Our Fake History

The 16th century French prophet, Nostradamus, has a way of rearing his head anytime humanity finds itself in the midst of a crisis. Anytime there's a collective tragedy, the world is plunged into conflict, or society finds itself on the cusp of painful transition, you will find someone waving a copy of Nostradamus' Prophecies. But how accurate were Nostradamus' predictions? Was a random French pharmacist really able to accurately describe five centuries of history? Tune-in and find out how Nostradamus' jam recipe, apothecary prejudices, and my Dad's last minute Y2K plan 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 1763 twenty indigenous people in the colony of Pennsylvania were murdered by an armed gang. The victims had been a peaceful group of Conestogas, who had been wrongfully accused of aiding in violent raids against the settlers. The infamous attack would go down in history as the Conestoga massacre. However, almost immediately after the murders the meaning of the event became the source of a fierce war in the press. The so-called "pamphlet war" saw two competing groups trying to sell contrasting interpretations of the attack. The perspective that was inevitably left out of these pamphlets, and the "official" historical record, was the indigenous perspective. The new graphic novel Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of Conestoga seeks to remedy that by telling the story with the focus squarely on the Conestoga people. In this episode Sebastian is joined by the creative team behind Ghost River, Weshoyot Alvitre, Lee Francis IV, and Will Fenton, to discuss the graphic novel and how fake news can become fake history. Tune in and find out how hand ground paints, blood memory, and Ben Franklin's biggest political defeat all play a role in the story.Read Ghost River for FREE here: https://read.ghostriver.org/Thank you to our guests!Lee Francis 4 (Author): https://redplanetbooksncomics.com/Weshoyot Alvitre (Illustrator): https://www.weshoyot.com/Will Fenton (Editor): https://www.willfenton.com/Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga is part of Redrawing History: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial America, a project of the Library Company of Philadelphia supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does a Voodoo Queen even do? It turns out that much of it had to do with a ceremony in New Orleans known as St. John's Eve. Much of Marie Laveau's legend is deeply tied to that yearly voodoo ritual. Marie Laveau was said to lead the wild bacchanalian rite, however, there are some who think that the most famous description of Marie Laveau's St. John's Eve misidentified the voodoo priestess. Perhaps Marie Laveau hadn't been there at all. Maybe an imposter had been in her place. Could this have been the mysterious Maria Laveau II? Tune in and find our how out of touch music critics, voodoo purists, and a weird-ass wishing ritual all play a role in the story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Voodoo might be one of the most misunderstood religious traditions in the world. This unique combination of traditional West African spirituality and Roman Catholicism has been slandered for centuries as an evil form of black magic. This dark reputation was reinforced by pulpy articles written by white authors in the 19th century, sensationalizing voodoo rituals. These unflattering depictions of voodoo have coloured the way many have perceived the life and legacy of New Orleans' most famous voodoo practitioner, the Voodoo Queen, Marie Lavaeu. But what did a Laveau voodoo ritual actually look like? Tune-in and find out how snake whispering, a cursed wedding, and "frightful orgies" 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.

One of the many things that makes New Orleans one of the most unique cities in North America is its history of Voodoo. When it comes to New Orleans Voodoo there is no figure more important than the great Marie Laveau. But despite her enormous fame in the city of New Orleans she remains an enigmatic and often misunderstood figure. The thick layer of legend that surrounds this remarkable woman can be hard for even the most dedicated investigator to penetrate. Who really was the voodoo queen of New Orleans? Tune in and find out how racial politics, magic gumbo, and zombies 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.

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.

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.

William Shakespeare is easily the best known playwright in the English language. His works are praised as some of the greatest feats of writing and are still required reading throughout the English speaking world. But what if the man from Stratford-upon- Avon was not the true author of the plays? What if the "Bard" was actually an illiterate who bumbled into fame and fortune? There are still hundreds of educated people who believe William Shakespeare was the biggest fraud in literary history. Listen and find out how aristocratic conspiracies, faked deaths, secret ciphers, Morse code, and Mark Twain all play a role in this story! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In November of 2017 OFH did a series on the birth of Rock 'n Roll. Back then Sebastian was so terrified about getting sued that he did not include any of the music discussed in the episode. He has since been assured that "fair use" provisions in copyright law make it completely cool to use clips for the purposes of education and criticism! Seb has stopped being a baby and has finally added the music to the shows! Now is your chance to hear these episodes the way they always should have been heard--- with the music! Enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In November of 2017 OFH did a series on the birth of Rock 'n Roll. Back then Sebastian was so terrified about getting sued that he did not include any of the music discussed in the episode. He has since been assured that "fair use" provisions in copyright law make it completely cool to use clips for the purposes of education and criticism! Seb has stopped being a baby and has finally added the music to the shows! Now is your chance to hear these episodes the way they always should have been heard--- with the music! Enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.