Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsOpening Radio and Podcast...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsFetching podcast shows and categories...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsFetching podcast episodes...
Historical Myths Relished and Ruined!
After unifying the "Warring States" the first emperor of China turned his attention to an even more lofty goal: becoming an immortal. When d...
In Chinese folklore the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, is never presented as a hero. Instead he is always presented as villain who is undone...
If you were going to make a list of the most historically influential people to have have ever lived, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of Ch...
The rebellion led by Boudica, the Iceni warrior woman, nearly dislodged the Roman empire from the island of Britain. She had the numbers, th...
The ancient rebel leader Boudica has become an icon in her native Britain. She is celebrated as a symbol of resistance and female power. How...
They say that history is written by the winners. While it's a trite cliché, there might be some truth in it. It's especially true when exami...
When did the Renaissance begin? When did it end? Do these questions even have proper answers? In this episode Sebastian frets over the so-ca...
The Renaissance has been touted as one of the most important moments in European history. 19th century historians like Jules Michelet and Ja...
In the 1890's a team of physicians and scientists discovered the cause of bubonic plague, a bacteria they named Yersinia Pestis . It was ass...
When studying the plague of the 14th century it can be easy to focus on the death, but on Our Fake History we are so much more interested in...
The epidemic known as the Black Death struck Europe in 1347 and completely upended medieval society. It's been estimated that roughly half o...
In November 2019 Sebastian was asked to perform at the Toronto Hot Docs Podcast festival. Our Fake History was featured on a show called "So...
The Santa Claus legend may be one of the most sturdy pieces of mythology in modern times. While other magical creatures have faded from our...
In celebration of Our Fake History's 100th episode Sebastian runs the podcaster's gauntlet in front of a live crowd. Your host tells tales,...
These days it's impossible to speak about the mysteries of the pyramids without saying something about aliens from outer space. Thanks to th...
The most elaborate theories concerning the pyramids of Giza usually position those monuments as deeply different and distinct from all other...
The Egyptian pyramids are easily the most mythologized pieces of architecture on the planet. They have inspired historical myths and misconc...
In the 1930's a famous California history professor thought he had discovered a long lost historical treasure. It was a brass plate apparent...
Since The Prince was first published in 1532 it has attracted an eclectic group of admirers. Figures as diverse as Napoleon Bonaparte, Jean-...
There are few political thinkers with as evil a reputation as the Florentine writer Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli's philosophy was believ...
Once someone has embraced the moon landing hoax conspiracy it can be hard to change their mind. More often than not it's arguments concernin...
The foundational text for all moon landing conspiracy theories is a humble little book called We Never Went To The Moon. It was self-publish...
As we near the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission many have started to reflect on the legacy of the moon landings. However, in 2019 i...
Thanks to the mysterious pirate historian Captain Charles Johnson, Blackbeard became a truly legendary villain. According to the Captain, Bl...
Blackbeard may be the most iconic pirate to ever roam the seas. His fearsome reputation and distinctive sense of personal style have made hi...
There are few periods in history as hotly contested as the so-called "Dark Ages". Traditionally, the 5th to 10th centuries in Europe have be...
There is evidence out there that King Arthur was more than just a myth. However, that evidence often comes in the form of tiny scraps found...
The Arthurian legend has been described by at least one scholar as a giant mythical vacuum. It has a reputation for sucking in and absorbing...
King Arthur is easily the most requested topic in the history of this podcast. This probably isn't a surprise given Arthur's stature in worl...
OFH will return on April 9th after a short hiatus. Sebastian announces what topic he will be covering when the show returns!
Vodka may be the most controversial alcohol in history. The origin of the distilled liquor continues to be one of the culinary world's most...
Some of the most enduring historical myths have to do with food and drink. Food history can sometimes be seen as frivolous, which makes it p...
Recounting the atrocities that took place in the Congo Free State during the reign of King Leopold II is a daunting process. It was a state...
The creation of the Congo Free State was one part cheap hustle and one part military occupation. King Leopold II managed to convince Europe...
There are few colonial enterprises as infamous as the Belgian King Leopold II's Congo Free State. While most people have a vague understandi...
Graham Hancock's hypothesis that an advanced global civilization was lost from history after a cataclysm at the end of the last ice age, sou...
They are few researchers as controversial as Graham Hancock. He first found fame in 1995 when he published his international bestseller Fing...
The fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm can often surprise modern readers with their violence and cruelty. There is something partic...
When I spoke to Jon Waterlow he reminded me that George Orwell once said that every joke is a tiny revolution. Well, it turns out jokes can...
There are few moments in Joseph Stalin's life that are not the subject of historical controversy. These controversies inevitably become more...
Stalin's biography may be one of the most contested in modern times. As early as the 1930's his life story was being written by friends and...
The are few 20th century figures as perplexing as Josef Stalin. Historians widely agree that Stalin was responsible for the deaths of some 2...
In the first episode of Season 4 Sebastian looks at the historical reputation of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian has been celebrated as o...
In this final episode of Season Three Sebastian turns his attention to sports! The question of who invented a particular sport can sometimes...
In a small town outside of Canada's capital city of Ottawa there sits a remarkable relic of the atomic age. It is a massive bunker that woul...
When I was researching Helena Blavatsky I was often amazed at how someone so weird, with such an outrageous life story, could inspire so muc...
In the final chapter of our series on the occult guru Helena Petrovna Blavatsky we look at her surprising move to India and the scandal that...
Occult guru Helena Blavatsky lived a life that defied explanation. However, her books might be even harder to explain. Isis Unveiled and The...
There are few stranger figures from the 19th century than Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Her absolutely unbelievable life story has puzzled biog...
The legend of the fountain of youth is one of humanity's oldest pieces of lore. Tales of magical water sources that can reverse the aging pr...