Thingamabob

By Joshua Steckelberg and Briana Fogleman

Your new favorite podcast about the history of things, whether that's the fork in your hand or the 1996 Happy Holidays Special Edition Barbie doll in your closet. Every Wednesday... more

4.8

2525 ratings

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FAQs about Thingamabob:

How many episodes does Thingamabob have?

The podcast currently has 76 episodes available.

Thingamabob episodes:

December 09, 2020 Just "Board Game" Things
This week Joshua and Briana discuss Chess and Monopoly.

Time Stamps:
Chess- 6:22
Monopoly- 34:40

Sources:

Chess:
General history
General info
History of modern chess
History of staunton chess set
Staunton chess set
Shantranj
Deep blue
Chess variants
Vera Menchik
Brief history
Chess second book ever written
Fun chess facts
How the queen became so powerful
World chess champs
Number 1 selling board game
Polgar sisters
Chessboard killer

Monopoly:

cbs youtube video
Landlord’s Game wiki
Mary Pilon Smithsonian article
Charles Darrow information
Ms. Monopoly/Hasbro quote
Elizabeth Magie information
Mandela Effect
monopoly tokens
monopoly story

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

...more
1h 2min
December 02, 2020 Just "Jumanji" Things
This week Briana and Joshua invite special guest Olivia Griffin to talk about Jumanji and its connection to some wild theories.

Time Stamps:
0:00 meet Olivia
10:49- a brief Jumanji history
14:00- Olivia's Theory Corner
43:55- Which came first GAME

Sources:

general jumanji info

Theme song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg

...more
52min
November 25, 2020 Just "Alcohol" Things
This week Briana and Joshua discuss Absinthe and Vodka. Please drink responsibly!

This episode discusses alcohol, so if you are not 21, please check out our other episodes or ask your cool parent for permission.

Time Stamps:
Absinthe- 14:39
Vodka- 37:01

Sources:

how to drink youtube
absinthe in the arts
origins of absinthe
czech absinthe
absinthe murders
medicinal use
absinthe in art
anti-absinthe propaganda
cocktail recipe

Vodka:
History of smirnoff
History of absolut

History of Belvedere
Blackmarket vodka
How vodka is made
History of vodka and word
Why is Vodka 40%
Russia vodka history

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg

...more
57min
November 18, 2020 Just "Makeup" Things
This week Joshua and Briana discuss lipstick and mascara.

Time Stamps:
Lipstick- 5:36
Mascara- 33:26

Sources:
Lipstick
Research paper on history of lipstick
messy nessy chic
Lipstick in China
Kabuki
Kiss of death
Marie Claire
Wiki

Mascara

lash history
mascara origins
more mascara origins
pliny on makeup
mascara blindness
maybelline origins
victorian era eyelashes

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

...more
1h
November 11, 2020 Just "Space" Things
This week Briana and Joshua discuss Astronaut Food and the Mars Rover.

Time Stamps:
Astronaut Food- 5:48
Mars Rover- 38:07

Sources:

Astronaut Food:

pizza hut stunt
general history
russian astronaut food
Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, by Gustavo Arellano (tortilla information)

3D Printed food
salt/pepper info
skylab dinners
shrimp cocktail
general info
fun facts
The youtube video Briana mentions: space burrito making 5:42-9:10

Mars Rover

Perseverance fact sheet
Press kit
Moon to mars
Who has walked on moon
Why humans haven’t gone back to moon
Mars 1
Opportunity dies
The spacecraft that carries a rover
Curiosity vs perseverance

Mars 2 and 3
Space mars rovers
A brief history of mars missions
Mars rover general

Theme song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

...more
1h 5min
November 04, 2020 Just "Election" Things
This week Joshua and Briana discuss the Ballot and QAnon.

Time Stamps:
Ballot- 10:30
QAnon- 35:49

Sources

Ballot
History
Blackballing
Origin of word
Hanging chad
Bush v gore
William tweed
Time mag
History.com
The New Yorker
2000 presidential election
QAnon

qanon explained- the guardian
what is qanon- ny times
8chan breakdown
political supporters
the spread of Qanon
wayfair trafficking rumors
jfk jr. theory

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

...more
1h 3min
October 28, 2020 Just "Spooky" Things
This week Briana and Joshua discuss Jack O' Lanterns and the Ouija Board for a Halloween Special.

Time Stamps:
Jack O' Lanterns- 8:48
Ouija Board- 26:13

Jack O' Lanterns:

stingy jack story
turnip photo
pumpkin stats
jack o lantern facts
history of halloween
Celtic traditions
Samhain
Ouija Board:

Ouija stories
Ouija
Ideomotor study

Ideomotor information
Elijah Bond
Ouija information
How does a Ouija board work
History of the Ouija Board
The guardian history
Vox history
Baltimore mag history
Museum of talking boards history
Parker brothers
How ouija became creepy
The exorcist
Hasbro

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg
Reddit stories
@throwawayweegee
@prodigialqueer

Episode Music
youtube

...more
53min
October 21, 2020 Just "Poison" Things
This week Joshua and Briana discuss Cyanide and Arsenic.

Time Stamps:
Cyanide- 7:33
Arsenic- 26:51

Sources:

Cyanide:

skyfall
Marvel Uses
Holocaust
chemical compound
how cyanide works
Chicago Tylenol
Rasputin
Jonestown
cyanide poisoning by fire smoke
cyanide pills
suicide pills
hydrogen cyanide
BBC
history of cyanide poisoning
history of cyanide discovery
suicide pill
zyklon B

Arsenic:

arsenic info
food facts
environmental impacts
Deborah Blum lecture
symptoms of arsenic poisoning
poisoning cases
treatments
arsenic and old lace
pie murders
LeFarge murder
The Borgias
judy buenoano

Theme Song: by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

...more
59min
October 14, 2020 Just "Instrument" Things
This week Briana and Joshua discuss the Hurdy Gurdy and the Theremin.

Time Stamps:

Hurdy Gurdy- 8:08
Theremin- 34:38

Sources:

Hurdy Gurdy

definition
Other names

Fredrik Knudsen video
Michalina Malisz video
Patty Gurdy video
medieval hurdy gurdy music
electric hurdy gurdy music
hurdy gurdy featured in music

Theremin

explanation by hank green

Theremin General Info
H2G2 history
Theremin: either music and espionage
The magic of music and math
CBS
Leon Theremin
Lev Memoir
Lev and Olivia Mattis interview
Theremin World
Britannica
Capacitor
NPR with Armen Ra
Olivia Mattis interview
List of movies with theremin
List of alien films

Theme song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg.

Music used in episode:

All music used for commentations, reference and examples. We do not own any of the music used in this episode.

Song: Aequilibrium
Artist: Andrey Vinogradov

Song: Wizard
Artist: Guilhem Desq

Clara Rockmore: 6 Morceaux, Op. 51, No. 6. Valse sentimentale: 6 Morceaux, Op. 51: No. 6, Valse sentimentale (Arr. For theremin and piano)
Artist
Nadia Reisenberg
Album
Rachmaninov, S.: Vocalise / Saint-Saens, C.: Le Cygne / Falla, M.: El Amor Brujo / Achron, J.: Hebrew Melody (The Art of the Theremin)
Licensed by
NaxosofAmerica (on behalf of Delos), and 2 Music Rights Societies

Carolina Eyck: Soliloquy: voice and Theremin. Original music by her and played by her.

Demos from It came from outer space

...more
52min
October 07, 2020 Just "Kitchen" Things
This week Joshua and Briana discuss whisks and Waffle Irons.

Time Stamps:
Whisk- 7:25
Waffle Iron- 21:31

Whisk Suggestion by @gayrott and @gmgrimes

Sources:

Whisk:

Whisk
Where the whisk came from
Julia Child and the whisk
Julia's Whisk
Types of whisks
Bound sticks
Stand and hand mixers
Invention
Chicago Tribune
history of mixers

Waffle Iron:

waffle patent
William George quote
waffle iron breakfast set
chaucer quote
general timeline

Theme Song by Olivia Griffin, Briana Fogleman, and Joshua Steckelberg

...more
44min

FAQs about Thingamabob:

How many episodes does Thingamabob have?

The podcast currently has 76 episodes available.