The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong

It's our fiftieth episode! Our golden anniversary! You know what we got you? The Lost City of Gold: El Dorado. We know, we shouldn't have. Seriously, we really shouldn't have. Find our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".And visit https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant (https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant) for $500 off tuition to your very own coding bootcamp!​Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got a lot to celebrate this week! Not only have we joined Hub & Spoke Audio Collective (https://www.hubspokeaudio.org/), but it's also a Constant Holiday. The Saint Day of Douglas Corrigan, who in 1938 became the 11th person to fly nonstop across The Atlantic, and the first person to do it by accident... Maybe. So by the powers vested in us by Podcastlandia, we're naming this #Wrongwayday. Find our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".And visit https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant (https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant) for $500 off tuition to your very own coding bootcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1900s, people finally figured out what made water so healthy: radiation! This week we’re looking at some of the hundreds of terrifying products meant to give you that healthy glow, and the story of one of the most terrible mistakes in medical history, and the brutal way it got corrected. Get tix for The Paper Machete Blowout! (https://sleeping-village.com/calendar/paper-machete-blowout/) And for 20x2! (http://20x2.org/chicago/) Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theconstant. Look at all the deals we've got for you! Check out www.betterhelp.com/theconstant and enter discount code "theconstant" for 10% off your first month of online counseling. Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1903 was a year of boundless possibilities: the airplane, open heart surgery, Ford Motor Company, and--most importantly--n-rays. This new form of radiation could be gathered from The Sun and stored in ordinary salt water. It could diagnose illness and grant superhuman abilities. It was the greatest scientific discovery of the century. The only problem was, it wasn't real. Check out our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant): https://www.patreon.com/theconstant (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant). Look at all the deals we've got for you! Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/theconstant80 (https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/theconstant80) and enter promo code "theconstant80" for $80 off your first month of delicious meals, check out www.betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://www.betterhelp.com/theconstant) and enter discount code "theconstant" for 10% off your first month of online counseling. Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can entered coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the story of the greatest jailbreak ever attempted. Well, maybe not "greatest", but certainly "weirdest." It's also, somehow, the story of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. And one of science's great rivalries. And of a number of murderers, mobsters and maniacs. But more than any of that, it's the story of a whole lot of very unfortunate froggies. Checkout Our Fake History Here (https://ourfakehistory.com/) The Whatever Happened to Series Here (https://www.whateverhappenedseries.com/constant) And Industrial Artifacts Here (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) And while you're at it, clinking links so well, why not check out our Patreon page? (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martha died alone, becoming the first named member of an exclusive and terrible club: The Endlings. This episode we're tracking the history of the passenger pigeon, a bird that once darkened American skies by the billions. The story of the passenger pigeon is the story of our understanding of extinction, and the lessons we once learned but appear to be struggling to remember. Visit our Patreon page here (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant). And our sponsor, www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can entered coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Believing he was Jesus Christ, Laszlo Toth entered St. Peter's Basilica on May 21st, 1972 and took a hammer to Michelangelo's Pieta. What happened next would make the world wonder what separates a work of art from a forgery. Check out this Spiro Agnew Music Box from our sponsor, Industrial Artifacts. (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/products/vintage-spiro-agnew-music-box-with-nixon-election-pin?variant=14645622079531) Get your free "Whatever Happened To" ebooks here. (https://www.whateverhappenedseries.com/constant) (https://www.whateverhappenedseries.com/constant)And don't forget to visit our Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Apocalypse fails to appear. A doctor goes to disturbing lengths to end masturbation. A millionaire spends his fortune dynamiting the sky. Breakfast is changed forever. The Constant is back. Check out our new Patreon, (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant) to help fund the show and get all kinds of neat bonus stuff: https://www.patreon.com/theconstant (https://www.patreon.com/theconstant). And be sure to visit our newest sponsor, HelloFresh, via this link here: https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/theconstant80 (https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/theconstant80) and enter promo code "theconstant80" for $80 off your first month of delicious meals. Seriously, it's really very good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a look at those star men, gazing at the night sky. Oh man, wonder if they'll ever know? on October 30th, 1938, Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on The Air unleashed the most infamous media prank of all time. But The War of The Worlds wasn't the first time humanity got itself turned sideways thinking about Martians, and it sure wasn't the last. This week, for our season finale, we're doing a little primer on our weird and sordid history with our closest planetary neighbor. From Aristotle to the Martians we've maybe already discovered, we've got The Red Planet covered.And don't forget to visit www.takecareof.com (http://www.takecareof.com) to take their free quiz and get monthly vitamins delivered right to your door. Enter promo code theconstant50 at checkout for 50% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the story of the first radio hoax. No, not that one. On January 16th, 1926, a Catholic priest took the mic at BBC Radio and threw all of England into panic with... a joke. Unfortunately, the original recording was lost long ago. Fortunately, this week, we're recreating it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices