Offbeat History: The Crash at Crush and Other Train Wreck Spectacles

We have enough pieces of the story of Rudolf Diesel’s life that remain consistent that we can fairly confidently construct his biography. But the way his life ended will forever be a mystery.  Researc...

8 Aug 202233min

This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers Timur the Lame (Tamerlane to Westerners) conquering areas from Persia to Russia throughout the late 1300s, and his last great battle in A...

6 Aug 202222min

Tracy and Holly talk about blood pressure and Diuril man. Holly then shares a story of how early fastener sales worked and how zippers have become specialized. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

5 Aug 202221min

The development of the zipper was oddly arduous, with many fastener versions tried out before the zipper we know today and have on our clothes, handbags, and luggage was finally figured out.  Research...

3 Aug 202237min

Ancient cultures all over the world used the pulse as a diagnostic tool. And eventually, we figured out how to measure blood pressure, and hypertension came to be viewed as a disease. Research: Booth...

1 Aug 202241min

This 2017 episode covers the U.S.S. Indianapolis, known today for its crew's horrifying wait for rescue after being torpedoed following a secret mission at the end of World War II. But the ship's hist...

30 Juli 202232min

Holly and Tracy talk about Courbet's arrogance and some gossip about his life. They also discuss the legal loopholes that enable inanimate objects to be named as parties in court cases. See omnystudio...

29 Juli 202218min

Griswold v. Connecticut was the U.S. supreme court decision that overturned laws banning contraception – at least, for married couples. It wasn’t the first SCOTUS decision to mention the concept of pr...

27 Juli 202239min