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 #215 - Edgar Allan Poe: Hoax Master?
Edgar Allan Poe has been remembered as one of America's greatest authors and poets. However, many are less familiar with is career as a hoaxer. In the 1830's and 1840's Poe made a name for himself orchestrating elaborate newspaper hoaxes, and debunking hoaxes attempted by others. Poe specialized in deceptions that dealt with the frontiers of science. Some of these scientific hoaxes flopped, while others drummed up real excitement among astonished readers. What was the secret sauce that made a newspaper hoax go large? Tune-in and find out how moon-gnomes, chess playing automatons, and bipedal space beavers all play a role in the story.
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Podcast Episodes
OFH Throwback- Episode #72 - Did Emperor Hadrian Murder His Teenage Lover?
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to the start of Season 4 to explore the historical reputation of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
Episode #224 - What's True About Al Capone? (Part III)
Who brought down Al Capone? Was it Eliot Ness and his storied “Untouchables” or is their story the result of distorted memoire written by washed-up glory-hound?
Episode #223 - What's True About Al Capone? (Part II)
If you get your history from watching gangster movies, then you might be under the impression that Al Capone singlehandedly started Chicago's Beer Wars. That is certainly what is suggested by the 1932 gangster classic Sc…
Episode #222 - What's True About Al Capone? (Part I)
The life of the gangster Al Capone could be understood as a violent expression of the American Dream. A poor kid from Brooklyn, born to immigrant parents, used his wits, fists, and a certain ruthless determination to bui…
OFH Throwback- Episode #24- Did Ty Cobb Kill a Guy?
In this throwback episode Sebastian take you back to Season One and Episode #24. Ty Cobb has been remembered as one of baseball’s greatest villains. Despite being universally recognized as one of the game’s most talented…
Episode #221 - Did India's Thugs Really Exist? (Part II)
In the early 19th century central India was one of the most dangerous places a person could travel. Murders and robberies were incredibly common. Every year dozens, sometimes hundreds, of bodies were found in shallow gra…
Episode #220 - Did India's Thugs Really Exist? (Part I)
In 1830 an anonymous letter was published in the Calcutta Literary Gazette warning that India was being threatened by a horrifying cult of murderers. These stranglers were known as Thugs and according to the letter they…
Episode #219 - Who Was the Real Mulan?
The story of Mulan might be the best known piece of Chinese folklore. In China the story has been around for over 1500 years and has inspired dozens of poems, songs, plays, and films. Thanks to Disney, Mulan has become a…
OFH Throwback- Episode #47- Who Was the Queen of the Pirates?
In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to Season 2 and Episode #47. Piracy on the high seas has existed for as long as human beings have had boats. For most of history these maritime marauders were almost exc…
Episode #218 - Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part III)
The second Arab siege of Constantinople should probably just be called the "real" Arab siege of Constantinople. In 717 the Umayyad Caliphate seriously threatened the continued existence of the Roman Empire by besieging t…
