We're back with the further adventures of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the famously cursed and huge diamond of the Mughal empire as it makes it's way from it's homeland to the hands of Queen Victoria. It's a journey that has thrills, chills, spills

Piggy Banks, Tuberculosis Vampires

Mar 4th, 2020 54m 17s

Just the core team today as we jump into the history of piggy banks and the New England vampire scare!First, learn how piggy banks came to be, from a type of clay alled Pygge that was used to make money jars, to the pacific islands and boar-s

Pope Death Murder Party, Over Niagara in a Barrel

Feb 19th, 2020 1h 29m

John Serpico joins us to talk about the insane history of the papal interregnum. Now we know that talking about the period between the death of one pope and the election of the next sounds boring, but it was hog wild. When the old pope died, al

Goat Man, Ancient Athenian Parties

Feb 5th, 2020 1h 14m

Special guest Garth Goldwater joins us this week to talk about the Goat Man. Who was the goat man you ask? A shadowy figure in the night, dressed in a costume designed to strike terror into the hearts of criminals? A horrifying half-man half-un

Year without Summer, Terrible Olympics

Jan 22nd, 2020 1h 3m

Today we're talking about the Year Without a Summer and the disaster that was 1904 Olympic Games.The year was 1816. A series of volcanic eruptions had spewed dust into the atmosphere, lowering GLOBAL temperatures and leaving a blood-red fog in

Victorian Pipe Culture, Ferdinand the Imposter

Jan 8th, 2020 1h 20m

Happy new year all! We return with two tales of weird history - first, Max reveals his research into the pipe smoking culture of Victorian England, with stops along the way to revel in the crazy things that we've done with and to tobacco over

RECAST - Saturnalia, Gregor MacGregor's Poyais Scheme

Dec 25th, 2019 56m 7s

We're taking xmas off! We hope that you're having a wonderful holiday and that we can help you distract yourself from your families with the re-cast of one of our favorite episodes. We'll be back with new stuff in 2020, see you then!This ep

55 - Transcontinental Railroad, Architecture Gangsters

Dec 11th, 2019 58m 1s

Choo Choo! All aboard the Jackie express to the history of the Transcontinental Railroad! Learn abou tthe train barons and their shitty tricks to bilk as much money as they could from connecting up America! Marvel at how poorly they treated the

Heart of Darkness

Nov 27th, 2019 48m 34s

When we recorded this episode Max and Jackie were full of flu, so we handed the reins off to Noel to get deep in the weeds on the history of the film "Apocalypse Now!" Tune in to listen to the doomed history of this classic film, interspersed

Ep 52 - DC Punk, Fruitlands

Nov 13th, 2019 1h 12m

We're back, with special guest Rob Mulligan!First, Rob takes us through the Revolution Summer of DC hardcore Punk music, and all the punk rockers that made it happen. Learn who started the straightedge movement, and why? Just why is it called

51 – Dutch Defense, Oktoberfest Origins

Aug 21st, 2019 55m 6s

It’s just Max and Noel today, since Jackie is off at an improv festival in Vermont, so brace yourself for a whole bunch of historical shitposting. First, Noel gets into how the Dutch defended themselves against the Spanish invasion at the begin

Ep 50 – World’s First Celebrity Chef, Bowling

Jul 24th, 2019 59m 20s

It’s a Max-free episode today so join Jackie and Noel for the stories of Marie-Antione Careme, the world’s first celebrity chef who built towering palaces of pastry during the Napoleonic Era, wrote a bestselling cookbook that came in second onl

Fourth of July Special 2019

Jul 10th, 2019 48m 43s

So this episode’s normally scheduled recording fell on the 4th of July, and since we were all attending the same bbq, we decided to interview our history nerd friends there about whatever story about America they wanted to share. What we failed

ep 49 – Hussarian Debate, Silver Tree of Karakorum

Jun 26th, 2019 1h 5m

Today our friend Micheal E fills in for Noel as they bring us the tale of Hussaria, the nation-state that controlled European roads, and it’s great debate about what should be it’s official state religion. Hussaria was caught between larger pow

48- Nightingale, Cheese War

Jun 12th, 2019 1h 4m

This week we’re diving into the life of fht eone and only Florence Nightingale, before we hold our noses for the Great Cheese War of 1936. You’ve probably heard of Florence Nightingale, “The Lad of the Lamp” who brough succor to soldiers in the

47 – Ranjit Singh & the Koh-i-Noor, Seattle Spite Hills

May 29th, 2019 1h 9m

Today we bring you the story of how Ranjit Singh, the maharajah of the punjab, took the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shah Shuja, the deposed King of Afghanistan – a story of treachery, intrigue and food fights. Then it’s time for the story of the gr

46 – Ada Blackjack, Castro Gameshow

May 15th, 2019 1h 6m

Today’s episode has our first LISTENER SUBMITTED STORY! Sent in by Brother Trebius on twitter, tune in for the tale of Ada Blackjack, the lone survivor of a doomed arctic expedition. Ada, a seamstress who joined the expedition so that she would

45- Bottled in Bond, Cabeza de Vaca

Apr 24th, 2019 1h 6m

On today’s episode Noel is finally back! He brings us a story from his travels about how whiskey used to be cut with all sorts of stuff back before regulations got passed down. What kind of stuff you ask? How do you like tobacco, ethanol, and r

ep 44 – Elizabeth Bathory, Nuke the Moon

Apr 10th, 2019 52m 30s

This episode, our friend Amancio Lopes joins us again to talk about Elizabeth Bathory! Elizabeth was a Hungarian noblewoman with a troubled past who, depending on who you believe, killed over 600 people or as few as 30. Which is still A LOT OF

43 – Bass Reeves, Katherine Ferrers

Mar 28th, 2019 1h 1m

Today we’re talking about legendary lawman Bass Reeves and legendary highwaywoman Katherine Ferrers. Which we swear we didn’t plan.

Live Show! Barbershop Poles, Great Seattle Fire

Mar 13th, 2019 31m 49s

Ho ho ho it’s a live show! Join us at the Democracy Center as we talk the history of the Barbershop Pole, which we guarantee involves a lot less singing than you think! Then, we dive into the Great Seattle Fire, a comedy of mishaps that burned

Ep 41 – Chevalier de Saint Georges, Stephen Bishop Cave Explorer

Feb 27th, 2019 1h 5m

It’s Black History Month so today we’re talking about two black men who made their mark on history. First, we talk about Le Chevalier de Saint Georges aka Joseph Bologne, a french composer, duelist and war hero. Born the son of a slave and a no

Ep 40 – Glass Delusion, Hollow Earth Expedition

Feb 6th, 2019 58m 56s

We talk the Glass Delusion and about an expedition that the US almost backed to the CENTER OF THE EARTH today. The Glass Delusion was a mental illness from the 1400s-1800s where the sufferer believed themselves to be made out of glass, liable t

Ep 39 – New Motive Power, Annie Londonderry

Jan 23rd, 2019 1h 6m

This episode we talk about John Murray Spear, an abolitionist, pacifist, prison reformer and also the preacher who tried to build a robot jesus. What do you mean, burying the lede? The dude lived an excellent life for justice and deserves to be

Ep 38 – Batavia Mutiny, Queen Ranavalona

Jan 9th, 2019 1h 10m

There’s a content warning on this episode – both of the stories this week go to some very dark places. This week we talk about the mutiny of the company ship Batavia. This Dutch East India Corporation trading boat underwent a mutiny, a shipwrec