Ebbs of History

When Laughing Was Contagious

In this episode, we explore the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic, a bizarre outbreak that affected a small village in East Africa. The epidemic lasted for 18 months and primarily affected adolescent girls and young women in schools. The psychological explanation, social context, and historical impact of the epidemic are discussed in detail. Sources: Wikipedia: Tanganyika laughter epidemic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic]) Atlas Obscura: The 1962 Laughter Epidemic of Tanganyika Was No Joke (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/1962-laughter-epidemic-tanganyika [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/1962-laughter-epidemic-tanganyika]) Rankin, A.M. & Philip, P.J. (1963): An epidemic of laughing in the Bukoba district of Tanganyika. Central African Journal of Medicine - Hempelmann, Christian F. (2009): The laughter of the 1962 Tanganyika 'laughter epidemic'. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research Wikipedia: Mass psychogenic illness (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psychogenic_illness [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psychogenic_illness]) Chicago Tribune: Examining 1962's 'laughter epidemic' (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/07/29/examining-1962s-laughter-epidemic/ [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/07/29/examining-1962s-laughter-epidemic/]) History.com [http://History.com]: 7 Mysterious Mass Illnesses That Defied Explanation (https://www.history.com/articles/mysterious-illnesses-mass-hysteria [https://www.history.com/articles/mysterious-illnesses-mass-hysteria]) Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/] License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

When Sports Were Crazy

What if sports could get you sacrificed, dragged to death by horses, or killed by a king's splintered lance? In this episode, we count down ten of the craziest sports ever played. These weren't just games. Sources: Wikipedia: Mesoamerican Ballgame (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame]) The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Mesoamerican Ballgame (https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-mesoamerican-ballgame [https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-mesoamerican-ballgame]) National Geographic: Death Ball (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/death-ball [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/death-ball]) Olympics.com [http://Olympics.com]: Pankration (https://www.olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/pankration [https://www.olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/pankration]) Wikipedia: Pankration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration]) Britannica: Pankration (https://www.britannica.com/sports/pankration [https://www.britannica.com/sports/pankration]) History.com [http://History.com]: Chariot Racing (https://www.history.com/articles/chariot-racing-ancient-rome [https://www.history.com/articles/chariot-racing-ancient-rome]) Wikipedia: Chariot Racing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing]) Wikipedia: Knattleikr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knattleikr [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knattleikr]) Hurstwic: Knattleikr (http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/knattleikr.htm [http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/knattleikr.htm]) Wikipedia: Jousting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jousting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jousting]) Warfare History Network: Medieval Jousting (https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/medieval-jousting-a-bloody-sport-indeed/ [https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/medieval-jousting-a-bloody-sport-indeed/]) Italy Segreta: Calcio Storico (https://italysegreta.com/calcio-storico/ [https://italysegreta.com/calcio-storico/]) Wikipedia: Buzkashi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi]) Britannica: Buzkashi (https://www.britannica.com/sports/buzkashi [https://www.britannica.com/sports/buzkashi]) Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/] License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

When Germany Defended the Wrong Country

In 1943, British intelligence pulled off one of the most audacious deceptions in military history. They dressed the body of a deceased Welsh homeless man as a fictitious Royal Marines officer, stuffed his briefcase with fake invasion plans, and dropped him off the coast of Spain — hoping Nazi Germany would take the bait. The plan, codenamed Operation Mincemeat, convinced Hitler that the Allies were targeting Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily. When 160,000 Allied troops stormed Sicily on July 10, 1943, the Germans were completely caught off guard. The operation helped turn the tide of World War II and contributed to the fall of Benito Mussolini. Sources Ben Macintyre, Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory (2010) National WWII Museum: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/secret-agents-secret-armies-operation-mincemeat [https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/secret-agents-secret-armies-operation-mincemeat] Imperial War Museum: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-on-paper-operation-mincemeat [https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-on-paper-operation-mincemeat] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat] Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Mincemeat-WWII-1943 [https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Mincemeat-WWII-1943] History.com [http://History.com]: https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-operation-mincemeat [https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-operation-mincemeat] BBC Wales: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-61080456 [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-61080456] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXNDLnbTWQ8 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXNDLnbTWQ8] Theme Song Attribution Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/] License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

When an Emperor Made His Horse a Senator

In ancient Rome around 40 CE, Emperor Caligula became so obsessed with his champion racehorse, Incitatus, that he gave the horse a marble stable, an ivory manger, golden wine goblets, eighteen personal servants, and purple imperial blankets. Then he announced plans to appoint Incitatus as a Roman consul — one of the highest offices in the empire. Was it genuine madness? A brutal political joke aimed at a corrupt Senate? Or propaganda written decades later by historians with their own agendas? We dive into the spectacular, absurd, and surprisingly nuanced story of the horse who almost ran Rome. Sources: Wikipedia: Incitatus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitatus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitatus]) History.com [http://History.com]: Did Caligula Really Make His Horse a Consul? (https://www.history.com/articles/did-caligula-really-make-his-horse-a-consul [https://www.history.com/articles/did-caligula-really-make-his-horse-a-consul]) Wikipedia: Caligula (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula]) Britannica: Caligula (https://www.britannica.com/biography/caligula-roman-emperor [https://www.britannica.com/biography/caligula-roman-emperor]) HistoryExtra: Roman Emperor Caligula Facts (https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/caligula-facts-life-biography-horse-consul-incitatus-little-boots-how-die/ [https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/caligula-facts-life-biography-horse-consul-incitatus-little-boots-how-die/]) TheCollector: Principal Sources of Emperor Caligula's Reign (https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-principal-sources-of-emperor-caligulas-reign/ [https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-principal-sources-of-emperor-caligulas-reign/]) Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/] License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

When a Woman was Pope

What if I told you that a woman once disguised herself as a man and became the Pope? Join us this week on Ebbs of History as we unravel the incredible legend of Pope Joan—a tale of ambition, deception, and a shocking revelation that could change everything you thought you knew about the history of the Catholic Church. Don't miss it! Sources Wikipedia: "Pope Joan" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan] Smithsonian Magazine: "Why the Legend of Medieval Pope Joan Persists" — https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-coins-suggest-legendary-female-pope-may-have-existed-after-all-180970297/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-coins-suggest-legendary-female-pope-may-have-existed-after-all-180970297/] History Extra / HistoryExtra: "The Outrageous Heretical Legend of Pope Joan" — https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/pope-joan/ [https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/pope-joan/] Cambridge History of the Papacy, Chapter 7: "The Myth of Pope Joan" — https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-the-papacy/myth-of-pope-joan/8CF23E2BCFE14452CC06BAFD0A787F3F [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-the-papacy/myth-of-pope-joan/8CF23E2BCFE14452CC06BAFD0A787F3F] Franciscan Media / St. Anthony Messenger: "The Legend of Pope Joan" by Christopher M. Bellitto, PhD — https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/the-legend-of-pope-joan/ [https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/the-legend-of-pope-joan/] • Catholic Answers Magazine: "Pope Joan: The Myth That Just Won't Go Away" — https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-popess-who-just-wont-go-away [https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-popess-who-just-wont-go-away] Catholic Exchange: "A Primer on the Persistent Myth of Pope Joan" — https://catholicexchange.com/a-primer-on-the-persistent-myth-of-pope-joan/ [https://catholicexchange.com/a-primer-on-the-persistent-myth-of-pope-joan/] Sky History: "Pope Joan: Did the Vatican Have a Medieval Female Pontiff?" — https://www.history.co.uk/articles/pope-joan-did-the-vatican-have-a-medieval-female-pontiff [https://www.history.co.uk/articles/pope-joan-did-the-vatican-have-a-medieval-female-pontiff] On This Day (April 16 historical events) — https://www.onthisday.com/events/april/16 [https://www.onthisday.com/events/april/16] • Britannica: "On This Day — April 16" — https://www.britannica.com/on-this-day/April-16 [https://www.britannica.com/on-this-day/April-16] Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/] License: Attribution 4.0 International License