Historical Blindness

In the first part of a special WEEKLY 4-part series on the Shakespeare authorship controversy, I look at Shakespeare's deification as a godlike literary figure, examine the dearth of information about him, which led to many forgeries and much conjecture, and trace the development of baseless doubts about his identity. Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your next box! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Borough," "Tarte Tatin," and "Invernen." Other music, including "daemones," "Brooks," "Remedy for Melancholy," and "daedalus" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the extra-long conclusion to my series on the Oak Island "mystery," I look at claims about artifacts that have been found on the island, outlandish theories about the nature of its "treasure," and the true origin of the legend in treasure digging scams. Joining me again to discuss the topic is Dr. Sean Munger! Go watch Sean Munger's videos on YouTube! Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your next box! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Cicle DR Valga," "Game Lands," "Curio," "Black Ballots," "Borough," "Dusting," "Rambling," "Feisty and Tacky," "Coulis Coulis," "Bauxite," "Brer Krille," "Access Road 442," "Tarte Tatin," and "The Gran Dias." Other music, including "Remedy for Melancholy," "daedalus," and "daemones" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first part of a new series, I drill down into the legendary Money Pit on Oak Island, examining the evidence (or lack thereof) for claims about its history, what has been found there, and its supposed booby traps. Joining me for this series is friend of the show, Dr. Sean Munger! Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Black Ballots," "Rambling," "Bauxite," "Curio," "Cicle Deserrat," "Tarte Tatin," "An Oddly Formal Dance," and "The Gran Dias." Other music, including "Remedy for Melancholy" and "Something (Bonus Track)," and "daemones," are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the conclusion of my series on Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact Theories, I look at numerous false claims that inhabitants of the British Isles made the first journeys to the Americas, taking us from myths about King Arthur to myths about the Knights Templar.  Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Cicle DR Valga," "Cicle Deserrat," "Delicates," "Tarte Tatin," "Invernen," "Black Ballots,""The Gran Dias," "Cicle Gerano," "Cicle Vascule," and "Winter in Black."  Other music, including "Remedy for Melancholy" and "Daylight PON II, " are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of a 2-part series, I look at other claims of Pre-Columbian Trans-Oceanic Contact that precede the Norse claim as potentially the first culture to make transoceanic contact with the indigenous peoples of the Americas, examining diffusionist claims of African, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Polynesian contact.  Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off! Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Cicle Deserrat," "The Gran Dias," "Curio," "Lick Stick," "Maisie Dreamer," "Palms Down" "Black Ballots," "Tarte Tatin," "Bauxite," "Winter in Black," and "Invernen." Other music, including "Remedy for Melancholy" and "daedalus" is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Admit it: you’re obsessed with royal families – watching them, gossiping about them, wanting to be them. It’s the stuff of fantasy. But for real life royals, the crown jewels can be more like shiny handcuffs. There are expectations and rules – and if you break them, the consequences are big, and very public. And there are royal families and wild royal tales from around the world and throughout history that you have never heard before. Even the Royals is a new podcast from Wondery that takes you inside the cloistered world of royal families, past and present, where wealth and status often come at the expense of your freedom – and maybe even your life. In these stories, very human emotions, like jealousy, love, disgust, have the power to reshape the world. This is just a preview of Even the Royals. You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or at Wondery.fm/royals_historicalblindness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I finally take on the topic of Pre-Columbian Norse contact with North America and the controversial runestone discovered in Minnesota in 1898 that is touted as evidence that Scandinavians reached much further inland than we otherwise have evidence to prove. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Black Ballots," "Brer Krille," "Borough," "The Gran Dias," "Winter in Black," "Invernen," "Palms Down" and "Curio."  Other music, including "Remedy for Melancholy," is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this rerelease, as with the first, I have completely rewritten and rerecorded the second episode in an effort to demonstrate the eventual quality of the podcast to new listeners who choose to start at the beginning. There is a lot of new material, so I'm also releasing it as a bonus episode. In the new version, I have restructured my exploration of the Dare Stones hoax and included more recent research. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some background music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Access Road 442," "Tarte Tatin," "The Gran Dias," "Leatherbound," "An Oddly Formal Dance," "Maisie Dreamer," "Link Stick," "The Griffiths," "Silent Ocean," "Uncertain Ground," "Access Road 214," "Game Lands," "Voyager," "Cicle Deserrat," and "Brer Krille."  Other music, including "Sunset," and "Remedy for Melancholy" is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Additional Music: "Leaving Home" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the conclusion to my season premiere, I investigate the genuinely puzzling disappearance of Flight 19, 5 bombers on a training run in 1945 whose vanishing, along with the rescue plane sent to find them, led to the creation of the Bermuda Triangle urban legend.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "daemones," "Remedy for Melancholy," "periculum," "September," "daedalus," "Wake Up," and "Delirium." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this rerelease, I have completely rewritten and rerecorded the first episode in an effort to demonstrate the eventual quality of the podcast to new listeners who choose to start at the beginning. I will be replacing the old episode audio but also releasing it at as a bonus episode so that listeners who are caught up don't miss out on what's essentially an all new look at the topic. In the new version, I dive far deeper into the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke than I did back in 2016.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some background music, including "Sunset," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Oneiri," "daemones," "Cold War Echo," "Daylight PON II," and "Nothing (Bonus Track)" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Additional Music: "Decline" and "Clean Soul" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the season premiere--part one of a two-part series--I look at how one genuine mysterious disappearance caused fabulists to search for other disappearances in the past and invent a grand mysterious paranormal phenomenon that doesn't really exist. This is the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Cold War Echo," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Oneiri," "Salue," "Wake Up," and "Nothing (Bonus Track)." Also featuring: "Echoes of Time" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this year's annual Xmas special, I put the Christ back into Christmas by refuting the fringe skeptical view that no such person as Jesus Christ ever existed. This topic forced us to examine what historical sources we can trust, how unreliable and yet how useful the New Testament may be to historians, and how the pagan continuity hypothesis leads to yet more unsupported, extreme conclusions.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. One song used in this episode, "Remedy for Melancholy," is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Other music featured: "A Very Brady Special," "At Rest," "Clean Soul," "Waiting," "Danse Morialta," "Calmant," "Immersed," "Snow Queen," "Blue Feather," "Magic Forest," "Decline," "Ritual," "The Other Side of the Door," and "Almost New" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special presentation, enjoy this Christmas episode from The Constant, a great podcast that examines history's blunders and misapprehensions, which I believe all Historical Blindness listeners will greatly enjoy! Last December, host Mark Chrisler took on Fox News' claims of a War on Christmas with a thorough look at the wars on Christmases past. Subscribe to The Constant at constantpodcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Direct all advertising inquiries for Historical Blindness to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Pledge support for Historical Blindness on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Music during the background of my introduction is "Holiday Wish" is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this last full episode of the year before my holiday special, I tackle an alternative view of religion and history with some academic chops that also indulges in a great deal of conspiracy theory: the idea that all religion was actually inspired by the use of hallucinogens.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Cold War Echo," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Comatose," "Daylight PON II," "daemones," and "Oneiri." Correction: The episode seems to imply that Ruck himself conducted research on cannabis's use as a sacrament, when in fact I only meant that Ruck had promoted the research, which was actually published in Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen's book Sex, Drugs, Violence... and the Bible. The blog post has been amended to clarify this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi listeners! As a Thanksgiving treat, I'm releasing a patron exclusive minisode relevant to the holiday that I released two years ago on Patreon. Sign up to support the podcast on Patreon and you can get minisodes like this between each release, making this a weekly podcast. In this piece, I discuss the myths surrounding the landing of the Pilgrims and how they have been used as a handy metaphor throughout U.S. history. Some music on this episode, including "Remedy for Melancholy," "Denouement," "Salue," and "Maree," is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this coda to my recent series, a capstone to my coverage of this topic generally and a transition to upcoming comics, I look at the syncretism of religious beliefs and UFO mythology, examining man's tendency toward religious experience as a theory of the origins of UFO claims. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy," "daedalus," "Comatose," "daemones," and "Seeker." Also featuring: "Spacial Harvest," "Dragon and Toast," and "Leaving Home," by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the feature-length conclusion to my series on UFO whistleblowers of the past, I look at the discredited Bob Lazar and his long debunked claims, and I show how the same people who promoted his hoax are literally behind David Grusch and his similar claims recently made before Congress. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy," "daemones," "Oneiri," and "Sentinel." Additional music licensed through Blue Dot Sessions under a blanket license active at the time of this episode's publication, including "Cicle DR Valga," "Cicle Vascule," "Access Road 442," "Black Ballots," "The Gran Dias," "Bauxite," "Cobweb Transit," " Matephysik," "Tarte Tatin," "Aloscape 2," "Invernen," and "Brimevil." Also featuring: "Leaving Home," "Spacial Harvest," "Twisting," and "Echoes of Time" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the EXTRA-long second part of my series looking at the lack of credibility of previous UFO "whistleblowers" in order to evaluate the reliability of recent claims made before Congress, I look at Bill Cooper, who went from UFO hoaxer to OG conspiracy wacko.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy," "Realness," "Oneiri," "Sentinel," "Chance," "daemones," "Cold War Echo," and "periculum."  Additional music licensed through Blue Dot Sessions under a blanket license active at the time of this episode's publication, including "Cicle DR Valga," "Game Lands," "Cicle Deserrat," "Preston and Carle," "Access Road 214," "Cherry Heath," "Lick Stick," "Invernen," "The Griffiths," "Cicle Gerano," "Delicates," and "Dusting." Also featuring: "Leaving Home" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We haven't had a congressional hearing on UFOs since 1966. Recently, a whistleblower named David Grusch testified before Congress about a government cover-up of the spacecraft and alien bodies they've retrieved. But people have come forward claiming such things before. What can their stories teach us about how trustworthy Grusch's claims may be?  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy" and "Cold War Echo"   Additional music licensed through Blue Dot Sessions under a blanket license active at the time of this episode's publication, including "Cicle DR Valga, "The Cornice," "Black Ballots," "Tarte Tatin," "Voyager," "Temperance," "Game Lands," "Service Road 237," "Delicates," "Access Road 138," "Curio" and "ZigZag Heart." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a somewhat unorthodox episode, I share some meandering thoughts on modern technology and concerns about its potential harms, looking at some historical examples that may offer insights into the technological misgivings of today.  Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy." Additional music licensed through Blue Dot Sessions under a blanket license active at the time of this episode's publication, including "Black Ballots, "Access Road 442," "Tarte Tatin," "Game Lands," "Cicle Deserrat," and "The Gran Dias." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices