The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong

In 1899 a plan was hatched. To start a war? To sell newspapers? Or to tear down The Great Wall of China?Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to​ https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know what you haven't heard enough about recently? How disease spreads. On this episode we finally circle back to the oft mentioned miasma theory, AKA Bad Air Make You Sick. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to​ https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was no Olympics this year, but it's almost the anniversary of the single worst event in the history of the games: The 1904 Olympic Marathon. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to​ https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some days it feels like we're living at the end of the world. And by "some days" I mean "literally every day ever". Take a ride with us through some of the best apocalypses to never happen! Check out Heather's Youtube series, Art Infusions here! (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjI3jzV0xGqwJKN60Y4T8Kg) Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to​ https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is a story about the city I love, Chicago.Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to:​ https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/)BenSound (https://www.bensound.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Earth is Flat! That is the conclusion that many ancient societies once drew. Then, in the 19th century, belief in the flat earth started to return, and in the last decade this easily disprovable fallacy has celebrated a remarkable resurgence. And that's all thanks, in large part, to an 1887 science experiment. This week, for the start of season 8, we're looking at the shaggy dog story of how that experiment came to take place, and how it came to be seen as evidence for the flatness of our planet. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodanimeistrash Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharks have been known to eat a lot of weird stuff. Fur coats, license plates, cannonballs, chicken coups, even a suit of armor. But the strangest thing ever found within the belly of a shark was... a bundle of papers. Trust me: it's more unbelievable than it sounds.Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".Donate to: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/ (https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/)https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/ (https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/)https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd (https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd)Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two men, two islands, two claims for The North Pole. In part two of The Cold, Hard, Truth we're looking at the expedition formed in the wake of Peary and Cook's battle for The Pole. An expedition formed with the goal of finding Crocker Land, a lost arctic continent, and the truth.Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant". Donate to: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd (https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd) (https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/)Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 7th, 1909, The New York Times announced that Robert Peary was the first person to ever reach The North Pole. But a week earlier, The New York Herald had said the same thing about Frederick Cook. Only one of them could be right, but which one? And how could you tell for certain? Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting: http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/)Lakey Inspired (https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired)Jazz Duets (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqimxUbWsE26KSpx2_OcmmA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In December of 1909, the vice president of a Worcester Massachusetts steamfitting company decided he wanted to fly. This is his story. Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant". Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodGilbert VinterThe President's Own Marine Band Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a change of pace: what about stuff we got wrong for the better? On this episode we've got 13 short stories of mistakes that went right. From jazz to physics to chemistry to frozen dessert, we've got it all. Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey! I think we invented a new kind of podcast this week! It's a crime story, but it's also true. We're calling it "True Crime". I think there might be a market for this!Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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".Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In almost seventy episodes chronicling bad ideas and loopy frauds through the ages one name has come up again and again. From phrenology to mesmerism to a strange ghostly bowl of molasses, he's the Forrest Gump of 19th century pseudo-science. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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".Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FgqBQamzus) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here we are. We've examined arctic explorers, secret armies, zany daredevils, Wisconsin whiz kids and so many more only to come up empty. This is the end of the rope. Can we solve the mystery of The Foolkiller, the submarine discovered in the Chicago River in 1915, or is this one just meant to be a mystery forever. Stick around and find out. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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".Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order.Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).For more information, photos and video related to this episode, go to constantpodcast.com (https://www.constantpodcast.com/)Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodAnimeistrash Voice talent from:Chad The Bird of Chad The Podcast (http://www.chadthebird.com/chadthepodcast)Sebastian Major of Our Fake History (https://ourfakehistory.com/)Bilal Dardai of Unwell: A Midwest Gothic Mystery (https://www.unwellpodcast.com/)Jake Barton of Historium (https://www.orbitaljigsaw.com/podcasts/historium/)Chelsey Weber-Smith of American Hysteria (https://www.patreon.com/americanhysteria)Zachary Davis of Ministry of Ideas (https://www.ministryofideas.org/)Tamar Avishai of The Lonely Palette (http://www.thelonelypalette.com/)Wade Roush of Soonish (https://www.soonishpodcast.org/)Charles Gustine of Iconography (https://iconographypodcast.squarespace.com/)Kavita Pillay of Subtitle (https://subtitlepod.com/)Phil Ridarelli of The Neo-Futurists (https://neofuturists.org/)And Heather Chrisler (http://www.heatherchrisler.com/) of Virtually (https://www.writerstheatre.org/the-last-match?gclid=CjwKCAiAzJLzBRAZEiwAmZb0akRD3Qy2l3rI9P6YZ1e-UMKSaNHIe3qYEIB445KJ2ppNCFc8UXI8HBoCyfYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) Everything Oh God She's Cool (https://firstfolio.org/?production=louisa-may-alcotts-little-women) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're onto the long shots now: An Irish-American secret society bent on war with Canada, a kid genius out of Oshkosh and an Indiana shoe factory owner. With so few options left, one of them--surely--must be the creator of The Foolkiller. Right? Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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".Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order.Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).For more information, photos and video of the various Foolkillers, go to constantpodcast.com (https://www.constantpodcast.com/)Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid all the confusing and contradictory reporting that accompanied the discovery of The Foolkiller submarine in 1915 Chicago, there are a handful of mentions of an "Eastern man". On this episode, we look through the annals of submarine history in search of this mysterious figure. Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) and entering discount code "theconstant".Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant). Finally, there's www.industrialartifacts.net (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/) where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order. For more information, photos and video of the various Foolkillers, go to constantpodcast.com (https://www.constantpodcast.com/)Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A proper story has three acts, but the story of The Foolkiller submarine is missing two of them. Today, we're looking at act 2: the brief window of time during which we know where this giant steel craft was. We're also examining the three initial theories that people at the time held about where the thing came from, and who built it. To do that, we're going from The North Pole to The Center of The Earth and even all the way to the deep jungle depths of Ottawa Illinois. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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". Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant). For more information, photos and video of the various Foolkillers, go to constantpodcast.com (https://www.constantpodcast.com/) Music by: Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November of 1915, a submarine was found at the bottom of The Chicago River. It had been there for at least ten years, was 40 feet long, and contained the remains of a man and his dog. To this day, no one knows who built it, where it came from, or who was inside. This is the first in a five part series looking into the mystery of The Foolkiller. With luck, we might even be able to solve it. But before we get into the meat of the question, we need to learn the context. We need to learn about the darkest day in Chicago history, the day of The Eastland Disaster. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus and three months of unlimited access for just $30 dollars by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.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". Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant). For more information and photos of The Foolkiller and The Eastland, go to www.constantpodcast.com (http://www.constantpodcast.com) Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our last episode of 2019 and season 6, we're revisiting last year's Christmas episode. Stick around through the end to hear a tease for next season's big multi-part opening story, and check out these other podcasts from the top of the show: Iconography (https://iconographypodcast.com/episodes) Mark's appearance on Chad The Podcast (http://www.chadthebird.com/chadthepodcast/2019/12/14/me-mark-chrisler-and-the-irishman) and That Was Genius (https://www.thatwasgeniuspodcast.com/) See you in 2020, for The Fool Killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throw on another yule log and gather round the fire For a new Constant episode is about to transpire It's a holiday one, though it contains little joy About a con named Christmas and his terrible ploy Visit 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".Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Second Birthday to The Constant! To celebrate, we're tackling the story that everyone advised Mark not to tell, that Mark himself failed over and over again to write: The Brownian Ratchet. And along the way, we're dropping into a select few of the many, many perpetual motion machines people have claimed to invented over the centuries. Visit 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".Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you've ever learned about physics, chemistry, astronomy, and even biology, is wrong. That was the conclusion reached by Alfred Lawson, major league pitcher, avionics pioneer, populist political leader and the founder of the stupidest university ever: The University of Lawsonomy. Come with us for a journey through the life and confounding works of Lawson, the rise of his new science and its rapid, farcical fall. Visit 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". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first century BC, The Greek philosopher Carneades asked a question: is it moral to kill an innocent person to preserve your own life? Two thousand years later, a court in England settled the matter, once and for all. This is a story about sailors, shipwrecks, murder, cannibalism and, ultimately, who owes what to whom. Visit 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".Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodShort Tailed Snail (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FShortTailedSnails%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3tF5DuJFjOZuwXr3FumCABIajPrSfy_0cAVa6cyA6vXkUEd3Z5Wb9vzqY&h=AT2qyfTbRN6yb5vRrYIpwjPobyH85nUECMHbSYpau-g-RxWfVyihH6QwVNTeU0FZs-E0-Y_-WL6gOJzn0ZB0w2uZri3K4eTcyUVKPeSWa6cb8Dm4gZmi9NyATKFRBKWoQivvWC-EaJPX5npnxoBgv8DK)s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did someone say "more mummies"? No? You didn't hear that? It sounded like "more mummies" but it was kind of muffled and droning? OH GOD WHAT'S THAT!? It's still October, and we're still being spooky. This week, it's the story of King Tutankhamen's Curse, which is a bit more superstitious than our usual fare. But stick with me, because there's more to this urban legend than you might at first suspect. It might not be from a Pharaohor an Egyptian god, but by the end of this episode, I promise there will be a curse. Visit 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". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2009, Peruvian police offered a disturbing solution to the murders of 46 people in the city of Trujillo. It was sensational, shocking and unbelievable. Yet, it was tied to a long, rich--and now largely forgotten--part of western history: using and eating human body parts as medicine. This episode may be disturbing to... anyone who is at all sensible. Discretion is advised. Visit 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". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April of 1954, Seattle was home to one of the weirdest events in American history: residents were gripped with fear as a mysterious force roamed the city, leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage in its wake. Despite the efforts of mayors and governors, police and marines, scientists, engineers and even The President of The United States, no one could figure out the culprit. But we can. On today's episode, we solve the mystery of The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic. Visit 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". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On 9/9/99 The Sega Dreamcast had the most successful product launch of literally any commercial product in history. It quickly came to dominate the market, outperforming all its competition. Less than a year and a half later, it was dead, and Sega was cut down to a shell of its former self. This week, we're looking at why, and at the long storied history of failure and missteps that came along with building an entirely new creative medium like nothing the world had ever seen before: video games. Visit 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 check out your two free ebooks at The Whatever Happened to Series Here (https://www.whateverhappenedseries.com/constant). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While shooting an episode in a Carnival Funhouse, the production team of The Six Million Dollar Man made a gruesome discovery: a mummified human corpse, painted neon red and mistakenly hung from a noose as a cheap scare. And the story of who he was, and how he got there, is so much better than anything 1970s television could have ever produced. Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting: betterhelp.com/theconstant and entering discount code "theconstant". And visit fullstackacademy.com/constant (https://www.fullstackacademy.com/constant) for $500 off tuition to your very own coding bootcamp!Finally, check out Industrial Artifacts creepy Red Cross Clock Here (https://www.industrialartifacts.net/collections/artifacts/products/early-american-red-cross-reverse-painted-lighted-glass-clock?variant=16847808462891) where you can enter coupon code "theconstant" for 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the story of an island, and the worst thing to never happen there. 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.Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

War! Good God, y'all. What is it good for? According to Henry Ford: Absolutely nothing. So in 1915 he launched a ship, bound for Europe, with a simple if outlandish mission: to end World War I. On this episode we look at the ill-fated voyage of The Oscar II, better known as The Peace Ship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you survive in 1932, when The Great Depression is at its peak and prohibition is in full force? How about a little insurance fraud? It's easy: all you need is an undertaker willing to fake a cause of death, a couple of life insurance policies and a target to murder. Simple as sin. The only thing you really need to do to survive 1932 is to make sure your victim isn't better at surviving than you are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January of 1749, a London advertisement promised an impossible show at The Haymarket Theatre: a full-grown man would jump into a wine bottle and, from within it, sing. You won't be surprised to find out that the show didn't happen. But you will be surprised by what happened instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mesmerism didn't stop with Mesmer. This week, we pick up where we left off, tracing the idea of animal magnetism to America, where it went through some... changes. Get ready for a whirlwind tour of American enterprise, religion and entertainment that leads us right through the door of this dark timeline we're living in. This one's a doozy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is this? Are you some kind of hypnotist? We're doing a deep dive into one of the single most fascinating mistaken ideas and the fascinating man who thought it up. This story has got it all: demonic possession, mysterious seductions, beheadings, public shamings, miracle cures and The Avengers of 18th Century Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 100th birthday to one of the strangest disasters in American history: Boston's Great Molasses Flood. For our season 5 premiere, we're looking at the weird and deadly 35 foot tall wall of syrup that destroyed Boston's North End a century ago, and what caused such an enormous--and enormously curious--thing to happen in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New season begins Tuesday, January 15th. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's holiday special we're looking at a Christmas classic: It's a Wonderful Life. A movie that was almost never made, that was almost forever forgotten, and that almost missed its chance to change a woman's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a couple of days before our Christmas special, here's a little gift for you: Safe for Work. Safe For Work is an advice show that reminds you that while your office may be crazy, you don’t have to be. Office MVPs and corporate veterans Liz Dolan (ex-CMO, Nike, NatGeo, Oprah Winfrey Network) and Rico Gagliano (audio host, producer, print reporter and author) will help you make the big decisions, sort through the small stuff, and get more fulfillment from your work life. Listen here (https://wondery.com/shows/safe-for-work/) or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright, there are two ways this can go down. Scenario 1: Mark finds the story of the worst tattoo ever and feels heartened by it, going through with finally getting his own. Scenario 2: Mark finds the story of the worst tattoo ever given and feels terrified by it, running away once more from his promises to you, loyal listeners. Wanna take bets? Once you're ready, head over to www.constantpodcast.com (http://www.constantpodcast.com) to see for yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because you wonderful, amazing jerks helped reach our stretch goal, Mark's got a promise to fulfill. To explain that promise--and the title of this very show--we're rebroadcasting our season 1 finale. Einstein was a genius, but that didn't save him from messing stuff up. So let's revisit his greatest blunder, and catchup on the year-long saga of the tattoo that wasn't but will soon be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices