The Unusual History of Every Thing

Magnets are cool, and everyone has at least one. They hang our pictures on refrigerators, they hold things together, they're used in various machinery, even the center of Earth has a type of one. Put simply, a magnet is a rock or piece of metal, called ferromagnetic metals, that have the ability to pull metals to – or repel metals away – from itself with a force called magnetism. On this episode, ...

We're back! Welcome to our new season! On this episode, we take a look at how Nikola Tesla and shark intestines became the inspiration for filtering water today.

Most people believe in some sort of superstition, whether it's throwing salt over your shoulder to keep the devil away, or preventing bad luck by not walking under a ladder or breaking a mirror. It may seem silly, but these superstitions have been around for thousands of years and are passed down from generation to generation like grandma's keepsakes. Some believe superstitions are super silly, bu...

We all try to stay healthy and exercise, but the holidays tend to add a few extra pounds to our waistline. Throw in a pandemic or two and staying healthy is tops in our minds. Well, we're here to help. You see, throughout history, various cultures have had the same problems and came up with some unusual food combinations to become healthier. From drinking snail water to roasting sheep lungs and ea...

The yule log, which wasn't a log at all, but instead an entire tree, is originally a Nordic tradition dating back to medieval times. The burning of the Yule log is one of the oldest pagan rituals, which was lit to entice the sun to return as part of the Yule festival in Scandinavia. On this episode, we explore the history of the yule log and why people refused to cut the tree into pieces before th...

Santa Claus's gift bringing at Christmas time really began in northern and central Europe before spreading to other parts of the world. And some of the things that spread with him were his little helpers. We're not talking about the elves, although they did come along for the ride, no, we're talking about his darker little friends, the ones who handed out punishments.   On this episode, we're hang...

Mistletoe has long been a romantic, fun Christmas tradition, but it didn't start out that way. In fact, the plant is sort of gross when you think about it. On this episode, we look at how a plant that sucks nutrients from its host tree became the symbol for sucking face at Christmas.  

Every house has its quirks, its moans and groans, its creaks and cracks. Most people attribute these sounds to the house settling or the wind blowing against the windows and walls.  However  many people believe there's something just a tad more supernatural to blame it on. Some blame it on brownies, some point the finger at elves, but in Russia and the Ukraine, the  Domovoy is the culprit.  On thi...

As America celebrated Thanksgiving, millions of people prepared their tables with roasted turkey and pumpkin pie, they turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and some  football, and  gathered 'round the table to sing the traditional Thanksgiving Day song – Jingle Bells.   On this episode, we look at the history behind one of the holiday season's most iconic songs, and how it all started with...

When you think of dowsing or using divining rods, most people's minds automatically go to the two-pronged sticks used to find water. And that's true, that's what they are said to do. But what most people don't know is that divining rods have been used for thousands of years around the world to find metal, the depth of oil in the ground, hidden tunnels and even bodies buried beneath our feet. On th...

Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages seem to be the parents of a whole host of superstitions many people practice today: carving crosses in Brussels sprouts, fear of the number 13, and this episode's topic: Sneezing out your soul.

Brussels sprouts aren't the favorite of many, and there could be a good reason for that. The often-overboiled side dish comes complete with a mushy texture, yellowed color and a rotten-egg smell that stays in your house and your hair for days. But, if you cook them right, it's a whole other  story. And you better cook them right, because some say evil lurks between the leaves.  

The number 13 really does have some baggage attached to it, and not all of it is deserving!  We as a society may like to think we aren't superstitious like people from ancient times or even the Middle Ages, but in fact we all still do a lot of things that stem from the superstitions of our ancestors. On this episode,  we're going to show you how the number 13 got such a bad rap.  

Although the gargoyle as we know it today stems from medieval France, in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, an early form of the gargoyle took shape first. On this episode, as we gear up for Halloween, we thought we'd chip away at the stony exterior of gargoyles and see what historical goodies we can find.  

Hauntings, as we all know, usually take place in places that have tragic histories. Throw in some paranormal conductors, like water, limestone or fault lines, and you have the makings for the next great scary movie. On this episode, we enter at our own risk three hospitals that were the final resting places for epidemic victims – victims who are said to still call those places home. 

On this episode, we explore the ancient origins of a modern funeral tradition, as well as the strange history of eating someone's sins.   

On this episode, we take a step back in time to when museums were considered collections of objects and not institutions, and Cabinets of Curiosities were prized possessions.  

Blood is the life force of humans and animals alike. And so  for thousands of years it was believed that blood would in turn give the gods life, which would make the gods want to do nice things for the people. These blood rituals weren't just animal and human sacrifices, they also included small amounts of blood used in ritualistic ways.  On this episode, we examine some archaeological finds that...

While researching our previous podcast on feminine products, we came across two words that made us stop and think for a minute. On this episode, we  take a look  at the bloody history of the  words  "period" and "mittelschmerz."

One of the most known and treasured fairy tales in history, as it is today, is Cinderella. Almost everyone knows the tale about a young girl who is forced to live as a servant and becomes a princess who lives happily ever after when good triumphs over evil. However, where this story originated, the original meaning, and the full impact of this fairy tale on American society is not as well known. 

There are many incredible, strong, talented women in the world – dead and alive. And in this episode, we want to focus on a small handful who ruled for an unusual length of time, did some odd things along the way, and kicked their enemies' butts up and down their lands.  

Washing your hands seems like common sense, especially if they're dirty. But forget about what we know now about germs, viruses and bacteria. Forget how gross the feeling of gritty dirt is in your mouth because your hands were in the mud when you picked up that apple to take a bite. Forget about changing a baby's diaper and then rubbing your eyes and getting pink eye. Instead, let's focus on how s...

When you think about mummification, I'm sure Ancient Egypt is the first thing that springs to mind. Although that culture's mummies are absolutely some of the coolest, they're not the only ones who mummified their dead. In fact, mummification is still going on today thanks in part to Mother Nature and some odd things live people do to themselves. On this episode, we unwrap the layers of mystery ar...

On this episode, we're going to suck you into the unusual history of the Suction Tube for Reverse Axial Withdrawal – the Straw. In order to fully grasp the unusual history of the straw, we need to go back in time before Friedman's patented "Drinking Tube," a.k.a., the bendy straw; before a man named Marvin Stone discovered   how to make straws not disintegrate in his mint juleps. We  have to go al...

Vampires in Venice. It sounds like the title of an Anne Rice novel, a dark supernatural romance. But alas, this podcast episode isn't a dark romance, rather it's the true story of how humans take what they do not understand and create legends that endure through the centuries – and make great Halloween costumes. On this episode, we're going to take a bite out of vampire history and dig deep into s...