Don't Look Now

In today's episode we turn our attention to a non-cryptid animal that inspires fear in many,.. the shark.  The book and film Jaws have made many afraid to go in the water, but did you know that the events of the book are loosely based on events that happened early in the 20th century?  In July 1916 four people were killed by sharks in 11 days at the Jersey shore, some well inland on a river. The resulting fear and media explosion causing millions of dollars in losses to the tourist industry in the area.

In this week's podcast we discuss Baldwin IV, King of the Crusader state of Jerusalem and most famously known as The Leper King.  Baldwin contracted Leprosy at an early age but it was slow to develop which allowed him to become king before being diagnosed.  While leprosy was often a very shunned disease, he became a beloved and effective ruler even though is life and reign were short.  

The Boston Tea party is an iconic even that still lives on in American culture and politics.  However, how much do you know about the event itself and what led up to it.  Who planned it? Was it planned at all?  Take a listen this week and find out all about America's favorite protest.

Ever wondered where your glass of foamy beer got its start?  Turns out beer has been around just about as long or longer than written record.  It seems that once humans had figured out how to grow grains they also started figuring out how to ferment them.  Take a listen this week and learn about the history of beer.

The Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaira, better known as Sisi, became the Empress of Austria in 1854 when she married Emperor Franz Jospeh the First.  She was not raised to be a public figure and never quite fit in as Empress.  While she was famed for being beautiful and intelligent, she generally hid from public view and had a controversial reign before being assassinated in 1898.  However, after her reign she has become somewhat of a feminist icon and has enjoyed continued fame and popularity, including a Netflix series about her in the last few years.  Take a listen and learn a bit about the history and background of Sisi.

This week's podcast revolves around a couple of mental health issues and the story surrounding them.  The first is the Pellagratic Delirium or Pellagrous Encephalopathy.  This condition is due to lack of Niacin (vitamin B3) and became a widespread problem in the Venetian Empire after the introduction of corn meal to the diet of the poor population.  This outbreak resulted in the creation of multiple psychiatric hospitals that treated tens of thousands of people.  The second issue is Munchausen syndrome.  While many people have heard of this form of mental illness that results in someone deceiving others by pretending to be sick.  What you might not know is where the name came from.  Take a listen and see what you find out!

This week's subject is King Tut.  While the discovery of his tomb and the legend of the related curse has made his name well known around the world, who was he really?  Learn a bit about what we know about the man (or more accurately boy) behind the name and myth.

While we have discussed Napoleon in the past on this podcast, today we talk about his younger sister Pauline.  Famous for her beauty and scandalous affairs, she is the only sibling to visit him in exile on Elba.  While she only lived to be 44 she certainly lived life to its fullest.  Take a listen and learn all about Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese

This week's podcast is dedicated to the search for the Yeti, not the top end drink cooler, but the Cryptid that is rumored to roam the Himalayas eating yaks and sometimes people.  The Yeti has attracted the attention of some very famous mountaineers including Sir Edmund Hillary who spent a decent chuck of the late 50's searching for the creature and claimed to have found its prints on his legendary first summiting of Mt. Everest. Is the Yeti real or just a local legend passed down for thousands of years based on something that once was?  Take a listen and see what you think.

Mary Anning was a pioneer in the field of paleontology, working in the early 19th Century, she discovered many famous dinosaurs and marine reptiles such as Ichthyosaurus. Her contributions were often overlooked due to her gender and social status, which let to her being ineligible to join the Geological Society of London or often receive no credit for her contributions.  Among other things she is considered to be the subject of the well known tongue twister "she sells sea shells by the sea shore".  Take a listen an learn all about her unique story.