Tune in this week to learn how a man you have never heard of single handedly laid the foundations for, quite literally, understanding how we see the world around us. 

Ibn al-Haytham, born around 965AD in modern-day Iraq is widely considered "the father of modern optics". His work laid the foundation for so many of the greatest minds in mathematics, astronomy, physics and more and yet we are guessing almost none of you have heard about him. 

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Its Spooky Season! Tune in to hear a slightly different style of episode - this week in honor of the creepiest month of the year we dive into four scary (but true) obscure bits of history. Here's what we will cover this week, but check out the episode to hear so much more, including if we can answer the all-important question (and alternate title for this podcast) - but where's the cat's head?

Alexander the Great - how did he really die and why didn't he start decomposing for six days after he "died"?

The Guillotine - was it really an easy and humane way to die or did it's victims survive after their heads were cut off?

Mary Toft - medical miracle who birthed bunnies...and cats...or victimized woman?

Dancing Plagues - dancing can't be deadly...can it?

 Make sure to check out our show notes at Obscuriana.org and let us know on our socials what kind of content you want to see on our Patreon or what merch you just have to have!

This week we look at the wedding of Chief High Bear and Holy Blanket at Buffalo Bill's Wild West "Educational" event and the life and complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill. Was he a man who believed in equality and worked within the confines of the society in which he lived to provide a better life for Native Americans or a savvy entrepreneur who exploited underprivileged peoples and carefully crafted the racist and stereotypical view of the old "Wild West" that we still have today. Explore with us and let us know what you think at the end!

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Visit our website - obscuriana.org - to see detailed show notes.

We're back and hopefully back to a more bi-weekly schedule!

This week we delve into the deadly Victorian era and Laura tells us about how, if you bought anything green, there's a good chance it was out to kill you.

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Sit back and enjoy the first museum tour that won't hurt your feet. This week (well a week and a half ago if there hadn't been multiple technical difficulties) we will be talking about the first modern - yes modern - museum that there is archaeological evidence of - Ennigaldi's Museum. It was founded around 530 BCE in the city of Ur by High Priestess/Princess Ennigaldi.

While history has not left behind a lot of information about Ennigaldi herself, thanks to archaeological evidence and extensive record keeping by those living in ancient Ur we do have a lot to tell you including:

A brief history of the city and it's layout and did they really have indoor toilets way back then?

Why Hammurabi's Code wasn't the first detailed code of laws.

How Laurence of Arabia and Agatha Christie are connected to the excavation of the city of Ur and the museum?

Who would have visited this museum and why this makes it modern?

How did they know it was a museum and not a storeroom? Hint: metadata isn't as new as you think.

And potentially most importantly, what was found in the museum and how does it provide a template to write a really good curse?

Speaking of really good curses, perhaps that is what plagued us technically in getting this episode to you!

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Dying to learn more? Check out this weeks and all of our previous detailed show notes on our website or find us on your favorite social media platform by searching for @Obscuriana.

Mix up your favorite cocktail or mocktail and join us as Laura talks about the history of cocktails plus...

Why you're wrong if you think cocktails originated in New Orleans - sorry Louisiana - or even with the Sazerac!

How the Ice King (no, not the one from Adventure Time) became a billionaire.

That bottled cocktails, in their origins, may be more like today's mom jeans and crop tops than we'd like to think.

And that, like most things we love, it was a woman that should be credited with standardizing many of the cocktails we know today.

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You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at Obscuriana, and on Facebook at Obscuriana Show.

Also, find our detailed show notes on our blog (this episode coming soon!).

A Princess, a Priest, and a Nazi walk into a bar in Germany to meet a Veteran...

Unfortunately this is not the start of a bad, or even a good, joke. 

While there is no documented evidence that they never went to a bar together, they certainly met, along with others, to start Stille Hilfe (Silent Aid). This was, and is, a Nazi aid organization after WWII that we're guessing you've never heard of.

Join us as we dust off some dirt on this group and I (Caitlin) teach Laura (and you) about how they shaped post-war Germany, and the influence they held - and maybe still hold within Germany. We will find baffling coincidences, meet a blue-blooded Princess and a Nazi Princess, learn about the Nazi's they helped along the way, and hear about a direct connection to Pope Pius XII. 

Are they still active today? How did they survive as an organization? Who did they help? These are just a few of the questions we will discuss.

We'd love if you'd subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and tune in as we explore more of humanity's obscure history or even to just listen to us get better at editing!

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