Episodes

  • When Did We Start Giving Each Other Wedding Rings?

    When Did We Start Giving Each Other Wedding Rings?
    Sep 10 2024
    In weddings around the world, exchanging rings is a crucial part of the ceremony, a moment in which a couple’s promises are sealed with a tangible token. This simple piece of jewelry does a lot of heavy lifting: It acts as a symbol of love, unity, and eternity, while also making our relationship status clear to the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • Michelangelo’s David was censored by Queen Victoria

    Michelangelo’s David was censored by Queen Victoria
    Aug 12 2024
    The statue of David is among Michelangelo’s greatest masterpieces, but the sculpture isn’t without detractors. One such critic was none other than Queen Victoria, who reigned over England from 1837 until 1901, centuries after the original David was sculpted in 1504. In 1857, a plaster replica of the David was shipped to Great Britain as a gift to Victoria from Leopold II, the grand duke of Tuscany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • The U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition

    The U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition
    Jul 23 2024
    It’s been dubbed the “noble experiment,” a name that came from then-President Herbert Hoover calling Prohibition “a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.” In January 1920, the United States banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of “intoxicating liquors,” a move made in the wake of temperance movements that sought moral and social reform throughout the 1800s — in spite of some failed attempts at similar regional programs around the country. Despite the ban, the de Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • 5 Strange Traditions of the British Monarchy

    5 Strange Traditions of the British Monarchy
    Jul 9 2024
    Britain is a nation of many strange old traditions, from cheese rolling and wife carrying to mayor weighing and possibly the world’s most brutal ball game. Then there’s the British royal family, an almost endless source of quirky behavior and bizarre rituals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    8 mins
  • 7 Facts About the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

    7 Facts About the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
    Jul 2 2024
    The first list of the wonders of the world was compiled by the ancient Greek writer and poet Antipater of Sidon in the second century BCE, and it included seven extraordinary landmarks around the Mediterranean and modern-day Middle East. Since then, these ancient marvels have been a subject of study, fascination, and awe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
  • The Funniest Medieval Dog Names

    The Funniest Medieval Dog Names
    Jul 1 2024
    Alongside their eternal nemeses cats, dogs are the most popular pets in the world. They have been humans’ most faithful friends for at least 12,000 years, hunting with us, protecting us, and accompanying us in our everyday lives. In fact, dogs were the first domesticated animals, predating chickens, cows, goats, pigs, sheep, and even agriculture itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • The earliest passports used written descriptions instead of photos.

    The earliest passports used written descriptions instead of photos.
    Jun 4 2024
    Imagine trying to pass through border security when all you have to prove your identity is a piece of paper that says “brown hair and freckles.” While that wouldn’t fly today, it’s typically how things worked before passports had photographs. Early passports simply included details such as the holder’s name and the location they were traveling; photography wasn’t invented until the 1820s, and it took many more years for the technology to allow for easy passport photographs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Walking was a competitive sport in the 19th century and There have been four Madison Square Gardens.

    Walking was a competitive sport in the 19th century and There have been four Madison Square Gardens.
    May 28 2024
    At 1 a.m. on March 10, 1879, the arena at Gilmore’s Garden in New York City (later renamed Madison Square Garden) was absolutely packed with screaming fans of America’s latest sports craze: pedestrianism. That’s right, competitive walking. At the venue, fans outside tried to shove themselves in, breaking windows and scaling the roof. It was no less chaotic inside, where ticketholders scrambled on top of tables, chairs, and each other’s shoulders to get a better view. That day marked the start of the Astley Belt, essentially the Super Bowl of walking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins