A Lost Colony from a Lost Episode
John Miller
In newly unearthed audio from Oct. 2015 about then-newly unearthed archaeological evidence, Robo-Ed, Robo-Tim, and regular John discuss the lost Colony of Roanoke.
The Bar Stool Historian Podcast
Filtering by Category: History
Vikings, Irishmen, and Tiger Kings (Oh, my.)
John Miller
2 episodes in one week? Yes — that’s the kind of BSH productivity you can only get during a Global Pandemic. In this episode, John, Ed, and Tim give recommendations for what to watch and what to read while you're in Corona lockdown. Find us and sponsor us at barstoolhistorian.com.
WHAT WE’RE READING
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Yesterday in History (March 23rd)
John Miller
The boys are back in town as they discuss yesterday in history, today. Patrick Henry, Werner Van Braun, NOT Coronavirus and Handel handling good things.
Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32327644
You're the WORST!
John Miller
Serious nightmare material right here.
Warning! This episode is not for the squeamish!
In this shocking (and supersized) episode, we profile three of the most abhorrent members of the History Hall of Shame: Hitler's uber-quack personal physician/drug pusher; the putrid, ravenous 18th century freak/accidental secret agent Tarrare; and the murderous proto-Dracula Elizabeth Bathory. If you have the stomach to listen to all 79 minutes of this episode, you’ll need to take a shower afterwards. Trust us.
Elizabeth Bathory: Infamous for her extreme sadism & murderousness (to put it mildly), and her outreach programs for underprivileged youth.
“Doctor” Theodor Morrell: Morbidly obese, chronic halitosis, persistent & overpowering B.O., and oh, yes., a big-time Nazi — but he takes most insurance and is accepting new patients.
WHAT WE’RE DRINKING
The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Solemn Oath Ravaged by Vikings American-style Double IPA
Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Mama Dracula - D-grade Semi-Biopic of Elizabeth Bathory.
Welcome Back, Blame-O-Meter
John Miller
The Bar Stool Historian returns, along with their blame-assigning technological marvel, the Blame-O-Meter 5000!
In this episode. we measure how much the phrase "Read my lips, no new taxes..." was to blame for George H. W. Bush's re-election failure.
Plus, Tim recalls his personal experiences of growing up in the bad-old days of crime-ridden NYC.
WHAT WE’RE DRINKING
MacKinlay’s Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet Double IPA
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
To get a sense of the grime, grit, and pervasive dread of 1991 NYC that Tim grew up within, check out this fascinating documentary gem about the freelance photo and video journalists who prowled the nighttime crime scene.
From 1985 until 2003 former New York Daily News photographer Joseph DeMaria ran V&P News Service. Armed with high quality video cameras, former Daily News photographers, police radios and "arrangements" with New York's finest, V&P New Service were often the first responders to many of the city's most lurid, grizzly and important news stories.
Getting Into the Colonial Spirit(s)
John Miller
Ed, John (suffering from a miserable cold), and Tim (hobbled by influenza), dive into the instructive and wildly entertaining book, Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History, and chat to its equally instructive and entertaining creators, author Steven Grasse and illustrator Michael Allen.
Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History
Other highlights include:
- A dizzying treatment of Ben Franklin's "Drinker's Dictionary."
- How to make Cock Ale in the original 18th century way.
- Taste tests of Cranberry Shrub, Milk Punch, the Hot Flip, and Ginger Liqueur.
Plus, a reflection on the end of the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus after nearly 150 years. (And do you remember that unicorn?)
WHAT WE'RE DRINKING:
Old Dutch, by QC Malt
Lemon Shrub, by QC Malt
Alesmith Brewing Company's Nut Brown Ale
Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyn Brown Ale
The Balvenie, Double Wood 12-Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky
"Pretium Iustum Est!"
John Miller
THE POUNDS, SHILLINGS, AND SIXPENCE OF THE PAST, DRAGGED KICKING AND SCREAMING INTO THE PRESENT.
Welcome to a Bar Stool Historian time travel road trip, as we visit the bucolic fictional village of Crittling Stubbs-On-Skirdenback about 600 years ago. What transpired was a full-fledged live game show where contestants guess the price of everyday medieval objects in modern-day dollars: Pretium Iustum Est! (Google-translate that title here!)
How we got here is really due to Ed having a little too much time on his hands: a couple months ago, Ed discovered a list of medieval prices compiled by a then-grad student (now professor) named Kenneth Hodges had pieced together by consulting medieval literature. These prices ranged from the cost of a ceramic cooking pot to the Transept of Gloucester Abbey in 1370, and everything else in-between. Ed then decided to take these wildly varying prices and dates and plug them into website that compares the value of English money from the past to present day using both the Consumer Price Index and the Value of Labor. He then converted that to 2013 dollars. The result is a pretty nifty spreadsheet that you can download here.
Finally, the answer to whether or not you can afford to hire a Welsh infantryman for the day!
Ep. #2: "Wouldn't It Be Lice?"
John Miller
Albrecht Durer's illustration of a syphilitic man in a 1496 broadsheet.
Diseases that changed the course of history.
After weeks of Ebola dominating the headlines, we thought it appropriate to look at some of history's most civilization-altering diseases. John spins a yarn about how wild fornication in the streets of Naples just might have foiled a French king's plans to launch a crusade to the Holy Land in 1495. Tim tells the nightmarish tale of when the "Grandaddy of all Diseases" arrived in Europe, and explains the medicinal value of chickens. Finally, Ed recounts how Napoleon's 500,000 troops couldn't manage to conquer Russia (hint: it wasn't just the cold!), and gives a new meaning to "bad hair day."
THIS EPISODE'S RECOMMENDATIONS
Support the podcast! Follow the links to buy on Amazon.
STUFF TO READ
Brooklyn Brewery's East India Pale Ale
Midas Touch from Dogfish Head's Ancient Ales Collection
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky
Ep. #1: "Hooked on a Schlieffen"
John Miller
John, Tim, and Ed travel back in time to the fateful days of 1914, with the help of Barbara Tuchman's masterful The Guns of August. How well does this book fare a half-century after its publication? Does it retain the power to surprise (or even shock) the modern reader? What lessons can we apply to our own times? And why does the very mention of Erich Ludendorff make Tim burst out in song? For the answers to these and other burning questions, pour yourself a glass of Bell's Mars, Bringer of War and listen in!
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