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This week we're continuing to talk about the history of Drag, from the NYC Ball Scene to Ru Paul and the story behind Drag Race. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of Drag, from ancient Greek dramas to Shakespearean actors to the New York City ballroom scene. This episode is part 1 of 2, ending with Paris is Burning. Check out next week to learn about Ru Paul and the story behind Drag Race. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history, rating, and culture of sunglasses! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history, science, and myths of sunscreen. You should be wearing it every time you go in the sun, but do you know how it works, how it's tested, and what kinds are the most effective? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of ice cream, from the ancient Persians to Nero, from Marco Polo to Ben and Jerry. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of amusement parks, from Renaissance Faires and Pleasure Gardens to American Amusement Parks. We discuss theme parks like Disney Land, Six Flags and Universal Studios, and America's best and worst amusement parks, Cedar Point and Action Park. We've even got a couple asides about carousels and the physics of roller coasters. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the Italian Renaissance and the lives of some of history's most famous sculptors and painters. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the science and history of sleep! Ariel will give some tips for falling asleep at night, while Alex will spend part of the episode almost dozing off because he has a cold. Turn this one up and get some rest! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the discovery of electricity, how it works, the history of electrical inventors, the current wars between Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla, and more! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

It's May and this week we're talking about the history and science of flowers, Tulip Mania and other flower crazes, and the secret meanings of bouquets and flower arrangements. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about guns, from ancient Chinese gunpowder to modern day sniper rifles! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the chemistry and culture of lysergic acid diethylamide. We'll discuss how it works, where to get it, and the moral panic that changed it from a psychiatric tool to a Schedule 1 illegal drug. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about The Gospel, the origin of Easter, Passover, and Jesus's campy final days with Judas and the boys. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about weather! Types of clouds, what causes lightning, polar vortexes, the jet stream, weather on other planets, and more! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the second part of the biography of Julius Caesar, the fall of the Roman Republic, the rise of the Roman Empire, and Brutus's betrayal for the sake of his ideals. In the second half of this two part episode we talk about the Roman Civil War, the fall of the Roman Republic and the Rise of the Roman Empire, and finally Cesar's death on the Ides of March. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the biography of Julius Caesar, the fall of the Roman Republic, the rise of the Roman Empire, and Brutus's betrayal for the sake of his ideals. In the first half of this two part episode we talk about Caesar's rise to power and Brutus's coming of age, right up to the point that Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his army to march on Rome. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about Druids, Celts, St. Patrick and the Emerald Isle! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about how humans measure time, from the prehistoric lunar calendar to the atomic clock. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of Carnival and Mardis Gras, from Ancient Egypt and Rome to the present day Greatest Free Show on Earth in the Big Easy. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the greatest dynasties and empires in African history. We discuss The Kingdom of Kush, Hannibal leading Carthage to victory over the Romans, Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived, the Zulu nation, and Haile Selassie, the god of Rastafarianism. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking the love lives of famous poets and writers, including Sappho, Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, and Sylvia Plath. Hear salacious stories, enjoy engrossing excerpts, and learn about the torrid affairs behind the quivering pens of your favorite wordsmiths! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of dating, courtship, matchmaking, marriage, and the many ways that couples get together. From the earliest marriages to the first personal ads, to online dating scandals, you'll like this one so much that you might just fall in love and propose to this episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

We're welcoming the year of the Water Tiger! This week we're talking about the history and fun traditions of Chinese New Year. Learn about the symbolism of fireworks, dragon dances and red envelopes, take a tour of the Chinese zodiac, and get psyched for a holiday that feels like a mix of the west's Christmas, Hanukkah and Valentine's Day all rolled into a two-week long party! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the stock market and the history of financial bubbles, scandals and crashes, from the Dutch East India Company to GameStop and AMC. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

We talk about eating well, the history of nutritional science, the food pyramid, and how to successfully improve you diet by eating more healthy foods and avoiding "low fat" gimmicks. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're tackling our new year's resolutions, discussing the history of exercise and answering listener questions about fitness. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about Christmas traditions from around the world - from the Yule Cat and Krampus to Japan's love of Christmas fried chicken. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of Christmas. How pagan solstice celebrations and the bacchanalia of Saturnalia became Christ's Mass and the celebration of Jesus's Birthday. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history and culture of coffee, from Ethiopian goat herders to Starbucks baristas. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're live from the Big Island, talking about the history and culture of Hawaii. From Captain Cook and Kamehameha to surfing and aloha Fridays, the facts in this episode enough to totally get you lei'd. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of Thanksgiving. We're digging in on the differences between Pilgrims (or Saints) and Puritans, the voyage of the Mayflower and the sinking of the Speedwell, John Carver, William Bradford, Squanto, and some asides about Jamestown. Finally, we put the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag into historical context and talk about how that one dinner became a national holiday. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're time-traveling through history discussing famous buildings, tombs, architects and movements, from Ancient Greece to Zaha Hadid. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of candy, from ancient Indian Khanda to Olmec chocolate, to Willy Wonka and the dysfunctional Mars family, truth is sweeter than fiction. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of candy, from ancient Indian Khanda to Olmec chocolate, to Willy Wonka and the dysfunctional Mars family, truth is sweeter than fiction. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about classic horror creatures, like werewolves, vampires, zombies, and Frankenstein's monster. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of horror movies, from silent films to Scream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the occult, spiritualism, and secret societies. From the Emerald Tablet and the Hermetic Orders of the Middle Ages to modern Wiccans and Chaos Magicians, we're shining some light on hidden secret societies and spells. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about autumn harvest festivals, including Oktoberfest, Diwali, Halloween, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, Chinese Moon Festival, and Diwali! Ariel also does an exclusive on the history of pumpkin spice #PSL. Across the world, every culture seems to have a day to gather the harvest, commemorate the dead, and reflect on the passing of the year. With @ariel.ist and @wiresofnyc --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the fierce reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, fossil hunters, feathers, and the evolution of flowers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of post-enlightenment philosophy, from Simone de Beauvoir to Sartre. As the best philosophers know, it's fly to ask "Why?" --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of philosophy, from Aristotle to Zeno, Machiavelli to Siddhartha. As the best philosophers know, it's fly to ask "Why?" --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about rocks, minerals, crystals and gems, from amethyst to zirconia. Dr. Wires breaks down the science and quantum mechanics behind crystals while Ariel discusses birthstones, the history of the diamond trade, and healing gems. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about Greek Mythology. Jealous gods, sexy nymphs, confused mortals - it's a mess of epic proportions! Recorded February 24, 2021 Produced by @secretloftnyc Ariel: @ariel.ist Alex: @dr.wires http://secretloftnyc.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of bartending and cocktails, from absinthe to zinfandel, from Jerry "The Professor" Thomas to Sailor Jerry. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about phobias and paraphilias, the irrational fears and irresistible kinks of famous historical figures. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about famous explorers, doomed expeditions and amazing discoveries. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of music, from biblical guitars to experimental electronica, from medieval tritones to Black Sabbath, and every mellifluous weirdo in between. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about geologic history, weird fish, and conservation efforts to save the world's oceans. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the gangsters, flappers, millionaires, speculators, suffragists, and bootleggers of the 1920s. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about Ancient Egypt! From the magnificent pyramids, to the scandalous legend of Osiris, to Cleopatra in a rug, to daily beer drinking, you can't de-Nile, it's a great episode. Skip to the halfway mark for silly mythology, start at the beginning for factual history. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

This week we're talking about the history of astrology, the science of the positions of the planets and stars, and how the "What's Your Sign?" evolved over time, from the Babylonians to Walter Mercado. You're gonna love this episode: it's written in the stars! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support