Auction Houses: It's Not *All* Money Laundering
We've all heard of auction houses. Nowadays, these are often best-known as specialized institutions catering to international institutions and a small percentage of the obscenely wealthy -- but how di...
14 Maj 202453min
CLASSIC: "Vitamin Donuts" Were A Real Thing
Donuts: they're sweet, delectable and dangerous. Nowadays they're best known as a sugary snack or a nice accompaniment to a cup of coffee, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, for a few years man...
11 Maj 202433min
Thomas Nast, Part Two: A Cartoonist Conquers Corruption (and Moves to Ecuador)
Rising from humble beginnings, Thomas Nast soon became something very much like the conscience of America. His illustrated takedowns of corruption spoke directly to people who were often illiterate, r...
9 Maj 202435min
Thomas Nast, Part One: The Cartoonist Who Shaped America
Tons of people have a soft spot for their favorite cartoon or comic strip -- yet few have attained the social status of the legendary artist Thomas Nast, the caricaturist often referred to as the "Fat...
7 Maj 202432min
CLASSIC: The Rotten, Sausagey Secret Origin of Botox
Today botox is one of the world's most well-known wrinkle treatments, as well as a go-to joke in the realm of pop culture. But where did this treatment come from, and what on Earth does it have to do ...
4 Maj 202434min
Books You Can't Read -- By Design!
Books are amazing. When you think about it, a good book can be a portal to another world. A book can a time machine, and the right story can genuinely change a person's life... so long as you can actu...
2 Maj 202444min
La Maupin: The Swordfighting Opera Singer of France
During the era of Louis XIV, Julie D'Aubigny became one of the most popular criminals in all of high society. In today's episode, the guys welcome returning guest Ben Thompson, author and creator of B...
30 Apr 202458min
CLASSIC: The Weird World of Meat Jell-O (A Gelatin Origin Story)
Today Jell-O and other gelatin foodstuffs are generally relegated to world of desserts, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, gelatin took a long, strange path from ancient history to modern-day g...
27 Apr 202438min
