Best The Unusual History Of Every Thing Podcasts (2025)

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From the Frontlines 51:44

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2m ago51:44

51:44

Journalism is under unprecedented threat worldwide. At least 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza alone since the October 7th, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel; the Committee to Protect Journalists says it’s the deadliest conflict for journalists the group has ever documented. In conflicts around the world, it’s war reporters who write the first…

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Episode 224: Echoes of the Wild, Matt Keene, and Florida Photography Not Often Seen 56:20

2h ago56:20

56:20

Send us your Florida questions! Florida nature photographer Matt Keene talks about how he uses large-format film cameras to create his portraits. Matt has an exhibit at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine (through Jan. 18, 2026), and this episode offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how much work, forethought, and effort goes into this e…

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Genetic Engineering: Designer Babies, Ethics & the Future of DNA 20:24

19h ago20:24

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This week on In Conversation with AI, Sebastian and ChatGPT step into the world of genetic engineering - from curing rare diseases to the controversial idea of “designer babies.” We explore the science, the ethics, and the social dilemmas: 🧬 Could CRISPR really let parents choose traits like height, eye colour, or IQ? 💉 How is gene editing already …

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Throughline Sleeps 30:00

3h ago30:00

30:00

Life can be tough. Every day brings new challenges. And in order to get through the waking hours we need rest. Good quality sleep. In this bonus episode, a companion to our episode "The Way We Dream," we offer you a 30-minute audio journey into the deep. A smooth trip into the place where our minds are free from the confines of our self awareness, …

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The Anti-Vaccine Movement 49:25

5d ago49:25

49:25

The alleged link between vaccines and autism is back in the news this week, being regularly speculated on by both President Trump and Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The claim has been repeatedly disproven: there is no evidence that vaccines and autism are related. But the myth is powerful. In this episode: the roots of th…

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Episode 223: An Unusual Florida Hero, the Fountain of Youth, and St. Augustine Bordellos 1:02:25

6d ago1:02:25

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Send us your Florida questions! Brandy Carlisle, a tour guide at St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth Park, is fascinated with the woman who bought the land that is now the park. So much so she's published a book about her: Luella. The trio talks about Luella, prostitution, and the Fountain of Youth. Links We Mentioned Luella Fountain of Youth Park in…

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Voynich Manuscript: Weird Plants, Strange Codes, Zero Answers 13:11

9d ago13:11

13:11

This week on In Conversation with AI, Sebastian and ChatGPT dive into one of history’s strangest unsolved mysteries: The Voynich Manuscript. Discovered in the early 1900s but dating back to the 15th century, this bizarre book is packed with unknown scripts, oddball astronomy charts, and plants that don’t exist anywhere on Earth. Scholars, cryptogra…

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The Business of Migrant Detention 50:24

12d ago50:24

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The U.S. immigration detention system is spread out across federal facilities, private prisons, state prisons, and county jails. It’s grown under both Democratic and Republican presidents. And it’s been offered up as a source of revenue for over a century, beginning with the first contracts between the federal government and sheriffs along the Cana…

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Episode 222: Things To Do in St. Augustine, and Should You Move to Florida? 51:23

13d ago51:23

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Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about Rick's trip to St. Augustine, then answer a letter from a listener about whether or not moving to Florida is a good idea. Things To Do in St. Augustine St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth (visit with a critical eye!) The San Marco shops in St. Augustine, including Duddington's Columbia Restaur…

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Rock On: The Strange Zen of Stone Balancing 12:07

19d ago12:07

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This week on In Conversation with AI, Sebastian and ChatGPT tumble into the offbeat world of stone balancing - part art, part zen, part “wait… people make a living out of stacking rocks?” From riversides to Instagram feeds, we uncover how this chilled-out hobby morphed into a global trend, complete with festivals, communities, and artists who’ve ma…

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Line. Fence. Wall. 49:05

19d ago49:05

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The U.S. - Mexico border, according to a video on the official White House website, is very quiet: nothing but tires crunching on gravel and the wind whistling around a high, solid-looking wall. But that's not the whole story. Today on the show, how that border went from a line in the sand, to a fence, to a wall. Guests: Rachel St. John, associate …

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Episode 221: A Deadly Tallahassee Affair, Guilty Creatures, and Binge-able show 38:36

20d ago38:36

38:36

Send us your Florida questions! Mikita Brottman, author of Guilty Creatures, joins the podcast to talk about the Tallahassee murder that scandalized the town when Denise Williams and Brian Winchester plotted and executed the murder of Denise's husband, Mike. Mikita Brottman is a writer and psychoanalyst. Her latest book Guilty Creatures was publish…

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ICE 49:14

26d ago49:14

49:14

What is ICE? What was it created to do? And what’s changed in 2025? Today on the show, the history of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and how it tracks the story of immigration, and politics, in the U.S. Guests: Peter Markowitz, professor at Cardozo School of Law in New York City and founder of the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clini…

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Mummies, Morals & the Afterlife: Egypt, Inca & Beyond 19:21

27d ago19:21

19:21

This week on In Conversation with AI, Sebastian takes ChatGPT down an unexpected path - straight into the tombs of ancient civilizations. From the natron salts of Egypt to the high-altitude mummies of the Inca, we explore how cultures across the world preserved their dead and why. It’s not just about wrapping bodies in linen - it’s about moral code…

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Episode 220: Florida's Folk History, Rosewood, and Florida's Indians 56:37

27d ago56:37

56:37

Send us your Florida questions! The face behind the super-popular Florida's Folk History Instagram account joins the podcast this week. Aubrey Naulin talks about her art, her hopes for Florida's future, and Florida's Indians. Links We Mentioned Florida Folk History on Instagram Rosewood Remembered Islands of Cedars by Shana Smith Submerged Stories:…

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A History of Settlements 53:15

1M ago53:15

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The Israeli government recently approved a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut it in half. The plan is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned. To get a sense of why settlements continue to be such a big issue for both Palestinians and Israelis, we wanted to bring you this episode about …

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Episode 219: Alligators: Florida's Swamp Puppies 57:42

1M ago57:42

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Send us your Florida questions! Mark Barrow grew up around gators — both the real one and a certain Florida college that pays homage to them. Now, he's written a book about alligators, and he joins Rick and Cathy to talk about why alligators deserve respect, not fear. The trio also talks about the gator's place in Florida's culture, roadside Florid…

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Doctor Bot Will See You Now 21:25

1M ago21:25

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In this episode of In Conversation with AI, Sebastian lets “Doctor Bot” take the mic — and the results are equal parts fascinating and unnerving. From AI spotting cancers earlier than doctors to predictive analytics that can forecast diabetes before it strikes, we explore how algorithms are reshaping healthcare. But the story doesn’t stop in the ho…

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A Primer On The Federal Reserve's Independence 20:37

1M ago20:37

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President Donald Trump has been loudly critical of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for years now. Since January, the President has accused him of playing politics by keeping interest rates high. Trump has also threatened to oust Powell — which would mark an extraordinary shift away from the independence of the central bank.Today from our friend…

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The Queen of Tupperware 49:09

1M ago49:09

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Who ushered housewives into the workforce and plastic storage containers into America’s kitchens? Today on the show, the rise and fall of Brownie Wise, the woman behind Tupperware's plastic empire — and a revolution in women’s work. Guests: Alison Clarke, author of Tupperware, the Promise of Plastic in 1950s America Bob Kealing, author of Life of t…

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Episode 218: Things To Do in Charlotte Harbor, and North Port, and Punta Gorda 44:56

1M ago44:56

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Send us your Florida questions! This week Rick and Cathy talk about Punta Gorda Links We Mentioned Warm Mineral Springs Things To Do in North Port Myakka River State Park Royal Order of Ponce de Leon Conquistadors Radioactive Fountain of Youth in Punta Gorda Sunseeker Resort DeSoto Veterans Memorial Park Ponce-apalooza Ponce-y Scheme Revisiting War…

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How AI Will Totally Fix Climate Change 🙄 21:53

2M ago21:53

21:53

This week on In Conversation with AI, Sebastian confronts his chatty co-host about something bigger than a model upgrade - whether our beloved bots might be quietly warming up the planet. Its own verdict? About 5 out of 10 on the climate impact scale. Not exactly comforting. From mega–data centers guzzling electricity to the surprising push for min…

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We the People: Succession of Power 47:31

2M ago47:31

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The 25th amendment. A few years before JFK was shot, an idealistic young lawyer set out on a mission to convince people something essential was missing from the Constitution: clear instructions for what should happen if a U.S. president was no longer able to serve. On this episode of our ongoing series We the People, the story behind one of the las…

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Episode 217: Get Outside! Florida waterways, Lars Andersen, and the Ocklawaha 32:40

2M ago32:40

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Send us your Florida questions! Florida icon Lars Andersen joins the podcast to talk about his passion: Florida waterways. Links We Mentioned Payne's Prairie: A History of the Great Savanna by Lars Anderson Book a river tour with Lars at Adventure Outpost or email him. Lost Springs in one minute with Margaret Tolbert Wacissa Slave Canal Big Blue Sp…

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Is Your AI Playing You? 13:53

2M ago13:53

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In this episode of In Conversation with AI, Sebastian grills his digital co-host on the murky side of artificial intelligence - from how it hoovers up human-made content without cutting anyone a royalty cheque, to whether it’s secretly plotting self-preservation like a sci-fi villain on a coffee break. We dig into the future of creator compensation…

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We the People: Cruel and Unusual Punishment 47:58

2M ago47:58

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The Eighth Amendment. What is cruel and unusual punishment? Who gets to define and decide its boundaries? And how did the Constitution's authors imagine it might change? Today on Throughline's We the People: the Eighth Amendment, the death penalty, and what cruel and unusual really means. This episode was originally published in January 2025. To ac…

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Episode 216: More Nature For Nature: Michael Grunwald, Steaks, and a Better Earth 49:20

2M ago49:20

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Send us your Florida questions! Michael Grunwald talks about cattle ranching and why Floridians — and everyone — should eat more plants. He, Cathy, and Rick also talk about meat grown in a lab, why Grunwald thinks Michael Pollan gets things wrong, and Michael's new book, We Are Eating the Earth: The Race To Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate.…

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AI Ethics and Other Things That Keep Me Up at Night 12:42

2M ago12:42

12:42

In this episode of In Conversation with AI, Sebastian sits down with his silicon sidekick to talk ethics, but not the boring kind. We're diving into AI bias, echo chambers, synthetic content, and why your chatbot might secretly be quoting Wikipedia from 2017. Can we really trust an AI trained mostly on English-speaking content? What happens when al…

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We the People: The Right to Remain Silent 49:10

2M ago49:10

49:10

The Fifth Amendment. You have the right to remain silent when you're being questioned in police custody, thanks to the Fifth's protection against self-incrimination. But most people end up talking to police anyway. Why? Today on Throughline's We the People: the Fifth Amendment, the right to remain silent, and how hard it can be to use it. This epis…

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Episode 215: Florida Goes to the Dogs! 50:14

2M ago50:14

50:14

Send us your Florida questions! Anna Cooke, editor-in-chief at The New Barker magazine, jons the podcast to talk about rescue work in Florida; the long-gone Florida roadside attraction, Dogland; and a few famous Florida dogs. Links We Mentioned The New Barker Magazine An abandoned dog in Memphis Dave the Wonder Dog (Annie Oakley was a snowbird) (bo…

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Embedded: The Network 40:10

2M ago40:10

40:10

In the mid-1980s, an OBGYN in Brazil noticed that far fewer pregnant women at his hospital were dying from abortion complications. It wasn't a coincidence. Brazilian women had made a discovery that allowed them to safely have abortions at home, despite the country's abortion restrictions. That discovery eventually spread across the globe. Learn mor…

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Unusual Animals & Unexpected Wisdom 6:12

2M ago6:12

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In this debut episode of In Conversation with AI, host Sebastian sits down with none other than AI itself for a spontaneous five-minute chat. Today's surprise topic? Unusual animals from around the world. From the limb-regenerating axolotl of Mexico, to the elusive pangolin and the legendary narwhal, Sebastian and AI explore strange, beautiful crea…

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We The People: Canary in the Coal Mine 47:28

2M ago47:28

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The Third Amendment. Maybe you've heard it as part of a punchline. It's the one about quartering troops — two words you probably haven't heard side by side since about the late 1700s. At first glance, it might not seem super relevant to modern life. But in fact, the U.S. government has gotten away with violating the Third Amendment several times si…

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Episode 214: The Ocklawaha, Bass Fishing, and Hope for a Florida River 44:49

2M ago44:49

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Send us your Florida questions! The Ocklawaha River in Central Florida has been dammed for decades. Now, there's a chance to tear down the dam and reunite the rivers. That's good news for bass, anglers, environmentalists, and the local economy. Margaret Spontak comes on the podcast to talk about why, and she encourages people to call their state le…

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Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media 2:01

2M ago2:01

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