The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong

Everything you've ever learned about physics, chemistry, astronomy, and even biology, is wrong. That was the conclusion reached by Alfred Lawson, major league pitcher, avionics pioneer, populist political leader and the founder of the stupidest university ever: The University of Lawsonomy. Come with us for a journey through the life and confounding works of Lawson, the rise of his new science and...

In the first century BC, The Greek philosopher Carneades asked a question: is it moral to kill an innocent person to preserve your own life? Two thousand years later, a court in England settled the matter, once and for all. This is a story about sailors, shipwrecks, murder, cannibalism and, ultimately, who owes what to whom. Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Get 10% off your...

Did someone say "more mummies"? No? You didn't hear that? It sounded like "more mummies" but it was kind of muffled and droning? OH GOD WHAT'S THAT!? It's still October, and we're still being spooky. This week, it's the story of King Tutankhamen's Curse, which is a bit more superstitious than our usual fare. But stick with me, because there's more to this urban legend than you might at first suspe...

In 2009, Peruvian police offered a disturbing solution to the murders of 46 people in the city of Trujillo. It was sensational, shocking and unbelievable. Yet, it was tied to a long, rich--and now largely forgotten--part of western history: using and eating human body parts as medicine. This episode may be disturbing to... anyone who is at all sensible. Discretion is advised. Visit our Patreon her...

In April of 1954, Seattle was home to one of the weirdest events in American history: residents were gripped with fear as a mysterious force roamed the city, leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage in its wake. Despite the efforts of mayors and governors, police and marines, scientists, engineers and even The President of The United States, no one could figure out the culprit. But we ca...

On 9/9/99 The Sega Dreamcast had the most successful product launch of literally any commercial product in history. It quickly came to dominate the market, outperforming all its competition. Less than a year and a half later, it was dead, and Sega was cut down to a shell of its former self. This week, we're looking at why, and at the long storied history of failure and missteps that came along wit...

While shooting an episode in a Carnival Funhouse, the production team of The Six Million Dollar Man made a gruesome discovery: a mummified human corpse, painted neon red and mistakenly hung from a noose as a cheap scare. And the story of who he was, and how he got there, is so much better than anything 1970s television could have ever produced. Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconsta...

This is the story of an island, and the worst thing to never happen there. Find our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant). Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".And visit https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant (https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant)...

It's our fiftieth episode! Our golden anniversary! You know what we got you? The Lost City of Gold: El Dorado. We know, we shouldn't have. Seriously, we really shouldn't have. Find our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconst...

We've got a lot to celebrate this week! Not only have we joined Hub & Spoke Audio Collective (https://www.hubspokeaudio.org/), but it's also a Constant Holiday. The Saint Day of Douglas Corrigan, who in 1938 became the 11th person to fly nonstop across The Atlantic, and the first person to do it by accident... Maybe. So by the powers vested in us by Podcastlandia, we're naming this #Wrongwayday. F...

In the early 1900s, people finally figured out what made water so healthy: radiation! This week we’re looking at some of the hundreds of terrifying products meant to give you that healthy glow, and the story of one of the most terrible mistakes in medical history, and the brutal way it got corrected. Get tix for The Paper Machete Blowout! (https://sleeping-village.com/calendar/paper-machete-blowou...

1903 was a year of boundless possibilities: the airplane, open heart surgery, Ford Motor Company, and--most importantly--n-rays. This new form of radiation could be gathered from The Sun and stored in ordinary salt water. It could diagnose illness and grant superhuman abilities. It was the greatest scientific discovery of the century. The only problem was, it wasn't real. Check out our Patreon (ht...

This is the story of the greatest jailbreak ever attempted. Well, maybe not "greatest", but certainly "weirdest." It's also, somehow, the story of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. And one of science's great rivalries. And of a number of murderers, mobsters and maniacs. But more than any of that, it's the story of a whole lot of very unfortunate froggies. Checkout Our Fake History Here (https://ourfake...

Martha died alone, becoming the first named member of an exclusive and terrible club: The Endlings. This episode we're tracking the history of the passenger pigeon, a bird that once darkened American skies by the billions. The story of the passenger pigeon is the story of our understanding of extinction, and the lessons we once learned but appear to be struggling to remember. Visit our Patreon pag...

Believing he was Jesus Christ, Laszlo Toth entered St. Peter's Basilica on May 21st, 1972 and took a hammer to Michelangelo's Pieta. What happened next would make the world wonder what separates a work of art from a forgery. Check out this Spiro Agnew Music Box from our sponsor, Industrial Artifacts. (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/products/vintage-spiro-agnew-music-box-with-nixon-election-pi...

The Apocalypse fails to appear. A doctor goes to disturbing lengths to end masturbation. A millionaire spends his fortune dynamiting the sky. Breakfast is changed forever. The Constant is back. Check out our new Patreon, (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant) to help fund the show and get all kinds of neat bonus stuff: https://www.patreon.com/theconstant (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant). And b...

Take a look at those star men, gazing at the night sky. Oh man, wonder if they'll ever know? on October 30th, 1938, Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on The Air unleashed the most infamous media prank of all time. But The War of The Worlds wasn't the first time humanity got itself turned sideways thinking about Martians, and it sure wasn't the last. This week, for our season finale, we're doing...

This is the story of the first radio hoax. No, not that one. On January 16th, 1926, a Catholic priest took the mic at BBC Radio and threw all of England into panic with... a joke. Unfortunately, the original recording was lost long ago. Fortunately, this week, we're recreating it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War! Good God, y'all. What is it good for? According to Henry Ford: Absolutely nothing. So in 1915 he launched a ship, bound for Europe, with a simple if outlandish mission: to end World War I. On this episode we look at the ill-fated voyage of The Oscar II, better known as The Peace Ship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you survive in 1932, when The Great Depression is at its peak and prohibition is in full force? How about a little insurance fraud? It's easy: all you need is an undertaker willing to fake a cause of death, a couple of life insurance policies and a target to murder. Simple as sin. The only thing you really need to do to survive 1932 is to make sure your victim isn't better at surviving than...

In January of 1749, a London advertisement promised an impossible show at The Haymarket Theatre: a full-grown man would jump into a wine bottle and, from within it, sing. You won't be surprised to find out that the show didn't happen. But you will be surprised by what happened instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mesmerism didn't stop with Mesmer. This week, we pick up where we left off, tracing the idea of animal magnetism to America, where it went through some... changes. Get ready for a whirlwind tour of American enterprise, religion and entertainment that leads us right through the door of this dark timeline we're living in. This one's a doozy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

What is this? Are you some kind of hypnotist? We're doing a deep dive into one of the single most fascinating mistaken ideas and the fascinating man who thought it up. This story has got it all: demonic possession, mysterious seductions, beheadings, public shamings, miracle cures and The Avengers of 18th Century Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 100th birthday to one of the strangest disasters in American history: Boston's Great Molasses Flood. For our season 5 premiere, we're looking at the weird and deadly 35 foot tall wall of syrup that destroyed Boston's North End a century ago, and what caused such an enormous--and enormously curious--thing to happen in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

New season begins Tuesday, January 15th. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices