The Truth About the Mad Monk of Russia

Guest: Douglas Smith, historian, translator, and author, "Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs"

This year marks the 150th birthday of “The Mad Monk of Russia,” but what is the true story of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin? And why is it so hard to separate fact from fiction?

The Curious History of Head Binding

Guest: Robert Martin, Emeritus Curator, The Field Museum of Natural History, and Adjunct Professor, Anthropology, The University of Chicago

Cultures all around the world independently practiced head binding, permanently changing the shape of their children’s heads.

The Infamous Cures of Two Astrologer-Physicians in Elizabethan England

Guest: Lauren Kassell, Professor, History of Science and Medicine, University of Cambridge, and Head of Cambridge’s Casebooks Project

Two infamous astrologer-physicians in late 16th century England, Simon Forman and Richard Napier, left behind a record of about 65,000 clients they saw to, offering remedies ranging from bloodletting to spells to wearing pigeons on your feet.  These records provide a fascinating insight into the daily lives and personalities of the 16th and 17th century English.

Aquaterra

Guest: Jerome Dobson, Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas, and President, American Geographical Society

Imagine: We’ve discovered a new continent, sunken and flooded by ocean waves, covered for millennia, and just now ready to whisper its secrets. Collective humanity would fly into action to explore, discover, and understand the people who had lived there, the flora and fauna that had been lost. Well, in essence, we have.  Aquaterra, the collective landmass covered by rising tides since the Pleistocene, is the size of North America, and holds countless clues about our human story.