Jun 14, 2022
EP 030: VARNEY THE VAMPIRE
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
Quickfire history in history’s own words, Historycal is the podcast for anyone who’s ever marvelled at the stories that shape us. From the earliest Cuneiform to the crooning of Elvis, from Rock Art to the Model T Ford, Historycal is an exuberant jaunt through the words people have spoken, sung, or scribbled down, and the unexpected ways in which they echo through our world.
Episodes
Episodes
Jun 7, 2022
Jun 7, 2022
11 min
What did the innocent words in a high school yearbook foreshadow for one of the world's oldest and most stigmatized diseases? If you aren't thinking of Alice Ball, this one is for you. Today we talk leprosy, stolen credit, and why people in old photographs never smile.
May 31, 2022
May 31, 2022
10 min
What was John Peter Toohey thinking when he first called the Algonquin Round Table to order? And what did it take to crack an invite? Today we're talking about Dorothy Parker, her place among the literary elite, and the time she tried to train a turtle.
May 24, 2022
May 24, 2022
10 min
What does mail have to do with morale, and how can you ruin both in one fell swoop? In this episode we're talking women, war and Dear John letters... with a little Christina Rossetti for good luck.
May 17, 2022
May 17, 2022
8 min
What do Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Pope John XXIII have in common? The answer: they all know how to deliver a sick burn. And now you do too. In this episode we have the history of all sorts of things our mothers told us not to say - said in style.
May 10, 2022
May 10, 2022
9 min
What's better for brothers than stowaways, shipwreck, and a good long fishing trip? Today, we're talking canoes, New Zealand's countryside, and the demi-god that accidentally caught a country.
May 3, 2022
May 3, 2022
10 min
What do Brer Rabbit, spiders and Tom Hiddleston have in common? If trickster figures in ancient mythology wasn't your first thought, this episode is for you. Today, we're talking Brer Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, and what Shakespeare considered a good disguise. (Spoiler: It wasn't).
Apr 26, 2022
Apr 26, 2022
10 min
What makes a cocktail a cocktail, and how did some unsuspecting horses get dragged into it? In this episode, we've got Mint Julips, speakeasies, the Frozen Water Trade, and - of course - tiny paper umbrellas.
Apr 19, 2022
Apr 19, 2022
11 min
What does the world's favourite cat have against Mondays, and in how many other ways do they suck? As it turns out, many. And they're mostly self-inflicted. In the episode, we're talking about the road to the seven day week, the Boomtown Rats, and whether or not it was easier to enjoy yourself before the Second Industrial Revolution.