A podcast about exactly what it says it is: examining the bad ideas, mistakes and accidents that misshaped our world.
I had a nice, fluffy, inconsequential story to tell you this week. Instead, here's this. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Go to... more
This is the story of the worst American presidential election (so far (arguably)). Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You too... more
A ghost story, a murder mystery, a romance, a tragedy, a farce and a con job, all rolled into one.... more
The great thing about a ghost ship is that you can blame the ocean for your pants being wet. Visit our Patreon here.... more
On History Daily, we do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to... more
Just one more story to go. Unless we're forgetting somebody... Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You too can get ad-free,... more
Second verse same as the first. A little bit louder and a little bit worse. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here.... more
In 1761, the world joined together to complete the most difficult, ambitious, important scientific project in history. It... didn't go... more
Some things are ordered and some are chaotic. This story is neither. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You too can... more
We're opening up the vault and giving you access to three stories from our secret feed. If you like what... more
What's on the menu this week? Dick jokes and heresy, of course! Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You too can... more
Here's a special 4th of July episode designed to make everybody happy and not upset anyone at all in anyway. Want... more
From Wondery and Goalhanger Podcasts, Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan tell the wild stories of some of the most extraordinary men... more
We're ending this pseudo-series on the golden age of hoaxes with the original mass media fake that started it all. Visit our Patreon... more
Napoleon is dead, the cry went out. But he wasn't. Want a month trial of Shopify for just a dollar? Grab... more
In the 18th century, something started happening to the news... Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You too can get ad-free,... more
Two classic Constant episodes, re-edited, re-recorded and re-produced. "People this Isle" and "Do Good, Carefully." Want a month trial of Shopify... more
Many men tried to claim the invention of anesthesia as their own. It didn't work out well for any of... more
What does every wild west shootout in every movie you've ever seen have to do with the history of anesthesia?... more
The war between humanity and its oldest, archest of enemies: pain. Get 50% off by navigating to factormeals.com/constant50 Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start... more
He was the most beautiful man in the history of Athens. And he nearly destroyed it. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon... more
Until recently, our understanding of where babies came from was hazy. Which made it easy for a certain class of... more
We're remaking one of the all-time classic Constant episodes, this time with decent audio! Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Visit our Patreon here. You... more
Did a woman secretly manage to become pope, only to be revealed by a badly mistimed labor in the streets... more
Did a cross-dressing woman manage to worm her way into the papacy, and was she discovered when she gave birth... more
Find Historical Blindness at https://www.historicalblindness.com/ or wherever you listen to this podcast. We'll be back with a new year of... more
They celebrate the season a little differently down at The British Medical Journal. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online... more
The James R. Thompson Center is the most hated building in the city of Chicago. And it has to be... more
We can go deeper. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/theconstant and get on your way to... more
This week, we're going deep. How deep? No one knows! Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Get 15% off your MasterClass subscription by... more
A beastly history of the beasts that stalked Europe for centuries. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a... more
In which a psychic horse causes the greatest crisis in scientific history. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Want a month trial of... more
The Baynard Mausoleum is the oldest surviving structure on Hilton Head Island, but eerily, the family once interred inside is... more
In which a talking, psychic horse gives JB Rhine the idea for a new field of science: parapsychology. Thanks HelloFresh! Go... more
A horse is a horse, unless, of course, that horse can tell the future. Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/50constant and use code 50constant... more
Early episodes of this show sound like crap! So this week we're remaking a couple of old favorites. Thanks HelloFresh! Go... more
In 1900, three lighthouse keepers went missing, starting a phony mystery that long concealed a real one. Go to drinkAG1.com/constant to... more
There's a party in 14th Century Europe, and everybody's invited! Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/constant50 and use code constant50 for 50%... more
What's that out there in the distance? A fish? A whale? A SEA SERPENT?! No, it's just the conclusion to... more
Murder! Monsters! Lifeboats! This one's got it all. Go to drinkAG1.com/constant to get a FREE 1-year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D... more
Buckle up your crazy belts, 'cuz we're going off the rails on a crazy train to crazy town! Thanks Athletic Greens.... more
In 2004, three men were arrested in London. Their crime was attempting to purchase material to build a nuclear bomb.... more
This is The Tale of Lord Timothy Dexter: The Luckiest Asshole in History. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online... more
On the morning of May 8th, 1902, Ludgar Sylbaris awoke in jail alone. And then the world ended. This episode is... more
The special spring break surprise is here! Join Heather for a journey into the sad side of the happiest place... more
Watch yourself: the wars only get stupider from here. Want a month trial of Shopify for just a dollar? Grab it here! Visit www.omahasteaks.com and... more
At its best, war is terrible, wasteful, regrettable and necessary. At its worst, it's just fucking stupid. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start... more
A mystery story where one of the suspects writes mystery stories? How could you go wrong! Visit www.omahasteaks.com and enter "theconstant" at check... more
In December, 1912 a lawyer and a paleontologist made an amazing announcement: The missing link was real, the missing link... more
After Charles Darwin published Origin of Species, the scientific world spent the next fifty years searching for an alternative theory... more
What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets, of course. But in the 19th century, a debate arose about... more
To start off the year, we're looking back at an old favorite that plays a significant part in an upcoming... more
Merry Christmas, you filthy animals. This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/theconstant... more
One more round of short stories, about little things, that had big consequences. This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by... more
It's Mark's birthday, it's The Constant's birthday, and it's Thanksgiving. In celebration we're opening up The Secret Feed vault and... more
We're keeping things simple this week. Or that was the plan at least. But sometimes the simple things are friggin'... more
We've got a special Halloween episode for you, full of demonic possessions, dark conspiracies and sexy nuns. What more could... more
Good history, well-told, five days a week. That's History Daily. So get on it, y'buncha jagbags! How about a free fourteen... more
After more than four years of research and nine hours of episodes, we're finally at the TRUE conclusion to The... more
Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. How about a free fourteen day trial of Shopify? Grab it... more
This is the story of two diseases, and two theories about where one of them came from. Want 15% off an... more
This is a story about the search for goodness in the world. Naturally, it ends tragically. Get $75 credit to upgrade... more
Three high ranking American financial officials tried to warn the world about the 2008 financial collapse. But they were ignored,... more
Beneath lackluster Disney movies and schlocky cable reality television lies an untold true story: the secret brontosauruses of Africa, and... more
After every American mass shooting, the gun debate is drowned in one question: What about Chicago? Today, we're answering it. "How... more
This story is about music, radio, medicine, politics, power, money, people and... goat testicles. Get $75 credit to upgrade your job... more
There are lots of stories about drugs that changed the medical industry. But here's one about a drug that changed... more
In 1867, The Eliza set out to sea with a fresh crew, a full hold and fair weather. Yet no one expected... more
Step right up, step right up! We've got the cure for what ails you: more podcasts! How about a free fourteen... more
Feeling run down, run out or run around? Well friend, I've got the cure for you! Step right up for... more
In 1474, the people of Basel tried, convicted and sentenced to death a rooster, in one of the strangest court... more
If you really want to know what language people originally spoke, all you have to do is the unspeakable. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233597995_Royal_Investigations_of_the_Origin_of_Language Get $75... more
The search for the original language, the true language, the language of God and Adam and Enoch, begins today. Continue your... more
Will humanity ever successfully fly? No. Find out why, on this, the conclusion of our five part series on people... more
The doe-eyed optimism of Rousseau! The biting cynicism of Baron von Grimm! And a whole bunch more people attempting to... more
On the third part of our survey of failed fliers, we've drawing from all walks of life: a peasant and... more
What do a professor, a heretic, a clockmaker, a barber, a cantor, a laborer, an architect, an alchemist and a... more
You've heard of The Wright Brothers, the first people to fly. Maybe you've heard of Alberto Santo Dumont, too. Arguably... more
New Year, New You, New Constant. Season 11 begins Tuesday, January 11th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Throughout the 19th Century, The United States was absolutely barraged by tales of petrified stone men: ancient giants, missing links,... more
In 1897, a Montana prospector discovered something valuable in The Missouri River. Not gold, not silver, not even copper. It... more
Our second annual dive into the hidden world of The Constant Secret Feed.Continue your education via University of California Irvine... more
Be the most popular kid on the block with these fantastic new tricks! Produce bees from lions! Frogs from mud!... more
Lucy Lightfoot went missing in 1831, and was later found alive and well... in 1364. Listen to this episode through... more
A long story, made short, and then long again, is finally ready to end. Join us for part three, the... more
In part two, we've got an enormous naval disaster, a long-shot con-job, some far-fetched inventions, and some of the most... more
Humanity has tackled a lot of hard problems over the last few thousand years--from medicine to physics to splitting tips.... more
Today we've got a potpourri of smaller stories: invasive bird spies! Cunning robberies! Booby traps! MULES! Listen in!Check out this... more
In 1818, New York City was gripped by the trial of the century. At stake was $75, the regulation of... more
There is an episode of this show entitled "In The Air Tonight", but make no mistake: this episode is the... more
I made a big enough oopsie in the last episode, Holy Toledo, that I think it deserves a formal correction... more
Ohio versus Michigan! It's a familiar rivalry. But this week, it's not a football game: it's a war, fought over... more
A perfect map is a useless map, but imperfect maps are how myths get made. Get $75 credit to upgrade... more
For our 100th episode, we're going back and remastering some of very first stories. If you're looking for a place... more
Clair Cameron Patterson discovered the true age of the Earth, and in the process, the greatest environmental catastrophe in human... more
How old is the world? There're only fifteen or twenty ways to find out!Get $75 credit to upgrade your job... more
Here it is! The Big Bad Boys of Death Ray History: Axis vs. Allies, Marconi vs. Tesla, and barely anything... more
This one does what it says on the tin: instantly kills you with a beam of indeterminate provenance! What other... more
Nobody paid much attention to Jean Hardouin in 1729 when he said that all of history was faked. But since... more
What if I told you everything you knew was a lie? Okay, well what if a 17th century French librarian... more
On March 8th, 1874, the animals escaped from The Central Park Zoo. Check out Don't Stop for Monkeys (https://dontstopformonkeys.weebly.com/), or else.Get... more
Some things are ordered and some are chaotic. This story is neither.Get $75 credit to upgrade your job post at... more
What do the modern flat earth movement, the history of animal experimentation, the invention of civil engineering, ballet, pantomime, and... more
We no longer make people walk hot coals, or swim witches, or touch dead bodies. But everything we know about... more
On part two of this three part series on forensics, we're bridging the gap, between the ancient and modern means... more
Fingerprints, DNA, blood spatter, ballistics. Before any of those forensic sciences, investigators and courts had a very different suite of... more
For the last episode of 2020, we're returning to our fair city, Chicago, for the unlikely story of a hard-scrapple... more
For The Constant's third birthday, here are three stories out of the secret feed. Medicinal gold, the story of theater's... more
In September of 1822, a ship carrying 70 immigrants left London bound for St. Joseph, a bustling city on The... more
How do you thread the needle between political and apolitical, frivolous and serious, fun and relevant, on this extremely stressful... more
In September of 1822, a ship carrying 70 immigrants left London bound for St. Joseph, a bustling city on The Mosquito Coast... more