar, Polar Exploration, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Ross Sea Party, Aurora, Ice, Global Warming, Exploration, Expedition, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Midnight Sun, Maritime History, Biography, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Author, Writing, World History, Analysis, Archaeology, Psychoanalysis, Writer on Nov 20th, 2019
In 1914 the 28 member crew of the Endurance left to trek across the continent of Antarctica on foot. It is now the beginning of 1916. Their ship has been crushed, they've been stranded on the ice with no way out, and they've taken to the boats in a last ditch effort to escape the ice melting beneath them. In Part 4 we hear what happens next as they head for the yet unexplored Elephant Island, and Shackleton with a sets out on an 820 mile open boat journey on the roughest sea passage in the world to either find rescue, or doom them all to an icy grave.
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Posted in , , , History, Animals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, War, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Shackleton, Antarctica, Polar, Polar Exploration, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Scott Expedition, Ross Sea Party, Ice, Global Warming, Exploration, Expedition, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Midnight Sun, Maritime History, Biography, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Writing, World History, Fear, Analysis, Evolution, Psychoanalysis, Cats, Writer on Nov 13th, 2019
In Part 3 of Shackleton's Lost Voyage, we join the stranded crew of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914, who have been stranded on the ice now for well over a year. Their ship has been crushed, starvation and madness have begun to set in, and they've been trapped by the ice and sea with no way out. In this episode, we watch as they make a desperate escape attempt while the ice splits beneath them, before heading out towards the unknown on the open sea.
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Posted in , , , , , History, Funerals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, War, Education, Learning, Biography, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Poet, Poetry, Author, Writing, Halloween, Religion, World History, Art, Scary, Writer, Abelard and Heloise, France, French History, Paris, Catacombs, Tomb, Graveyard, Napoleon, Napoleonic Wars, Military History, Paris Catacombs, Grave, Chopin, Isadora Duncan, Oscar Wilde, Moliere, Jim Morrison, Poland, Ireland on Oct 30th, 2019
Join me on a tour of Père Lachaise Cemetery and explore the tombs of some of histories most incredible icons including Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Isadora Duncan, Abelard and Heloise, and Chopin. We examine the cemetery's history, make a side tour to the catacombs beneath Paris, and explore the dark moments in history that have occurred in Père Lachaise since its establishment by Napoleon. Let's go to Paris!
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Posted in , , , , , History, Animals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Indigenous, Education, Learning, Biology, Survival Stories, Exploration, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Literature, Travel, Halloween, Monsters, Religion, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Paleolithic, Megalithic, Ice Age, Lascaux, Chauvet, Cave Art, Ancient Art, Fear, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Neanderthals, Painting, Art, Pictograph, Pictogram, Ice Age Predators, Evolution, Scary, Archaeology, Kraken, Psychoanalysis on Oct 16th, 2019
In this episode we explore history's first monsters. From the prehistoric beasts that stalked our ancestors to the first mythological oral traditions, then to the first ancient written accounts through the modern day; this is the history of what scares us. What were the first monsters, why do we fear them, and why do we need them? Let's find out and examine the first things that appeared from the darkness.
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Posted in , , History, Animals, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Shackleton, Antarctica, Polar, Polar Exploration, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Norway, Scott Expedition, Amundsen, Ross Sea Party, Aurora, Ice, Global Warming, Exploration, Expedition, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Midnight Sun, Maritime History, Biography, Canada, Literature, Travel, Writing on Oct 9th, 2019
In Part 2 of Shackleton's Lost Voyage, the crew of the Endurance find themselves frozen fast in the Antarctic pack ice in 1915. In this episode, we examine the psychology behind what happens to the human mind during the long Polar Night as we join the crew on the next leg of their journey. Disaster, heartbreak, and uncanny resilience unfold in this second chapter before the finale of Part 3.
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Posted in , History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Education, Learning, Study, Adventure, Polar, England, Ice, Journey, Biography, Cowboy, Scotland, Robert W. Service, Yukon, Gold Rush, Canada, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Poet, Poetry, Author, Writing on Oct 2nd, 2019
Poet, adventurer, bard of the Yukon, and British cowboy (that's a thing) Robert W. Service (1874-1958) is showcased in this week's history byte, followed by a retelling of his spookiest of poems, The Cremation of Sam McGee.
This is the first of THREE EXTRA episodes premiering this month just for your Halloween season enjoyment, so pumpkin up that coffee, put in those ear buds, dust off that Necronomicon, and go nuts.
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Posted in , , History, Animals, American History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Ethnography, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Adventure, Exploration, Discovery, Biography, Literature, Travel, Mythology, Folklore, World History, Ancient Art, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Art, Evolution, Archaeology, Psychoanalysis, Archaeological Digs, Excavation on Aug 30th, 2019
And so it begins.
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