Eleanor Rykener: Trans Sex Worker of Medieval London?
The year is 1395. The city: London. The crime: an "unmentionable, ignominious vice" commonly known as sodomy. And the perp? A rascally, resourceful enigma named John Rykener, who enters the…
Stuff You Missed in History Class: Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII sought to find a way forward for the Catholic church at a time when the world was rapidly changing and the church was often at odds with…
Imaginary Worlds: Body Horror Gets Under My Skin
We all have that one thing we just can’t watch. For me, it’s body horror -- the kind of horror where grotesque and disturbing things happen to someone’s body, like…
Dancing Plague of 1518
In 1518 one woman's mysterious dance sparked an uncontrollable epidemic, leading up to 400 people to dance wildly for weeks. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lynneth J. Miller…
Where Are They Now?
by Meg Elison
Fishing In The Night
Shortwave radio opened a portal to the world—then became a weapon in a high-stakes war of propaganda and power.
Song Exploder: Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”
Tears for Fears is a duo formed in 1981 in Bath, England by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They’ve sold over 30 million albums, starting with their first, The Hurting,…
That Time Locusts Ate The Entire Midwest
In the 1870s the Midwest experienced a devastating natural disaster in the form of… an enormous cloud of extremely hungry locusts. Dylan and producer Amanda discuss what happens when a…
Sarah E. Bond on Ancient Art, Wages, and Strikes: A 3000-Year-Old History of Labor
At Hyperallergic, we take pride in covering protesting museum workers who take to the streets. But few realize that these workers are taking part in a practice that’s as old…
The Pope’s Kidnapped Child
In 1858, a Jewish child was taken from his family. They said that because the boy had been secretly baptized, he was now a ward of the Papal States. And…