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Skeptoid Episode Guide - History & Pseudohistory

 

Finding Slumach's Gold (Skeptoid #952) - Is this just another in a long line of legendary lost mines that never produced a speck of gold, or is there more to it this time?
September 3, 2024
 
A Sea of Younger Dryas Woo (Skeptoid #945) - Pseudoarchaeologists often will cite the Younger Dryas climatic event as proof of their ancient advanced civilization.
July 16, 2024
 
A Visit to Lemuria (Skeptoid #939) - The true history of a mythical place.
June 4, 2024
 
Helen Keller on Trial (Skeptoid #937) - A bizarre subculture of Helen Keller Truthers believe that she was either faking her deafblindness or even that she didn't exist at all.
May 21, 2024
 
Decoding the Kensington Runestone (Skeptoid #934) - The story goes that this stone covered with Viking runes was found in a Minnesota field in 1898. Its true history is much more interesting.
April 30, 2024
 
Martin Luther King Jr. Myths (Skeptoid #918) - We break down four popular myths about Martin Luther King Jr. that just won't go away.
January 9, 2024
 
The Secret of the Norden Bombsight (Skeptoid #897) - Pop culture tells us the famous Norden bombsight from World War II was actually terribly inaccurate. Was it?
August 15, 2023
 
The Hard Fall of the Nephilim (Skeptoid #887) - Did giants really walk the Earth in our recent past?
June 6, 2023
 
The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 3 (Skeptoid #882) - The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined.
May 2, 2023
 
The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 2 (Skeptoid #881) - The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined.
April 25, 2023
 
The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 1 (Skeptoid #880) - The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined.
April 18, 2023
 
What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 2 (Skeptoid #877) - Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s?
March 28, 2023
 
What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 1 (Skeptoid #876) - Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s?
March 21, 2023
 
St. Patrick's Day Myths (Skeptoid #875) - Today's quiz tests whether you've been skeptical of what you think you know about St. Patrick's Day.
March 14, 2023
 
7 Valentine's Day Myths (Skeptoid #871) - See if you can tell whether each of these popular beliefs about Valentine's Day are true or false.
February 14, 2023
 
The Non-Mystery of Nan Madol (Skeptoid #865) - Was this megalithic site in Micronesia built by the people who lived there at the time, or by aliens?
January 3, 2023
 
The Day Science Was Overthrown (Skeptoid #854) - A look at six times when there was a major paradigm shift in science.
October 18, 2022
 
On the Trail of Papillon (Skeptoid #848) - How much truth was there to the prison escape story of Henri Charriere?
September 6, 2022
 
Seeking the Soviet Battle Mole (Skeptoid #845) - The story goes that the Soviet Union had nuclear-powered underground vehicles for waging a whole new kind of war.
August 16, 2022
 
What Sank the Lusitania? (Skeptoid #840) - Many believe that the true cause of the Lusitania's sinking was not the torpedo, but a mysterious second explosion that followed.
July 12, 2022
 
False Flag Attack? The USS Liberty (Skeptoid #835) - Officially, Israel's 1967 attack on the USS Liberty was accidental friendly fire; but many claim it was a deliberate conspiracy.
June 7, 2022
 
What Greek Fire Really Was (Skeptoid #832) - This ancient weapon of terror struck fear throughout the ancient world, and stokes a number of mysteries today.
May 17, 2022
 
What Really Happened on Easter Island (Skeptoid #827) - The popular known history of Easter Island — that deforestation brought about its demise — is not generally accepted.
April 12, 2022
 
Demystifying the Winchester Mystery House (Skeptoid #824) - The unfortunate false narrative of the Winchester Mystery House obscures a wonderful story of one of California's great women pioneers.
March 22, 2022
 
On Railroad Tracks and Roman Chariots (Skeptoid #818) - The urban legend that train track gauge descends from Roman war chariots falls apart at every link in the chain.
February 8, 2022
 
Nazis and the Occult (Skeptoid #814) - Popular tales of the occult underpinnings of the Nazis are largely modern fiction.
January 11, 2022
 
On the Authorship of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Skeptoid #799) - The most famous organ work in history has a surprising mystery -- we're not really sure who composed it!
September 28, 2021
 
What Made the Shroud of Turin Immortal (Skeptoid #795) - A close look at what true science and true history can tell us about this most sacred Catholic relic.
August 31, 2021
 
Why You Needn't Worry About the Missing 411 (Skeptoid #794) - A popular conspiracy theory claims that lots of people disappear under unexplainable circumstances in America's national parks.
August 24, 2021
 
Your Turn Yet Again (Skeptoid #793) - Skeptoid gives our take on some spooky experiences sent in by listeners.
August 17, 2021
 
The Engineered Moon Conspiracy (Skeptoid #776) - Science refutes the claim made by some that the Moon is a hollow spaceship engineered by aliens.
April 20, 2021
 
Inside the Mountain Meadows Massacre (Skeptoid #768) - Myths, conspiracies, and coverups cloak this 1857 massacre of American emigrants.
February 23, 2021
 
Tartaria and the Mud Flood (Skeptoid #765) - Some claim that all of world history is a coverup for the mighty ancient nation of Tartaria.
February 2, 2021
 
The Death Ship SS Ourang Medan (Skeptoid #756) - This ship was said to be discovered with all its crew dead under unexplainable circumstances.
December 1, 2020
 
Pop Quiz: Myths of the Middle Ages (Skeptoid #751) - How well do you know the Middle Ages? Can you tell what's fact and what's fiction?
October 27, 2020
 
Hitler's Operation Long Jump (Skeptoid #747) - Popular stories claim that the Nazis tried to assassinate Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin in Tehran in 1943.
September 29, 2020
 
The Phantom Fortress (Skeptoid #742) - This B-17 supposedly completed a mission and returned to base, all without an aircrew.
August 25, 2020
 
New World Tobacco in Old World Mummies (Skeptoid #736) - Some believe that traces of tobacco in Egyptian mummies prove the Egyptians were first to the New World.
July 14, 2020
 
The Stoned Ape Theory (Skeptoid #734) - Some believe that psychedelic drugs played an irreplaceable role in the evolution of Homo sapiens.
June 30, 2020
 
The Skeletons of the Great Eastern (Skeptoid #730) - A popular tale claims that the skeletons of two riveters were found between the hulls of this mighty ship.
June 2, 2020
 
Decoding Gobekli Tepe (Skeptoid #724) - This archaeological site in Turkey is said to change everything... but what does that really mean?
April 21, 2020
 
Draining the Holy Grail (Skeptoid #723) - The true history of the Holy Grail, the most precious of all artifacts.
April 14, 2020
 
Pandemic Conspiracies and Politics (Skeptoid #722) - How the conspiracy theories around today's pandemic compare to those of the past.
April 7, 2020
 
Debunking Ancient Aliens, Part 3 (Skeptoid #721) - A look at some of the ancient artworks and artifacts that the show Ancient Aliens gets totally wrong.
March 31, 2020
 
Debunking Ancient Aliens, Part 2 (Skeptoid #720) - A look at some of the ancient sites and cities that the show Ancient Aliens gets totally wrong.
March 24, 2020
 
Debunking Ancient Aliens, Part 1 (Skeptoid #719) - A look at some of the ancient sites and cities that the show Ancient Aliens gets totally wrong.
March 17, 2020
 
Vermeer and the Camera Obscura (Skeptoid #707) - Popular claims that the painter Vermeer used a camera obscura contradict the evidence.
December 24, 2019
 
Thirteen: The Private History of a Curse (Skeptoid #692) - The number 13 may have more relevance in your life than you suspect.
September 10, 2019
 
The True Fate of the Amber Room (Skeptoid #680) - State-sponsored disinformation continues to drive treasure hunters who seek the legendary Amber Room.
June 18, 2019
 
Yamashita's Gold (Skeptoid #673) - The facts behind the urban legend that billions in Japanese gold lie buried in the Philippines.
April 30, 2019
 
Refeeding Syndrome and Sudden Death (Skeptoid #672) - Can starving people actually die immediately upon being given their first bite of food?
April 23, 2019
 
Pop Quiz: History and Pseudohistory (Skeptoid #669) - Test your knowledge on these subjects, all covered by Skeptoid, on false history claims.
April 2, 2019
 
The Historicity of Jesus Christ (Skeptoid #666) - A review of the evidence for and against the life of Jesus of Nazareth as a real living man.
March 12, 2019
 
Illuminating the Illuminati (Skeptoid #657) - The surprisingly humble beginnings and even more surprising modern rebirth of the Illuminati.
January 8, 2019
 
Are They Real, or Are They Fictional? (Skeptoid #618) - Another round of famous names from the past: Can you guess whether each is real or fictional?
April 10, 2018
 
Were There Irish Slaves in America? (Skeptoid #609) - Online articles claiming the first slaves in the Americas were white are fictional and racially motivated.
February 6, 2018
 
Alert 747: The Vela Incident (Skeptoid #592) - In 1979, a mysterious flash occurred over the southern ocean that could have been a nuclear bomb.
October 10, 2017
 
Relict Japanese Soldiers (Skeptoid #585) - How factual are the urban legends about Japanese soldiers in the Pacific who never heard the war ended?
August 22, 2017
 
Amelia Earhart Redux: Competing Networks, Competing Craziness (Skeptoid #580) - Through their constant promotion of false history, TV networks may have done Amelia Earhart's legacy irreparable harm.
July 18, 2017
 
The Mercury Rivers of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (Skeptoid #566) - A miniature of all China's waterways in liquid mercury is said to be at the heart of the First Emperor's tomb.
April 11, 2017
 
Beethoven's Hair (Skeptoid #561) - Popular stories claim Beethoven died of lead poisoning, but the science so far doesn't hold up.
March 7, 2017
 
Hitler's Antarctic Fortress Unmasked (Skeptoid #559) - Deconstructing a wild tale about a Nazi military base deep inside Antarctica.
February 21, 2017
 
Who Were the Berserkers? (Skeptoid #557) - These mighty Norse warriors fought with a frenzy that seems all but inexplicable.
February 7, 2017
 
The D. B. Cooper Mystery (Skeptoid #552) - The world's only unsolved hijacking case is filled with misinformation.
January 3, 2017
 
There's No Such Thing as Race... Or Is There? (Skeptoid #546) - Genetically, race does not exist; but there are still inconvenient places for it in science.
November 22, 2016
 
First in Flight (Skeptoid #545) - You always thought the Wright Brothers were the first to fly a plane? Well, it depends what country you're from.
November 15, 2016
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 3 (Skeptoid #537) - The hard, testable, scientific proof that we actually did land humans on the moon.
September 20, 2016
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 2 (Skeptoid #536) - The science behind many of the specific claims made by Apollo moon landing hoax conspiracy theorists.
September 13, 2016
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 1 (Skeptoid #535) - The history of the Apollo moon landing hoax conspiracy theory, and those who believe in it.
September 6, 2016
 
Who Killed the Red Baron? (Skeptoid #532) - A look at which of the six competing claims for who killed the Red Baron was probably true.
August 16, 2016
 
Demythologizing the Shaolin Monks (Skeptoid #516) - Just about everything you think you know about the Shaolin Monks was made up for tourists.
April 26, 2016
 
Decrypting Mother Teresa (Skeptoid #512) - It's popular to criticize Mother Teresa, but that criticism might be better directed at the real culprit.
March 29, 2016
 
Ninjas Unmasked (Skeptoid #509) - These superheroes of martial arts lore may not be exactly what you thought they were.
March 8, 2016
 
Demythologizing the Knights Templar (Skeptoid #508) - More pseudohistory than fact surrounds this ancient order's depictions in pop culture.
March 1, 2016
 
No, Hitler Did Not Escape (Skeptoid #507) - There is no truth to the popular myth that Hitler escaped Berlin and went to Argentina.
February 23, 2016
 
Did the 1914 Christmas Truce Really Happen? (Skeptoid #498) - Popular stories tell of WWI soldiers laying aside their rifles on Christmas 1914. The facts are not quite so simple.
December 22, 2015
 
Updated: Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Web Sites (Skeptoid #495) - The worst offending sites on the Internet for promoting bad misinformation.
December 1, 2015
 
Deconstructing the Tasaday Tribe (Skeptoid #490) - Some say this tribe of "gentle savages", discovered in 1971, was just a hoax. The truth isn't quite so simple.
October 27, 2015
 
About That 1970s Global Cooling... (Skeptoid #487) - No, climatologists in the 1970s did not believe we're headed into another ice age.
October 6, 2015
 
The Flying Saucer Menace (Skeptoid #486) - The true, interwoven history of flying saucers in American folklore.
September 29, 2015
 
Holocaust Denial (Skeptoid #485) - Why some people think the Holocaust never happened, and what to do about it.
September 22, 2015
 
Franklin's Cannibals (Skeptoid #482) - The fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Expedition gives a valuable lesson in types of evidence.
September 1, 2015
 
Captain Kidd's Treasure (Skeptoid #481) - Think you're going to find Captain Kidd's buried treasure on the US east coast? Think again.
August 25, 2015
 
The Nazi of Nanking (Skeptoid #480) - This most unlikely of guardian angels saved hundreds of thousands of Chinese lives.
August 18, 2015
 
Listener Feedback: History vs. Pseudohistory (Skeptoid #475) - Brian responds to listener feedback about past history episodes.
July 14, 2015
 
Lysenko and Lesser Science Grifters (Skeptoid #472) - Trofim Lysenko mixed pseudoscience and ideology to set back Soviet biology.
June 23, 2015
 
5 Answers for Creationists (Skeptoid #466) - Creationists have presented 5 questions they don't think 'evolutionists' can answer. Here are some answers.
May 12, 2015
 
Satanic Ritual Abuse (Skeptoid #462) - The history of claims that secret Satanic cults are abusing children.
April 14, 2015
 
Forgetting the Alamo (Skeptoid #457) - The myths and facts behind the events that made the Alamo famous reveal it may not be worth remembering much.
March 10, 2015
 
Cattle Mutilation (Skeptoid #456) - Cow mutilation may have a simpler explanation than alien experimentation.
March 3, 2015
 
Robert Ripley: Believe Him... or Not? (Skeptoid #450) - We examine Believe it or Not! and determine if we can believe this stuff.
January 20, 2015
 
Ancient Astronauts (Skeptoid #449) - Did aliens visit the ancient Earth and inspire human cultures? Some people claim so.
January 13, 2015
 
Myths of Alcatraz (Skeptoid #444) - Alcatraz Island is veiled in the fog of myth.
December 9, 2014
 
SS Iron Mountain (Skeptoid #443) - This large riverboat is said to have vanished without a trace on the Mississippi River in 1872.
December 2, 2014
 
The War of the Worlds Panic Broadcast (Skeptoid #438) - On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles panicked a nation with a single broadcast. Or did he?
October 28, 2014
 
The Death of Rasputin (Skeptoid #432) - Legend says that Grigori Rasputin, the "Mad Monk", was hard to kill; but the truth about his life is the real story.
September 16, 2014
 
The Santa Barbara Simoom of 1859 (Skeptoid #424) - Stories of a lethally hot storm wind in Santa Barbara in 1859 persist to this day.
July 22, 2014
 
Hillary vs. Mallory: The First to Everest (Skeptoid #420) - From the evidence we have, it seems clear there's no way Mallory could have beaten Hillary to the summit of Everest.
June 24, 2014
 
The Riddle of Flight 19 (Skeptoid #417) - The 1945 disappearance of five fighter planes in the Bermuda Triangle was real, but hardly how it's portrayed.
June 3, 2014
 
3-7-77: The Montana Vigilance Code (Skeptoid #413) - This mysterious code representing vigilante justice has a history steeped in mystery.
May 6, 2014
 
The Death of Mad King Ludwig (Skeptoid #407) - What we do and do not know about the mysterious death of Bavaria's Mad King who built castles like Neuschwanstein.
March 25, 2014
 
The Disappearance of Glenn Miller (Skeptoid #406) - This popular bandleader disappeared over the English Channel during World War II, and here's what happened.
March 18, 2014
 
Out of Place Artifacts (Skeptoid #403) - Some objects found around the world seem to defy rational explanation.
February 25, 2014
 
Hemp, Hearst, and Prohibition (Skeptoid #401) - A popular urban legend claims that William Randolph Hearst conspired to make cannabis illegal in the United States.
February 11, 2014
 
The Moving Coffins of Barbados (Skeptoid #399) - An old tale tells of coffins that jumbled themselves up in a crypt in Barbados.
January 28, 2014
 
Finding Butch and Sundance (Skeptoid #394) - Stories that outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid might have made it back from South America don't hold up.
December 24, 2013
 
The Red Haired Giants of Lovelock Cave (Skeptoid #390) - Some say that an early Native American tribe were giant cannibals.
November 26, 2013
 
Who Discovered the New World? (Skeptoid #387) - Of all the many claims of Europeans being first to the New World, only one is true.
November 5, 2013
 
The Riddle of the L-8 Blimp (Skeptoid #380) - The crew of a blimp mysteriously vanished in 1942, but their blimp came back OK... without them.
September 17, 2013
 
Legendary Places: Real or Fictional? (Skeptoid #378) - We look at twelve legendary places that you've heard of, but may not know whether they're real or not.
September 3, 2013
 
The Secrets of MKULTRA (Skeptoid #373) - The urban legend that the CIA conducted unethical mind control experiments has a grain of truth.
July 30, 2013
 
The Vanishing Village of Angikuni Lake (Skeptoid #371) - The legend of the disappearing Inuit village of Angikuni Lake turns out to be simple pulp fiction.
July 16, 2013
 
Legislating Pseudoscience (Skeptoid #368) - Lawmakers are often pressured by ideologues to pass laws based on bad science.
June 25, 2013
 
The 16 Personalities of Sybil (Skeptoid #361) - The book and movie "Sybil" told the story of a woman purported to have Multiple Personality Syndrome.
May 7, 2013
 
Lincoln Kennedy Myths (Skeptoid #360) - An old story claims a long list of astonishing similarities between the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy.
April 30, 2013
 
The Pentagon and the Missile (Skeptoid #354) - Some say that it wasn't an airliner that struck the Pentagon on 9/11, but a missile.
March 19, 2013
 
Pope Joan (Skeptoid #353) - This apocryphal Middle Ages pope said to be a woman in disguise probably never existed.
March 12, 2013
 
The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine (Skeptoid #347) - This most famous of all fabled "lost mines" has a history that fails to stand up to skeptical scrutiny.
January 29, 2013
 
The Cult of Nikola Tesla (Skeptoid #345) - The name of Nikola Tesla is associated with crazy conspiracy claims that have nothing to do with his real work.
January 15, 2013
 
The Hollow Earth Theory (Skeptoid #343) - Throughout history there have been a number of different beliefs that the Earth might be hollow.
January 1, 2013
 
The Flat Earth Theory (Skeptoid #338) - The Flat Earth Theory has its origins not in alt-science but in Christian Fundamentalism.
November 27, 2012
 
The Bermuda Triangle and the Devil's Sea (Skeptoid #337) - Contrary to popular belief, no unusual number of disappearances has ever happened inside these two ocean regions.
November 20, 2012
 
Raiding the Ark of the Covenant (Skeptoid #327) - The true history of the most famous holy relic from Biblical times.
September 11, 2012
 
The Versailles Time Slip (Skeptoid #296) - We can be sure that two women visiting Versaille in 1901 did not time-travel back to the days of Marie Antoinette.
February 7, 2012
 
Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids? (Skeptoid #191) - It's a popular story, but all the evidence tells us that no Jews were in Egypt at the time of the Pyramids.
February 2, 2010
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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