Our Fake History

A podcast about myths we think are history and history that might be hidden in myths! Awesome stories that really (maybe) happened!

Episodes

OFH Throwback- Episode #72- Did Emperor Hadrian Murder His Teenage Lover?

April 1, 2025 • 69 mins

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to the start of Season 4 to explore the historical reputation of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian has been celebrated as one of Rome’s “five good emperors”, but is that reputation actually deserved? Hadrian’s reputation is complicated by the mysterious death of his teenage lover, Antinous. What should we believe about this strange chapter in the life of one of Rome’s mos...

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Episode #224- What's True About Al Capone? (Part III)

March 25, 2025 • 97 mins

Who brought down Al Capone? Was it Eliot Ness and his storied “Untouchables” or is their story the result of distorted memoire written by washed-up glory-hound? If Eliot Ness didn’t secure a conviction against Al Capone then who did? The pinnacle of Capone’s career in Chicago came after years of bloody gang wars, but his most devastating move against his enemies may have brought on more heat than he could handle. Should&nb...

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Episode #223- What's True About Al Capone? (Part II)

March 11, 2025 • 77 mins

If you get your history from watching gangster movies, then you might be under the impression that Al Capone singlehandedly started Chicago's Beer Wars. That is certainly what is suggested by the 1932 gangster classic Scarface. The truth is considerably more complicated. Chicago's gang wars were messy multi-factional conflicts that can remind you of Japan's Warring States period. Al Capone was right in the middle of this w...

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Episode #222- What's True About Al Capone? (Part I)

February 25, 2025 • 79 mins

The life of the gangster Al Capone could be understood as a violent expression of the American Dream. A poor kid from Brooklyn, born to immigrant parents, used his wits, fists, and a certain ruthless determination to build an empire. The underworld figure has been the fodder for countless, books and biopics, not to mention inspiring a rogues gallery of fictional crime bosses. As you might expect his life is filled with ela...

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OFH Throwback- Episode #24- Did Ty Cobb Kill a Guy?

February 18, 2025 • 57 mins

In this throwback episode Sebastian take you back to Season One and Episode #24. Ty Cobb has been remembered as one of baseball’s greatest villains. Despite being universally recognized as one of the game’s most talented players, Ty Cobb is mostly remembered as a violent racist who was hated by all who knew him. However, a new biography is claiming that Ty Cobb’s reputation was unfairly tarnished by an unscrupulous biograp...

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Episode #221- Did India's Thugs Really Exist? (Part II)

February 11, 2025 • 84 mins

In the early 19th century central India was one of the most dangerous places a person could travel. Murders and robberies were incredibly common. Every year dozens, sometimes hundreds, of bodies were found in shallow graves near the highways. These unfortunate travelers were often the victims of gangs of murderous bandits. But who were these killers? The British authorities came to believe that these highway murders were t...

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Episode #220- Did India's Thugs Really Exist? (Part I)

January 28, 2025 • 69 mins

In 1830 an anonymous letter was published in the Calcutta Literary Gazette warning that India was being threatened by a horrifying cult of murderers. These stranglers were known as Thugs and according to the letter they represented the single greatest threat to law and order in the country. These Thugs apparently worshipped the Hindu goddess Kali and performed their crimes in her name. This letter motivated the British aut...

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Episode #219- Who Was the Real Mulan?

January 14, 2025 • 79 mins

The story of Mulan might be the best known piece of Chinese folklore. In China the story has been around for over 1500 years and has inspired dozens of poems, songs, plays, and films. Thanks to Disney, Mulan has become an international icon. The story of a young girl disguising herself as a male soldier to save her father from the military draft has proved to be surprisingly sturdy. However, many in China have complained t...

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OFH Throwback- Episode #47- Who Was the Queen of the Pirates?

January 7, 2025 • 56 mins

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to Season 2 and Episode #47. Piracy on the high seas has existed for as long as human beings have had boats. For most of history these maritime marauders were almost exclusively men. However, there have also been a handful of notable women who lived the pirate life. Their stories can often blur the line between myth and history. Tune in and find out how severed ears, guard...

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Episode #218- Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part III)

December 31, 2024 • 95 mins

The second Arab siege of Constantinople should probably just be called the "real" Arab siege of Constantinople. In 717 the Umayyad Caliphate seriously threatened the continued existence of the Roman Empire by besieging the capital from both land and sea. The the army of the Caliphate vastly outnumbered the Roman defenders. But the Romans still had a few tricks up their sleeves. The formidable Theodosian walls, the horrifyi...

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Episode #217- Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part II)

December 17, 2024 • 77 mins

In the 670's something was brewing in the eastern Mediterranean. The Umayyad caliphate had built an impressive navy and was scoring victories at sea over the Roman empire. It looked like the Caliphate was ready to make a move against the Roman capital of Constantinople. But did they? Our sources tell us wildly different things. Was there a seven year siege? A four year siege? No siege at all? Tune-in and find out how sassy...

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Introducing: History's Youngest Heroes from the BBC

December 16, 2024 • 4 mins

Check out this trailer for a new history podcast from the BBC. Actress Nicola Coughlan, from Bridgerton and Derry Girls, hosts History’s Youngest Heroes – a podcast telling twelve true stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. Nicola Coughlan shares inspiring tales of both famous and forgotten young heroes – like Audrey Hepburn, who took on the Nazis during World War Two before becoming a Hollywood Star – ...

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Episode #216- Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part I)

December 3, 2024 • 74 mins

When the capital of the Roman empire was moved from Rome to the city of Constantinople, the city on the Bosporus strait became one of the most important places on planet earth. One top being the heart of Roman religious, political, and cultural life for a millennium, the city had a reputation for being impregnable. From the 6th to the 13th century the city was besieged an amazing 19 times, and not once was it overcome by a...

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OFH Throwback- Episode #34- Did Archimedes Build a Death Ray?

November 26, 2024 • 52 mins

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to Season 2 Episode #34 - Did Archimedes Build a Death Ray? Archimedes was one of the ancient world’s most important mathematicians. His discoveries would form the foundation upon which all future western science was built. However, he’s probably best remembered for his amazing inventions that saved his city from attackers during the siege of Syracuse. The most discussed ...

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Episode #215- Edgar Allan Poe: Hoax Master?

November 19, 2024 • 81 mins

Edgar Allan Poe has been remembered as one of America's greatest authors and poets. However, many are less familiar with is career as a hoaxer. In the 1830's and 1840's Poe made a name for himself orchestrating elaborate newspaper hoaxes, and debunking hoaxes attempted by others. Poe specialized in deceptions that dealt with the frontiers of science. Some of these scientific hoaxes flopped, while others drummed up real exc...

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Episode #214- Have We Misremembered the Gunpowder Plot? (Part II)

November 5, 2024 • 86 mins

Trying to come an "objective" understanding of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot has proved difficult for historians. From the the outset the facts of the case were distorted to help serve the political interests of powerful English ministers. The details were massaged so that a group of Jesuits could be framed as the masterminds. But, if the authorities were lying about the Jesuits, what else might they have been lying about? Was t...

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Episode #213- Have We Misremembered the Gunpowder Plot? (Part I)

October 22, 2024 • 74 mins

There is an old English rhyme that implores every patriotic Briton to "Remember, Remember, the 5th of November." This was the date of a foiled attack on the English parliament known as the Gunpowder Plot. The man poised to light the fuse on the 36 barrels of gunpowder stockpiled under the house of lords in 1605 was the Catholic agitator Guy Fawkes. Since the date of his capture the popular understanding of Fawkes has under...

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OFH Throwback- Episode #3- Was There a Real Labyrinth?

October 15, 2024 • 50 mins

In this throwback episode Sebastian revisits one of the earliest episodes of Our Fake History from 2015. Is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur just a bedtime story for morbid children or does it contain the kernels of real history? This week we dive into this classic myth and discover how it might hold clues about a real conflict between ancient bronze-age civilizations. Tune in to discover how bull jumpers, volcanic eru...

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Episode #212- Was "The Man Called Intrepid" a Fraud?

October 8, 2024 • 80 mins

In 1976 the bestselling biography A Man Called Intrepid made the Canadian spy Sir. William Stephenson something close to a household name. The book claimed that the previously obscure Stephenson had secretly been the head of one of WWII's most important espionage agencies. Some even gave him credit for inspiring Ian Fleming's beloved fictional spy, James Bond. But, despite it's success, the book soon met with a wave of cri...

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Episode #211- Who Killed King Tut? (Part II)

September 24, 2024 • 75 mins

When King Tutankhamun became King of Egypt at the tender age of eight he inherited a kingdom in chaos. His father's religious revolution had upended the traditional social structure and enraged the old priesthood. In those early years of his reign Tutankhamun was clearly guided by his advisors to lead a restoration of the old ways. But did hose advisors get a little too comfortable with power? When Tutankhamun suddenly die...

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