Historical Blindness

In the season premiere--part one of a two-part series--I look at how one genuine mysterious disappearance caused fabulists to search for other disappearances in the past and invent a grand mysterious paranormal phenomenon that doesn't really exist. This is the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other...

In this year's annual Xmas special, I put the Christ back into Christmas by refuting the fringe skeptical view that no such person as Jesus Christ ever existed. This topic forced us to examine what historical sources we can trust, how unreliable and yet how useful the New Testament may be to historians, and how the pagan continuity hypothesis leads to yet more unsupported, extreme conclusions.  Di...

In a special presentation, enjoy this Christmas episode from The Constant, a great podcast that examines history's blunders and misapprehensions, which I believe all Historical Blindness listeners will greatly enjoy! Last December, host Mark Chrisler took on Fox News' claims of a War on Christmas with a thorough look at the wars on Christmases past. Subscribe to The Constant at constantpodcast.com...

In this last full episode of the year before my holiday special, I tackle an alternative view of religion and history with some academic chops that also indulges in a great deal of conspiracy theory: the idea that all religion was actually inspired by the use of hallucinogens.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality p...

Hi listeners! As a Thanksgiving treat, I'm releasing a patron exclusive minisode relevant to the holiday that I released two years ago on Patreon. Sign up to support the podcast on Patreon and you can get minisodes like this between each release, making this a weekly podcast. In this piece, I discuss the myths surrounding the landing of the Pilgrims and how they have been used as a handy metaphor...

In this coda to my recent series, a capstone to my coverage of this topic generally and a transition to upcoming comics, I look at the syncretism of religious beliefs and UFO mythology, examining man's tendency toward religious experience as a theory of the origins of UFO claims. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality...

In the feature-length conclusion to my series on UFO whistleblowers of the past, I look at the discredited Bob Lazar and his long debunked claims, and I show how the same people who promoted his hoax are literally behind David Grusch and his similar claims recently made before Congress. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-...

In the EXTRA-long second part of my series looking at the lack of credibility of previous UFO "whistleblowers" in order to evaluate the reliability of recent claims made before Congress, I look at Bill Cooper, who went from UFO hoaxer to OG conspiracy wacko.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a tra...

We haven't had a congressional hearing on UFOs since 1966. Recently, a whistleblower named David Grusch testified before Congress about a government cover-up of the spacecraft and alien bodies they've retrieved. But people have come forward claiming such things before. What can their stories teach us about how trustworthy Grusch's claims may be?  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@air...

In a somewhat unorthodox episode, I share some meandering thoughts on modern technology and concerns about its potential harms, looking at some historical examples that may offer insights into the technological misgivings of today.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode wit...

In the final installment of my series exploring the legends behind Indiana Jones films, I look at both the reality and the myth of Nazi gold trains, specifically looking at the tragedy behind the Hungarian gold train and the urban legend of a buried Nazi gold train in Poland.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality po...

In this standalone episode, I tell the story of the most successful and famous hoax to ever disgrace the field of paleontology, a fraud widely used by Creationists to discredit evolutionary science, but not before providing a robust defense of evolution science and deconstruction of Creationist arguments. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com...

In this new standalone installment of my now long-running series on the lore explored in Indiana Jones films, I look at the fabled crystal skull forgeries, claimed to be Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts as well as relics of Atlantis endowed with supernatural power. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!...

In another episode on myths that drove European conquistadors, I trace the Eurasian legend of the Fountain of Youth to the New World and find that it afterward became a historical myth, erroneously claimed to have been an indigenous American legend and falsely said to have been the object of Ponce de León's voyage to Florida.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit...

In this standalone episode, I once again explore a topic central to an Indiana Jones film! In this one, I look at how the rumors of hidden cities of gold animated conquistadors in the 16th century, how such rumors started, and what truth there ever was to them.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a...

In this episode, after my dive into Grail lore, I explore the rabbit hole that is the Holy Lance of Longinus, another supposed crucifixion relic whose legend takes the researcher on a strange odyssey through disputed scriptures, apocryphal narratives, myths of classical antiquity, hagiographic fictions, and medieval fantasy, all the way to the delusions of modern conspiracy theory. Please help the...

In this new episode, once again exploring the legends and myths present in the Indiana Jones films, I look at the legend of the Holy Grail, exploring apocryphal accounts of the crucifixion, medieval Arthurian romances, and the eventual conspiracy beliefs that they inspired. Joining me on this episode is friend and patron of the show Dr. Sean Munger! You can find Dr. Munger's online class on the Gr...

In this standalone episode, I discuss the black legend of the Order of Assassins, a medieval sect of Islam known for their reliance on infiltration and murder who were misrepresented by other Muslims, misunderstood by Crusaders, and mythologized by Europeans, such that now they have become a staple of fantastical historical fiction and the subject of a massive video game franchise. Thanks HelloFre...

In the next leg of my journey through the lore and history behind the Indiana Jones films, I explore the historical reality of Thuggee strangler bandits in 19th-century India and refute the myth that they were a blood cult devoted to the worship of Kali. Go to HelloFresh.com/historical50 and use code historical50 for 50% off plus free shipping! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwa...

In another volume of my Encyclopedia Grimoria, my occasional episodes on the history and mythology of magic, I look at the development of traditions that the biblical King Solomon was actually a flying-carpet-riding, magic-ring-wielding wizard and alchemist who bound demons to do his will! It's a weird one.  Go to HelloFresh.com/historical60 and use code historical50 for 50% off plus free shipping...

This episode is the first in a series of standalone episodes exploring the macguffins and historical mysteries of the Indiana Jones films. I'll be doing several of these, not in a row, leading up to the release of the final Indy film this summer.  In this episode, I discuss the legend of the Ark of the Covenant, theories about its possible resting place, and the claims of a variety of hoaxers and...

In this special episode, I talk with expert Dr. Douglas Selvage about the KGB disinformation campaign to convince the world that the U.S. government engineered HIV as a bioweapon and what it can show us about the Covid lab leak hypothesis. Go to HelloFresh.com/historical60 and use code historical60 for 60% off plus free shipping! And please help the show by completing this short questionnaire: htt...

This is the story of the most egregious newspaper hoax of modern times: the Hitler Diaries. How did this crude forgery fool experts like the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper? And how did it influence Rupert Murdoch in his development as a purveyor of fake news? Please help the show by completing this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/airwave Direct all advertising inquiries to advertis...

This full-length, standalone episode explores and explodes the myths and conspiracy claims about Hitler escaping Berlin at the end of WWII. Shockingly, it seems the History Channel misled us on this one! Please help the show by completing this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/airwave Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to f...

In the conclusion of my series on the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, I look at the capture and prosecution of Richard Hauptmann and the evidence against him, and I address numerous conspiracy claims. Please help the show by completing this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/airwave Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.co...