Our Fake History
A podcast about myths we think are history and history that might be hidden in myths! Awesome stories that really (maybe) happened!
Episode #205- Why the Mona Lisa?
Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the world's most famous painting. But, despite this, many visitors to the Louvre come away disappointed after they see the masterpiece. The real-life painting has a hard time living up to the myth of the "most perfect picture ever painted." How did the Mona Lisa go from being a well-regarded Da Vinci portrait to being an international celebrity? It seems like the 1911 theft of the painting from the Louvre completely changed the Mona Lisa's stature in the world of art. The question is, would she be this famous if she had never been stolen? Tune-in and find out how shaving in front of a Rembrandt, Paris Syndrome, and the worst guards ever all play a role in the story.
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Podcast Episodes
Episode #210 - Who Killed King Tut? (Part I)
King Tutankhamun may be the best known Egyptian Pharaoh. The discovery of his tomb in 1922 created a wave of "Tut-mania" that has made him a fixture of pop-culture ever since. But even though his treasures are among the…
OFH Throwback- Episode #172- Who Was the African Samurai? (Part II)
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to the conclusion of the African Samurai series. In the 1580’s Japan was a on the precipice of a massive transformation. For over a century the country had been embroile…
OFH Throwback- Episode #171- Who Was the African Samurai? (Part I)
In this throwback episode Sebastian was inspired by a recent controversy around the Assassin's Creed videogame series to revisit his series on Yasuke, the African Samurai. Near the end of Japan’s “Warring States” period…
OFH Throwback- Episode #90- How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part II)
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to Season 4 to finish up the series on Blackbeard. Thanks to the mysterious pirate historian Captain Charles Johnson, Blackbeard became a truly legendary villain. Accord…
OFH Throwback - Episode #89 - How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part I)
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to season four and a fan favorite about one of history's most notorious pirates. Blackbeard may be the most iconic pirate to ever roam the seas. His fearsome reputation…
Episode #209- What Are the Olympic Myths? (Part III)
The man credited with reviving the Olympics in the late 1800's was a French aristocrat named Baron Pierre De Coubertin. In his memoir he claimed that idea to revive the Olympic games had been his and his alone. However,…
Episode #208- What Are the Olympic Myths? (Part II)
Ahead of the Olympic Games there is always some discussion of the so-called "Olympic Spirit." This is a spirit of fair play and virtuous competition allegedly inherited from the ancient Greeks. But, a close look at the a…
Episode #207- What Are the Olympic Myths? (Part I)
When the Olympic games were revived in the late 19th century there was a widespread belief in the "purity" of ancient Greek athletics. The original members of the International Olympic committee believed that the ancient…
OFH Throwback- Episode #71- Who Invented Your Favourite Sport?
In this throwback Sebastian does his best to get you geared up for an upcoming trilogy on the Olympics by returning to this much-loved episode on the mythical origins of popular sports. The question of who invented a par…
Episode #206- Were Magical Dwarves the First Hawaiians?
There are few pieces of Hawaiian folklore as beloved as the tales of the Menehune. This group of pint-sized magical wonderworkers have been given credit for building a number of Hawaii's oldest structures. Legend has it…
