Happy Halloween! 

In this dark and spooky edition of the Local Universe Podcast, Emily takes us down a rabbit hole of a story about an abandoned ghost town in her own backyard- Dogtown, Massachusetts. 

Initially settled as an inland redoubt from pirates and raiders in 1693, Dogtown (then known as The Commons) was a thriving community not unlike any other settlement in the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time. Over the following century, however, the town rapidly deteriorated into what it is today- an abandoned, isolated colonial ruin in the middle of the woods in Gloucester. 

But what happened? Where did everyone go? Why are all the surrounding towns still thriving 330 years later but the ruins of Dogtown lay abandoned?

Why is the area now littered with giant  boulders with odd phrases hand-carved into them?

All that, plus some tall tales, strange happenings and more on this spooky, unnerving, and informative episode of the Local Universe Podcast. 

Please reach out to us at [email protected] with any episode suggestions, corrections, or just to say hi!

In 1910, Clipperton Island, a remote, desolate, bird-covered coral atoll somewhere in the Eastern Pacific was home to a forgotten Mexican guano mining colony of about 100 men, women, and children. 

By 1917, after a series of extremely unfortunate events, tragedies, and hell-on-earth nightmare horrors in the middle of the unforgiving Ocean, fewer than 13 souls remained on the island. When the colonists were ultimately rescued by a passing American ship, the sailors on board were appalled at what had become of the isolated Clipperton Island colony. 

But how did they get there in the first place? Why would anyone want to start a town on a desolate ring of coral in the middle of the ocean? What exactly is guano and why does it matter? Is Scurvy really that big of a deal? 

Join us this week as we discuss the who, what, when, why, and how of this far-off speck of white sand, and dive deep into the historical context that caused so much strife and suffering on this isolated, small-scale apocalypse episode of the Local Universe Podcast. 

Just because somewhere is a remote tropical island in the sun, does not necessarily mean its a nice place to be. 

Please send all questions, episode topic requests, or corrections to [email protected]

Again, a departure from our normal structure for the second part to our first two-part series, we have our first special guest on the Local Universe Podcast, Maxim, to discuss some of the context, the play-by-play, and the end results of the 2014 EuroMaidan protests and their effects on Ukraine afterward. 

In a continuation from the previous episode, Will finishes the protest timeline and his Ukranian cousin Max helps us to better understand the context and reality of what was actually happening on the ground during this time period. 

Strap in, folks, this one's a doozy. 

Please send any episode topic suggestions, questions, and/or comments to [email protected]

A bit of a departure from the structure of our previous episodes, but an important story nonetheless-- You may recall hearing about some protests in Kiev back in 2014- about Ukrainian anti-government protestors occupying a few city centers and ultimately ousting their previous president in favor of democratic reform. But that's just about where the widespread Western news coverage ended for us here in the US. 

Join us as Will leads the charge, diving deep- very deep- into the backstory of the 2014 EuroMaidan protests in Ukraine and learn why and how the political and social upheaval we've seen over the past 8 years or so has ultimately led to the current conflict we see unfolding now in 2022. 

This is part 1 of our first 2 part series on Ukraine where we explore just how a relatively small group of concerned citizens in Kiev caused such widespread upheaval, a swift change in government, and ultimately Russian interference with the rapidly westernizing nation of Ukraine. 

There's a lot to be said for the will of a nation when they all agree on making a change at the same time, no matter the cost. 

Contact us at [email protected] with any episode suggestions, edits, or comments you'd like to hear mentioned in an upcoming episode!

Pythagoras of Samos.

 You might remember him when reminiscing about high school geometry, and recall, in between yawns, that thing he discovered about triangles, then yawn again, and then stop thinking about him entirely. 

But there is SO MUCH MORE to this guy's story than just a^2+b^2=c^2. 

As it turns out, he was also a social outcast, numbers-and-religion cult leader, (maybe) a bionic demigod, and definitely a super interesting subject for today's show.

 Join us as Graham and Emily explore the man, his followers, their beliefs, their discoveries, and a whole lot of wild legends about Ol' Py the Triangle guy in this massively influential ancient Greek cave-dwelling math wizard episode of the Local Universe Podcast. 

Often times the most cutting edge and groundbreaking ideas look to most exactly like unfettered mental illness in their time, only to still be remembered and taught 2500 years later in all corners of Civilization. 

Please send all questions, comments, concerns or episode ideas to [email protected]

In 1897, a very ambitious Swedish engineer and amateur balloonist named S.A. Andree convinced himself and at least a few dozen others that he might be able to become the first to reach the North Pole for the glory of Sweden-- by using an untethered gas balloon, natural wind currents, and a whole lot of gumption. 

What became of this ill-fated expedition was something of an urban legend/mystery for the next 33 years, until, in 1930, a Norwegian sealing vessel stumbled upon what remained of the balloon and its crew on a barren, remote rock island above the Arctic Circle. 

What happened? Why did they do this? Why would anyone even want to go to the North Pole in the first place? How do balloons work?

Join us as we make sense of all these questions and much, much more as we discuss the what, when, why, and how in this bold, cocky, bleak, and very cold episode of the Local Universe Podcast. 

 Just because something has never been done before, doesn't necessarily mean you should be the first.

Please send all questions, episode requests, or corrections to [email protected]

 In 1962, the small mining town of Centralia, PA accidentally ignited an underground seam of anthracite coal beneath the town--- which sounds like a pretty big deal for a mining town, but they pretty much ignored it until it was too late.  WAY too late. Now 60 years after ignition, Centralia is a ghost town with less than 10 diehard residents living directly above the still-raging mine fire. 

 Graham and Will explore a timeline of events that demonstrate how apathy, mismanagement of resources, and misinformation can and have lead to a localized apocalypse from below in our very first episode of the Local Universe Podcast. 

Sources: Fire Underground by David DeKok,  Centralia: The Town that Was - Chris Perkel and Georgie Roland (2007)