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Albrecht Durer's illustration of a syphilitic man in a 1496 broadsheet.

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Diseases that changed the course of history.

After weeks of Ebola dominating the headlines, we thought it appropriate to look at some of history's most civilization-altering diseases. John spins a yarn about how wild fornication in the streets of Naples just might have foiled a French king's plans to launch a crusade to the Holy Land in 1495. Tim tells the nightmarish tale of when the "Grandaddy of all Diseases" arrived in Europe, and explains the medicinal value of chickens. Finally, Ed recounts how Napoleon's 500,000 troops couldn't manage to conquer Russia (hint: it wasn't just the cold!), and gives a new meaning to "bad hair day."

THIS EPISODE'S RECOMMENDATIONS

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STUFF TO READ

In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made

By Norman F. Cantor



Buy on Amazon

STUFF TO DRINK

The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army

By Stephan Talty



Buy on Amazon




























































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Brooklyn Brewery's East India Pale Ale

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Midas Touch from Dogfish Head's Ancient Ales Collection

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Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky

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