Obscuriana

Episode Seven: Ibn al-Haytham Played Insane and Changed the World

Tune in this week to learn how a man you have never heard of single handedly laid the foundations for, quite literally, understanding how we see the world around us.  Ibn al-Haytham, born around 965AD in modern-day Iraq is widely considered "the father of modern optics". His work laid the foundation for so many of the greatest minds in mathematics, astronomy, physics and more and yet we are guessing almost none of you have heard about him.  Follow us on social media or be one of the first subscribers to our Patreon as we get our page up and running!

Episode Six: Four Terrifying but True Tales

Its Spooky Season! Tune in to hear a slightly different style of episode - this week in honor of the creepiest month of the year we dive into four scary (but true) obscure bits of history. Here's what we will cover this week, but check out the episode to hear so much more, including if we can answer the all-important question (and alternate title for this podcast) - but where's the cat's head? Alexander the Great - how did he really die and why didn't he start decomposing for six days after he "died"? The Guillotine - was it really an easy and humane way to die or did it's victims survive after their heads were cut off? Mary Toft - medical miracle who birthed bunnies...and cats...or victimized woman? Dancing Plagues - dancing can't be deadly...can it?  Make sure to check out our show notes at Obscuriana.org [//obscuriana.org] and let us know on our socials what kind of content you want to see on our Patreon or what merch you just have to have!

Episode Five: Buffalo Bill's Wild Legacy

This week we look at the wedding of Chief High Bear and Holy Blanket at Buffalo Bill's Wild West "Educational" event and the life and complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill. Was he a man who believed in equality and worked within the confines of the society in which he lived to provide a better life for Native Americans or a savvy entrepreneur who exploited underprivileged peoples and carefully crafted the racist and stereotypical view of the old "Wild West" that we still have today. Explore with us and let us know what you think at the end! Become a Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/Obscuriana] supporter to show us some love! Find us on socials @obscuriana or @obscurianashow on Facebook. Visit our website - obscuriana.org [//obscuriana.org] - to see detailed show notes.

Episode Four: Dying To Die For

We're back and hopefully back to a more bi-weekly schedule! This week we delve into the deadly Victorian era and Laura tells us about how, if you bought anything green, there's a good chance it was out to kill you. If you haven't already, we'd love if you'd hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Check out our detailed notes and photos on our website [//obscuriana696682209.wordpress.com], leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, engage with us on our slowly-being-developed social media: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/obscurianashow/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/obscuriana] or Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/obscuriana/], or shoot us an email [obscuriana@gmail.com]!

Episode Three: Ennigaldi's Museum

Sit back and enjoy the first museum tour that won't hurt your feet. This week (well a week and a half ago if there hadn't been multiple technical difficulties) we will be talking about the first modern - yes modern - museum that there is archaeological evidence of - Ennigaldi's Museum. It was founded around 530 BCE in the city of Ur by High Priestess/Princess Ennigaldi. While history has not left behind a lot of information about Ennigaldi herself, thanks to archaeological evidence and extensive record keeping by those living in ancient Ur we do have a lot to tell you including: A brief history of the city and it's layout and did they really have indoor toilets way back then? Why Hammurabi's Code wasn't the first detailed code of laws. How Laurence of Arabia and Agatha Christie are connected to the excavation of the city of Ur and the museum? Who would have visited this museum and why this makes it modern? How did they know it was a museum and not a storeroom? Hint: metadata isn't as new as you think. And potentially most importantly, what was found in the museum and how does it provide a template to write a really good curse? Speaking of really good curses, perhaps that is what plagued us technically in getting this episode to you! If you like our episodes so far make sure to subscribe so you won't miss a single episode! Dying to learn more? Check out this weeks and all of our previous detailed show notes on our website [https://wordpress.com/view/obscuriana696682209.wordpress.com] or find us on your favorite social media platform by searching for @Obscuriana.