Podcasts by Where Did it Come From? Where Did it Go?

Tobacco Pipes from 2021-01-29T10:00

After having spent a week looking at tobacco pipes at work, Ana delivers their whole history. The age-old pastime of smoking includes pipes made of stone, clay, wood, plastic, and corn cobs, and...

Chopsticks from 2021-01-15T11:00

Hey, 2021! We're back! Ana kicks off the new year and re-starts the podcast with a Where Did it Come From mini-sode covering the history of chopsticks.

Microsoft Bob from 2020-09-18T09:00

This week Ana explores the vestiges of one of the tech world's earliest failures: Microsoft Bob. Nothing could be worse than Clippy, you say? Just buckle up and definitely be sure to check out o...

Plastic Bags from 2020-09-07T16:40:58

The Plastics wear pink on Wednesdays, but the earth will be wearing plastic bags for thousands of years. This week Ana covers the very quick history of one of the most commonly used items in the...

The Amber Room from 2020-08-16T15:52:12

A priceless room covered in amber and gemstones. Nazi bad guys. A mysterious disappearance. A potential curse. Need we say more? This week Ana covers the disappearance of the 8th Wonder of the W...

Dr. Marten's from 2020-08-09T02:47:14

Have you ever wondered how a military boot became a symbol of subculture? Well, first it was a shoe popular with housewives... This week, Ivana covers the sometimes surprising history of Dr. Mar...

Electric Guitars & The Jukebox from 2020-07-31T19:12:55

This week we present to you the first long episode since the format revamp & the theme is music! We explore how the sounds of rock and roll really changed the 20th century through the invent...

Thomas Edison's Phonograph Dolls from 2020-07-17T12:05:09

Do you think dolls are creepy? How about talking dolls? How about 130 year old talking dolls? Then this episode may not be for you!

Ana explores one of Thomas Edison's lesser known creati...

M&Ms from 2020-07-10T09:00

Ladies, Gents & All People, we aren't talking about the rapper, oh no, this week Ivana gives you the history of those little delicious candies: M&M's. They're famous for being  in t...

Chess from 2020-07-03T09:00

We're back! After a month-long hiatus, we have re-vamped our podcast format. Ana will tell you all about it here on this episode as well as the history of one of the world's oldest games: Chess!...

The Evil Eye & Curse Tablets from 2020-05-30T18:01:26

Alakazam! Or should we say, "Berbescu?" This week we delve into the origins of some magic ideas and amulets. Ivana discusses the history of the Evil Eye, or at least those blue things we thought...

Keys & Theranos from 2020-05-16T15:55:01

Have you ever wanted to become a billionaire so badly you made a fraudulent machine, despite everyone telling you it wouldn't work? We didn't think so, but today Ivana has the story of the faile...

Salt & Pepper Minisode from 2020-05-01T19:48:48

It's the first of the month - have you ever paid your peppercorn rent? This week we present to you a minisode about Salt and Pepper, not to be confused with Salt-N-Pepa. Ana always wanted to know w...

Mascara & Greek Fire from 2020-04-17T10:27

Quarantine is still going strong, but we aren't letting it get us down - not with this episode about "things that make you hot." Although Ivana did almost shave off her eyebrows, so maybe it IS get...

Athleisure & Hoop Skirts from 2020-04-03T19:57:12

If you're like Ana during quarantine, you've been wearing athleisure nonstop for the past couple of weeks - so why not let her tell you the history of all those spandex-y things you've been sportin...

The Speculum & Bloodletting from 2020-03-21T14:59:05

This episode has been brought to you by unbroken eye contact...you'll see what we mean. We decided to cover some medical history to go along with the current Coronavirus outbreak and maybe take you...

Calendars & Sundials from 2020-03-07T03:10:11

It's our 1 year podcast-aversary! And in honor of this episode that's all about our time together, here's an uncut episode that's all about...you guessed it, inventions and objects that have to do ...

The Kazoo & Lituus from 2020-02-21T09:19

A man named Alabama, a clock maker, and a traveling salesman walk into a bar and a kazoo comes out...or something like that. This week it's musical instruments: the kazoo (which should be forgotten...

Zippers & The Kissing Shield from 2020-02-07T09:50

This week we're zipping it AND wrapping it...? But actually, this episode does contain mature content, and shockingly it's not in Ana's zipper history. The history of the sipper is actually pretty ...

A Very Delayed Christmas Episode from 2020-01-24T10:11

Is St Nick a savior, a demon, or satan...or a butcher? It doesn't matter as long as you get your coffee & go! This week we belatedly explore some Victorian Christmas items: the Christmas Pickle and...

An Archaeological Special from 2020-01-10T23:56:26

We break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this archaeological special! Ana & Ivana were at an archaeological conference this week and wanted to share some of the weird and inte...

Seat Belts & Chariots from 2019-12-15T00:15:58

A history of transportation! Ivana covers the invention of seat belts, which were actually used in planes way before cars, and Ana covers the bloody history of the chariot, which certainly didn't d...

Black Friday & Aspic from 2019-12-02T03:11:42

It's our 20th episode AND it's a Holiday themed one! Ivana covers the history of the USA's craziest shopping day of the year: Black Friday, and Ana covers everyone's least favorite Thanksgiving sid...

Anesthetic & Leaded Gasoline from 2019-11-16T02:17:43

It's an episode of strange chemical compounds! Ivana covers the long history of how we've knocked people out for surgery & Ana discusses the disastrous results that came from mixing lead and gasoli...

Air Conditioning & The Heated Jacket from 2019-11-01T10:17

We're trying out a new format this week to bring you the best stories from history. In this short episode, we discuss the history of heating and cooling - namely air conditioning and heated jackets...

Ouija Boards & Frozen Charlottes from 2019-10-18T10:30

Join us this spooky season for our very first Halloween episode as we confuse Malcolm's and spoil some horror films. Ivana gives the history of everybody's least favorite party activity: Ouija, as ...

Scrubs & The Dalkon Shield from 2019-10-04T10:00

This week we delve into the weirdness that is medical history, with Ivana's absolutely disturbing story about the state of women's health and Ana's less intense history of medical scrubs (which was...

Roller Skates & Aqua Dots from 2019-09-20T11:00

We met up in person for a huge day of recording and this is the first of the three episodes we worked on that day. That also means it's probably the sanest of the next few episodes coming out. Ivan...

Moth Man & The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis from 2019-09-06T10:21:57

This week we depart from our usual format to tell you the history of two ideas instead of objects. Ivana discusses the origins of Moth Man - some combination of legend, cryptid, angel, and omen...o...

Toilet Paper & The Wooden Swimsuit from 2019-08-23T10:37

This week we talk what we deem to be "things made from trees." Ana talks about the very petty history of toilet paper and all the things we used to use instead of it. Ivana covers the very DIY-ish ...

Bikinis & The Iron Lung from 2019-08-10T00:19:58

This week we have very mismatched topics because we both prepared for "Where Did it Come From," but it makes for a crazy episode full of laughter, stories about kids, and funny voices! Other topics...

Platform Shoes & Earth Shoes from 2019-07-27T00:34:44

This week we talk '70s shoes! Ivana covers the history of what might possibly be her fave ever shoe: the platform, & Ana talks about the weirdness of negative heel technology. Listen on Spotify, iT...

The Candy Episode #1 from 2019-07-12T10:30

In what we're sure will probably be the first of many candy-themed episodes, we discuss Bubble Gum, Butterfingers, and the Wonderball - but we won't tell you who's telling what story!  P.S. Sorry f...

Kawaii & Pogs from 2019-06-29T01:22:20

We accidentally semi-coordinated out topics this week! All 90s babies will love our chat about "cute things," Hello Kitty and Pogs. Other topics include: the pink Pokemon, haunted closets, Tamagotc...

Mortarboards & Cursive from 2019-06-15T00:12:15

Our graduation/school themed episode covers mortarboards, you know those funny square hats, and the tale of the disappearing cursive writing from American schools. Other topics include: 50 shades o...

E-Readers & Floppy Discs from 2019-05-31T10:41:41

Our (hopeully) one and only uncut episode. You all get the full, unedited version today because the week simply got away from us. That means more info, more side rants, and more nonsense!

Vending Machines & The Exhaust Grill from 2019-05-20T02:06:56

Today we are talking snack!  Ana starts with Vending machines, which are definitely older than you'd think, and Ivana follows with a story about what happens if you want a burger, but don't want to...

Stoplights & Flying Cars from 2019-05-03T01:50:27

A very casual birthday episode! We go off the rails (or should I say roads?) on this episode about Stoplights and Flying cars. Actually, we get so derailed we end up talking about "Rat Elon Musk." ...

Contact Lenses & Smell-O-Vision from 2019-04-19T12:51:14

Do you want to know how we went from putting glass and wax on and in our eyes to modern-day contacts? Do you want to know more about the "Battle of the Smellies"? Then join us this week as we talk ...

Bubble Wrap & Packing Peanuts from 2019-04-05T00:41:28

Have you ever wanted to know how many minutes of massage provides the same stress relief as 1 minute of of popping bubble wrap? Or what the different colors of packing peanuts mean? This week we de...

Corsets & Bras from 2019-03-23T15:50:34

A few weeks out from International Women's Day we take a deep dive into women's underwear! Ana covers the history of corsets which transitions perfectly into Ivana's coverage of bras. We learn abou...

Graham Crackers & New Coke from 2019-03-08T01:29:01

In our pilot episode, we delve into the world of food! Ana talks about Graham Crackers and their very Victorian origins and Ivana jumps forward in time to tackle the flopped invention of New Coke. ...