Posted in DefaultTag, History, American History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Psychology, Science, War, Education, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Exploration, Survival, Journey, Biography, Scotland, Literature, Travel, Victorian, Poet, Writing, World History, Analysis, Writer, France, French History, Paris, Military History, Oscar Wilde, Ireland on Jun 22nd, 2022
Joe Carstairs is remembered for being the fastest woman on water in the 1920s. She raced power boats, won trophies, and loved adventure and speed. But her life was so much more than races and fast machines. Born in 1900, Joe was a British eccentric, an heiress, openly a lesbian, and shed many gender conformities of her day.
She served with the American Red Cross in France during WW1, established the X Garage, a chauffeuring business employing a staff of all female drivers and mechanics who had learned their skills while serving during the war, and after receiving some notoriety from racing, Joe bought Whale Cay, an Island in the Bahamas, which she ran almost as if it were her own country.
Her life was so full and colorful it became clear early on that this would have to be a two-part series. This is part one of a deep dive into the relentlessly fascinating life of Joe Carstairs, the fastest woman on water.
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Posted in DefaultTag, History, Animals, Humor, American History, Politics, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Psychology, Social Science, Science, Space, Space History, Education, Learning, Study, Literature, Victorian, Poet, Author, Writing, Religion, Folklore, Folktales, World History, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Art, Evolution, Writer on May 11th, 2022
Laughter is a universal language and today we celebrate humor through the ages by exploring three historic pranks. The first involves Anthemius of Tralles, one of the main architects involved in building the Hagia Sophia and a genius who really knew how to hold a grudge. Then we skip ahead several handfuls of centuries to uncover the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 when a newspaper editor for The Sun ignited a hoax that had everyone looking to the moon for bipedal beavers, bat-like humanoids, and even a unicorn. After that we head to the 1950s near Atlanta, Georgia where three guys, a $10 bet, a fake UFO sighting, and one unfortunate "Monkey from Mars" show us just how quickly a prank can go too far.
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Posted in DefaultTag, History, American History, Funerals, Politics, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Social Science, War, Education, Learning, Biography, Travel, Victorian, Cemetary, Tomb, Graveyard, Grave on Feb 16th, 2022
In 1876 a bumbling group of Chicago counterfeiters broke into Abraham Lincoln’s tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Illinois, after formulating a plot to steal the president’s body and use it as leverage to get counterfeiter Benjamin Boyd released from prison. Boyd worked for small-time crime boss Big Jim Kinealy, and Big Jim’s attempted heist would, with the help of a secret service informant, go down in history as an utterly bad idea.
Then we jump ahead a century to explore the snarkiest tomb in history. Roy Bertelli, known as Mr. Accordion, regularly stood atop his own grave, which is a stone’s throw from Lincoln’s, to loudly play his accordion for the sole purpose of being as annoying as possible. After a row with the cemetery management over their attempt to seize his grave plot, Roy spent the rest of his life letting them know they wouldn’t be getting it back, even over his dead body. Come hear why his delightfully cantankerous story earns Mr. Accordion the gold in posthumous snark.
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Posted in DefaultTag, Animals, American History, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Learning, Literature, Victorian, Poet, Poetry, Author, Writing, Halloween, Folklore, Folktales, Fear, Art, Writer on Oct 31st, 2021
In 1845 Edgar Allen Poe first published his now iconic poem The Raven. Come hear the full reading of this legendary literary tale in this bonus Halloween mini episode.
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Posted in History, Animals, Humor, American History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Social Science, Science, War, Education, Learning, Study, Survival Stories, Biography, Travel, Victorian, Monsters, Religion, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, France, French History, Napoleon, Napoleonic Wars, Grave on Sep 22nd, 2021
We’ve been putting animals on trial probably as long as we’ve been putting one another on trial. In this episode we examine several animal trials spanning nearly a 600-year period. We cover six trials extending over three continents: A monkey in Hartlepool accused of espionage, a murderous pig in Savigny, a group of slugs who just wouldn’t listen, a circus elephant in Tennessee we should never forget, a bear who served time with good behavior in Kazakhstan, and a rooster (or basilisk depending on whom you ask) in Basel, Switzerland, burned at the stake for laying an egg. Grab you gavels and get ready to travel on this sometimes whimsical, sometimes sad, and constantly strange episode exploring the history of animals put on trial.
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Posted in History, Animals, Humor, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Science, Education, Learning, Biology, Study, Adventure, Survival Stories, Exploration, Survival, Discovery, Biography, Travel, Victorian, World History, Analysis, Prehistory, Prehistoric, Evolution, Archaeology on Sep 1st, 2021
It was believed the Coelacanth went extinct along with the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago when the Chicxulub impactor smashed into planet Earth…that was until Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator of the East London Museum, found one in a pile of fish on a dock in South Africa in 1938. This ancient fish surprised the scientific world when the first living specimen was pulled up by Captain Hendrik Goosen while he was trawling for fish near the mouth of the Chalumna River. The Coelacanth was dubbed a “living fossil” though it was eventually discovered that it has evolved over the last 400 million years. Come hear the story of how the determined Marjorie saved the world’s first extant Coelacanth specimen, and what exactly makes this strange, ancient species so special.
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Posted in History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Psychology, Social Science, England, Biography, Travel, Victorian, World History, Ireland on May 19th, 2021
In 1879 the Victorian world was shocked by one of the most sensational murders it would ever see. When Kate Webster killed, dismembered, and boiled her employer Julia Martha Thomas, she went down in history as one of the most notorious killers of the 19th century. Find out all the gory details and just what David Attenborough had to do with it 131 years later. Yes, that David Attenborough.
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Posted in History, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Social Science, War, Education, Learning, Study, Ship, Sailing, Adventure, Shackleton, Antarctica, Polar, Polar Exploration, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Endurance, Shipwreck, Survival Stories, England, Scott Expedition, Amundsen, Ross Sea Party, Aurora, Exploration, Expedition, Survival, Discovery, Journey, Midnight Sun, Maritime History, Biography, Travel, Victorian, World History on Apr 28th, 2021
This is the story of Shackleton and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916 as presented at this year’s 2021 Intelligent Speech Conference. The theme this year was escape and in the last expedition of the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration, Shackleton and his crew pulled off the greatest escape of all time, against all odds, at the brink of human endurance as they spent nearly two years lost, adrift on the pack ice of the Weddell sea, setting foot onto some of the last uncharted places in the world. This is the cliff notes version of the expedition. For a much more detailed history check out last year’s five-part series.
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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 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, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Education, Learning, Victorian, Monsters, Mythology, Folklore, Folktales, World History on Dec 18th, 2019
Why does Fruitcake even exist? Can we blame the ancient Romans? How old is eggnog? What exactly is a Yule Log? Discover the ancient origins of our favorite--and not so favorite--holiday food traditions in this special holiday history byte. I even give you George Washington's actual recipe for eggnog! After that, we'll head to Iceland and meet Gryla the Christmas troll, her menacing Yule cat, and find out why you should thank your grandma for getting you those socks for Christmas.
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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, Mona Lisa, 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, Mona Lisa, 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, Mona Lisa, 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, Podcast, History Podcast, Storytelling, Culture, Society, Anthropology, Social Science, Education, Learning, Study, Adventure, Polar, England, Mona Lisa, 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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