Episodes

  • Ep.26 Prostitution

    Ep.26 Prostitution
    Oct 8 2025
    From sacred rituals in Mesopotamian temples to the neon glow of modern red-light districts, prostitution has been called the world’s oldest profession for a reason. In this episode, we trace its long, complicated history as it began with fertility rites and sacred customs, shifted into a practice that was condemned and taxed across empires, and eventually became tangled with morality, law, and survival in the modern age. Along the way, we meet courtesans and concubines, street workers and activists, and see how societies across time have never fully decided whether to embrace, regulate, or punish sex work.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    25 mins
  • Ep.25 The Compass

    Ep.25 The Compass
    Oct 6 2025
    Today we’re talking about one of humanity’s simplest yet most powerful inventions: the compass. Born in ancient China not as a navigation tool but as a device for divination, the compass slowly made its way west along the Silk Road, guiding sailors, merchants, and eventually empires. In this episode, we trace its journey from lodestones and fortune-telling to the Age of Discovery, polar expeditions, Boy Scout kits, spy gadgets, and even our idea of an “inner compass.” It’s the story of how a wobbling little needle changed the world and why, even in the age of GPS, we still find it strangely magical.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    17 mins
  • Ep.24 Mood Rings

    Ep.24 Mood Rings
    Oct 3 2025
    In 1975, two New York inventors turned liquid crystal science into the grooviest gimmick of the decade: the mood ring. This episode traces the wild rise of the little band that claimed to read your emotions, from its birth in the “Me Decade” of introspection and astrology, to its short-lived cultural takeover, and its colorful afterlife in retro fashion. Were mood rings accurate? Not even close. Were they fun? Absolutely. Join us as we explore how a bit of science, a lot of marketing, and the human desire to know ourselves combined to create one of the most unforgettable fads of the 20th century.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    22 mins
  • Ep.23 The Wendigo

    Ep.23 The Wendigo
    Oct 1 2025
    Deep in the frozen forests of North America, the Wendigo lurked in story and in fear. Born from the oral traditions of Algonquian-speaking peoples, it was a spirit of hunger, winter, and the unthinkable act of cannibalism. In this episode, we follow the Wendigo’s trail from its earliest role as a warning tale against greed and isolation, through chilling real-world cases in the 1800s, and into its modern afterlife in horror films, video games, and internet lore. Was it a monster, a metaphor, or both? The Wendigo is a story of survival, suspicion, and the terrifying idea that hunger can turn us into something less than human.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    18 mins
  • Ep.22 Graffiti

    Ep.22 Graffiti
    Sep 29 2025
    Graffiti is older than spray cans and subway tunnels, way older. In this episode, we trace humanity’s urge to write on walls from ancient Roman bathroom jokes to Viking ship carvings, World War II “Kilroy” tags, and the wild lettering of 1970s New York subways. Along the way, graffiti shifted from vandalism to protest to art gallery commodity, while still sparking the same old question: is it crime, or is it culture? Either way, it’s proof that humans have always had something to say, and a habit of saying it on someone else’s property.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    22 mins
  • Ep.21 Alchemy

    Ep.21 Alchemy
    Sep 26 2025
    Long before chemistry set up its tidy labs, alchemy was stirring in smoky chambers filled with scrolls, crucibles, and a lot of wishful thinking. From Ancient Egypt to the medieval hunt for the Philosopher’s Stone, this episode traces how alchemy blended science, spirituality, and a little bit of fraud. We’ll meet the dreamers who thought lead could turn into gold, the mystics who saw hidden truths in metals, and even Isaac Newton, who spent more time on alchemy than on gravity. It’s a story of explosions, symbols, and the strange path from magic to modern science.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    23 mins
  • Ep.20 Radium Beauty

    Ep.20 Radium Beauty
    Sep 24 2025
    In the early 20th century, glowing skin meant something very different than it does today. This episode traces the bizarre and unsettling rise of radium in the beauty industry. From the discovery of the element by Marie and Pierre Curie to its enthusiastic adoption in face creams, powders, and even toothpaste, we follow how a scientific marvel became a dangerous fad. Along the way, we meet the advertisers who promised eternal youth in a jar, the consumers dazzled by the glow, and the tragic victims who paid the price when science and style collided.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it and leave a review because that tells me you want more.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    23 mins
  • Ep.19 Easter Island

    Ep.19 Easter Island
    Sep 22 2025
    Isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island is famous for its giant stone heads, but their story is anything but simple. In this episode, we trace the island’s incredible history from its early Polynesian settlers to the rise and fall of the Rapa Nui civilization. We’ll talk about how the iconic Moai were carved, moved, and buried, and how the island’s population collapsed long before Europeans arrived. There are lessons here about ingenuity, isolation, and what happens when a society runs out of resources. Also, why those heads actually have bodies.

    New Episodes: Mon/Wed/Fri
    (If people enjoy, and feedback via reviews and ratings is good, will release daily)

    Request an episode: thehistoryoftheemail@gmail.com

    The History Of is your daily dose of weird, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous history. Each episode takes one topic an object, a place, a job, a trend and unpacks the surprising story behind it. No homework, no boring lectures, just history you’ll actually want to share.

    A podcast for all ages, if you enjoy please share it, and leave a review because that tells me you want more.



    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of--6664775/support.
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    21 mins