

Historical Blindness
Nathaniel Lloyd
Historical Blindness is a podcast about history’s myths, mysteries, and misconceptions. By examining cases of outrageous hoaxes, pernicious conspiracy theory, mass delusion, baffling mysteries and unreliable historiography, host Nathaniel Lloyd searches for insights into modern religious belief and political culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 6, 2024 • 1h 12min
The Lost Colony - Part Two: The Dare Stones (UPDATED and REMASTERED VERSION of episode 2)
In this rerelease, as with the first, I have completely rewritten and rerecorded the second episode in an effort to demonstrate the eventual quality of the podcast to new listeners who choose to start at the beginning. There is a lot of new material, so I'm also releasing it as a bonus episode. In the new version, I have restructured my exploration of the Dare Stones hoax and included more recent research.Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some background music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Access Road 442," "Tarte Tatin," "The Gran Dias," "Leatherbound," "An Oddly Formal Dance," "Maisie Dreamer," "Link Stick," "The Griffiths," "Silent Ocean," "Uncertain Ground," "Access Road 214," "Game Lands," "Voyager," "Cicle Deserrat," and "Brer Krille." Other music, including "Sunset," and "Remedy for Melancholy" is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).Additional Music:"Leaving Home" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 30, 2024 • 45min
The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle - Part Two: Dead Reckoning
In the conclusion to my season premiere, I investigate the genuinely puzzling disappearance of Flight 19, 5 bombers on a training run in 1945 whose vanishing, along with the rescue plane sent to find them, led to the creation of the Bermuda Triangle urban legend. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "daemones," "Remedy for Melancholy," "periculum," "September," "daedalus," "Wake Up," and "Delirium." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 23, 2024 • 53min
The Lost Colony - Part One: The Secret Token (UPDATED VERSION of episode 1)
In this rerelease, I have completely rewritten and rerecorded the first episode in an effort to demonstrate the eventual quality of the podcast to new listeners who choose to start at the beginning. I will be replacing the old episode audio but also releasing it at as a bonus episode so that listeners who are caught up don't miss out on what's essentially an all new look at the topic. In the new version, I dive far deeper into the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke than I did back in 2016. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some background music, including "Sunset," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Oneiri," "daemones," "Cold War Echo," "Daylight PON II," and "Nothing (Bonus Track)" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).Additional Music:"Decline" and "Clean Soul" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 16, 2024 • 42min
The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle - Part One: A Watery Grave
In the season premiere--part one of a two-part series--I look at how one genuine mysterious disappearance caused fabulists to search for other disappearances in the past and invent a grand mysterious paranormal phenomenon that doesn't really exist. This is the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle.Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Cold War Echo," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Oneiri," "Salue," "Wake Up," and "Nothing (Bonus Track)."Also featuring:"Echoes of Time" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 25, 2023 • 58min
The Historical Jesus and the Myths of Christ Mythicism (Another Historically Blind Xmas Special!)
In this year's annual Xmas special, I put the Christ back into Christmas by refuting the fringe skeptical view that no such person as Jesus Christ ever existed. This topic forced us to examine what historical sources we can trust, how unreliable and yet how useful the New Testament may be to historians, and how the pagan continuity hypothesis leads to yet more unsupported, extreme conclusions. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.One song used in this episode, "Remedy for Melancholy," is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).Other music featured:"A Very Brady Special," "At Rest," "Clean Soul," "Waiting," "Danse Morialta," "Calmant," "Immersed," "Snow Queen," "Blue Feather," "Magic Forest," "Decline," "Ritual," "The Other Side of the Door," and "Almost New" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 12, 2023 • 1h 31min
Special Presentation: The Constant's "The War on Christmas"
In a special presentation, enjoy this Christmas episode from The Constant, a great podcast that examines history's blunders and misapprehensions, which I believe all Historical Blindness listeners will greatly enjoy! Last December, host Mark Chrisler took on Fox News' claims of a War on Christmas with a thorough look at the wars on Christmases past. Subscribe to The Constant at constantpodcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Direct all advertising inquiries for Historical Blindness to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Pledge support for Historical Blindness on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Music during the background of my introduction is "Holiday Wish" is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 28, 2023 • 54min
The Mushroom Kingdom: The Entheogen Theory of Religion
In this last full episode of the year before my holiday special, I tackle an alternative view of religion and history with some academic chops that also indulges in a great deal of conspiracy theory: the idea that all religion was actually inspired by the use of hallucinogens. Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Cold War Echo," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Comatose," "Daylight PON II," "daemones," and "Oneiri."Correction: The episode seems to imply that Ruck himself conducted research on cannabis's use as a sacrament, when in fact I only meant that Ruck had promoted the research, which was actually published in Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen's book Sex, Drugs, Violence... and the Bible. The blog post has been amended to clarify this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 23, 2023 • 13min
Patreon Release: PlyMYTH Rock
Hi listeners! As a Thanksgiving treat, I'm releasing a patron exclusive minisode relevant to the holiday that I released two years ago on Patreon. Sign up to support the podcast on Patreon and you can get minisodes like this between each release, making this a weekly podcast. In this piece, I discuss the myths surrounding the landing of the Pilgrims and how they have been used as a handy metaphor throughout U.S. history.Some music on this episode, including "Remedy for Melancholy," "Denouement," "Salue," and "Maree," is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 2min
Technological Angels: The Religious Dimension of UFO Belief
In this coda to my recent series, a capstone to my coverage of this topic generally and a transition to upcoming comics, I look at the syncretism of religious beliefs and UFO mythology, examining man's tendency toward religious experience as a theory of the origins of UFO claims.Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy," "daedalus," "Comatose," "daemones," and "Seeker."Also featuring: "Spacial Harvest," "Dragon and Toast," and "Leaving Home," by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2023 • 2h 2min
UFO Whistleblowers: An American Tradition, Part Three - Bob Lazar
In the feature-length conclusion to my series on UFO whistleblowers of the past, I look at the discredited Bob Lazar and his long debunked claims, and I show how the same people who promoted his hoax are literally behind David Grusch and his similar claims recently made before Congress.Direct all advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts!Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode.Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!Check out my novel, Manuscript Found! And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts! Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness.Some music on this episode is by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), including "Remedy for Melancholy," "daemones," "Oneiri," and "Sentinel."Additional music licensed through Blue Dot Sessions under a blanket license active at the time of this episode's publication, including "Cicle DR Valga," "Cicle Vascule," "Access Road 442," "Black Ballots," "The Gran Dias," "Bauxite," "Cobweb Transit," " Matephysik," "Tarte Tatin," "Aloscape 2," "Invernen," and "Brimevil."Also featuring: "Leaving Home," "Spacial Harvest," "Twisting," and "Echoes of Time" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


