Backyard Philosophy Podcast

You ever get into an argument with a friend over something so petty, so non-consequential but you take it too far. Like what is better pancakes or waffles. You start doing research, getting historical sources and end up making a video from the research you found. Nope just me, ooof. In this episode learn about the surprising history of pancakes of all things. How pancakes has influenced not just c...

The Wizard of oz is considered one of the most famous movies in all of cinema history. Without a doubt it has change cinema and has been iconic for generations. But at what cost? The price and I am not talking money wise, the cost to make this movie was high and bad on many levels. Bad enough that people say that this movie is cursed. Few know the darkness and dread that took place behind the scen...

I just wanted to do a simple episode of what was… the first public library in history was, but no. No no no… of course… it’s complicated, complex and a bunch of historians are arguing what even is a library let alone the first library. But I did the research, I read, and combed through so, so much information just to give you the straight forward answer of, what was the first public library. Which...

Your fingerprint is your own, there isn’t another like it. Which makes it perfect for identifying you. Whether it be for security reasons or for convicting a criminal. Which is why fingerprints have been used so long in history and why they still use it in court of law. Just think about how many cop shows there are and how often they talk about fingerprints. But something else something else that...

A lone knight, in full body armor, sits upon his stallion, halberd in hand, sword upon his hip. Waiting….waiting for the invading forces to arrive. The ground rumbles as the invading army draws near. Soldiers marching, and their “calvary” numerous but not riding horses rather riding … tanks. What will this knight do? Will he stand his ground against hundreds … who are armed with rifles, machine gu...

You’re walking down the street through the snow and you see a baby stroller and no one is around. As you walk past you see a child, a baby inside the stroller. Franticly you look around and see through a window a bunch of parents drinking some warm coffee laughing and talking with one another as their children brace the cold winter air. Your first instinct might be anger or to be worried about the...

Milk and cookies are a staple in Christmas culture, the tradition of leaving out treats for Santa as he brings you gifts well… its hard to think of more classic Christmas trope. But all traditions have a beginning and all traditions are done for a reason. So why is it on Christmas eve do you leave cookies and milk out for Santa? Well down the chimney we go to investigate and tell you why so many p...

Christmas is filled with traditions, some we make ourselves, some have been passed down through generations and some we practice but have no idea why. One of these events, traditions, is the celebration of yuletide and all the things that comes with it. But questions arise; what is yuletide, where does it come from and what on earth is a yule? Join as we dive down into the history of Christmas and...

The Holiday season is filled will joy and cheer, connecting with one’s loved ones and filled with traditions. But it is also filled with dread. Dread of making sure you get everyone gifts, you don’t forget anyone, decorations, obligations. Let’s be honest, the holiday season is a lot of work. And one of the most taxing busy work during the holidays is replying to everyone. Making sure you don’t fo...

Imagine you come across a jewel, not just any jewel, a diamond. A diamond that is worth millions. A diamond deep blue in color and almost as big as a golf ball. The only problem is… it is said to be cursed. And over the centuries it has been stolen, remade and all the owners of it… all have mysteriously died. Would you still take it? Would you risk owning a cursed jewel for millions of dollars? …...

We all know of Dracula, both the myth and the real man… Whether it be movies about a vampire or books about the historic Vlad The Impaler. But few know about his younger brother Radu. Who had an interesting life of his own. A man who fought with and slept with Sultans, waged war against multiple kingdoms and sat on the same throne multiple times. In this episode we dive into the life of Radu whose...

We have all heard about spouses killing one another for insurance money, of black widows killing their husbands out of resentment, of deranged parents ending their own children’s lives. But perhaps there is no woman as prolific at doing all this than Mary Ann Cotton. One of… if not England’s first serial killer. A woman who killed around 21 people, all for greed and enjoyment. This is the Arsenic...

Monsters have always plagued humanities mind, some of them real some of them nothing more than our figure of imagination. Either way, monsters induce fear, and perhaps there is nothing as infections to others as fear. So, what do you do when you have an era of war, plague and famine well you look for an escape goat or in this case an escape wolf. Across most of Europe during the 16th, 17th, 18th c...

In the dark there is always something, something lurking, stalking, hunting. And with a flash of lightning in this tale a certain creature would appear and come for souls. There are many creatures of the night but if rumors are true this creature comes from the bowels of hell itself. Satan’s own pet, a beast that plagued English countryside’s for centuries. A hellhound. And not just any hell hound...

No that wasn’t your phone, but there is a high chance you thought it was or even felt a vibration in your pocket. And you are not alone. Millions if not billions of people all around the world hear and feel their phone go off, even though it never actually did. A phantom vibration. Is it the phone companies toying with you? Is it that you are going mad? Is it the clothes we wear, giving us a false...

Boxing has been an evolving sport ever since its creation. In the early days … it was crude, raw and the rules were not really formed yet. Gloves were considered dishonorable, canvases were wood and dirt and the fight wouldn’t be over, till there was only one man left standing. But what happens when you have two men refusing to go down, refusing to give up, giving every inch of their body to stay...

The history of balloons in warfare is long and complicated. And until researching this didn’t know how crazy it actually was. Filled with a lot of drama, drama on who invented balloons first, drama of balloons being used to devastate cities and drama of an arms race with balloons being a hidden key player on multiple continents. But in this episode we are focusing on hot air balloons in war. Mainl...

Noise pollution... a phenomenon that has slowly crept up on humanity and the world and is now having a devastating effect. From bird migrations, marine life to maybe even causing death. Noise pollution is here and it is growing. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss science, research and possible solutions for solving an issue that impacts all of our lives ... noise pollution. 

When we think of ancient Rome, we tend to think of Caeser, Gladiators, a vast empire that stretches over enormous amounts of land. But Rome has a had a long history and has done things at times that roman people themselves and people in modern times think “what the hell are yall doing?”  One of these times would be an end of an era, caused by deprecatory leading to a year of war that would stretch...

Sometimes you make a decision to peak behind the curtain only to find that you wish you didn’t. And that is what happened to me when I investigated think tanks. I was naive and thought they were just researchers and academics studying specific topics, boy was I wrong. As I explain what think tanks are and how they change the very world around us you will see too behind the curtain and see the powe...

Mankind has always had the hunger the need to push, to race, to challenge not only others but ourselves. For many of us we crave this feeling and sadly for many of us the opportunity never comes. But occasionally the fates listen and grant a chance to a weary soul. A chance to do something one has always dreamed of. But as the saying goes everything has a cost and be careful what you wish for. Thi...

Quite often I find myself late at night thinking about random and odd things… and of course me being me I decide to investigate my thoughts and find myself deep down the rabbit hole to a point in which I wish I never started. Rather than my brain hurt alone I decided to bring you all with me, bring you on the adventure on where serving sizes and nutrition labels come from. Trust me it’s weird. How...

We currently live in an era of information abundance… where in majority of the world… information is free and out there for those who seek it. But like some places in the world that knowledge that information is gate kept and in it wasn’t always like the luxury we have today. Time and time again in history… kingdoms, governments, people in power have decided to control and limit knowledge. By burn...

Good luck … something I rarely ever have. And for many they lack too. Might be because of karma might be divine destiny might just be statistics not being in one’s favor. No matter what the cause many turn to everything and anything to change their fortune around. Rather it be religion, superstitions, or talismans. One such route people have chosen for good luck and to symbolize good luck since we...

There is a saying, sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. That saying sometimes goes into the mind of scientists. Which can go one of two ways either really good or really bad. One such time when scientists rolled the dice would be in the beginning of World War 2, when a group of scientists decided it would be a good idea to put a nuke, a nuclear reactor under a stad...