Anachronismo!
61 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsCome talk a walk on the weird side of history with three history-loving idiots. Every other wednesday, we dive into tales of strange, obscure, or just plain interesting history, making millions of dumb jokes along the way. Join us as we laugh and learn together!
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Episodes
Cursed Diamond Voyage, Moon People
March 25, 2020 01:25 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBWe're back with the further adventures of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the famously cursed and huge diamond of the Mughal empire as it makes it's way from it's homeland to the hands of Queen Victoria. It's a journey that has thrills, chills, spills and terrible deaths from diease and violence, as the diamond works it's dark magic. Then, do you ever wonder if folks from the past looked up at the moon, thinking about what might be there and yearned to ... trade with it? Find out the science, theo...
Piggy Banks, Tuberculosis Vampires
March 04, 2020 02:22 - 54 minutes - 62.5 MBJust the core team today as we jump into the history of piggy banks and the New England vampire scare! First, learn how piggy banks came to be, from a type of clay alled Pygge that was used to make money jars, to the pacific islands and boar-shaped pottery, to the innovation of the rubber plug. The piggy bank ranges far and wide! Then, learn about how New Englanders of the 17 and 1800s reacted when Tuberculosis broke out in their communities, and the chain of reasoning that led them to con...
Pope Death Murder Party, Over Niagara in a Barrel
February 19, 2020 02:18 - 1 hour - 72.5 MBJohn Serpico joins us to talk about the insane history of the papal interregnum. Now we know that talking about the period between the death of one pope and the election of the next sounds boring, but it was hog wild. When the old pope died, all the prisoners in vatican city were released, and the government was non-existent until a new pope was elected, which could take months or even years. So Rome turned into an all you can kill murderfest as prisoners sought revenge and people hired merc...
Goat Man, Ancient Athenian Parties
February 05, 2020 01:44 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBSpecial guest Garth Goldwater joins us this week to talk about the Goat Man. Who was the goat man you ask? A shadowy figure in the night, dressed in a costume designed to strike terror into the hearts of criminals? A horrifying half-man half-ungulate abomination? A man who drove an iron cart pulled by goats, preaching about goat power for almost a hundred years? Yes. The last one. You got it! The Goat Man, or Charles "Chess" McCartney, was a figure of lore on the American highways from the 1...
Year without Summer, Terrible Olympics
January 22, 2020 16:08 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBToday we're talking about the Year Without a Summer and the disaster that was 1904 Olympic Games. The year was 1816. A series of volcanic eruptions had spewed dust into the atmosphere, lowering GLOBAL temperatures and leaving a blood-red fog in the sky. Crops failed, people died, and... Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein?!? Sure it was a disaster, but tune in to find out how this year where everyone was hungry also inspired paintings, recipes, and the invention of the bicycle! After that, Jacki...
Victorian Pipe Culture, Ferdinand the Imposter
January 08, 2020 10:38 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBHappy new year all! We return with two tales of weird history - first, Max reveals his research into the pipe smoking culture of Victorian England, with stops along the way to revel in the crazy things that we've done with and to tobacco over the ages. From Reeking Gallants to city-sized snuff factories, prepare to get weird. Then, Noel takes us through the life of Ferdinand Waldo Demara, the most prolific imposter in history! By the time he was 30, Ferdinand had lived 10 different lives,...
RECAST - Saturnalia, Gregor MacGregor's Poyais Scheme
December 25, 2019 05:30 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBWe're taking xmas off! We hope that you're having a wonderful holiday and that we can help you distract yourself from your families with the re-cast of one of our favorite episodes. We'll be back with new stuff in 2020, see you then! This episode features guest host David Fouhy subbing in for Noel. We dive into Saturnalia: a Roman festival of rebirth that if you squint at it looks an awful lot like xmas, if xmas was way cooler and involved making servants into princes for a week. There were...
55 - Transcontinental Railroad, Architecture Gangsters
December 11, 2019 11:00 - 58 minutes - 46.9 MBChoo Choo! All aboard the Jackie express to the history of the Transcontinental Railroad! Learn abou tthe train barons and their shitty tricks to bilk as much money as they could from connecting up America! Marvel at how poorly they treated their workers! Laugh as they eventually eat (a little) shit when the time comes to join up both side of this great project! Along the way enjoy the stories of scouts who learn about all the native flora and fauna but forget the topography and much more! ...
Heart of Darkness
November 27, 2019 13:24 - 48 minutes - 39.3 MBWhen we recorded this episode Max and Jackie were full of flu, so we handed the reins off to Noel to get deep in the weeds on the history of the film "Apocalypse Now!" Tune in to listen to the doomed history of this classic film, interspersed with incredibly loopy, feverish tangents from the rest of us. It's a hell of a story, filled with stunt corpses, military mobilizations, broken contracts and the hubris of filmmakers. Jackie also gets a story in, fighting through her body rebelling,...
Ep 52 - DC Punk, Fruitlands
November 13, 2019 13:45 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBWe're back, with special guest Rob Mulligan! First, Rob takes us through the Revolution Summer of DC hardcore Punk music, and all the punk rockers that made it happen. Learn who started the straightedge movement, and why? Just why is it called moshing? And just how much do punks hate Ronald Reagan (a lot). These questions and many more, including some really dumb ones, we answer! Then, Jackie tells us about Fruitlands, yet another failed Massachusetts utopia of the 1800s. This one had Louis...
51 – Dutch Defense, Oktoberfest Origins
August 21, 2019 21:27 - 55 minutes - 44.6 MBIt’s just Max and Noel today, since Jackie is off at an improv festival in Vermont, so brace yourself for a whole bunch of historical shitposting. First, Noel gets into how the Dutch defended themselves against the Spanish invasion at the beginning of the 80 years war, by employing their one natural hazard – being … Continue reading "51 – Dutch Defense, Oktoberfest Origins"
Ep 50 – World’s First Celebrity Chef, Bowling
July 24, 2019 15:47 - 59 minutes - 47.9 MBIt’s a Max-free episode today so join Jackie and Noel for the stories of Marie-Antione Careme, the world’s first celebrity chef who built towering palaces of pastry during the Napoleonic Era, wrote a bestselling cookbook that came in second only to THE BIBLE, and did we mention he was Napoleon’s personal chef? Then, Noel dives … Continue reading "Ep 50 – World’s First Celebrity Chef, Bowling"
Fourth of July Special 2019
July 10, 2019 07:00 - 48 minutes - 39.4 MBSo this episode’s normally scheduled recording fell on the 4th of July, and since we were all attending the same bbq, we decided to interview our history nerd friends there about whatever story about America they wanted to share. What we failed to take into account was that everyone had been drinking. What we ended … Continue reading "Fourth of July Special 2019"
ep 49 – Hussarian Debate, Silver Tree of Karakorum
June 26, 2019 14:06 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBToday our friend Micheal E fills in for Noel as they bring us the tale of Hussaria, the nation-state that controlled European roads, and it’s great debate about what should be it’s official state religion. Hussaria was caught between larger powers trying to invade, and it sought help through the system of religious alliance available … Continue reading "ep 49 – Hussarian Debate, Silver Tree of Karakorum"
48- Nightingale, Cheese War
June 12, 2019 13:03 - 1 hour - 44.5 MBThis week we’re diving into the life of fht eone and only Florence Nightingale, before we hold our noses for the Great Cheese War of 1936. You’ve probably heard of Florence Nightingale, “The Lad of the Lamp” who brough succor to soldiers in the Crimean war, but what does that mean, really? Does it mean … Continue reading "48- Nightingale, Cheese War"
47 – Ranjit Singh & the Koh-i-Noor, Seattle Spite Hills
May 29, 2019 14:17 - 1 hour - 47.8 MBToday we bring you the story of how Ranjit Singh, the maharajah of the punjab, took the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shah Shuja, the deposed King of Afghanistan – a story of treachery, intrigue and food fights. Then it’s time for the story of the great Seattle regrading project, that took a city of seven hills … Continue reading "47 – Ranjit Singh & the Koh-i-Noor, Seattle Spite Hills"
46 – Ada Blackjack, Castro Gameshow
May 15, 2019 08:08 - 1 hour - 46.3 MBToday’s episode has our first LISTENER SUBMITTED STORY! Sent in by Brother Trebius on twitter, tune in for the tale of Ada Blackjack, the lone survivor of a doomed arctic expedition. Ada, a seamstress who joined the expedition so that she would have money to pay for her son’s tuberculosis treatment, was untrained in survival … Continue reading "46 – Ada Blackjack, Castro Gameshow"
45- Bottled in Bond, Cabeza de Vaca
April 24, 2019 09:00 - 1 hour - 45.9 MBOn today’s episode Noel is finally back! He brings us a story from his travels about how whiskey used to be cut with all sorts of stuff back before regulations got passed down. What kind of stuff you ask? How do you like tobacco, ethanol, and rat poison in your whiskey? No? But it gives … Continue reading "45- Bottled in Bond, Cabeza de Vaca"
ep 44 – Elizabeth Bathory, Nuke the Moon
April 10, 2019 09:00 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBThis episode, our friend Amancio Lopes joins us again to talk about Elizabeth Bathory! Elizabeth was a Hungarian noblewoman with a troubled past who, depending on who you believe, killed over 600 people or as few as 30. Which is still A LOT OF MURDER. Maybe she was troubled by the violence she saw in … Continue reading "ep 44 – Elizabeth Bathory, Nuke the Moon"
43 – Bass Reeves, Katherine Ferrers
March 28, 2019 15:10 - 1 hour - 49.5 MBToday we’re talking about legendary lawman Bass Reeves and legendary highwaywoman Katherine Ferrers. Which we swear we didn’t plan.
Live Show! Barbershop Poles, Great Seattle Fire
March 13, 2019 08:16 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MBHo ho ho it’s a live show! Join us at the Democracy Center as we talk the history of the Barbershop Pole, which we guarantee involves a lot less singing than you think! Then, we dive into the Great Seattle Fire, a comedy of mishaps that burned down way more than it possibly should have.
Ep 41 – Chevalier de Saint Georges, Stephen Bishop Cave Explorer
February 27, 2019 16:25 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIt’s Black History Month so today we’re talking about two black men who made their mark on history. First, we talk about Le Chevalier de Saint Georges aka Joseph Bologne, a french composer, duelist and war hero. Born the son of a slave and a nobleman, Joseph quickly made a name for himself in Parisian … Continue reading "Ep 41 – Chevalier de Saint Georges, Stephen Bishop Cave Explorer"
Ep 40 – Glass Delusion, Hollow Earth Expedition
February 06, 2019 07:30 - 58 minutes - 47.6 MBWe talk the Glass Delusion and about an expedition that the US almost backed to the CENTER OF THE EARTH today. The Glass Delusion was a mental illness from the 1400s-1800s where the sufferer believed themselves to be made out of glass, liable to shatter at the slightest touch. King Charles III was the firstt … Continue reading "Ep 40 – Glass Delusion, Hollow Earth Expedition"
Ep 39 – New Motive Power, Annie Londonderry
January 23, 2019 07:30 - 1 hour - 46.5 MBThis episode we talk about John Murray Spear, an abolitionist, pacifist, prison reformer and also the preacher who tried to build a robot jesus. What do you mean, burying the lede? The dude lived an excellent life for justice and deserves to be remembered as more than a man who created a giant automaton out … Continue reading "Ep 39 – New Motive Power, Annie Londonderry"
Ep 38 – Batavia Mutiny, Queen Ranavalona
January 09, 2019 09:00 - 1 hour - 48.8 MBThere’s a content warning on this episode – both of the stories this week go to some very dark places. This week we talk about the mutiny of the company ship Batavia. This Dutch East India Corporation trading boat underwent a mutiny, a shipwreck, a lord of the flies situation and a daring seige all … Continue reading "Ep 38 – Batavia Mutiny, Queen Ranavalona"
Ep 37 – John Batman, Painless Parker
December 26, 2018 16:00 - 50 minutes - 41.3 MBThe gang is back together! We start with the story of John Batman, co-founder of Melbourne, capturer of cannibals, and genocidal asshole. This dude may share a name with the iconic superhero, but the stuff he did was in no way heroic (except capturing a known cannibal, we’ll give him props for that). An important … Continue reading "Ep 37 – John Batman, Painless Parker"
Ep 36- Saturnalia, Gregor MacGregor’s Poyais Scheme
December 12, 2018 08:00 - 55 minutes - 45 MBThis episode features guest host David Fouhy subbing in for Noel. We dive into Saturnalia: a Roman festival of rebirth that if you squint at it looks an awful lot like xmas, if xmas was way cooler and involved making servants into princes for a week. There were gifts of wax, feasting, dancing and the … Continue reading "Ep 36- Saturnalia, Gregor MacGregor’s Poyais Scheme"
Ep 35 LIVE Straw Hat Riots, Fastest Surgeon Ever
November 28, 2018 07:00 - 27 minutes - 26 MBWe go LIVE at the Cambridge YWCA. You know how nowadays we joke about there being a fashion police? Well back in the 1920s, there wasn’t so much a fashion police as there was a riot over wearing the wrong hat for the season. And it wasn’t a small one either, literally thousands of people … Continue reading "Ep 35 LIVE Straw Hat Riots, Fastest Surgeon Ever"
ep 34 – Australian Ballot, 1st Barbary War, Fanachronismo
November 14, 2018 02:31 - 1 hour - 49 MBOn our first episode as part of the Make Fun Network, we’re joined by Marc Campasano, a very funny man and actual historian! He tells us all about the insanity around American voting from before voting was anonymous. People used to expect you to not only announce our vote, but to take whatever ballot a … Continue reading "ep 34 – Australian Ballot, 1st Barbary War, Fanachronismo"
Ep 33- Doing a Bradbury, Margaret Knight
October 31, 2018 06:31 - 53 minutes - 43.2 MBJoin us and guest host Bibek as we learn about some of our most recent history yet with the stories of Steve Bradbury and Margaret Knight. First, Bibek regales us with the tale of how the phrase “do a Bradbury” came to be. It involves Australian speed-skating, terrible collisions and at least one frozen sausage … Continue reading "Ep 33- Doing a Bradbury, Margaret Knight"
Ep 32 – Nakahama Manjiro, Fanta Orgins
October 17, 2018 06:58 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBNakahama Manjiro was a fisherman who became a samurai after being shipwrecked, rescued, adopted, hired onto a whaling crew, elected as first mate, finding gold, sailing a steamship, building a whaling boat, being imprisoned, and reuniting with his mother. And his story doesn’t end there! He taught English to Japanese nobles, translated systems of navigation, … Continue reading "Ep 32 – Nakahama Manjiro, Fanta Orgins"
Ep 31 – US Camel Corps, Mrs Satan
October 03, 2018 08:00 - 57 minutes - 46.8 MBThis week we’re talking about the U.S. Camel Corps. Back before the Civil War, several US Senators thought it would be a great idea to bring in a bunch of camels as pack animals to help settle the west. Unlike so many of our stories of importing foreign animals, it turns out that camels were a … Continue reading "Ep 31 – US Camel Corps, Mrs Satan"
Ep 30 – Strangites and Shakers
September 05, 2018 08:26 - 55 minutes - 45 MBThis episode we talk about two old-timey religions that you might not have heard of! First up we talk about James Strang and his Strangites. An offshoot of the Mormon church, the Strangites had some surprisingly progressive politics (for the time), and they were led by a man who seemed to have serious inferiority complex, … Continue reading "Ep 30 – Strangites and Shakers"
Ep 29 – Red Dye Bet, Animal Jobs
August 22, 2018 07:00 - 59 minutes - 48.3 MBDo you know what cochineal is? Neither did most of Europe in the 1700s! But that didn’t keep them from using it to make the finest, most expensive red dyes in the world! But people needed to know, and one mand thought he knew the truth, What’s more, he figured he could win a bet … Continue reading "Ep 29 – Red Dye Bet, Animal Jobs"
Ep 28 – Matches, Typhoid Mary
August 08, 2018 01:56 - 55 minutes - 45 MBWe’re back! Have you ever looked at a match and been like “wow! I bet there’s a long road that this went down to be so useful!” OF COURSE YOU HAVE. Well now you can learn! From ancient Chinese fire sticks to matchgirl strikes over phossy jaw, we have it all! Plus, just so many … Continue reading "Ep 28 – Matches, Typhoid Mary"
Ep 27 – Moisture Accelerator, Titanic Exploration
July 04, 2018 14:54 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MBThis episode we talk about Charles Hatfield, the famous American rainmaker at large, known for climbing up a ladder to burn chemicals so as to ANGER THE SKY enough to make it rain. That’s my interpretation and I’m sticking to it. We find out about his life, his work, his policies and the times that … Continue reading "Ep 27 – Moisture Accelerator, Titanic Exploration"
25- Civil War Bank Robbery, Old Price Riots
June 20, 2018 16:36 - 44 minutes - 41.9 MBIt’s another Max and Kate mini-episode! Do you know the farthest north the Confederacy attacked? Go on, guess. Did you guess Vermont? Coming over the border from Canada? To rob banks? While drunk? You did? Dang, that’s a heck of a guess. Well, I guess there’s no point now in telling you about how they … Continue reading "25- Civil War Bank Robbery, Old Price Riots"
24 – Secret Subway, Dancing Plague, Hungriest Man in History with Chloe Zwaicher
May 30, 2018 05:52 - 1 hour - 48.3 MBGuest host Chloe Zwaicher joins us to talk about the Dancing Plague of 1518. But first, we learn spooky secrets about the first subway, built by Alfred Eli Beech that had to be kept from the nefarious Boss Tweed. Finally, Noel tells us all about Charles Domery, the hungriest man in history. You might be … Continue reading "24 – Secret Subway, Dancing Plague, Hungriest Man in History with Chloe Zwaicher"
LIVE! Tea Bandits and Imported Starlings
May 16, 2018 13:33 - 33 minutes - 46.8 MBIt’s our first live show! At the democracy center, live in front of 50 strangers, we talk about the weird, smelly origins of Lapsang Souchong and about how the North American European Starling were imported to the states and immediately got out of hand. A million thanks to Improv History and the Democracry Center for … Continue reading "LIVE! Tea Bandits and Imported Starlings"
Ep 23 Francis Drake Scam, Opium Wars, Turnspit Dogs with Hsui Chang
May 02, 2018 14:04 - 1 hour - 43.7 MBThis week Noel is on vacation so our friend Hsui joins us to talk about the Opium Wars, one of the many terrible things that Britain did to China. Also this episode, a 300-year scam on the possible descendents of Francis Drake, and a cool historical appliance that is also a dog! Francis Drake Scam … Continue reading "Ep 23 Francis Drake Scam, Opium Wars, Turnspit Dogs with Hsui Chang"
Ep 22 – Escape Switcheroo, Arcs of Bread, Dunbar-Hunter Expedition
April 18, 2018 14:57 - 1 hour - 44.3 MBThis week we take a trip back to the 1800s for a tale of the escape of former slave Lewis Williams with what I would call “scooby-doo techniques.” Then it’s into the history and practice of building triumphal arcs out of bread in a small Italian town. Finally, we check out the Hunter-Dunbar expedition through … Continue reading "Ep 22 – Escape Switcheroo, Arcs of Bread, Dunbar-Hunter Expedition"
Ep 21 – Aquatic Prez, She Sells Seashells, Floorboard Violins
April 04, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 42.7 MBThis week: We learn about the aquatic escapades of some of America’s presidents, tell the tale of Mary Anning, self-taught seashore fossil hunter, and find out about how you can make violins from the floorboards of old buildings with Sam Stochek, violin-maker extraordinaire! Sorry for the delay, tea and computers do not mix.
Ep 20 – Pillar Saint, Bug Warfare, Carrie Nation
March 14, 2018 13:52 - 59 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week, we talk about Simeon Stylites, the 5th century monk who lived on top of a pillar, about the United States’ weird forays into entomological warfare with hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes and fleas dropped via airplane, and about Carrie A Nation, the infamous prohibitionist who would smash up bars with a hatchet. Talking … Continue reading "Ep 20 – Pillar Saint, Bug Warfare, Carrie Nation"
Ep 19 – King of Bath, Great Hedge of India, Surrender of Guam
February 28, 2018 05:47 - 1 hour - 42.9 MBWe talk about Bo Nash, the fashionable “king” of the city of Bath in the 1800s, and his terrible gambling problems. Then, we get into the Inlands Customs Line of India and the 1200+ mile long hedge that was grown to protect it. Finally, we get into the Surrender of Guam, and how the comedy … Continue reading "Ep 19 – King of Bath, Great Hedge of India, Surrender of Guam"
Ep 18 – Sausage Duel, Florentine Kick-Game, Flying Santas
February 14, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBIn this episode, we talk about the apocryphal sausage duel of Otto Von Bismark, the incredibly violent precursor to soccer known as the Florentine Kick-Game, and about the Flying Santas that brought Christmas to children who live in lighthouses. This week’s what if they met: Santa Blood Sport Sausage Duel at 2:07 Florentine Kick-Game – … Continue reading "Ep 18 – Sausage Duel, Florentine Kick-Game, Flying Santas"
Ep 17 – Spice Diet, Operation Mincemeat
January 03, 2018 17:59 - 58 minutes - 47.6 MBHappy new year! For our first episode of 2018 we’re covering Medieval Spice Diets – how they balanced humors by spicing food in certain ways, and then it’s onto Operation Mincemeat – a British operation from WWII that fed false info to the Germans in a decidedly unscrupulous way.
Ep 16- Prohibition Poison, WWII Ghost Army
December 13, 2017 04:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBThis week, we talk about how the US Government poisoned alcohol during prohibition to discourage drinking, about how a unit of actors and set designers called the Ghost Army pulled the wool over the Nazis eyes in WWII, and about how the Golden Horde of the Mongols used plague-ridden corpses to beseige the city of … Continue reading "Ep 16- Prohibition Poison, WWII Ghost Army"
15 pt 2: Bolsheviks & Children’s Crusades
November 30, 2017 15:16 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBWelcome back! This is part 2 of episode 15, featuring special Guest Matthew Lewis of the Heretical Historians talking about the crazier parts of the Bolshevik Revolution and Max talking about the incredibly sad Children’s Crusades.
15 pt 1: Ching Shih
November 29, 2017 15:27 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MBWe had to split this week’s episode into two parts to get it up. This is part one, where we introduce ourselves and talk about Lady Ching Shih, one of history’s most successful pirates. Joining us this week is Matt Lewis from Heretical Historians, who will be talking about the Bolshevik Revolution after the break.
ep 14 – Animal Trials, Sinking Holland, Chewing Gum
November 08, 2017 15:01 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIn this episode, we talk about the practice of putting animals on trial in the Middle Ages, how Holland came to need dikes and sluices to keep from flooding, and how chewing gum came to the United States (hint: our old pal Santa Ana is involved). Plus, we debut a new segment on historical clothing! … Continue reading "ep 14 – Animal Trials, Sinking Holland, Chewing Gum"