Historical Blindness

By Nathaniel Lloyd

History Religion & Spirituality

What's Historical Blindness about?

The Historical Blindness podcast is a podcast about history’s myths, mysteries, and forgotten truths. By examining cases of outrageous hoaxes, pernicious conspiracy theory, mass delusion, baffling mysteries and unreliable historiography, Historical Blindness searches for insights into modern religious belief and political culture.

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The Hidden Ones: Sect of As...

05.30.2023

In this standalone episode, I discuss the black legend of the Order of Assassins, a medieval sect of Islam known for their reliance on infiltration and murder who were misrepresented by other Muslims, misunderstood by Crusaders, and mythologized by Europeans, ...

Historical Blindness episodes:

05.30.2023 The Hidden Ones: Sect of Assassins In this standalone episode, I discuss the black legend of the Order of Assassins, a medieval sect of Islam known for their reliance on infiltration and murder who were misrepresented by other Muslims, misunderstood by Crusaders, and mythologized by Europeans, ...
05.16.2023 The Myth of the Thuggee Cult In the next leg of my journey through the lore and history behind the Indiana Jones films, I explore the historical reality of Thuggee strangler bandits in 19th-century India and refute the myth that they were a blood cult devoted ...
05.02.2023 The Key to the Secrets of King Solomon (an Encyclopedia Grimoria Volume) In another volume of my Encyclopedia Grimoria, my occasional episodes on the history and mythology of magic, I look at the development of traditions that the biblical King Solomon was actually a flying-carpet-riding, magic-ring-wielding wizard and alchemist who bound demons ...
04.18.2023 The Whereabouts of the Lost Ark of the Covenant This episode is the first in a series of standalone episodes exploring the macguffins and historical mysteries of the Indiana Jones films. I'll be doing several of these, not in a row, leading up to the release of the final ...
04.04.2023 Infektion: Operation DENVER and the Engineering of AIDS Conspiracy Legends (featuring Dr. Douglas Selvage) In this special episode, I talk with expert Dr. Douglas Selvage about the KGB disinformation campaign to convince the world that the U.S. government engineered HIV as a bioweapon and what it can show us about the Covid lab leak ...
03.21.2023 Breaking News: The Hitler Diaries Fiasco This is the story of the most egregious newspaper hoax of modern times: the Hitler Diaries. How did this crude forgery fool experts like the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper? And how did it influence Rupert Murdoch in his development as a ...
03.07.2023 The Specter of Hitler's Survival This full-length, standalone episode explores and explodes the myths and conspiracy claims about Hitler escaping Berlin at the end of WWII. Shockingly, it seems the History Channel misled us on this one! Please help the show by completing this short ...
02.21.2023 The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping - Part Two: Cemetery John In the conclusion of my series on the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, I look at the capture and prosecution of Richard Hauptmann and the evidence against him, and I address numerous conspiracy claims. Please help the show by completing this short ...
02.07.2023 The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping - Part One: The Eaglet In part one of this 2-part series, I dig into the Crime of the Century, the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, including Lindbergh's background, the crime itself, negotiations with the kidnapper, and one of the greatest manhunts in American history. Find a ...
01.24.2023 The Business Plot - Part Two: The Bankers Gold Group In the conclusion to my series on the Wall Street Putsch, I give further historical context to the January 6th Insurrection by discussing the Fascist propaganda of the '20s and '30s that helped drive a plot to stage a Fascist ...
01.10.2023 The Business Plot - Part One: The Bonus Army In this two-part series, just days after the anniversary of January 6th, I tell the story of another plot by the wealthy and powerful to supplant a rightfully elected president during a time of economic emergency, the details of which ...
12.20.2022 A Very Historically Blind Xmas: The Iconic Christ In this annual holiday special, I look at the original Protestant "War on Christmas," with its emphasis on iconoclasm, and use that to springboard into a discussion of Christmas iconography and images of Jesus Christ generally, asking, "What did Christ ...
12.06.2022 "The Mystery of D.B. Cooper" by History Daily (Special Presentation) On November 24, 1971, an unidentified man hijacks a Boeing 727 and extorts $200,000 of ransom money before parachuting to an uncertain fate over Washington State. Listen to this enduring American mystery as told by award-winning podcaster Lindsey Graham on ...
11.22.2022 Lilith, the Phantom Maiden In this new Apocryphal Catechism episode, the 2022 season finale, I explore the evolution of the figure of Lilith, from Mesopotamian demon, to the first woman created by God, and back to a succubus mother of demons. It's a tale ...
11.08.2022 Omens, Charms, and Rituals: A History of Superstition If you've ever wondered about common beliefs about what's good or bad luck and what might be a portent of doom, then this episode is for you. In it, I look at the murky origins of superstitions and the folklore ...
10.25.2022 The Revenants: Part Two - VAMPIRES in Fantasy In the conclusion of my Halloween series on the folklore of vampires, I explore the origin and evolution of the legend from folklore to fiction and on to modern myth, looking at the changing appearance of the vampire, conceptions of ...
10.18.2022 "The Blood Gospel" by The Conspirators Podcast (Special Presentation) The second part of my series has been delayed a week. In the meanwhile, please enjoy this episode of The Conspirators podcast that serves as a perfect bridge between parts one and two of my series on vampires. Throughout history, ...
10.04.2022 The Revenants: Part One - VAMPIRES in Reality As we move into October, let us look at the legend and folklore behind the most horrifying creature ever imagined by mankind: the vampire! This is the start of a two part series for the Halloween season. Squeamish listeners beware! ...
09.20.2022 The Enigmatic Kingfish. Huey Long I continue my meditation on demagoguery in this new episode, looking at a controversial Depression-era politician variously called a reformer or a demagogue, a hero or a despot. What should we make of Huey Long today? Pledge support on Patreon ...
09.06.2022 The Perils of American Democracy With noted historians advising the U.S. President that American democracy may currently be in jeopardy, I look at other times in history when democracy was at risk, and I look closely at Donald Trump's role in the perils we currently ...
09.01.2022 AMERICAN SCANDAL: Snowden The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, took a large toll on America’s sense of security. In the dawn of this new era, Congress moved to take swift action by creating the Patriot Act. The stated goal was to identify ...
08.23.2022 Stranger Things Have Happened - Part Three: The Philadelphia Experiment and the Montauk Project In the conclusion of this series examining the historical and pseudohistorical basis of the Netflix program Stranger Things, I explore urban legends about two supposed secret experimental programs, The Philadelphia Experiment and the Montauk Project, one as background for the ...
08.09.2022 Stranger Things Have Happened - Part Two: Psychic Spies In the second part of this series examining the historical and pseudohistorical basis of the Netflix program Stranger Things, I look at U.S. government sponsored psychic experimentation programs focused on exploring ESP and psychokinesis as tools of spycraft. Pledge support ...
07.26.2022 Stranger Things Have Happened - Part One: MK-Ultra and CIA Mind Control In this series, I explore the historical and pseudohistorical basis of the Netflix program, Stranger Things. In Part One, I look at U.S. intelligence's human experimentation programs focused on developing mind control techniques. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ...
07.12.2022 Gun Violence in America: A Cultural History In this episode, I look at the history of gun culture in America, gun ownership as a social identity, and the long history of gun control legislation passed in response to outrageous acts of gun violence. Pledge support on Patreon ...
06.21.2022 The Deluge and the Ark Seekers Have you ever been told that the Flood of Genesis really happened exactly as described and that Noah's Ark really exists and is waiting to be recovered? This episode is all about those arguments and why they are demonstrably wrong. ...
06.07.2022 The Secrets of Enoch - An Apocryphal Catechism In this new Apocryphal Catechism--first since my episode on Gnosticism 2 years ago!--I delve into the mysteries and problematic details of the Book of Enoch and Enochic traditions. In it, I discuss the allegorical meaning of the myth of the ...
05.24.2022 The Myth of a Lost Mound Builder Race In this episode, I tackle a topic that I have already edged around in several different episodes: the myth that the ancient earthworks of America were not built by Native Americans but rather by some lost "superior" race. Pledge support ...
05.10.2022 No Bones About It! Part Two: GIANTS in the "New" World In the conclusion of my series on claims that giants actually existed in antiquity, I focus on claims about Native Americans being giants and on giant bones being excavated from indigenous burial mounds, and I investigate fake news about this ...
04.26.2022 No Bones About It! Part One: GIANTS in the Old World In part one of this series, I look at biblical and mythological claims about giants as well as more modern cases of giant bones supposedly having been discovered. Pledge support on Patreon for ad-free episodes and exclusive content! Check out ...
04.05.2022 The Lost Empire of Tartaria A lost civilization. A worldwide catastrophe. A global cover-up. In this episode I tell an incredible tale, and I connect it to the rhetoric behind Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Pledge support on Patreon to get exclusive content, ad-free episodes, and ...
03.22.2022 Oswald and the JFK Assassination - Part Four: The Vigilante In the conclusion of my series on conspiracy claims about the Kennedy assassination, I tell the end of Oswald's story, including his flight from the scene, his murder of a Dallas policeman, and his capture and interrogation. Then I must ...
03.08.2022 Oswald and the JFK Assassination - Part Three: The Lone Gunman In this penultimate episode of the series, I finally get into the nitty gritty of JFK assassination forensics, addressing claims about his rifle, witness testimony, number of shots fired, gunshot timing, supposed activity on the grassy knoll, and bullet trajectory. ...
02.22.2022 Oswald and the JFK Assassination - Part Two: The Activist In the second part of my series on JFK assassination conspiracy speculation, I discuss Oswald's attempted killing of Gen. Edwin Walker, his pro-Castro political activism in New Orleans, and his failed attempt to travel to Cuba via Mexico, finally placing ...
02.08.2022 Oswald and the JFK Assassination - Part One: The Defector In the first installment of what may be a lengthy series, I tackle the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories: the JFK assassination. However, unlike most conspiracist takes, I focus the largely overlooked life of Lee Harvey Oswald, demonstrating the veracity ...
01.25.2022 The Coup on Cape Fear - Part Two: Red Shirt Riot In the conclusion of my series on the Wilmington Coup, I describe the voter intimidation and fraud that White Supremacists engaged in before perpetrating an outright massacre of the Black residents of the city and overthrowing the lawfully elected city ...
01.05.2022 The Coup on Cape Fear - Part One: The Dark Scheme One year having passed since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2020, I talk about the post-election white supremacist coup in Wilmington, NC, 1898, as a cautionary tale against failing to hold the orchestrators of such an ...
12.21.2021 A Very Historically Blind Christmas Carol In this 4th annual Christmas special, I delve into the misconceptions, myths, and little known history surrounding several well-known Christmas carols. Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the new show merch! Makes a great present! Further support ...
11.23.2021 A Defense of the 1619 Project In this follow-up to my episode on curriculum controversies in American history, I talk about the New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project, the far left's criticism of it, the reservations some historians have over specific claims in it, and how ...
11.09.2021 Curriculum Controversies in America Taking the Right's obsession with Critical Race Theory as a starting point, I look at the history of reactionary protest to progressive curriculum as indoctrination, along the way discussing National History Standards, the Kanawha County Textbook War, opposition to supposedly ...
10.26.2021 The Demoniacs: The True Spirit of Possession and Exorcism In this Halloween episode, I examine the long history of claims about demonic possession and the practice of exorcism, revealing a phenomenon that is dark and evil in a different way that one might imagine. Pledge support on Patreon to ...
10.12.2021 False Prophecy: The Mark of the Beast - 666 In another attempt to address and refute current anti-vax arguments, I address the conspiracy theory that the Covid vaccine or vaccination records are a fulfillment of the prophecy of the Mark of the Beast in Revelation. In the process, I ...
09.28.2021 The Rise and Fall of the Society of Jesus: Part Two - The Man Beyond the Mountains In part two of this series on conspiracy theories about the Jesuits, I discuss the order's suppression and restoration, the conspiracy theories about them spread by the Left in France during the Bourbon Restoration, and elsewhere during the 19th and ...
09.14.2021 The Rise and Fall of the Society of Jesus: Part One - The Black Legend of the Jesuits I once more journey into the madness of a grand unifying conspiracy theory, this one rooted in anti-Catholicism, tracing the conspiracy theories surrounding the Jesuits to the Counter-Reformation and examining assassination plots attributed to them, like the Gunpowder Plot, as ...
08.31.2021 The Fate of Ludwig II: Part Two - The Mad King (A Royal Blood Mystery) In the conclusion of this Royal Blood Mystery, I look at the case for Ludwig II's madness as well as the competing theories of murder and conspiracy explaining his death. Support the show by pledging on Patreon and get access ...
08.17.2021 The Fate of Ludwig II: Part One - The Fairytale King (A Royal Blood Mystery) It's time again to enter the opulent and enigmatic world of royalty in another Royal Blood Mystery. Perhaps no story takes place in more sumptuously lavish setting or provides more mystery than that of Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose death ...
08.03.2021 UFO Disinfo: Part Three - The Bennewitz Deception Here it is: the extra-long conclusion of my series on UFO lore and the disinformation activities of US government intelligence services. In this finale, after a weird sojourn into the world of cattle mutilation, I share the story of Rick ...
07.13.2021 UFO Disinfo: Part Two - The Washington Flyovers and the CIA In Part Two of my series delving into UFO lore and its connection to psychological warfare programs and the disinformation activities of the intelligence community, I look at the "granddaddy of all UFO sightings," over the U.S. capital in 1952, ...
06.29.2021 UFO Disinfo: Part One - Roswell, Maury Island and Beyond In anticipation of the recently released Pentagon UFO report, I embarked on an investigation into modern UFO lore and fallen down a rabbit hole into the underground world of US military intelligence and their use of the UFO myth for ...
06.08.2021 The Beautiful Corpse of Helen Jewett In 1836, a prostitute is murdered, a young man is arrested, a newspaperman becomes obsessed with the case, and mobs of rowdy youth choke the streets, convinced there is a conspiracy at work. This is the story of the sensational ...

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