In Part Two of my series on the origins and fraudulence of mediumship, I trace the evolution of Spiritualism into a new religion and profile its two greatest promoters and opponents, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini. megaphone.link/ARML2431686200

In this new 2-part series, I look at the practice of mediumship, its origins and its fraudulence. In Part One, I talk examine the originators of 19th century Spiritualism, the Fox Sisters, from the start to the end of their claims of genuinely contacting the dead. megaphone.link/…

In part two of my series on the history of Flat Earth Theory, I talk about the devotees of Flat Earthism, who promote it through publicity stunts and enrich themselves off their fellow believers. megaphone.link/…

In part one of a new series on the history of Flat Earth Theory, I talk about ancient conceptions of the Earth's flatness, ancient proofs of its sphericity, and the 19th century resurgence of belief in its flatness. megaphone.link/ARML6278285935

In part two of my series on the long-lived claims that the Apollo program was a hoax, I look more closely at the "evidence" of denialists and refute it all. megaphone.link/ARML9010462083

In part one of a two-part series, I review all the positive evidence proving humanity reached the Moon to refute long-lived claims that the Apollo program was a hoax. megaphone.link/ARML7158209165

In this episode, I talk about the Crispus Attucks, a figure in Black history both lauded as the first martyr of American liberty and maligned as a violent thug, and I explore his relevance in this moment of state-sanctioned violence against protestors. megaphone.link/ARML8629036381

In this year's season premiere, I return to the legends of the Indiana Jones franchise, examining the ideas from the recent video game, the Great Circle, about ancient landmarks aligning and their origin in the concept of ley lines. megaphone.link/ARML9655588311

In this year's holiday special, I explore the origins of Jesus's story, examining claims in the gospels about his lineage, rumors about his parentage, and theories about the mythological and philosophical inspirations for gospel traditions. megaphone.link/ARML3569965022

In the conclusion of my series on the moral panics of the eighties, I look at the development of the Satanic Panic and consider its resurgence today. megaphone.link/ARML7259385038

In this episode, I look at the development of the Stranger Danger moral panic as a precursor to right wing conspiracist claims today. megaphone.link/ARML7504586372

For October, we look at a "haunting" that was claimed to be the first in which paranormal phenomena was scientifically observed. The Rosenheim Poltergeist is a perfect case for examining the ghost story generally, its history, and the pseudoscience of parapsychology. megaphone.link/ARML9517108890

In this new episode, I talk about America's long history of resenting domestic policing by the military, especially when the military is used against citizen protesters, from the Boston Massacre to Gilded Age strikebreaking. megaphone.link/ARML1468476633

After Texas's recent mid-decade partisan redistricting, representing a blatant power grab for the Republican Party undertaken at Trump's behest, I search for precedents and historical parallels and examine the history of gerrymandering in the US. megaphone.link/ARML2875603292

In this episode, I look at the evolution of undeclared wars and military authorizations throughout US history, specifically examining the conspiracy claims about two preludes to war: Pearl Harbor and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. megaphone.link/ARML2538057114

To conclude my series on the Israel-Palestine conflict, I look at Jewish indigeneity in the Levant, the the founding of the modern State of Israel, its unique economic and military relationship with the US, and its long asymmetrical conflict with Palestinians. megaphone.link/ARML6812975492

In this 1st part of a 2-part series on the Israel-Palestine conflict, I look at the Heritage Foundation's campaign to characterize any criticism of Israel or advocacy for Palestinians as anti-Semitism. megaphone.link/ARML3068323358

Late social post for last week's episode: I discuss the Trump administration's war on higher education and place it within the context of the history of academic freedom and previous assaults on it. megaphone.link/ARML9242556245

Here at the end of Pride, I want to discuss the long history and false scriptural basis of religious opposition to LGBTQ rights, and the effort of the religious right to seek an exemption to anti-discrimination laws so that they can persecute gay and trans people. megaphone.link/ARML7544520236

As Trump's immigration raids and use of the armed forces to intimidate peaceful protesters in my home state of California have sparked widespread national protest, I want to talk more about the long, racist history behind similar immigration crackdowns in the US. megaphone.link/ARML8582008976

In this episode I discuss the history of the controversial wartime power Trump invoked to justify mass deportation and the importance of the rights of due process and habeas corpus, granted by the constitution to all persons, that his administration wants to strip away. megaphone.link/ARML3035622474

In this episode, in response to Trump's order supposedly "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," I look at the many ways he and his handlers/enablers distort and whitewash history and "sanewash" his administration. megaphone.link/ARML7863180411

In this episode, I tell the history of the US through the history of controversial tariff policies, and I examine speculation about the motivations behind Trump's disastrous tariff hikes. megaphone.link/ARML7802827411

From claims about the pagan origins of Easter traditions to biblical literalists asserting that the miraculous darkness at the crucifixion is historically provable, I explode all kinds of myths in this holiday special. megaphone.link/ARML7228019606

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Reformation, a story was told of the first female Pope. The story of Pope Joan is a myth, but it illustrates well the historical roots of the sexism and misogyny that still keeps women out of leadership positions. megaphone.link/ARML5452769629

In the face of trans erasure and genocide, this episode affirms the existence of transgender people throughout history, focusing on the trans empress of the Roman Empire, long misgendered and called Elagabalus, though that was not her name. megaphone.link/ARML8539906854

Predictably, it seems no smoking gun or magic bullet is to be found in the latest trove of declassified documents.

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · last yr.

A new batch of unredacted documents pertaining to John F. Kennedy’s assassination didn’t deliver what President Donald Trump promised. @kait.bsky.social on the eternal mysteries of the JFK archive:

An examination of Aspasia, a woman of ancient Athens who was universally agreed to have been extremely influential in politics and philosophy, depicted as both a harlot and a sage. megaphone.link/ARML1550392574

If anyone wants a good podcast about historical myths and misconceptions, check out Historical Blindness @historicalblind.bsky.social Yet another critically under subscribed creater!

In the 4th and final part of my series on the legends surrounding Lincoln and his assassination, I look at the false urban legend that John Wilkes Booth was not actually killed but rather escaped justice. megaphone.link/ARML2382049463