Our Fake History

Episode #256 - Is Paul Bunyan Fakelore?

Season 12 begins with the trip to the Northwoods! For over a century Paul Bunyan has been America's best loved lumberjack hero. Statues honoring the gigantic woodsman dot

OFH Throwback - Episode #149 - Who Was the Real Stagger Lee?

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you to an episode that is one of his personal favorites. Is it "secretly" one of the best episode of OFH? The character of Stagg

"You're Dead to Me" from the BBC

With a new star-studded film adaptation of The Odyssey bringing Homer's world back to the big screen, it’s the perfect time to share a teaser clip from our friends at You

OFH Throwback - Episode #117 - What Went Down On Easter Island? (Part II)

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you to the conclusion of one of the podcast's most discussed series. The island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, has been called “

OFH Throwback - Episode #116 - What Went Down on Easter Island? (Part I)

In this Throwback Episode Sebastian revisits one of the best loved series from Season 6. Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the indigenous islanders call it, may be the most m

OFH Throwback - Episode #145 - Real Gryphons?

In this Throwback Episode Sebastian revisits one of his favourite episodes from Season 7 and brings in some new critiques that did not make it into the original show! The

Episode #255 - Rhiannon Giddens: Can the Banjo Explain American History?

Rhiannon Giddens is a multi-instrumentalist, a singer, and a composer. She is a MacArthur Genius fellow, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and one the most dynamic voices in Ameri

Bonus Episode - Plagiarizing Patriots, Human Chickens, and Canadian Character Assassination

On this Bonus Episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent series on the Knights of the Air and the one-off on the Midnight Ride. The host grapples with questions a

Episode #254 - What Went Down on the Midnight Ride?

Paul Revere is one of the best remembered heroes of the American Revolution. The Boston silversmith is often credited with rousing the Massachusetts countryside to resist

Episode #253 - Were the Knights of the Air a Myth? (Part II)

By 1916 the airplane had proven itself as an important new weapon in the Great War. Arguably just as important was the image of the glamorous flying aces. Entire flying u

Episode #252 - Were the Knights of the Air a Myth? (Part I)

At the outbreak of First World War airplanes were still a novelty on the battlefield. Originally planes were used for reconnaissance and the pilots were usually unarmed.

Bonus Episode - Roman Bondage, Voodoo Macbeth, and Bunga Bunga

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about episode 249, 250, and 251. First, he does his best to grapple with how morality should factor into history education

Episode #251 - What Was the Dreadnought Hoax?

When the HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906 it completely revolutionized naval warfare. It made all previous ships obsolete and helped spur an arms race between Britain

Episode #250 - Is Macbeth Cursed?

Every theatre kid can tell you that Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth is a cursed play. Some believe that even saying the name of the play in a theatre where it is not bei

Episode #249 - Who Built Rome? (ft. Dr. Emma Southon)

The Roman Empire is often remembered for it's grand works of architecture and formidable military. However, for most of its history Rome's economy was underpinned by the

Bonus Episode - Minor Miners, Activist Entertainers, and Spanish Painters

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes question from the listeners about the recent episodes on Henry Box Brown and Snow White. First, we hear some comments from a listene

Episode #248 - Was There a Real Snow White?

The Brothers Grimm once write that "Snow White" was Germany's best known folktale. When the beloved fairytale served as the inspiration for the famous 1937 Disney film th

Episode #247 - Was Box Brown Magically Emancipated?

One of the most celebrated stories from the Underground Railroad is that of Henry Box Brown, the man who mailed himself to freedom. In 1849 Henry Brown successfully had h

Bonus Episode - Disappearing Doppelgängers, Viking Thralls, and the Comedy of the Sagas

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent series on the Viking voyages to North America. In it he reckons with the history of slavery in the Norse

Episode #246 - How Far Did the Vikings Voyage? (Part III)

For centuries the western Norse colony of Vinland was known only to scholars of the Icelandic Sagas. But in the 19th century the work of a few Scandinavian historians hel