Podcasts by Our Fake History
A podcast about myths we think are history and history that might be hidden in myths! Awesome stories that really (maybe) happened!
Further podcasts by ourfakehistory / Entertainment One (eOne)
Podcast on the topic Geschichte
All episodes
Episode #192- Who Killed Mozart? (Part I) from 2023-12-12T16:47:52
There are few artists who are praised with the same level of hyperbole as Wolfgang Mozart. The German poet Franz Alexander von Kleist once said “Mozart's music is so beautiful as to entice angels d...
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Episode #191- Who Was The Real Zorro? (Part II) from 2023-11-28T17:29:22
The character of Zorro clearly had a number of inspirations, some literary and some historical. But the proto-Zorro with the deepest mythology is undoubtedly the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta. Th...
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Episode #190- Who Was The Real Zorro? (Part I) from 2023-11-14T16:42:51
The co-creator of Batman has admitted that there would be no caped crusader had it not been for the inspiration of masked-avenger Zorro. In turn, the character of Zorro could not have existed witho...
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Episode #189- What Bewitched Salem? (Part III) from 2023-10-31T15:54:16
The Salem witch panic of 1692 can sometimes feel more like a natural disaster than a human event. When the crisis reached its peak in the late summer of 1692 it had become as chaotic and destructiv...
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Episode #188- What Bewitched Salem? (Part II) from 2023-10-17T15:58:24
Can a psychological illness become contagious? Many experts believe that in rare cases a phenomenon known as a "mass psychogenic illness" can break out in a population. Can this strange quirk of gr...
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Episode #187- What Bewitched Salem? (Part I) from 2023-10-03T16:10:42
In 1692 in the town of Salem Village, Massachusetts, two young girls started acting very strangely. The girls suffered from uncontrollable fits, bouts of incoherence, and odd outbursts including ba...
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Episode #186- Who Was Germany's Greatest Imposter? from 2023-09-19T16:13:05
In 1906 an ex-convict named Wilhelm Voigt living pulled off one of the most audacious heists in European history. After cobbling together a realistic looking Captain's uniform, he convinced ten Ger...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #43- What is Phantom Time? from 2023-09-05T16:02:07
In the world of pseudo-historical theories there are few more radical than the Phantom Time Hypothesis and the New Chronology. These theories propose that hundreds of years of human history never a...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #113- Who is Kyiv's Most Vengeful Saint? from 2023-08-22T16:39:20
There are few tales of revenge as epic as that of Olga of Kyiv. In 945 AD Olga set out on a campaign of vengeance that would make a lasting mark on the history of Eastern Europe. However, there is ...
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Episode #185- Was Wrestling Ever Real? ft. RJ City (Part III) from 2023-08-08T15:25:29
Most professional wrestling fans have accepted the scripted nature of wrestling for decades, but are we truly living in a post-kayfabe world? This week's guest, RJ City, thinks that maybe kayfabe n...
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Episode #184- Was Wrestling Ever Real? (Part II) from 2023-07-25T15:32:34
Professional Wrestling had a long history of manipulated matches, but it took time to evolve into the pure theatre we know today. Along the road Professional Wrestling passed through a strange inte...
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Episode #183- Was Wrestling Ever Real? (Part I) from 2023-07-11T16:00:37
In 1957 the French philosopher Roland Barthes called professional wrestling a "spectacle of excess." That may be the most beautifully succinct description of sports entertainment ever written. For ...
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Episode #182- What Were The Hell-Fire Clubs? (Part II) from 2023-06-27T15:46:12
In 1721 the first Hell-Fire club caused a scandal in London and quickly disbanded, but the story did not end there. Soon new blasphemous rake's clubs were being founded all over England, Scotland a...
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Episode #181- What Were The Hell-Fire Clubs? (Part I) from 2023-06-13T15:05
In Britain in the early 18th century private social clubs were all the rage. These societies grew out of the emerging coffeehouse culture and soon became an integral part of the social life of the ...
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Episode #180- Columbus? (Part III) from 2023-05-30T15:08:05
There is a long tradition of writers comparing Christopher Columbus to mythical figures. 16th century historian Peter Martyr believed Columbus was like a later-day Aeneas, the Trojan hero who trave...
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Episode #179- Columbus? (Part II) from 2023-05-16T15:02:29
A Columbus biographer once wrote that the famous navigator had an "an imperfect understanding of the line between truth and falsity." The Genoese mariner had a habit of lying, exaggerating, or revi...
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Episode #178- Columbus? (Part I) from 2023-05-02T16:29
There are few historical figures whose reputation has swung in as many extreme directions as Christopher Columbus. The Genoese mariner once credited with "discovering America" has in recent years b...
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Episode #177- How Do Movies Make Myths? ft. Amy Nicholson from 2023-04-18T14:56:32
On today's show Sebastian has the opportunity to talk to one of his favourite film critics, podcasters, and cultural observers, the great Amy Nicholson. Amy writes about film for the New York Times...
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Episode #176- Was Pythagoras Killed By Beans? from 2023-04-04T14:59:48
If you managed to get through elementary school math then you have almost certainly heard the name Pythagoras. The ancient Greek thinker has been celebrated as the man who first discovered the math...
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Episode #175- Who Framed Mata Hari? (Part III) from 2023-03-21T15:30
The myth of Mata Hari would have us believe that she was a turn-of-the-century super-spy. She has been celebrated as a master of the "honey trap" tactic, where a beautiful spy seduces her mark and ...
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Episode #174- Who Framed Mata Hari? (Part II) from 2023-03-07T16:02:09
Between 1905 and 1908 the dancer professionally known as Mata Hari was one of the best known entertainers in Europe. Her nearly-nude dances were given an air of respectability thanks to her present...
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Episode #173- Who Framed Mata Hari? (Part I) from 2023-02-21T16:33:11
In 1905 a woman claiming to be a Javanese temple dancer rocketed to fame in Europe. Her name was Mata Hari and her nearly-nude dances were presented as profound religious experiences. But, Mata Har...
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Episode #172- Who Was The African Samurai? (Part II) from 2023-02-07T16:35:21
In the 1580's Japan was a on the precipice of a massive transformation. For over a century the country had been embroiled in war, but by 1581 the end seemed to be in sight. The powerful Lord Oda No...
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Episode #171- Who Was The African Samurai? (Part I) from 2023-01-24T15:10:06
Near the end of Japan's "Warring States" period a remarkable visitor arrived in the country with a group of European Jesuit missionaries. He was a soldier originally from East Africa acting as a bo...
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Episode #170- Who Knows Houdini? (Part III) from 2023-01-10T16:57:06
Houdini had a truly impressive run as an entertainer. In the decade between 1904 and 1913 he developed a number of escapes and illusions that are still considered the gold-standard for stage magici...
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Episode #169- Who Knows Houdini? (Part II) from 2022-12-27T17:35:26
Over the course of 1899 Harry Houdini went from being an obscure circus performer to being one of the best known entertainers in America. He became known as the "Handcuff King" and made headlines c...
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Episode #168- Who Knows Houdini? (Part I) from 2022-12-13T16:40:35
The word "iconic" gets thrown around pretty loosely these days, but there are some figures who truly earn the descriptor. Micheal Jordan and Mohammed Ali are icons because they truly transcended th...
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Episode #167- Who Was The Fake Asian? from 2022-11-29T16:52:42
In 1703 a curious character arrived in London claiming to be a native of the island of Formosa. These days Formosa is better known as Taiwan, but in early 18th century it was a place barely underst...
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Episode #166- Who Was Liver Eating Johnson? (ft. Daniele Bolelli) from 2022-11-15T16:07:29
Some of the most legendary figures to emerge from the history of the American West were the rough-and-ready "mountain men". But, the most legendary mountain man of all had to be the cannibal, Liver...
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Episode #165- What Was The Galileo Affair? (Part III) from 2022-11-01T15:03:52
There is a story that as Galileo stood in front of the Inquisition and listened as they declared that the Earth did not revolve around the Sun, he whispered under his breath "and yet, it moves". Th...
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Episode #164- What Was The Galileo Affair? (Part II) from 2022-10-18T16:31:20
Galileo is often credited with inventing the telescope, but he never made that claim. He simply whipped up his own take on the device and sold it to the Republic of Venice before his Dutch competit...
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Episode #163- What Was The Galileo Affair? (Part I) from 2022-10-04T16:27:20
The Pisan scientist Galileo Galilei has been remembered as the "father of modern science." The discoveries he made with his telescope led to a completely new understanding of Earth's place in the c...
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Episode #162- Real Amazons? (Part II) from 2022-09-20T17:19:36
Did you know that the Amazons once waged war on Atlantis? According to the ancient historian Diodorus of Sicily, the Amazons conquered Atlantis while carving out an empire in Northern Africa. This ...
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Episode #161- Real Amazons? (Part I) from 2022-09-06T17:37:41
When the conquistador Francisco Orellana was attacked by a band of female warriors deep in the heart of South America, he thought immediately of the Amazons of Greek mythology. His encounter with t...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #61 - What's the Problem with Socrates? from 2022-08-23T15:00
In this OFH throwback episode Sebastian is throwing you back to Episode #61 - What's the Problem with Socrates? Socrates has been celebrated as the “father of western philosophy”. This is particula...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #96- What is America's Weirdest Secret Society? from 2022-08-09T17:29:39
In this "throwback episode" we look back at episode #96. In the 1930’s a famous California history professor thought he had discovered a long lost historical treasure. It was a brass plate apparent...
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Episode #160- Who Knows Toronto? from 2022-07-26T19:11:04
In this SUPER SIZED season finale Sebastian explores the many myths and misconceptions about the city of Toronto. In his attempt to get a deeper understanding of the city he has called home, our ho...
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Episode #159- How Should We Remember Attila the Hun? (Part III) from 2022-07-12T16:14:16
In the stories of saints' lives written in the medieval era Attila the Hun was often used as a stock villain. He was called the "Scourge of God" and was understood as a blunt instrument used by God...
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Episode #158- How Should We Remember Attila the Hun? (Part II) from 2022-06-28T17:35:05
The Huns were not a literate culture, which means their version of history was never written down. As a result we rely on sources written by outsiders to trace the rise of the Hunnic empire and the...
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Episode #157- How Should We Remember Attila the Hun? (Part I) from 2022-06-14T18:03
Attila the Hun has been saddled with a truly terrible historical reputation. In many parts of the world his name is synonymous with barbarism. But, despite the fact that Attila the Hun has excellen...
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Episode #156- What Became of the Benin Bronzes? (Part III) from 2022-05-31T17:45:31
In the last year the global conversation around the fate of the Benin Bronzes has shifted dramatically. In April of 2021 the German government announced that the vast majority of Benin Bronzes kept...
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Episode #155- What Became of the Benin Bronzes? (Part II) from 2022-05-17T18:11:26
In 1897 Queen Victoria marked her diamond jubilee and Britain was in a celebratory mood. The British Empire had never been stronger. Few could imagine that this world-spanning empire might very wel...
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Episode #154- What Became of the Benin Bronzes? (Part I) from 2022-05-03T18:01:28
Looting has been a part of warfare since the earliest times. Despite the fact that looting was common for much of history, it was always recognized as an especially harmful and humiliating by-produ...
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Episode #153- What Is The Titanic Myth? (Part III) from 2022-04-19T16:52:50
The Titanic myth isn't really built on lies, so much as a series of amplified "half-truths". Stories about the Captain imploring his crew to "Be British" and the band playing even as water sloshed ...
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Episode #152- What Is The Titanic Myth? (Part II) from 2022-04-05T18:25:27
When the wreck of the Titanic claimed over 1500 lives in 1912 the tragedy seemed too full of irony and meaning for it simply to be a freak accident. Surely someone was to blame. There had to be vil...
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Episode #151- What Is The Titanic Myth? (Part I) from 2022-03-22T15:53:37
The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the best remembered nautical disasters in history. Over 1500 passengers died after the luxury ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the No...
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OFH Special Presentation - What Should We Believe About the Knights Templar? (Part II) from 2022-03-08T17:55:33
In part two of this OFH Special Presentation Sebastian pulls a little something out from behind the Patreon paywall. What was once a massive extra episode on the history and weird mythology of the ...
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OFH Special Presentation - What Should We Believe About the Knights Templar? (Part I) from 2022-02-22T17:25:16
In this OFH Special Presentation Sebastian pulls a little something out from behind the Patreon paywall. What was once a massive extra episode on the history and weird mythology of the Knights Temp...
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Episode #150- Why Didn't You Tell Us That? from 2022-02-08T18:35:05
Over the course of 150 episodes there have been theories, stories, and sidebars that have fallen through the cracks. Tales that don't quite fit the main thrust of an episode sometimes get cut for t...
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Episode #149- Who Was the Real Stagger Lee? from 2022-01-25T18:26:48
The character of Stagger Lee has been one of America’s most enduring folk heroes. There have been over 400 songs written about the swaggering, gun-toting, bad man. He has gone by many names: Stacks...
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Episode #148- Who Was First in Flight? (Part III) from 2022-01-11T18:25:06
In 1906 Alberto Santos-Dumont performed a number of short flights in front of a large crowd in Paris. These were done in his newly constructed heavier-than-air flying machine, the No.14-Bis. After ...
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Episode #147- Who Was First in Flight? (Part II) from 2021-12-28T18:51:04
The late 19th century in France sometime gets called La Belle Époque or the "Beautiful Era". As the name suggests, this is a time that has been fondly remembered as an age of optimism marked by ar...
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Episode #146- Who Was First in Flight? (Part I) from 2021-12-14T18:52:56
In mythology from around the world the ability to fly was reserved strictly for the gods. Stories about human beings constructing flying machines were usually punctuated with a moral about hubris. ...
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Episode #145- Real Gryphons? from 2021-11-30T17:23:30
The legendary hybrid creature known as the gryphon was said to have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Despite this fantastical descriptions the ancient Greeks and Romans truly ...
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Episode #144- Who Was the Mother of Empires? (Part III) from 2021-11-16T19:09:26
Eleanor of Aquitaine has been called the "Queen of the Troubadours" by fawning biographers. She has been credited with transforming medieval European culture through her patronage of the arts. It's...
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Episode #143- Who Was the Mother of Empires? (Part II) from 2021-11-02T19:45:01
When the King and Queen of France went on crusade in 1147 it nearly destroyed their marriage. The campaign led by King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine was an unmitigated disaster. But despite (o...
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Episode #142- Who Was the Mother of Empires? (Part I) from 2021-10-19T16:41:36
Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the best remembered medieval Queens. She has been celebrated as one of the most daring and consequential women of her age. But despite her fame Eleanor is often misun...
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Episode #141- Who's Afraid of the 30 Years War? (Ft. Zack Twamley) from 2021-10-05T17:25:01
The 30 Years War has reputation among history buffs as one of the most complicated conflicts you can study. Even though the war is filled with fantastic stories, it can sometimes scare away history...
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Episode #140- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part II) from 2021-09-21T17:46:40
There are three main culprits in the alleged burning of the Great Library of Alexandria. But weirdly they all lived roughly 300 years apart from one another. How is that even possible? It’s weird a...
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Episode #139- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part I) from 2021-09-07T19:51:43
The Egyptian city of Alexandria was once the most magnificent city on the Mediterranean. It was a city of wonders, whose culture was the envy of the Greek world. Tragically many of Alexandria's anc...
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Episode #139- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part I) from 2021-09-07T19:51:43
The Egyptian city of Alexandria was once the most magnificent city on the Mediterranean. It was a city of wonders, whose culture was the envy of the Greek world. Tragically many of Alexandria's anc...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #37- Did Robert Johnson Sell His Soul to the Devil? from 2021-08-31T17:08:38
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes a look back at a show that explores one of the greatest legends in 20th century popular music. Did the legendary blues musician, Robert Johnson, really tra...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #83- Who Invented Your Favourite Food? from 2021-08-24T10:00
In this OFH Throwback episode Sebastian takes a look at one of the most fun and accessible episodes in the OFH catalog. The world of food and drink is filled with colourful mythology. How much shou...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #77- Was There a Real Pied Piper? from 2021-08-17T13:00
In this throwback episode we take a look at an episode Sebastian thinks may have been the best "one-off" show created over the podcast's six seasons. Take a listen to how the host thinks this one h...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #10- Did the Aztecs Think Cortes Was a God? (Part II) from 2021-08-10T15:00
In this throwback episode Sebastian revisits "Part II" in the Season One series on the conquest of Mexico. In the freshly recorded introduction the host reflects on criticisms that this episode fir...
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OFH Throwback- Episode #9- Did the Aztecs Think Cortes Was a God? (Part I) from 2021-08-03T17:34:07
In this throwback episode Sebastian revisits a series from Season One of OFH. After the shows on Jared Diamond it seemed like a good time to take another look at the conquest of Mexico. This was al...
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Episode #138- Any Questions? (2021) from 2021-07-27T16:59:59
Season 6 wraps up with Sebastian taking questions from the listeners! He gets into everything from the name of the podcast, to his most loved shows, to the nature of humanity itself. Tune-in and fi...
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Episode #137- What's the Deal with Guns, Germs, and Steel? (Part II) from 2021-07-13T18:14:42
Is Jared Diamond's 1997 bestseller a work of staggering genius, or a piece of intellectual garbage? Has it moved our understanding of humanity forward, or has it set us back by decades? Are these b...
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Episode #136- What's the Deal with Guns, Germs, and Steel? (Part I) from 2021-06-29T17:07:46
When Sebastian first read Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel as an undergrad, he thought it was brilliant. That was until a Professor he deeply respected, dismissed ...
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Episode #135- Who Won the War of 1812? (Part III) from 2021-06-15T18:32:48
Every spring thaw between 1812 and 1814 seemed to inaugurate a completely new war in North America. The momentum in the War of 1812 would swing wildly between the Americans and British until the tw...
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Episode #134- Who Won the War of 1812? (Part II) from 2021-06-01T18:07:16
When Sebastian first learned about the War of 1812 when he was a Canadian middle-schooler, there were two words he was told he had to remember of the test: manifest destiny. Back then it was heavi...
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Episode #133- Who Won the War of 1812? (Part I) from 2021-05-18T17:21
American historians sometimes refer to War of 1812 as the "Forgotten War", but this has never really sat well with Canadians. You know who has not forgotten about the War of 1812? Canada, that's wh...
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Episode #132- Does Ethiopia Have the Ark of the Covenant? (Part II) from 2021-05-04T16:59:45
Ethiopia's history is nothing short of remarkable. The East African nation is home to one of the worlds oldest Christian traditions. For centuries the country was ruled by a line of kings who claim...
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Episode #131- Does Ethiopia Have the Ark of the Covenant? (Part I) from 2021-04-20T17:30:34
The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most fascinating objects mentioned in the Old Testament. The ancient Israelites believed the Ark held a divine power that made them unstoppable on the battlefi...
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Episode #130- Was There a Real Gilgamesh? (Part II) from 2021-04-06T18:47:05
The search for a historical Gilgamesh is filled with red herrings. As Mesopotamia's best loved epic hero, images of Gilgamesh are littered throughout the ruins of the ancient cities of the Tigris a...
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Episode #129- Was There a Real Gilgamesh? (Part I) from 2021-03-23T19:14:32
The oldest known piece of literature on the planet is the epic tale of Gilgamesh, king of the Mesopotamian city-state of Uruk. The story was a staple of middle-eastern storytelling for well over a ...
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Episode #128- Did St. Patrick Kill a Wizard? from 2021-03-09T19:50:43
There are few Christian saints more misunderstood than St. Patrick. Ireland's patron saint is best known for driving the snakes off the island, but that isn't even close to the most interesting thi...
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Episode #127- Who Was the Blood Countess? (Part II) from 2021-02-23T18:53:18
In 1611 a the Hungarian Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, was confined to her castle of Cachtice, never to leave again. This sentence was imposed on her by the Lord Palatine of Hungary. But strangely, e...
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Episode #126- Who Was the Blood Countess? (Part I) from 2021-02-09T19:29:10
Throw the name Elizabeth Bathory into your favourite search engine and you will quickly find superlatives like “history’s most prolific female serial killer” and leading questions like “Was Dracula...
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Bonus Episode- What Did He Say About Karate? from 2021-02-02T16:05:15
In episode #125 a historical myth about the origins of karate snuck past Sebastian! In this bonus episode the host does his darndest to set the record straight. Many thanks to listener Philipp Surk...
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Episode #125- What Are the Origins of Martial Arts? (Part II) from 2021-01-26T18:20:52
Martial arts myths are have been described as "savvy marketing". But, the most enduring bits of of fake martial arts history also combine Zen tradition, a Confucian veneration of the past, and a he...
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Episode #124- What Are the Origins of Martial Arts? (Part I) from 2021-01-12T20:12:43
Asian martial arts are often coated in a thick layer of of legend. Many fighting styles have elaborate origin stories and mystical founding fathers. These stories often help enhance the prestige of...
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Bonus Episode- What Did He Say on Ripples of History? from 2020-12-29T17:10:33
For this Bonus Episode Sebastian is sharing something he recorded earlier this year for a project curated by Daniele Bolelli, host of History on Fire. Sometime last year Daniele got the idea to pul...
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Episode #123- Should We Trust Nostradamus? (Part II) from 2020-12-22T17:56:23
These days Nostradamus is best known for the predictions found in his book The Prophecies. But, surprisingly, that book only became popular after the French seers' death. During his lifetime Nostra...
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Episode #122- Should We Trust Nostradamus? (Part I) from 2020-12-07T21:00
The 16th century French prophet, Nostradamus, has a way of rearing his head anytime humanity finds itself in the midst of a crisis. Anytime there's a collective tragedy, the world is plunged into c...
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Episode #121- What is Ghost River? from 2020-11-24T17:00
In 1763 twenty indigenous people in the colony of Pennsylvania were murdered by an armed gang. The victims had been a peaceful group of Conestogas, who had been wrongfully accused of aiding in viol...
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Episode #120- Who Was the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans? (Part III) from 2020-11-09T21:00
What does a Voodoo Queen even do? It turns out that much of it had to do with a ceremony in New Orleans known as St. John's Eve. Much of Marie Laveau's legend is deeply tied to that yearly voodoo r...
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Episode #119- Who Was the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans? (Part II) from 2020-10-27T18:00:57
Voodoo might be one of the most misunderstood religious traditions in the world. This unique combination of traditional West African spirituality and Roman Catholicism has been slandered for centur...
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Episode #118- Who Was the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans? (Part I) from 2020-10-13T18:12:49
One of the many things that makes New Orleans one of the most unique cities in North America is its history of Voodoo. When it comes to New Orleans Voodoo there is no figure more important than the...
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Episode #117- What Went Down On Easter Island? (Part II) from 2020-09-29T20:49:29
The island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, has been called "the clearest example of a society that destroyed itself." For years it was taken for granted that the people of Rapa Nui had depleted thei...
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Episode #116- What Went Down On Easter Island? (Part I) from 2020-09-15T16:40:58
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the indigenous islanders call it, may be the most misunderstood place on planet Earth. For centuries outsiders have tried to unravel what they perceived to be the isla...
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OFH Throwback - Episode #5- Did Shakespeare Write the Plays? from 2020-09-08T15:00
William Shakespeare is easily the best known playwright in the English language. His works are praised as some of the greatest feats of writing and are still required reading throughout the English...
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OFH Throwback - Episode #54 - Who Invented Rock'n Roll? (Part II) from 2020-08-25T15:00
In November of 2017 OFH did a series on the birth of Rock 'n Roll. Back then Sebastian was so terrified about getting sued that he did not include any of the music discussed in the episode. He has ...
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OFH Throwback - Episode #53- Who Invented Rock'n Roll? (Part I) from 2020-08-11T16:00
In November of 2017 OFH did a series on the birth of Rock 'n Roll. Back then Sebastian was so terrified about getting sued that he did not include any of the music discussed in the episode. He has ...
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OFH Throwback - Episode #71 - Who Invented Your Favourite Sport? from 2020-07-28T16:00:22
On this OFH Throwback we return to an episode from two summers ago called "Who Invented Your Favourite Sport?" This re-release is being done in honour of the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, ...
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Episode #115- Who Was Mali's Richest King? (Part II ) from 2020-07-21T19:10:17
In 1324 the Malian Emperor, Mansa Musa, made a pilgrimage to Mecca that would stun the Islamic world with its magnificence. If the sources are to be believed, the emperor traveled with an entourage...
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Episode #114- Who Was Mali's Richest King? (Part I) from 2020-07-07T20:00
One of the most pernicious historical myths to ever circulate is the wrongheaded belief that sub-Saharan Africa was uncivilized and devoid of history before the era of European colonialism. The sop...
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Episode #113- Who is Kyiv's Most Vengeful Saint? from 2020-06-23T17:10:49
There are few tales of revenge as epic as that of Olga of Kyiv. In 945 AD Olga set out on a campaign of vengeance that would make a lasting mark on the history of Eastern Europe. However, there is ...
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Next Episode and Some Recommendations from 2020-06-16T15:22:46
In this quick announcement Sebastian lets everyone know that the next Our Fake History will be released on June 23. Sebastian also expresses the podcast's solidarity with all of those protesting fo...
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Episode #112- Who Was The First Emperor of China? (Part III) from 2020-06-02T12:37:12
After unifying the "Warring States" the first emperor of China turned his attention to an even more lofty goal: becoming an immortal. When describing the first emperor the ancient sources paint a p...
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Episode #111- Who Was The First Emperor of China? (Part II) from 2020-05-19T16:37:08
In Chinese folklore the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, is never presented as a hero. Instead he is always presented as villain who is undone by his own arrogance and impiety. He is often introduced ...
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Episode #110- Who Was The First Emperor of China? (Part I) from 2020-05-05T10:22:23
If you were going to make a list of the most historically influential people to have have ever lived, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, should probably be in the top 10. In the mid 2nd cen...
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Episode #109- What Should We Believe About Boudica? (Part III) from 2020-04-21T18:03:39
The rebellion led by Boudica, the Iceni warrior woman, nearly dislodged the Roman empire from the island of Britain. She had the numbers, the momentum, and a righteous cause. So why was she ultimat...
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Episode #108- What Should We Believe About Boudica? (Part II) from 2020-04-07T17:40:05
The ancient rebel leader Boudica has become an icon in her native Britain. She is celebrated as a symbol of resistance and female power. However, getting a sense of her true character is nearly imp...
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Episode #107- What Should We Believe About Boudica? (Part I) from 2020-03-24T13:22:48
They say that history is written by the winners. While it's a trite cliché, there might be some truth in it. It's especially true when examining a figure like the Celtic-British freedom fighter Bou...
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Episode #106- Is the Renaissance a Myth? (Part II) from 2020-03-10T15:00:27
When did the Renaissance begin? When did it end? Do these questions even have proper answers? In this episode Sebastian frets over the so-called "Renaissance Myth" and tries to draw some conclusion...
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Episode #105- Is the Renaissance a Myth? (Part I) from 2020-02-25T19:29:14
The Renaissance has been touted as one of the most important moments in European history. 19th century historians like Jules Michelet and Jakob Burckhardt made the case that a "rebirth" starting in...
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Episode #104- What Caused the Black Death? (Part III) from 2020-02-11T19:39:53
In the 1890's a team of physicians and scientists discovered the cause of bubonic plague, a bacteria they named Yersinia Pestis. It was assumed for most of the 20th century that Yersinia Pestis als...
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Episode #103- What Caused the Black Death? (Part II) from 2020-01-28T17:32:22
When studying the plague of the 14th century it can be easy to focus on the death, but on Our Fake History we are so much more interested in life. The people who lived through the plague dealt with...
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Episode #102- What Caused the Black Death? (Part I) from 2020-01-14T18:44:02
The epidemic known as the Black Death struck Europe in 1347 and completely upended medieval society. It's been estimated that roughly half of the European population was killed by this gruesome dis...
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Bonus Episode - What Was the Phillip Experiment? from 2019-12-31T14:07:38
In November 2019 Sebastian was asked to perform at the Toronto Hot Docs Podcast festival. Our Fake History was featured on a show called "Sounds of the Six". Sebastian was given 15 minutes to both ...
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Episode #101- Who is the Real Santa Claus? from 2019-12-17T20:17:26
The Santa Claus legend may be one of the most sturdy pieces of mythology in modern times. While other magical creatures have faded from our common lore, the legend of Santa Claus has only grown. Ho...
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Episode #100- 100 Episodes? (Live in Toronto!) from 2019-12-03T18:05:43
In celebration of Our Fake History's 100th episode Sebastian runs the podcaster's gauntlet in front of a live crowd. Your host tells tales, plays guitar, and interviews an illustrious guest. But th...
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Episode #99- Who Built the Pyramids? (Part III) from 2019-11-20T18:37:44
These days it's impossible to speak about the mysteries of the pyramids without saying something about aliens from outer space. Thanks to the writings of authors like Eric Von Danieken and a slew o...
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Episode #98- Who Built the Pyramids? (Part II) from 2019-11-05T20:18:18
The most elaborate theories concerning the pyramids of Giza usually position those monuments as deeply different and distinct from all other Egyptian pyramids. However, to fully understand the pyra...
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Episode #97- Who Built the Pyramids? (Part I) from 2019-10-22T18:57:03
The Egyptian pyramids are easily the most mythologized pieces of architecture on the planet. They have inspired historical myths and misconceptions essentially as long as "history" has been a liter...
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Episode #96- What is America's Weirdest Secret Society? from 2019-10-09T17:04:19
In the 1930's a famous California history professor thought he had discovered a long lost historical treasure. It was a brass plate apparently inscribed by the famous English adventurer Sir. Franci...
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Episode #95- How Machiavellian was Machiavelli? (Part II) from 2019-09-24T11:48:13
Since The Prince was first published in 1532 it has attracted an eclectic group of admirers. Figures as diverse as Napoleon Bonaparte, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and Tupac Shakur, have managed to find s...
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Episode #94- How Machiavellian was Machiavelli? (Part I) from 2019-09-10T17:21:16
There are few political thinkers with as evil a reputation as the Florentine writer Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli's philosophy was believed to be so cutthroat and cynically ruthless that some th...
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Episode #93- Why Deny the Moon Landings? (Part III) from 2019-07-30T16:16:11
Once someone has embraced the moon landing hoax conspiracy it can be hard to change their mind. More often than not it's arguments concerning the Van Allen radiation belts and tiny photographic cro...
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Episode #92- Why Deny the Moon Landings? (Part II) from 2019-07-16T16:23:07
The foundational text for all moon landing conspiracy theories is a humble little book called We Never Went To The Moon. It was self-published by the author, Bill Kaysing, in 1976 and soon became t...
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Episode #91- Why Deny the Moon Landings? (Part I) from 2019-07-02T13:38:42
As we near the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission many have started to reflect on the legacy of the moon landings. However, in 2019 it's hard to discuss this amazing human achievement withou...
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Episode #90- How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part II) from 2019-06-19T09:54:34
Thanks to the mysterious pirate historian Captain Charles Johnson, Blackbeard became a truly legendary villain. According to the Captain, Blackbeard indulged in practically demonic behavior. The de...
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Episode #89- How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part I) from 2019-06-04T16:30:05
Blackbeard may be the most iconic pirate to ever roam the seas. His fearsome reputation and distinctive sense of personal style have made him the template upon which countless fictional pirates hav...
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Episode #88- Are the Dark Ages a Myth? from 2019-05-21T18:55:06
There are few periods in history as hotly contested as the so-called "Dark Ages". Traditionally, the 5th to 10th centuries in Europe have been characterized as "bizarre and monstrous". But is this ...
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Episode #87- Was There a Real King Arthur? (Part III) from 2019-05-07T18:30:42
There is evidence out there that King Arthur was more than just a myth. However, that evidence often comes in the form of tiny scraps found in questionable sources. Those bits of evidence can be ar...
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Episode #86- Was There a Real King Arthur? (Part II) from 2019-04-23T18:52:58
The Arthurian legend has been described by at least one scholar as a giant mythical vacuum. It has a reputation for sucking in and absorbing previously independent legends and making them part of A...
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Episode #85- Was There a Real King Arthur? (Part I) from 2019-04-09T19:55:52
King Arthur is easily the most requested topic in the history of this podcast. This probably isn't a surprise given Arthur's stature in world of mythology. But is Arthur more than a myth? Was there...
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Episode #84- What Was the Vodka War? from 2019-03-13T16:45:53
Vodka may be the most controversial alcohol in history. The origin of the distilled liquor continues to be one of the culinary world's most bitterly contested historical debates. This is partially ...
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Episode #83- Who Invented Your Favourite Food? from 2019-02-26T20:02:48
Some of the most enduring historical myths have to do with food and drink. Food history can sometimes be seen as frivolous, which makes it particularly vulnerable to myth-making. As a result some o...
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Episode #82- What Went Down in the Congo Free State? (Part III) from 2019-02-12T15:03:50
Recounting the atrocities that took place in the Congo Free State during the reign of King Leopold II is a daunting process. It was a state where sadism was the norm and severed human hands became ...
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Episode #81- What Went Down in the Congo Free State? (Part II) from 2019-01-29T18:39:49
The creation of the Congo Free State was one part cheap hustle and one part military occupation. King Leopold II managed to convince Europe he was a noble humanitarian while he was secretly buildin...
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Episode #80- What Went Down in the Congo Free State? (Part I) from 2019-01-15T18:41:32
There are few colonial enterprises as infamous as the Belgian King Leopold II's Congo Free State. While most people have a vague understanding of the atrocities that took place there, many don't kn...
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Episode #79- Who Are the Magicians of the Gods? (Part II) from 2018-12-18T20:09:01
Graham Hancock's hypothesis that an advanced global civilization was lost from history after a cataclysm at the end of the last ice age, sounds like it should be fun. It isn't. Wading through all o...
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Episode #78- Who Are the Magicians of the Gods? (Part I) from 2018-12-04T19:25:48
They are few researchers as controversial as Graham Hancock. He first found fame in 1995 when he published his international bestseller Fingerprints of the Gods. In that book he first proposed his ...
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Episode #77- Was There a Real Pied Piper? from 2018-11-20T19:21:20
The fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm can often surprise modern readers with their violence and cruelty. There is something particularly haunting about the story of the Pied Piper of Hame...
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Episode #76- How Does Jon Waterlow Make Sense of Stalin Jokes? from 2018-11-06T17:35:17
When I spoke to Jon Waterlow he reminded me that George Orwell once said that every joke is a tiny revolution. Well, it turns out jokes can be even more than that. In his fantastic new book, It's O...
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Episode #75- What Can We Believe About Stalin? (Part III) from 2018-10-24T17:24:10
There are few moments in Joseph Stalin's life that are not the subject of historical controversy. These controversies inevitably become more heated when we start discussing the deaths that occurred...
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Episode #74- What Can We Believe About Stalin? (Part II) from 2018-10-10T18:29:05
Stalin's biography may be one of the most contested in modern times. As early as the 1930's his life story was being written by friends and foes alike. The competing versions of Stalin's past has m...
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Episode #73- What Can We Believe About Stalin? (Part I) from 2018-09-25T17:16:21
The are few 20th century figures as perplexing as Josef Stalin. Historians widely agree that Stalin was responsible for the deaths of some 20 million human beings. Despite that his legacy has remai...
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Episode #72- Did Emperor Hadrian Murder His Teenage Lover? from 2018-09-11T16:15:05
In the first episode of Season 4 Sebastian looks at the historical reputation of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian has been celebrated as one of Rome's "five good emperors", but is that reputation...
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Episode #71- Who Invented Your Favourite Sport? from 2018-07-25T05:34:26
In this final episode of Season Three Sebastian turns his attention to sports! The question of who invented a particular sport can sometimes be a matter of national pride. As such sports history ca...
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Episode #70 - What are the Secrets of the Diefenbunker? from 2018-07-10T18:37:11
In a small town outside of Canada's capital city of Ottawa there sits a remarkable relic of the atomic age. It is a massive bunker that would have become the headquarters of the Canadian government...
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Episode #69- What Does Gary Lachman Think About the Mother of the Occult? from 2018-06-26T16:09:41
When I was researching Helena Blavatsky I was often amazed at how someone so weird, with such an outrageous life story, could inspire so much dull writing. That was until I discovered Gary Lachman'...
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Episode #68 - Who Was the Mother of the Occult? (Part III) from 2018-06-12T17:59:16
In the final chapter of our series on the occult guru Helena Petrovna Blavatsky we look at her surprising move to India and the scandal that ultimately destroyed her reputation. After being publicl...
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Episode #67- Who Was the Mother of the Occult? (Part II) from 2018-05-29T19:30:50
Occult guru Helena Blavatsky lived a life that defied explanation. However, her books might be even harder to explain. Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine are massive collections of esoteric thou...
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Episode #66- Who Was the Mother of the Occult? (Part I) from 2018-05-16T17:47:52
There are few stranger figures from the 19th century than Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Her absolutely unbelievable life story has puzzled biographers since the 1800s. Nevertheless, her occult spiritu...
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Episode #65- Was There a Real Hunt for the Fountain of Youth? from 2018-05-01T18:15:45
The legend of the fountain of youth is one of humanity's oldest pieces of lore. Tales of magical water sources that can reverse the aging process exist in dozens of different cultures around the wo...
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Episode #64- What Should We Believe About Cleopatra? (Part III) from 2018-04-17T20:15:07
An essential part of Cleopatra's legend is her relationship with the Roman Marc Antony. Everything from their first meeting, to their decadent courtship, to their inevitable suicides has become the...
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Episode #63- What Should We Believe About Cleopatra? (Part II) from 2018-04-03T18:18:41
Ancient authors would have us believe that the Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra, used an intoxicating blend of sexuality and extravagant living to manipulate powerful men. In fact some have gone so far as...
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Episode #62- What Should We Believe About Cleopatra? (Part I) from 2018-03-19T16:53:42
There are few ancient women as well-known as the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. However, most of what we know about her comes from sources that were edited and censored by her enemies. She has been port...
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Episode #61- What's the Problem with Socrates? from 2018-03-06T16:43:51
Socrates has been celebrated as the "father of western philosophy". This is particularly remarkable when you consider the fact that we know almost nothing about him for sure. What we consider "Socr...
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Episode #60- How Do You Explain the First Crusade? (Part III) from 2018-02-20T17:33:48
In the summer of 1096 the "People's Crusade" led by Peter the Hermit was on the cusp of flaming out spectacularly. Luckily for the Europeans this group of zealous peasants were not the only crusade...
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Episode #59 - How Do You Explain the First Crusade? (Part II) from 2018-02-06T17:37:29
Peter the Hermit was one of the most important people of the medieval era. He was instrumental in rousing the peasants of Europe and convincing them to march east on crusade. However, for someone s...
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Episode #58 - How Do You Explain the First Crusade? (Part I) from 2018-01-23T12:15:22
There are few medieval events that are still as politically loaded as the Crusades. Even though the First Crusade was launched well over 900 years ago people are still debating it's merits. The deb...
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Episode #57- Was There a Real Prester John? from 2018-01-02T20:10:03
In the 10th century a letter started circulating that had been allegedly written to the Byzantine Emperor by a mysterious eastern King. The King identified himself as Prester John and claimed that ...
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Episode #56- Who Was Japan's Greatest Swordsman? (Part II) from 2017-12-20T19:52:09
In classic samurai films the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was always presented as rough but honourable. The real Musashi may have been considerably more complicated. If we look closely at some of the...
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Episode #55- Who Was Japan's Greatest Swordsman? (Part I) from 2017-12-05T18:51:25
The samurai swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is the archetypal lone-wolf warrior. Legend has it that in course of his life he fought over sixty duels and never once lost. His psychological strategies and...
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Episode #54- Who Invented Rock'n Roll? (Part II) from 2017-11-21T20:23:16
It's been said that finding the first rock 'n roll song is akin to finding the spot on the colour spectrum where blue becomes indigo. The task might be impossible, but Our Fake History has never be...
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Episode #53- Who Invented Rock'n Roll? (Part I) from 2017-11-07T18:52:25
One of the most contentious questions in American pop culture revolves around who should get the credit for inventing rock 'n roll music. Rolling Stone magazine helped propagate the myth that the g...
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Episode #52- How Lionhearted was Richard? (Part II) from 2017-10-24T15:11:36
Richard the Lionheart did his best to make himself a legend in his own time. He was flamboyantly chivalrous in a way that was designed to get attention. His charm campaign seemed to work. Generatio...
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Episode #51- How Lionhearted was Richard? (Part I) from 2017-10-10T19:22:27
There are few English kings as legendary as Richard the Lionheart. In Robin Hood stories he was portrayed as the ultimate "good King". For the Victorians he represented everything that was noble ab...
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Episode #50- Was There a Real Robin Hood? (Part II) from 2017-09-26T20:37:39
Almost as long as people have been telling stories about Robin Hood, historians have been trying to find the real person who inspired the legend. Over the centuries dozens of researchers have cooke...
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Episode #49- Was There a Real Robin Hood? (Part I) from 2017-09-10T17:21:59
Robin Hood is easily one of the most beloved characters in English storytelling. For centuries the forest outlaw has been the ultimate hero of the downtrodden. He steals from the rich, gives to the...
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Episode #48- What Does Mark Adams Think About Atlantis? from 2017-07-25T14:05:11
The podcast is celebrating its second birthday! For our season finale we have something a little special. This week Sebastian is joined by New York Times Bestselling author Mark Adams. Mark is the ...
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Episode #47- Who Was the Queen of the Pirates? from 2017-07-11T18:41:02
Piracy on the high seas has existed for as long as human beings have had boats. For most of history these maritime marauders were almost exclusively men. However, there have also been a handful of ...
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Episode #46- What Went Down at the Siege of Vienna? (Part III) from 2017-06-27T18:56:37
The 1683 Siege of Vienna often gets described in apocalyptic terms. It has been characterized as the ultimate showdown between Christianity and Islam. There is no doubt that it was a dramatic and s...
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Episode #45- What Went Down at the Siege of Vienna? (Part II) from 2017-06-13T18:23:48
In July of 1683 the Ottoman Turks were closing in on the city of Vienna. The outnumbered Austrians frantically prepared their defenses and did their best to manage the panic that was gripping the c...
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Episode #44- What Went Down at the Siege of Vienna? (Part I) from 2017-05-30T15:26:05
The 1683 Siege of Vienna has been remembered as one of the most dramatic moments in European history. The Ottoman Turks threw the might of their empire against the walls Vienna in an attempt to cap...
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Episode #43- What is Phantom Time? from 2017-05-16T15:11:30
In the world of pseudo-historical theories there are few more radical than the Phantom Time Hypothesis and the New Chronology. These theories propose that hundreds of years of human history never a...
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Episode #42- What Ever Became of Billy the Kid? (Part II) from 2017-05-02T17:17:41
The Lincoln County War was once called "a war without heroes". However, it did manage to produce an American legend. Billy the Kid would eventually be celebrated as a righteous avenger who fought f...
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Episode #41- What Ever Became of Billy the Kid? (Part I) from 2017-04-18T07:19:25
There are few times and places as romanticized as America's "Old West". It has a robust mythology peppered with gunslingers, outlaws, and rugged pioneers. One of the most recognizable of these lege...
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Episode #40- Was There a Real Atlantis? (Part III) from 2017-04-04T15:08:12
In the world of Atlantis research there are many who believe that ruins of the lost city can, and will, be found. By carefully considering the details in Plato's dialogues some researchers believe ...
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Episode #39- Was There a Real Atlantis? (Part II) from 2017-03-21T13:57:33
The world of Atlantis research can be a very strange place. Some researchers believe that Atlantis was a real Bronze Age city whose ruins might one day be found near the rock of Gibraltar. Others b...
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Episode #38- Was There a Real Atlantis? (Part I) from 2017-03-07T20:08:45
In 360 BCE the Greek philosopher Plato wrote of a powerful island nation that had been sunk to the bottom of the ocean by wrathful gods. Plato called this lost city Atlantis. Little did he know tha...
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Episode #37- Did Robert Johnson Sell His Soul to the Devil? from 2017-02-20T19:11:18
In the history of the Blues there are few musicians as revered as the great Robert Johnson. Although he saw little success in his own lifetime, his music would go on to influence generations of sin...
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Episode #36- Did Pocahontas Really Save John Smith? (Part II) from 2017-02-06T19:50:12
In the early 1600's most English people assumed that Captain John Smith was a liar. His memoirs were peppered with romantic stories of shipwrecks, duels to the death, and exotic lovers. His contemp...
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Episode #35- Did Pocahontas Really Save John Smith? (Part I) from 2017-01-23T22:35:44
The story of Pocahontas is one of the most enduring legends of America's early colonial period. Her relationship with the Englishman John Smith would become the inspiration for everything from chee...
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Episode #34- Did Archimedes Build a Death Ray? from 2017-01-08T18:41:13
Archimedes was one of the ancient world's most important mathematicians. His discoveries would form the foundation upon which all future western science was built. However, he's probably best remem...
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Episode #33- Who Was the Prince of Humbugs? (Part II) from 2016-12-12T16:13:32
P.T Barnum did everything he could to curate his own historical legacy. He was deeply concerned with how people would remember him after he was gone. Would he go down as a greasy hustler, or would ...
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Episode #32- Who Was the Prince of Humbugs? (Part I) from 2016-11-28T22:26:08
In the 19th century there were few Americans more famous than P.T Barnum. Long before he founded the circus that would bear his name, Barnum made a name for himself by pulling off elaborate hoaxes....
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Episode #31- What Was the Charge of the Light Brigade? from 2016-11-16T17:29:21
The Crimean War cavalry action known as "the charge of light brigade" was immortalized by the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson . The poet described a glorious charge into the mouths of Russian cannon carr...
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Episode #30- Will the Real Anastasia Please Stand Up? from 2016-10-31T19:13:24
When Tsar Nicholas II was executed in 1918 the Bolsheviks pumped the Russian media full of misinformation. The official story was that the Tsarina and the Prince had been spared and moved to a safe...
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Episode #29- Who Killed Rasputin? (Part II) from 2016-10-17T20:55:18
If there is anything stranger than the life of Grigori Rasputin, then it has be his unbelievable death. As Rasputin's influence at court increased the rumours about his debauched personal life beca...
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Episode #28- Who Killed Rasputin? (Part I) from 2016-10-03T19:54:28
There are few twentieth century figures as mysterious as Grigori Rasputin. The Siberian mystic has been portrayed as a scheming dark magician who seduced the Russian Queen and made a cuckold of Tsa...
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Episode #27- Did The Chinese Beat Columbus to the New World? (Part II) from 2016-09-19T15:23:02
The deeper you dig into the claims made in 1421: The Year China Discovered America the weirder the story becomes. The author Gavin Menzies boldly asserts that the fleets of the Chinese Admiral Zhen...
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Episode #26- Did The Chinese Beat Columbus to the New World? (Part I) from 2016-09-05T15:16:30
One of the most controversial historical theories to emerge in the last 15 years is the so-called "1421 thesis". The theory was originally formulated by the former British submarine commander Gavin...
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Episode #25- Any Questions? from 2016-07-18T15:14:37
Our Fake History is celebrating its one year anniversary! In honour of this milestone we have turned the show over to the listeners. In this episode Sebastian does his best to answer as many of you...
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Episode #24- Did Ty Cobb Kill a Guy? from 2016-07-04T20:21:07
Ty Cobb has been remembered as one of baseball's greatest villains. Despite being universally recognised as one of the game's most talented players, Ty Cobb is mostly remembered as violent racist w...
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Episode #23- How Do You Explain Joan of Arc? (Part III) from 2016-06-20T14:54:16
It has been nearly six hundred years since Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in Rouen. Since that time there have been no shortage of conspiracy theorists and armchair psychologists who have tried...
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Episode #22 - How Do You Explain Joan of Arc? (Part II) from 2016-06-07T15:03:06
If Joan of Arc's rise to fame was unexpected, then her success on the battlefield was completely flabbergasting. Joan would score a series of impressive victories over the English and clear a path ...
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Mini- Episode - What Did He Say About the Middle Finger? from 2016-05-26T14:17:19
An historical myth managed to get loose and pass itself off as a fact in Episode #21! In this "Mini-Episode" Sebastian does his utmost to wrangle the loose myth and banish it to the pit. What resul...
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Episode #21- How Do You Explain Joan of Arc? (Part I) from 2016-05-23T17:32:20
The story of how Joan of Arc, an unassuming peasant girl, became the leader of French armies is one of the most dramatic in all of European history. In many ways Joan's biography can read like a fa...
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Episode #20- Who Was The First Person To Sail Around The World? (Part II) from 2016-05-09T15:45:46
There are few expeditions from the so-called "age of discovery" as harrowing as Ferdinand Magellan's attempted circumnavigation of the globe. The journey was plagued by storms, scurvy, starvation, ...
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Episode #19- Who Was The First Person To Sail Around The World? (Part I) from 2016-04-25T15:45:23
Famous historical "firsts" tend to be controversial as a rule, and the world's first circumnavigation is no exception. Ferdinand Magellan is often celebrated as the first person to sail around the ...
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Episode #18- Was There A Female Pope? from 2016-04-11T10:25:37
The story that a woman disguised as man was once elected Pope has been floating around since the 1200's. In fact it was widely believed for hundreds of years that there had once been a real female ...
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Episode #17- Was There A Real Trojan War? (Part III) from 2016-03-28T18:03:59
We have explored the myth of Trojan War and we have sung the Ballad of Heinrich Schliemann. All that's left is to answer the question that has inspired this entire trilogy of episodes. To determine...
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Episode #16- Was There A Real Trojan War? (Part II) from 2016-03-12T06:10:10
In our quest to discover if the Trojan War was a verifiable historical event we have to grapple with the amateur archaeologist who first tried to solve that mystery. Heinrich Schliemann believed th...
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Episode #15- Was There A Real Trojan War? (Part I) from 2016-02-28T15:41:57
The story of the Trojan War is one of humanity's oldest tales of armed conflict. For the Ancient Greeks the war represented the bloody end of an historical epoch. The fall of the city marked the en...
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Episode #14- Did Gods Colonize The Pacific? from 2016-02-14T16:05:11
The Pacific Ocean is the most expansive body of water on planet earth. Despite this fact ancient people managed to venture forth into its immensity and create a civilization of incredible sophistic...
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Episode #13- Who Was The Real Braveheart? (Part II) from 2016-01-31T16:09:35
The Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace is so deeply enveloped in mythology that finding the real man can seem almost impossible. His life story has doubled as both entertainment and propagand...
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Episode #12- Who Was The Real Braveheart? (Part I) from 2016-01-17T16:07:49
William Wallace is not only one of Scotland's best loved national heroes, he's also one of the most internationally well-known. His role as a leader in Scotland's medieval wars of independence agai...
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Episode #11- What Is The Spear Of Destiny? from 2016-01-03T16:13:21
The spear that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross has been one of the most fabled holy relics in history. The so-called "Spear of Destiny" is said to possess incredible supernatural ...
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Episode #10- Did the Aztecs Think Cortés Was A God? (Part II) from 2015-11-29T16:39:25
The story of the war between the Aztec (Mexica) empire and the Spanish conquistadors is one of the most dramatic in world history. The accounts of the conquest are diverse and, at times, contradict...
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Episode #9- Did the Aztecs Think Cortés Was A God? (Part I) from 2015-11-15T16:58:08
Before the Spanish arrived in the early 1500's, the Aztec, or Mexica, people had built an impressive civilization. Their empire was composed of bustling cities that were larger, cleaner, and more a...
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Episode #8- Who Were the Hash Smoking Assassins? from 2015-11-01T19:03:35
When Marco Polo returned from his travels in Asia he brought back with him tales of lands previously unimagined by Europeans. One of his strangest stories was that of the so-called "old man of the ...
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Episode #7- Napoleon Bonaparte: Man or Myth? (Part II) from 2015-10-18T19:04:19
After seizing power in 1799 Napoleon's legend would only continue grow. In the years after the coup d'etat that brought him to power Napoleon would redraw the map of Europe and refashion himself as...
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Episode #6- Napoleon Bonaparte: Man or Myth? (Part I) from 2015-10-04T18:33:07
Napoleon is simultaneously one of the most well-known and most misunderstood figures in Western history. He has been portrayed as both the ultimate romantic hero and the most despicable war-mongeri...
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Episode #5- Did Shakespeare Write The Plays? from 2015-09-21T05:01:08
William Shakespeare is easily the most well-known playwright in the English language. His works are praised as some of the greatest feats of writing and are still required reading throughout the En...
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Episode #4- Real Ninjas? from 2015-09-07T05:26:17
Ninjas, Japan's shadow warriors, have been a pop-culture staple for generations. The legend of the ninjas has become so overblown, that some have gone so far to suggest that they never truly existe...
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Ep. #3- Was There A Real Labyrinth? from 2015-08-24T14:33:33
Is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur just a bedtime story for morbid children or does it contain the kernels of real history? This week we dive into this classic myth and discover how it might h...
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Episode #2- Did Nero Really Fiddle As Rome Burned? from 2015-08-10T05:28:47
The "Great Fire" of 64 AD was the 9/11 of the ancient world, complete with it's own "truther" conspiracy. Could Emperor Nero actually have been behind the great fire? Did he play the fiddle as Rome...
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Episode #1- Was Queen Elizabeth Actually A Man? from 2015-07-21T10:53:06
Queen Elizabeth I is easily one of England's most celebrated monarchs. The so-called "virgin queen" has been credited with leading England through a golden age. However, she is also the subject of ...
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