High Tales of History

Welcome to a great two part series with comic book historian and writer, Kevin Garcia. Kevin joins the Smoke Circle to discuss American comic's great (roughly) 150 year history and how intertwined they are with the history of America itself. Through comic books, readers can see reflections of American policies, commonly held beliefs, attitudes about America's place in the world and how Ame...

Welcome to season 2, episode 3 and the last episode of 2023! To finish it out, Kt takes us through the lives of Viking Age women and what their days might have been like. She also connects this history and time period to the song "Savage Daughter" by Karen Kahan/Wyndreth Berginsdottir, which has been popular on social media platforms. After that, Laurel takes the Smoke Circle on a long w...

Welcome to episode two of season two! In this episode we get to realize our dream of being Bill and Ted: plucking a historical figure out of time and sitting down with them to talk history and hear one of their most juicy (and most excellent!) stories! We are joined in the Smoke Circle by Bryan Austin, first person historical interpreter of Benjamin Franklin as well as other historical people in A...

We are back with episode one of season two! We're excited to be back in the Smoke Circle with you! Kt hits it hard right off the bat with the history of one of her most favorite things in the world--CHEESE. After that, Laurel takes us to Sweden to meet King Christina of Sweden! *~*~*~* Mentioned In the Stories: Pictures of Christina of Sweden ⁠⁠Images for Vasa Warship *~*~*~* The Socials! Instagra...

Let's get spooky! In our final episode of a very long season one, we cover a long-running mystery called the Tunguska Event. Over 100 years ago, the Earth experienced the largest impact of a cosmic body in modern human history...but no impact was found... Next, Kt takes us on a field trip through England to visit castles with eerie history--complete with ghost sightings, hell hounds and lined...

**Content Warning: Hightailing Through History is for mature audiences and this particular episode includes content that is...a little more mature and "dirty" than our usual "mature content." Viewer and listener discretion is advised** Welcome to the conclusion of our history of sex series! For part two, Laurel snags her best friend, Kelly, to join the Smoke Circle. If you can&...

Welcome to Episode 69! In this two part series, we are diving into the deep topic of sex and its history! In part one, we take it from 385 million years ago up through the Middle Ages discussing the attitudes and practices around sex found in different cultures and eras. In addition, our community on social media voted for further getting into bed with other sexual topics like aphrodisiacs, sexual...

Welcome to Episode 68! We are joined by returning guest Aaron Odom, host of Euripides Eumenides: a Theater History Pod! We have such a great time in the Smoke Circle together (as we always do!) talking about the tangled web of royal family members during the course of WWI--and tangled it is! Next, the sisters tag team a brief history of the jester around the world. From Native American tribes to i...

Welcome to episode 67! We cover the ancient and the recent in this one! First up, Laurel takes the Smoke Circle back to the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century. Rome was a revolving door of emperors and constant uprisings and civil wars. During this period of time, one regent queen rose up and broke away from Rome, creating her own empire in a meteoric rise... Next, Kt tells the story o...

Welcome to episode 66 and boy howdy do we have some interesting history for you! Kt kicks things off with a trip to Mesoamerica to learn about the elite eagle and jaguar warriors of the Mexica (also known as the Aztecs). Armed with fierce weaponry, like the Macuahuitl--a club studded with razor sharp obsidian stone--the warriors were rewarded not on how many enemy kills they could tally...but how...

Welcome to episode 65! During our time in the Smoke Circle today we'll be visiting West Africa to learn more about the Agojie who were the all women army of the Kingdom of Dahomey. This fierce group of fighters were featured in the film The Woman King. T'Challa's royal guard in Black Panther, the Dora Milaje, were also loosely based on these women. After that, we tour other places in t...

Welcome to episode 64, our first ever video episode! Kt kicks things off with investigating the dark and often gruesome history behind children's nursery rhymes. Next, Laurel goes through the wild inside job of the NASA moon rock heist in 2002. *~*~*~*~*~* Mentioned in the Stories: Episode 2: The Great Feather Heist *~*~*~*~*~* The Socials! Instagram⁠ -  @HightailingHistory   TikTok⁠-  @Highta...

Welcome to episode 63! In this episode Laurel dives into the life of American musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe, often called the Godmother of Rock n' Roll. She was a direct musical inspiration for many iconic male performers of 1950s rock. Names like Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis all were in awe of Rosetta's powerhouse voice and talent on her Gibson SG guitar. She perfo...

Hey cool kids. Welcome to Episode 62. It this episode, the sisters take a moment to explore what it means to be Midwestern Americans: why do we love ranch dressing so much? Why does it take so long to say good bye and the use of the exclamation "ope!" Kt shocks us all by initiating the bottle, leaf, grinder battle for the first time in our 62 episodes, which was absolutely unprecedented...

Did you know that London had an all-women gang for at least 80 years through the 19th and 20th centuries (perhaps even for 175 years!) Neither did we! Their story seems to be a footnote in history but these gals were fierce and one of London's most feared gangs. Laurel introduces us to the gang, their potentially long history as well as their glamorous queens who led the group with military pr...

Welcome to episode 60! Get ready for some adventurous history. Laurel kicks things off with one of history's biggest, ugliest scientific feuds. At the center of it are two paleontologists--Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles (O.C.) Marsh. Once friends turned bitter rivals, their race to be at the forefront of their field led to decades of mud-slinging and personal and professional ruin but...

In Episode 59, Kt takes the reins and recounts the history of the Pony Express, which bridged the gap in mail and communication delivery while the railroad and telegraph were making their way to the American west coast. Through rain, shine, snow and hostilities, the young men of the Pony Express got the job done! Next, Laurel tells of the fun--but oddly mysterious--history and production of glitte...

Join sisters Laurel and Kt with fellow history and cannabis enthusiasts, Nick and Kelsey from Half Baked History! Together for a special 4/20 celebration, they discuss cannabis’s long-term relationship with human beings stretching back 12,000 years! From its early cultivation and use to its spread around the world as medicine (and a good time); from its rise in the jazz scene through its prohibiti...

Welcome to Episode 57, in which KT and Laurel finish Women's History Month STRONG with two stories about amazing warrior women! First up, KT takes us to the Soviet Union during World War II and introduces us to Colonel Marina Raskova and the 588th Night Bomber Regiment also known as the Night Witches. Next, Laurel takes us back to British India during the mid-1800s to meet Lakshmi Bai, the Ran...

How do you feel about dams?  What about chimpanzees?  Is concrete your thing?  How about scientific women?  Well, for episode 56, we have all those things.  First, KT recounts the construction of the Hoover Dam, which celebrated an 88th anniversary on March 1, 2023.  The dam, which is the largest in the United States, contains enough concrete to build a road from San...

Welcome in to episode 55! The sisters continue their journey through Black history with the stories of Bessie Coleman, the first Black *and* Native American woman to receive her pilot’s license. She dazzled her audiences with her shows doing tail spins, loop de loops, wing walking and sky diving! Next, KT covers the creation of The Negro Motorist Green Book, More commonly called The Green Book, an...

Welcome to episode 54!  We have two stories celebrating Black history for the month of February!  First off, we have the rough and gruff, gun-toting, cigar smoking, take no shit Mary Fields, often known to history as "Stagecoach Mary!"  She was the United States' first Black woman (and 2nd woman) to run a star route for the postal system.  A star route mail carrier used a stage...

Welcome to Episode 53!  This is part two of our two part conversation with Dr. Darren R. Reid, Course Director of History at Coventry University in England.  Professor Reid gave us an assignment we were only too happy to do: watch a handful of popular movies that showed Indigenous representation and chat with him about it. In part two, we talk about The Lost City of Z, Avatar, Dances With Wolves a...

Welcome to 2023 and Episode 52! We have a two part treat for your ears and brains! We had a most excellent time sitting in the smoke circle with Dr. Darren Reid, Course Director of History at Coventry University in England.  Professor Reid gave us an assignment we were only too happy to do: watch a handful of popular movies that showed Indigenous representation and chat with him about it.   In par...

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! It’s our final episode of 2022 and we have a holiday themed show for you—perfect for listening while wrapping last minute gifts! In episode 51, KT starts with origins of Yuletide and Christmas as well as some random Christmas trivia thrown in there! Next, Laurel talks about the 1914 Christmas Truce during World War I *~*~*~ Mentioned in the Stories: First hand acco...