Lights Out Library: Sleep Documentaries

In this bedtime story, I tell you about New Orleans, Voodoo and the famous "Voodoo Queen," Marie Laveau, who dominated Louisiana Voodoo in the 19th Century. We take a look at how different syncretic religions formed in South and North America, combining African religions like Vodun or Yoruba with Roman Catholicism and indigenous beliefs, or the particular blend that happened in Louisiana with the...

In this bedtime story for the curious, we explore the history of American railroads. From the opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1830 to the Transcontinental Railroad, the rise of magnates like Cornelius Vanderbilt or Jay Gould and the transformations in the way Americans lived and consumed, I invite you to travel with me on this geographical, cultural and economic epic. Listen on Youtu...

In this bedtime story, I tell you all about Buddhism: the beliefs and culture of Ancient India; the life of Siddartha Gautama, the historical Buddha; how Buddhism spread in Asia; the differences between various Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Zen, Tibetan or Tantric Buddhism...); and I explain a lot of terms that you might have encountered without knowing their full meanings,...

These three stories, including the Salem Witch Trials, the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island and Franklin's Lost Expedition, will transport you to another time. Learn where the term "witch hunt" originated, how many settlers have to go missing before a colony is finally abandoned and the doomed fate of early explorers seeking a northern passage to the Pacific from the east coast of Canada. Listen on Y...

Welcome to Lights Out Library, where we help you fall asleep with soothing stories across a diverse range of topics: science, history, mythology, astronomy, mystery, art and so much more. We make it possible to both calm and enrich your mind while you drift into dreamland. So come learn and enjoy deep sleep with us every night. Be sure to follow the show, so you never miss a new episode. Listen on...