The Unusual History of Every Thing

On this episode, we're going to talk about the month that San Diego officials hired a moisture accelerator – and almost drowned the city.

Whenever you think of good luck charms you automatically think of bugs, right? Afterall, who wouldn't want tiny critters flying around you, crawling all over you or even being consumed by you  as long as  good fortune followed? Humans are always concocting new and interesting ways of using the things around them for random things, and we're going to tell you about a few creepy crawlies that do the...

On this episode, we talk about the evolution of the wedding cake from being filled with unusual ingredients to being smashed on the bride's head.  

Warding off evil has been a thing forever. People don't want it around them, and part of the evil that lurks about is called bad luck. Who wants that? No one, especially brides, grooms and people attending weddings. And since it's wedding season, we thought we'd start our journey into things people have historically thrown at weddings by looking underneath the wedding dress first. You probably don...

On this episode, we  take a look  at how courting someone used to be, strange dating rituals that led to marriage, and how stinky sweat-infused apple slices and the severed heads of your enemies used to be tokens of love.

Three-hundred feet inside Gorham's cave just east of the Strait of Gibraltar, a team of European researchers uncovered strange markings on a bedrock ledge that jutted out from the wall a few feet above the cave floor. The really strange part: The markings were very similar to our modern-day hashtag. But that's just "scratching the surface." On this episode, we do some digging into the mystery of t...

On this week's episode, we're going to explore how tuberculosis transformed the world of Victorian-era fashion. TB has a long track record of death and devastation throughout human history, but only one era romanticized it and created a fashion trend because of it:  consumptive chic.  

The myth of Atlantis has captivated the hearts and minds of many for over 2000 years. People work endlessly to discover the long-lost city, making guesses as to where it could have sunk and how. Could it be near the Straits of Gibraltar, in the Mediterranean Sea, or off the coast of Everglade City? Could an earthquake or volcano sink an entire civilization? Some venture to say that the Atlanteans...

Welcome to Season 6 of The Unusual History of Every Thing, where we will be revamping a few of the episodes you heard all those years ago in Season 1, and sprinkling them in with new ones. On this week's episode, we're taking you back to Season 1, Episode 1: where we'll show you how gnomes went from dwarves to elves to gardens. 

Covid isn't the first pandemic that we as a species have had to endure, and it won't be the last. What we know for sure is that each one started out as either a virus or bacteria. Figuring out how to treat and/or cure them is the tricky part, and the frightening part is that viruses and bacteria were here before us, and they'll probably still be here long after we're gone. And our demise might jus...

On this mini- sode , we're talking a bit about gum and how it has gone from a saliva stimulator to being used as a rather strange artistic medium.

If you're as passionate about chocolate as we are about history, you know the difference between cacao percentages and why they do that in the first place. And you probably know all about where chocolate comes from. But did you know that chocolate bars in WWII were called Hitler's Secret Weapon, or that you could  actually die  from too much chocolate? And why do Cadbury Eggs in America taste so d...

On this mini- sode , we hop right over to Easter and the giant bunny god that comes with ancient eggs. We all know Easter for its Biblical connotations and the story of Jesus, but the Easter bunny and his eggs won't be found in the Good Book. They are found, however, in a few historic sources, but not mentioned together until more modern times. Today, we're going to help answer that very important...

Manioc beer is a very old and still very common South American drink native to the Amazon. It may not be green beer, but it does have the potential to turn you green when you find out the key ingredient, for those of us not used to its manufacture. Some communities may even think it sexist, as this baffling brew has the distinct honor of being made mostly by women, usually only drank by men. And i...

The shamrock is a huge part of St. Patrick's Day celebrations, but what exactly constitutes a shamrock has had botanists debating for years. One thing they all agree on: It has 3 leaves.  So what is it called if it has 4? A mutant. On this week's mini-sode we take a look at the unusual history that lurks within the mutant shamrock.

On this St. Patrick's Day mini- sode , we uncover the history and mystery surrounding the leprechaun, and how they became protected as an endangered species.  But before we get into all that, we need to understand exactly what a leprechaun is and where they came from. After hours of research into how the leprechaun became the mascot for St. Patrick's Day, we're still confused. They have somehow be...

On this mini-sode, we look at lipstick's colorful past and its connection to confessions, magic spells and the devil. Putting on the right lipstick can give a woman a sense of power and confidence that she may not have felt before, making her feel like a new-and-improved version of herself. You could say... it's magic. Unfortunately, it was precisely that confidence and special something that wome...

In honor of Women's History Month, we're going to talk about some of our favorite historical women and what made them great. We've only been celebrating Women's History Month in the United States since 1987, but women have been making history for thousands of years. These daring dames were breaking all kinds of barriers from ancient times to today, and despite their differences, they all have one...

  On this mini-sode, we take a look at how smells – both good and bad – have affected and still do affect the dating world. How many times have you heard someone say they're looking for someone they have chemistry with? That indescribable feeling two people get when they come face to face. Well, "chemistry" may be the perfect word to describe it. From armpit apples to dirty shirts, our sense of sm...

On this episode, in honor of Valentine's Day and lovers everywhere, we take a look  at some of the more unique ways of expressing one's love – and of getting rid of it. Before chocolates, texts and selfies became the norm for showing someone that you love them, people had different ideas about how to express their passions. I mean, what better way to keep you in your lover's thoughts than to give...

Sasquatch, yeti, zoobie, the wild man of Warner Springs, the Proctor Valley Monster, you name it, and the creature commonly known as Bigfoot has probably been called it. But where did this larger-than-life, ape-like man come from, and why are California, Washington and Oregon his favorite states? The belief in Bigfoot is older than most people think, and its origins might surprise you. Like most m...

San Diego is home to many unique, historical buildings and houses, but none that compare to the magical enchantment of Villa Montezuma. The Victorian mansion was built to be a palace of the arts in the late 1800s, and has a reputation for being haunted, although those rumors don't appear to be true. What is true is that this house is a breathtaking example of architectural magnificence that gives...

For many people in the world, the belief in paranormal activity is a very normal thing. From hauntings to possessions and everything in between, it seems as though death isn't always the end. No matter where you live, you can find a house, building, park or something that has a ghost story attached to it. From haunted homes to spooky ships, there are a plethora of locations where many of the decea...

Welcome to Season 5, which will be dedicated to the strange histories of San Diego's people, places and things! In this episode, we look at one of the most iconic buildings in San Diego's Gaslamp District with the most sordid history: the Louis Bank of Commerce. Located on the 800 block of 5th Avenue, the beautiful building with two towers is touted as the jewel of the Gaslamp by locals and histor...

For thousands of years, humans have been playing some type of sport that incorporates balls, whether it be for entertainment, religious ceremony or military training. It's not only interesting to look at how these sports were created, but how the balls themselves were designed and improved upon over thousands of years. People were basically using whatever was available around them, so some of the...