The backyardphilosophy’s Podcast

The Wizard of oz is considered one of the most famous movies in all of cinema history. Without a doubt it has change cinema and has been iconic for generations. But at what cost? The price and I am not talking money wise, the cost to make this movie was high and bad on many levels. Bad enough that people say that this movie is cursed. Few know the darkness and dread that took place behind the scenes to make the movie. From explosions, hospitalizations and drugging people, the wizard of oz without a doubt has darkness behind it. And today we take a peek behind the curtain and follow the yellow brick road through all of it's terrible twists and turns which get darker and darker along the way.

I just wanted to do a simple episode of what was… the first public library in history was, but no. No no no… of course… it's complicated, complex and a bunch of historians are arguing what even is a library let alone the first library. But I did the research, I read, and combed through so, so much information just to give you the straight forward answer of, what was the first public library. Which changes depending on your definition of library. So here it is… the history and first's? public library with some asterisks and how we got to it, all laid out in order and I'll let you decide which was truly the first one.

Your fingerprint is your own, there isn't another like it. Which makes it perfect for identifying you. Whether it be for security reasons or for convicting a criminal. Which is why fingerprints have been used so long in history and why they still use it in court of law. Just think about how many cop shows there are and how often they talk about fingerprints. But something else something else that is a completely distinguished identifier to you that all the cop shows miss… your toe prints. Yes your toes have finger prints or should I say distinctive marks. That can identify you just as well as finger prints and that are yours and yours alone. Which to my surprise has been used to catch criminals. So this episode we are going to explore a few times in history that people have been caught by their toe prints.

A lone knight, in full body armor, sits upon his stallion, halberd in hand, sword upon his hip. Waiting….waiting for the invading forces to arrive. The ground rumbles as the invading army draws near. Soldiers marching, and their “calvary” numerous but not riding horses rather riding … tanks. What will this knight do? Will he stand his ground against hundreds … who are armed with rifles, machine guns and tanks. And him only armed with an axe, a sword and a trusty stead. Will he stand his ground or will he turn and run? Join me this episode as we dive into history as a knight decided to stand up against the Nazis.

You're walking down the street through the snow and you see a baby stroller and no one is around. As you walk past you see a child, a baby inside the stroller. Franticly you look around and see through a window a bunch of parents drinking some warm coffee laughing and talking with one another as their children brace the cold winter air. Your first instinct might be anger or to be worried about the child but it turns out it's a common practice depending on where in the world you live. And in this episode into the blizzard, we go as I talk about why parents do this, possible health benefits and how this whole trend slash tradition got started. Of leaving your child to take naps in the cold winter air.

Milk and cookies are a staple in Christmas culture, the tradition of leaving out treats for Santa as he brings you gifts well… its hard to think of more classic Christmas trope. But all traditions have a beginning and all traditions are done for a reason. So why is it on Christmas eve do you leave cookies and milk out for Santa? Well down the chimney we go to investigate and tell you why so many people leave treats out for old saint nick.

Christmas is filled with traditions, some we make ourselves, some have been passed down through generations and some we practice but have no idea why. One of these events, traditions, is the celebration of yuletide and all the things that comes with it. But questions arise; what is yuletide, where does it come from and what on earth is a yule? Join as we dive down into the history of Christmas and were the holiday comes from.

The Holiday season is filled will joy and cheer, connecting with one's loved ones and filled with traditions. But it is also filled with dread. Dread of making sure you get everyone gifts, you don't forget anyone, decorations, obligations. Let's be honest, the holiday season is a lot of work. And one of the most taxing busy work during the holidays is replying to everyone. Making sure you don't forget anyone and show people you care even when you are tired and just want to crawl under the covers and be left alone. Well you are not the only one. And in fact the feeling of I don't want to do this is a bit of where the Christmas card came from. And this episode we dive down the chimney and see where the tradition of Christmas cards came from and how they almost disappeared.

Imagine you come across a jewel, not just any jewel, a diamond. A diamond that is worth millions. A diamond deep blue in color and almost as big as a golf ball. The only problem is… it is said to be cursed. And over the centuries it has been stolen, remade and all the owners of it… all have mysteriously died. Would you still take it? Would you risk owning a cursed jewel for millions of dollars? … If you said yes, you would not be alone. Many people would risk their lives in the pursuit of getting the allusive diamond better known as the Hope diamond.

We all know of Dracula, both the myth and the real man… Whether it be movies about a vampire or books about the historic Vlad The Impaler. But few know about his younger brother Radu. Who had an interesting life of his own. A man who fought with and slept with Sultans, waged war against multiple kingdoms and sat on the same throne multiple times. In this episode we dive into the life of Radu whose life could be a Shakespearean play or new game of thrones novel.

We have all heard about spouses killing one another for insurance money, of black widows killing their husbands out of resentment, of deranged parents ending their own children's lives. But perhaps there is no woman as prolific at doing all this than Mary Ann Cotton. One of… if not England's first serial killer. A woman who killed around 21 people, all for greed and enjoyment. This is the Arsenic Killer Mary Ann Cotton.

Monsters have always plagued humanities mind, some of them real some of them nothing more than our figure of imagination. Either way, monsters induce fear, and perhaps there is nothing as infections to others as fear. So, what do you do when you have an era of war, plague and famine well you look for an escape goat or in this case an escape wolf. Across most of Europe during the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries a werewolf hunt ensued, prosecuting hundreds if not thousands of people on the crime of being in league with the devil. Join us this episode as we investigate the werewolf panic and stories about werewolves in Europe.

In the dark there is always something, something lurking, stalking, hunting. And with a flash of lightning in this tale a certain creature would appear and come for souls. There are many creatures of the night but if rumors are true this creature comes from the bowels of hell itself. Satan's own pet, a beast that plagued English countryside's for centuries. A hellhound. And not just any hell hound, oh no this one has its own name… The Black Shuck. A devil dog, a beast, a hell hound that has no limitations in its capacity and fears nothing. In this story we weather the storm of creature who plagued the English countryside and took lives along the way.

No that wasn't your phone, but there is a high chance you thought it was or even felt a vibration in your pocket. And you are not alone. Millions if not billions of people all around the world hear and feel their phone go off, even though it never actually did. A phantom vibration. Is it the phone companies toying with you? Is it that you are going mad? Is it the clothes we wear, giving us a false sensation? Well in this week episode we dive into the strange yet common sensation… Phantom Phone Vibrations.

Boxing has been an evolving sport ever since its creation. In the early days … it was crude, raw and the rules were not really formed yet. Gloves were considered dishonorable, canvases were wood and dirt and the fight wouldn't be over, till there was only one man left standing. But what happens when you have two men refusing to go down, refusing to give up, giving every inch of their body to stay in the fight. Well you get the longest boxing match that has ever happened and more than likely will ever will be. You get the brawl between Andy Bowen and Jack Burke.

The history of balloons in warfare is long and complicated. And until researching this didn't know how crazy it actually was. Filled with a lot of drama, drama on who invented balloons first, drama of balloons being used to devastate cities and drama of an arms race with balloons being a hidden key player on multiple continents. But in this episode we are focusing on hot air balloons in war. Mainly when people got in balloons. Not just balloons in general. Which may be a future episode, because oh my god has humanity been using balloons in war in many different ways for a very long time. But this is the history of hot air balloons in warfare.

Noise pollution... a phenomenon that has slowly crept up on humanity and the world and is now having a devastating effect. From bird migrations, marine life to maybe even causing death. Noise pollution is here and it is growing. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss science, research and possible solutions for solving an issue that impacts all of our lives ... noise pollution. 

When we think of ancient Rome, we tend to think of Caeser, Gladiators, a vast empire that stretches over enormous amounts of land. But Rome has a had a long history and has done things at times that roman people themselves and people in modern times think “what the hell are yall doing?”  One of these times would be an end of an era, caused by deprecatory leading to a year of war that would stretch across continents. A time when all of Rome was up for grabs for any who had the power to lay claim… this is the Year of the 4 Emperors.

Sometimes you make a decision to peak behind the curtain only to find that you wish you didn't. And that is what happened to me when I investigated think tanks. I was naive and thought they were just researchers and academics studying specific topics, boy was I wrong. As I explain what think tanks are and how they change the very world around us you will see too behind the curtain and see the power that they hold. This is what think tanks are.

Mankind has always had the hunger the need to push, to race, to challenge not only others but ourselves. For many of us we crave this feeling and sadly for many of us the opportunity never comes. But occasionally the fates listen and grant a chance to a weary soul. A chance to do something one has always dreamed of. But as the saying goes everything has a cost and be careful what you wish for. This is the tale of Frank Hayes a man dreamed to race horses.

Quite often I find myself late at night thinking about random and odd things… and of course me being me I decide to investigate my thoughts and find myself deep down the rabbit hole to a point in which I wish I never started. Rather than my brain hurt alone I decided to bring you all with me, bring you on the adventure on where serving sizes and nutrition labels come from. Trust me it's weird. How they were created, how they are part of a vicious cycle that feeds into itself and how food labels are not always as they seem.

We currently live in an era of information abundance… where in majority of the world… information is free and out there for those who seek it. But like some places in the world that knowledge that information is gate kept and in it wasn't always like the luxury we have today. Time and time again in history… kingdoms, governments, people in power have decided to control and limit knowledge. By burning books, erasing history and forcing people to bend the knee. And time and time again people resist against tyranny and want knowledge to flow free. In this episode this is one such time, a time when the Lithuanian people rose up against Russian rule and created one of the biggest book smuggling rings of all time.

Good luck … something I rarely ever have. And for many they lack too. Might be because of karma might be divine destiny might just be statistics not being in one's favor. No matter what the cause many turn to everything and anything to change their fortune around. Rather it be religion, superstitions, or talismans. One such route people have chosen for good luck and to symbolize good luck since well basically since humanity formed is the small but mighty rabbit. And for modern times specifically the rabbit's foot. So leave your holy hand grenades at home. As we venture down the rabbit hole we go… couldn't help myself with that pun and Monty python reference… to tell how humans went from worshiping rabbits to carrying their foot in their pockets.

There is a saying, sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. That saying sometimes goes into the mind of scientists. Which can go one of two ways either really good or really bad. One such time when scientists rolled the dice would be in the beginning of World War 2, when a group of scientists decided it would be a good idea to put a nuke, a nuclear reactor under a stadium in the city of Chicago. No this isn't about the batman movie this actually happened this is the tale of Chicago Pile 1. 

The American revolutionary war, a war that would define not just the beginning of a country but the beginning of a new way of life. A war filled with patriots and legends who sacrificed, to ensure freedoms many have today. But some of these legends would be the inspiration behind movies, have cities named after them and would help America redefine its military forces. This is a story about one of those men. This is the story of Francis Marion … The Swamp Fox.

In the age of automation, AI and robotics…. we take many luxuries for granted. Luxuries that seem common in the modern world. But all the innovations we currently have, stem from many great people in history. And without their creativity, inventions and drive… the world would be a much different place. One such person in history is Ismail Al – Jazari. Nicknamed the father of robotics. Ismail would design, create and inspire … inventors for centuries to come. This is the story of one of the first roboticists, a man who helped shape the modern world.

In this episode Mike and Nick reminisce on how they started a podcast, what they learned along the way and some of their favorite podcast episode. The beginnings of  figuring out the direction of their podcast and how they improved and grew along the way. They also discuss how the podcast is taking a slightly different direction and the future of this podcast. 

Two giants go at it to decided which ocean is truly the best ocean... the Atlantic or the Pacific. In this boxing match of knowledge, facts and jokes, Mike and Nick go head to head trying to explain and convert the other to join the superior ocean side. Get some laughs and learn some interesting facts along the way, as the fight for the best ocean rages between the two of them. 

From nearly every sci-fi, from Doctor who to Star Trek, time and space manipulation is somehow involved. The ability to warp space to travel faster, or to use a phenomenon to travel through time and everything in between has been used in science fiction. The authors of these tales come up with new and intriguing reasoning on how it is possible to do in the worlds they build. Quantum drives, gravitons and … time crystals. Turns out there may be some truth to fiction. A new state of matter called time crystals is making some headlines and warping the physics world.

Nails and screws some of the earliest building blocks in human history. They are in almost everything manmade but a question arises where do nails come from and how did we advance the technology to the point it is today. Well join Nick and Mike as Nick tries to tell the history and advancements of nails as Mike makes puns jokes and dad jokes laughing all the way through.

In 1987 a war between two countries took place, Chad and Libya it was a war with much foreign influence. Many countries wanted one side to win and the other to loose. But what happens when one side is heavily armed with land mines, tanks and machine guns and the other side turns a fleet of Toyota pick up trucks into a form of modern Calvary.  You get the Toyota War... a war fought in the dessert and a war fought by doing impossible odds.  

UBI... Universal Basic Income, a new type of economy or old ideas coming back from the past. The world is ever shifting and some major shifts are how people make money and how governments spend money. With those shifts the idea of a monthly stiffen, a yearly salary, a new welfare is heavily talked about. From politicians running on the idea of UBI to the fear of AI taking people jobs, has many truly considering the universal basic income may be the best solution. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss how a universal basic income would and has been implemented. How it effects welfare, mental health and countries economy. And what would the ideal situation look like for an implemented UBI.

Some species have survived the impossible, evolved to become the apex life form or to fight off the apex life form. Some species have lasted hundreds of thousands of years and all the turmoil that has happened in those centuries drought, asteroids, mammoths. But on specific life form that has survived it all and not only survived but flourished is the honey locus. A tree sharp, thorny, roots running deep and now all over the world . To the point were they are common, not going anywhere and spreading. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss a tree that evolved to be defensive that is now on the offensive. 

Are you real? A question that has plagued humanity since conscious formed. Are we just a figure of imagination or are we in a video game? A theory has emerged that is driving both physics and philosophers crazy... the simulation theory. And Mike and Nick attempt to deep dive into this possibility that simulation theory could be real. Going down avenues rarely talked about or questioned when to simulation theory. Talking about new studies and papers about simulation theory and talking about some theories of their own.

Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Wyatt Earl... famous cowboys that help define an era of the wild west. But one cowboy that doesn't get his true due is Bill Picket. A cowboy who wasn't scared of anything, so skilled so daring he would travel the world over and be a house hold name during his era. Join Mike and Nick as they talk about a bull biting, circus riding true cowboy through and through... this is the story and legend of Bill Picket.

Since life was formed on this planet, creatures of all shapes and sizes has been taking from one another, sometimes for necessities other times just for fun. But one of the strangest creatures to walk this earth ... humans, steal for a weird wild and occasionally obvious reasons. Join Nick and Mike as they talk about how stealing is done, people mindset when stealing and how stealing is formed in society.

Life always finds a way, sometimes it is evolution, dumb luck or adapting to the environment. Or perhaps a combination of all three and that's where hawks come into play. Their is a special type of hawk that as learned like mankind to use fire. Was this a freak accident, did the hawks learn it from humans or are they evolving right before our eyes. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss the strange phenomenon of fire hawks/

Socrates vs Buddha.... Plato vs Confucius. East vs west philosophy two different mind sets two massively different cultures with some major similarities. Join Nick and Mike as they dive into different philosophy's of old. How eastern thought and western thought differ and has helped defined societies and cultures for centuries.   

Fish tales are sometimes not tall tales, sometimes there are hints of truth in them. Sometimes as a warning other as a helpful hint. One wives tale that has been around for centuries that the moon effects fish and change the times people should fish. Join Nick and Mike as they talk about how lunar cycles change fish patterns and when people should go fishing.

Apples and oranges... fruit so different they are used in idioms to show differences. But what happens when humanity decides to try to combine the two, to combine multiple different types of trees into a tree that bares multiple types of fruit. Is this a crime against nature, or a modern miracle. No, its tree graphing... the art and act of combining different types of trees to grow as one. Join Nick and Mike as they go through the strange phenomenon which is tree graphing. 

Just about everything is run on electricity, homes, cars even toothbrushes... but what goes into and how did humanity make an infrastructure that is able to do all of this? Well like most things society has built is was pieced together with tons of errors and decided it was good enough. So join Nick and Mike as they discuss the flaws and weaknesses in power grids and power infrastructure. Why power lines are above ground rather than bellow ground. And the new emerging technology that is making countries grids safer, faster and more efficient... spoiler alert laser are involved. And how different countries are handling the problem of transferring electricity.

Popes and pirates, two classes of people that don't usually cross paths in history. But in this event, they do. This is a tale of greed and boredom spiced up with opportunity. Vast treasure, open seas and sailors hungry for adventure leading to a mass of power shifts and fortune being lost and gained. This is about the treasure of Thibaud de Castillon.

War ... a terrible human phenomena but also an extremely profitable one. And where there is large sums of money there is complex structure. Perhaps non as complex as the military industrial complex. A mass production industry with trillions of dollars on the line. A line of business that depends on the politicians voting in their favor and the threat of war always being on the horizon. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss the military industrial complex. Where did it come from? How does it work? How do companies influence politicians, write laws and control governments and how the military industrial complex may be necessary in todays modern age.

When you think of Canadians, you probably think, hockey, maple syrup, ultra-nice people … too nice some may argue. Needless to say, you probably don't think of fierce near unstoppable soldiers, defeating entire armies by themselves. Especially when I mention the word Canada. Well in the case of Canadian Leo Major he proved the sometimes the nice guys are the most dangerous especially when nice guys fight against the Nazis

Lobbying has been part of civilization since societies formed. There as always been representatives, people asking for favors and trying to rule behind the curtain. And in todays episode, Nick and Mike peel behind that curtain to see how lobbying groups truly work. How they control K street in Washington DC, how the are able to create laws, influence elections and dictate a path for humanity that aligns with their interests.

From time to time, we all miss place things or lose something, it is almost human nature to do so. But what happens when a government or more specifically a government agency loses something that makes you concern for your own safety, that makes countries concern for their safety. Something so powerful that you can't believe they lost it. Well, you get the story of the CIA in the height of cold war, losing a nuke.

As we grow up we allowed by society more and more freedoms... freedom to drink, freedom to drive, freedom to get married. But why.... why are those age limits in place why has society decided you need to be a certain age to do a certain task. Well join Nick and Mike as they discuss from the romans to modern day why societies put age limits on certain abilities. How age limits has constantly changed in modern times and psychology and moral dilemma that is age limits.

Drinking, partying, fireworks. All around the world millions if not billions of people celebrate the coming of a new year. A changing of seasons, a changing of time and for many a vow to change themselves. But New Years took a long journey to get where it is now. For most of history it wasn't even on January 1st. A day of new beginnings itself has had many new beginnings but stems deep in humanities history. This is where new year's celebration and resolution comes from.

Legal jargon is hard to understand even when you're a trained professional, and it is even harder when you're a fool.  So how do fool understand legal written bills better... with alcohol. Join Nick and Mike as they turn congress chip bill into a drinking game, a pork hunt drinking game. Showing and sharing odd and funny things located in the bill all entertained with drinking. Laugh and learn as we drink to understand the US government.

Ceremonies, traditions and festivities are in the air these winter months. For many the Christmas tree is a staple during the holiday season but getting the perfect Christmas tree and just getting a tree in general can be annoying, difficult and occasionally expensive. Have no fear though, for Nick will walk both Mike and you through the steps of finding your own Christmas tree and have it ready for the holiday season.

You know sometimes even God makes mistakes. Sometimes nature has one to many and creates a creature many would argue should not exist. But one creature in particular, puzzled scientist minds, at first not believing in its existence, thinking it was a hoax. To scientist asking each other how did this animal came to be. You may know this creature, popularized in media. I am talking about the weird and strange… Platypus.