History Lessons for Misanthropes

In this episode we discuss the 1940s Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr. Born in Austria, she got her start in Germany cinema before fleeing ro the US during the war to escape her marriage. As well as an extensive filmography, Hedy was an inventor who designed military grade weapons solutions. 

In this episode we discuss the life of Mary Ann Shadd, a teacher, activist, and journalist in the mid-1800s. She was a freeborn black woman who was exposed to the abolitionist movement from a young age, which inspired her to spend her life fighting for the rights of black people in Canada and the United States. While one would think the abolitionist community would welcome any support, Mary Ann's tenacity and drive rubbed many abolitionst leaders the wrong way. She was a woman who never let the circumstance of race or gender stop her from establishing schools, a newspaper, and touring lecture circuits to earn support for the movement.    music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

The last episode of 2022! In this bawdy and often silly episode, we discuss the life of 19th century entertainer, Joseph Pujol, better known as le Petomane. Joseph's skill was that he had a masterful contron of his GI system, and could pass gas in myriad and entertaining ways. We're ending the year with an absurd and happy story. music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

In this episode, we look at the life and troubled career of Maila Nurmi, who created the Vampira character in 1954. Before creating her iconic glamour ghoul, Maila had a hard time breaking into show business both in Hollywood and Broadway. She struggled with a strict upbringing while not fitting into the expected life for young women. We discuss the relationships she had with elite members of Hollywood, and the later exploitation by the system she so desperatly wanted approval from.  music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

In this episode we discuss a possession in New France, when a young women named Barbe Hallay was tormented by demons. This is a story of colonization in the 17th century, a land that is trying to keep it's colonial population Catholic in the face of hardships, and a nun who desperately wants sainthood. Was Barbe really possessed? Was it her way of maintining bodily autonomy in a way that was fixable by the church? Are any of these questions actually answered? You'll have to listen to find out! Check out "The Possession of Barbe Hally" by Mairi Cowan. Music by Valhall. 

This is the second part of the story of Kenneth Anger.  The episode begins after Kenneth parts ways with Bobby Beausoleil, and decided to leave San Francisco. His time in England was spent wooing rock stars and socialites, and establishing himself as a man of mystery, magick, and LSD. All the while he was making films and chasing the fame he refused to bend for. We also think this is the first episode we've done about someone still living- if we're wrong let us know!   music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

In this first part of a 2-part series, we discuss the early life of Kenneth Anger. Born in Santa Monica, California in 1927, Kenneth was a queer film-maker who idolized Aleister Crowley. He was at the cutting edge of counter-culture, capturing the zeitgeist of gay culture, occulture, and hippie culture. He made films that would inspire film makers from Stan Brakhage to John Waters, establishing his place as the king of mid-20th-century underground film.  

In this episode, Lou discusses the life, achievements (both good and bad) of German chemist Fritz Haber.  Fritz Haber is a Nobel Laureate who devised a method to extract nitrogen from the air into a form that would be used in farming, feeding billions of people.  However, his contributions to science also included warfare that would brand him as the inventor of chemical warfare, and by many of his time as a war criminal.  music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

In this episode we discuss the Affair of the Poisons, a brief period in late 17th century Paris where some of the top courtiers got a little bit murder-y. It's a fascinating look at how laws are different for the wealthy and beautiful, and how lower class men and women are prosecuted differently. The story is filled with jealousy, sacrilige, murder, and a plot against King Louis XIV. Episode suggested by Nicole at Madame Pheonix   music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com

This episode begins with sharing news about the end of a long fought border dispute between Canada and Denmark, known as the Whiskey War.  The main subject of the episode is the work of Magnus Hirschfeld, the German doctor who established the first institue of sexual science in Berlin in 1918. The foundation of his medical practice was fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, fighting against the laws and morals of the period.    music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

In this episode we discuss the life of a reclusive artist and occultist, Austin Osman Spare. In his youth he was branded as a wunderkind, and had great expectations for a wildly successfuly career. Despite his natural talents, he resisted success and fame, and preferred to exist in his own world. music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

We're just letting you know that we'll be moving to a once-a-month format for a while. We overestiamted our personal bandwith.  Thanks for understanding!

In this episode we discuss the early life of Evelyn Nesbit, who, at the turn of the 20th century became the first "it" girl, a celebrity famous solely for modeling. This fame won her the affections of many wealthy men, two of whom would become embroiled in a feud over her, ending in "the crime of the century" music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

Episode 2 of our two part series about Edgar Allan Poe! In the final years of the author's life he becomes embroiled in scandals, and futher proves himself the king of self-sabatoge, before mysteriously dying. We review some of the hyptheses regarding his death, some fanciful, some very plausible, making this episode part of the history mystery club   music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

In our triumphant return after a brief hiatus, we begin with a story from Lou's Dino Hour, before launching into the early life of Edgar Allan Poe, a life that was beset with tragedy, depression, and self-sabotage. Despite Mildred's life-long love of the works of Poe, she concedes that he might not have been the best guy around. music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com  

This will be our last episode until April so we decided to do a topic that keeps coming up in conversation. James Cook is famous for mapping a large portion of the South Pacific and for being the first European to visit New Zealand and Australia. But as we know, working on the side of colonialism never leads anywhere good, which resulted in his death. music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

In this episode, we discuss the life of the Swedish artist and mystic, Hilma af Klint. She has been a relatively unknown artist for the past century despite experimenting with abstraction several years before Kandinsky. Her work was completed with the help of spirits who she communicated with, and despite a great interest in esoteric beliefs in the early 20th century, her use of unconventional inspiration, combined with being a woman made her unsuccessful in her own time.  music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

In this bonus episode, we are joined by Dr. Sarah Bendall, author of "Shaping Femininity: Foundation Garments, the Body, and Women in Early Modern England". She graciously joined us from Australia to discuss her research, some highlights of her book, and the many interesting things about early modern underwear.  music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com

In this episode we discuss the career of possibly the most famous astrologist in all of history, Michel de Nostradame, aka Nostradamus. Join us as we discover how his Jewish family converted to Christianity in the 15th century, his attempt at becoming a self-education physician, his rise to fame among the numerous astrologers in France, and finally how he became the go-to prognosticator of all of history's greatest disasters. music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com Visit us at historyformisanthropes.com    

In this episode we discuss the life, art, and cultural impact of Tom of Finland. Born Touko Laaksonen in a small Finnish town outside of Turku, Tom saw success and global fame as the creator of homoerotic art, that was inspired by 20th century masculine archetypes, such as soldiers, farmers, and the iconic leatherman.    music by V►LH►LL vlhll.bandcamp.com