In 1848 in the rural community of Hydesville, New York, a small farmhouse owned by the Fox family was overrun by strange rapping and knocking sounds. The family eventually guessed that the sounds were being made by spirits and that those spirits were trying to communicate with the living. Strangely, the knocking sounds did not stay confined to the farmhouse, instead they seemed to follow the family's two youngest daughters, Kate and Maggie Fox, wherever they went. Soon the young girls discovered that they could reliably communicate with these strange knocking spirits. This set them on a path to becoming America's best known spirit mediums, launching the movement known as modern spiritualism. But, many were convinced that these teenagers were were frauds, whose April fool's day prank had spun wildly out of control. What was going on with these girls? Were they truly interacting with the paranormal, or where they instead child-prodigies who had orchestrated one of the eras greatest cons? Tune-in and find out how floating tables, Benjamin Franklin's ghost, and the Ramones first album all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special series Sebastian presents a story that was originally created exclusively for Patrons back in 2020. The extra-long original episode is now being presented in two installments. Sebastian knew Tesla was figure shrouded in historical myths… he just didn’t know how many. It turns out Tesla may be one of the most mythologized people to have lived in the last 200 years. Tesla was as great a showman as he was an inventor. He created an image of himself in the American media that made him seem more like a wizard than a scientist. Decades later, when Tesla’s memory was being revived, many of his fans latched on to this semi-magical image. But what should we believe about a man whose story includes wireless light-bulbs, electricity leaping from his fingertips, communication with extra-terrestrials, and a death ray? Tune-in and find out how 19th century lightsabers, the world’s most beautiful pigeon, and Donald Trump’s uncle all play role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special series Sebastian presents a story that was originally created exclusively for Patrons back in 2020. The extra-long original episode is now being presented in two installments. Sebastian knew Tesla was figure shrouded in historical myths... he just didn't know how many. It turns out Tesla may be one of the most mythologized people to have lived in the last 200 years. Tesla was as great a showman as he was an inventor. He created an image of himself in the American media that made him seem more like a wizard than a scientist. Decades later, when Tesla's memory was being revived, many of his fans latched on to this semi-magical image. But what should we believe about a man whose story includes wireless light-bulbs, electricity leaping from his fingertips, communication with extra-terrestrials, and a death ray? Tune-in and find out how 19th century lightsabers, the world's most beautiful pigeon, and Donald Trump's uncle all play role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent shows on Paul Bunyon and the Children's Crusade. The host takes some time to further unpack the idea of fakelore and draw some distinctions between "authentic" lore and the creations of money writers. Sebastian also compares the differences between folklore and urban legends. Finally, Sebastian shares a few giant stories from the Lake Huron region and talks about some contemporary online creators playing fast and loose with the Children's Crusade myth. Tune-in and find out how Atlantis, Giant's Tomb, and newspaper sages all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the year 1212 something strange happened in Western Europe, but none of the contemporary historic sources can agree on exactly what it was. Later historians would claim that a religious movement made up of children under twelve sprang up in rural France. After gathering together thousands of pre-teen followers this crusade set out to liberate the holy land. However, we're told that this so-called Children's Crusade ended in disaster. According to some sources, the children were attacked, starved, murdered, or sold en-masse into slavery. But is any of that true? Was there really a Children's Crusade? If there was, should we believe the horror stories about this unusual movement? Tune-in and find out how "mythistory," a Woodstock Nation, and The Old Man of the Mountain all play a role in the story. Hear more Staring Contest Here Buy OFH Merch Here See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 the mid-west. His smiling face has been used to sell everything from building materials to loaves of bread. But, in the 1950's one of America's leading folklorists declared that Paul Bunyan was a prime example of something he called "fakelore." These were tales invented by authors that mimicked stories that came out of oral traditions. He accused Paul Bunyan of being a corporate mascot masquerading as an authentic American myth. Have these accusations stood the test of time? Is Paul Bunyan a fake myth? Tune-in and find out how lumberjack improv teams, mythical Quebec potholes, and the best man in Ottawa all play a role in the story! Listen to more Staring Contest Here See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Stagger Lee has been one of America’s most enduring folk heroes. There have been over 400 songs written about the swaggering, gun-toting, bad man. He has gone by many names: Stacks Lee, Stagolee, Staxs O’Lee. Sometimes he is presented as a malevolent villain, others a heroic defender of the oppressed. No matter the telling Stagger Lee is always a badass. Is this figure just a piece of fiction dreamt up by blues musicians and perpetuated by their rock’n’roll progeny? Or was there a real man behind the murderous myth? Tune-in and find out how Biggie Smalls, 19th century fightin’ words, and a milk white stetson hat all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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're Dead To Me. It's the BBC comedy podcast that takes history seriously, bringing together experts and comedians to explore the people, stories and ideas that shaped our world. If you like what you hear you can find full episodes of You're Dead to Me wherever you get your podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 “the clearest example of a society that destroyed itself.” For years it was taken for granted that the people of Rapa Nui had depleted their natural resources in pursuit of bigger and better stone statues called Moai. However, recent scholarship has called into to question the widely known story of ecological collapse. Were the people of Rapa Nui really the authors of their own destruction, or has this narrative been unfairly exaggerated? Tune-in and found out how Birdmen, traumatized skeletons, and a stolen friend all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 misunderstood place on planet Earth. For centuries outsiders have tried to unravel what they perceived to be the islands many mysteries. How did stone age people manage to get to such a remote island? How did these people build the island’s remarkable statues? What caused this unique society to collapse? Recent research has completely upended many previous assumptions about this storied island. Was the mysterious collapse even a collapse at all? Tune in an find out how awesome canoes, ancestor mana, and OFH’s favourite ocean current all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 legendary hybrid creature known as the gryphon was said to have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Despite this fantastical descriptions the ancient Greeks and Romans truly seemed to have believed that gryphons were real animals. It was thought that gryphons lived in arid steppes and deserts of central Asia where they guarded stashes of gold. Stories of gryphons made their way to Mediterranean by way of the nomadic Scythian people, who hunted for gold in the gryphon’s homeland. Stanford Professor Adrienne Mayor thinks she may have solved the mystery of this puzzling creature. Could the gryphon stories be an early form of paleontology? Tune-in and find out how giant hoaxes, paleo-art, and one eyed gold hunters all play a role in the story. Read Mark Witton's blog Here See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 American folk and roots music performing today. She’s also one of the knowledgeable people you can possibly talk to when it comes to history of the banjo and American music generally. In the finale of season 11 Ms. Giddens joins Sebastian for a sprawling talk about how the history of the banjo is deeply connected to America's tumultuous development as a nation. Is the banjo America's most misunderstood instrument? Tune-in and find out how the Tango craze, African lutes, and Japanese men playing minstrel tunes all play a role in the story. Pre-order Rhiannon Gidden's new album HERE Listen to Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 about the American perception of Canadian history, tarring and feathering, WWI weaponry, and Paul Revere's plagiarized engravings. Sebastian also gives some important updates about the end of Season 11, the start of Season 12, and plays a new song from Staring Contest. Tune-in and find out how angry letters, machine gun poetry, and Canadian theatre all play a role in the story. Get the new album from Staring Contest HERE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 the King's army as they moved against the towns of Lexington and Concord. However, he popular understanding of the famous "midnight ride" was largely shaped by a romantic poem written 85 years after the fact by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The image of Paul Revere as a lone rider, single handedly saving the revolutionary cause has become a textbook historical myth. The real story is way weirder and more exciting than the Longfellow poem would have you believe! Tune-in and find out how oar-silencing underwear, a smooth talking leather tanner, and a horse named Brown Beauty all play a role in the story. Check out more from Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 units, like France's Lafayette Escadrille made up of American volunteers, were created with the hope of generating positive press that could bring the United States into the war on the side of allies. When America did join WWI in 1917, there was a belief that the airplane was the "natural weapon of Americans." Some lawmakers dreamed of building a war-winning American airplane armada. Meanwhile, the reporting on flying aces had the affect of turning the air-war into a sport, with "high scorers" looking to break new records. How did this affect the behavior of the warriors in the sky? Tune-in an find out how an unbreakable sword, the flying circus, and hells-handmaiden all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.