History Loves Company

Religion is one of humanity's oldest practices and likely stems from our need to explain the natural phenomena that surrounds us as well as our place among it. But while the religions to which we now adhere are attested to via sacred texts penned by their earliest worshippers or else by their founders themselves, nothing survives of the earliest religious practices in human history. Join me for a look Göbekli Tepe, the formidable yet mysterious site in Southern Turkey, that's the oldest known spiritual center in the world, this week on the 'History Loves Company' podcast!

"Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging." So goes a lyric in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' hit song, "Californication." But what if you didn't have to go under the knife to get your youth back? Such has been the quest for many people throughout history, searching for a way to turn back the clock on the forward advancement of time. Does such a place exist? And if it does, why aren't we all flocking to it to regain our youth? Find out in this week's episode, all about the legendary Fountain of Youth!

If you've ever been down to Louisiana, chances are you've noticed a great many French place names. Indeed, for a time in the 17th and 18th Centuries, this part of America was under French jurisdiction. But the people of French ancestry there who call themselves Cajuns are a decidedly newer arrival, though their reasons for being there are marred by a history of trauma, violence and exile. Tune in to this week's sobering episode to find out how their ancestors faced expulsion, even genocide, in the early days of American and Canadian histories.

Today, chocolate is beloved the world over as a delicious sweet treat that's best enjoyed at the end of a long and stressful day. But did you know that there was a time when it was made solely into a drink? Or that its origins can be traced back to Mesoamerica? Tune in to this week's "sweet" episode to learn all about this delectable delicacy!

In the West, snakes have a reputation, thanks to the Bible, of mistrust and deception, as it was a serpent in the Garden of Eden that tempted Eve to taste the forbidden fruit, thus leading to the Fall of Man and her and Adam's banishment. It's because of this that, according to tradition, the man who would one day be known as Saint Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland. Or so they say. Tune in to find out the true reason why these slithery reptiles aren't found on the Emerald Isle.

Today, Hollywood is deemed the entertainment capital of the world and is, without question, the most famous section of Los Angeles. But did you know that it didn't begin life with the intent of becoming associated with the movies? Tune in this week for a look into Hollywood's origins, which will surely surprise you.

2024 is a leap year, and as this episode falls on the extra day in question, I thought it would be fun to examine the history of this most fascinating (and, at times, complicated) occasion. Celebrate February 29th with me by tuning in to this week's episode!

When last we joined our (anti-)hero, Jean Laffite had been imprisoned for the crime of piracy. But even bars couldn't keep this legendary figure at bay (maritime pun once again intended here). Tune in this week for the second part, and exciting conclusion, on his incredible story--how he became entangled in a conflict, set up yet another smuggling racket, and ended up in a South American navy, this week on the 'History Loves Company' podcast!

Pirates have been romanticized in literature, film, and various forms of media since at least the 19th Century, but the truth is that the life or activities of a pirate were anything but romantic. Just ask Jean Laffite, the subject of this week's episode, whose smuggling operation on Louisiana's southeastern coast was interrupted time and again by war, politics, and the law. This isn't to necessarily in a good or positive light, though he was indeed regarded as a hero by the general public of the day, who'd benefitted greatly by his illicit activities. Tune in for part one of the man known as "the Terror of the Caribbean," this week on the 'History Loves Company' podcast!

Since at least the 12th Century, there has been a Swedish presence in Finland, so much so that they've since become known as a distinct ethno-linguistic group from the Finns. But this history has been far from easy and has, in fact, proven to be something of a bumpy road for them. Join me this week for a look at the resilient and tenacious Finland Swedes.