Historically Random Podcast

Every other week on Historically Random we explore the history of a random topic. Sometimes the topics are fun and funny, other times they’re a little more serious. Either way you’ll be entertained and maybe learn something new. The topics vary so there should be something for everyone.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Hair removal throughout history. Today we take a look at how and why people remove body hair. Sources:https://womensmuseum.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/the-history-of-female-hair-removal/https://asmoothlife.com/history-hair-removal/https://asmoothlife.com/difference-between-laser-ipl-electrolysis/https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-why-do-we-have-body-hai

05-07
20:47

Mesoamerican Ball Game: Don’t Lose Your Head

Today we examine one of the earliest sporting events, Mesoamerican ball game. Sources:https://www.ancient.eu/article/604/the-ball-game-of-mesoamerica/https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-mesoamerican-ball-game-origins-171572https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgamehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulama_(game)

04-23
08:52

The Cat's Meow

Today we take a brief look into the history of the cat.Sources:https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_in_Ramahttps://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/02/the-vatican-and-cats/

04-02
25:47

Baby Cages - Nobody Puts Baby in a Cage

Today we discuss a seemingly strange invention designed for babies Sources:https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/news/a33058/hanging-baby-cages/https://mashable.com/2015/09/24/baby-cages/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65496/brief-and-bizarre-history-baby-cagehttps://allthatsinteresting.com/baby-cageshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Emmett_Holthttps://qz.com/351821/for-generations-icelandic-babies-have-napped-in-sub-zero-temperatures-outside/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theoryhttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/plague-gallery/

03-21
17:19

Dancing Plague: Dance ‘Till You Die

This week we discuss the dance plague outbreaks that took place between 1021 - 1518.Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_maniahttps://blog.europeana.eu/2015/06/st-johns-dance-why-cant-they-stop-dancing/https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS014067360960386X/fulltexthttp://omgfacts.com/why-did-renaissance-europeans-dance-themselves-to-death/Weird Dance: Curious and Captivating Dance Trivia; Tim Rayborn, Abigail Keyes

03-12
24:18

Presidential Pets - Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!!!

This week we explore the history of unusual American presidential pets.Sources:http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-4/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20073/bizarre-history-white-house-petshttps://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/the-roosevelt-pets.htm 

02-20
24:26

Forks - The Devil's Hands

This week we explore the history of the fork.Sources:http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2012/06/the_history_of_the_fork_when_we_started_using_forks_and_how_their_design_changed_over_time_.htmlhttp://www.foodreference.com/html/art-history-fork-729.htmlhttps://qz.com/1313214/nearly-400-years-later-the-fork-remains-at-the-center-of-american-dining-controversy/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-history-of-western-eating-utensils-from-the-scandalous-fork-to-the-incredible-spork-64593179/

02-13
18:01

The Rise of the Emu

How did the emus win a war against the Australians?Sources:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emuhttps://www.theanimalfiles.com/birds/cassowaries_emu/emu.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_Warhttps://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/https://modernfarmer.com/2014/04/fought-emus-emus-won/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/07/australia-fires-how-to-help-donate-victims-animals/2832145001/ 

02-06
21:43

Snow White - Don't Talk To Strangers

Was there a real Snow White? We look at the origin of a classic Fairy Tale.Sources:https://darkfairytales.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/true-story-of-snow-white-life-and-death-of-margarete-von-waldeck/https://curiosity.com/topics/the-smith-and-the-devil-is-the-worlds-oldest-fairy-tale-curiosity/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Whitehttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29186/snow-white-not-just-fairy-talehttps://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/who-was-snow-white-when-old-stories-and-real-women-combine-007497https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/once-upon-a-time-snow-white-lived-in-bavaria-26058455.html Music from https://filmmusic.io"The Show Must Be Go" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

01-14
23:57

Public School Showers - You Probably Stink

Today we discuss why public schools have showers.Sources:https://www.themodernrogue.com/articles/2018/8/26/weird-unexpected-origins-of-5-common-thingshttps://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/school-bathrooms-history/528978/https://nursingclio.org/2017/03/14/who-gets-a-bathroom-pass-the-history-of-school-bathrooms/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/22/us/students-still-sweat-they-just-don-t-shower.htmlMusic from https://filmmusic.io"The Show Must Be Go" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

01-07
28:55

Boycott: A Very Unpopular Man

This week we discover the origin of the word “boycott” and talk about a very unpopular man. Source: Wikipedia

12-18
21:16

Red Delicious - Red, Not Delicious!

On this week’s episode of Historically Random we discover the origins of America’s most popular apple, and it’s subsequent decline. Sources:The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious - Sarah Yager : The AtlanticThe Red Delicious is an Apple Atrocity. Why are we growing billions of pounds of them each year? - Tove Danovich : newfoodeconomy.orgRed Delicious Apples weren’t always horrible - Katherine Keenan : New England todayOrangepippin.com

12-10
17:01

Shampoo - Better Than Real Poo?

This episode we explore the history of shampoo. SourcesWikipedia 

12-05
19:02

Huddle - It’s a Secret

On this episode we explore a part of Football History that has ties to Kansas, and the deaf community. Sources:healthhearingmatters.orgAmericacomesalive.comWikipedia.comJstor.org American Annals of the Deaf 1946, Galludet University Press

11-26
26:07

Corsets and Nintendo

This weeks episode we take a look at Corsets, is beauty pain? And Nintendo, a classic since the 80’s.

07-17
25:21

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