Backyard Philosophy Podcast

The Darkness Behind Filming The Wizard Of Oz

The Wizard of oz is considered one of the most famous movies in all of cinema history. Without a doubt it has change cinema and has been iconic for generations. But at what cost? The price and I am not talking money wise, the cost to make this movie was high and bad on many levels. Bad enough that people say that this movie is cursed. Few know the darkness and dread that took place behind the scenes to make the movie. From explosions, hospitalizations and drugging people, the wizard of oz without a doubt has darkness behind it. And today we take a peek behind the curtain and follow the yellow brick road through all of it’s terrible twists and turns which get darker and darker along the way.

The First Public Library ... It's Complicated

I just wanted to do a simple episode of what was… the first public library in history was, but no. No no no… of course… it’s complicated, complex and a bunch of historians are arguing what even is a library let alone the first library. But I did the research, I read, and combed through so, so much information just to give you the straight forward answer of, what was the first public library. Which changes depending on your definition of library. So here it is… the history and first’s? public library with some asterisks and how we got to it, all laid out in order and I’ll let you decide which was truly the first one.

Catching Criminals By Their ... Toe Prints !?!?

Your fingerprint is your own, there isn’t another like it. Which makes it perfect for identifying you. Whether it be for security reasons or for convicting a criminal. Which is why fingerprints have been used so long in history and why they still use it in court of law. Just think about how many cop shows there are and how often they talk about fingerprints. But something else something else that is a completely distinguished identifier to you that all the cop shows miss… your toe prints. Yes your toes have finger prints or should I say distinctive marks. That can identify you just as well as finger prints and that are yours and yours alone. Which to my surprise has been used to catch criminals. So this episode we are going to explore a few times in history that people have been caught by their toe prints.

A Medieval Knight Fights The Nazis

A lone knight, in full body armor, sits upon his stallion, halberd in hand, sword upon his hip. Waiting….waiting for the invading forces to arrive. The ground rumbles as the invading army draws near. Soldiers marching, and their “calvary” numerous but not riding horses rather riding … tanks. What will this knight do? Will he stand his ground against hundreds … who are armed with rifles, machine guns and tanks. And him only armed with an axe, a sword and a trusty stead. Will he stand his ground or will he turn and run? Join me this episode as we dive into history as a knight decided to stand up against the Nazis.

A Nordic Way Of Life ... Letting Babies Sleep Outside

You’re walking down the street through the snow and you see a baby stroller and no one is around. As you walk past you see a child, a baby inside the stroller. Franticly you look around and see through a window a bunch of parents drinking some warm coffee laughing and talking with one another as their children brace the cold winter air. Your first instinct might be anger or to be worried about the child but it turns out it’s a common practice depending on where in the world you live. And in this episode into the blizzard, we go as I talk about why parents do this, possible health benefits and how this whole trend slash tradition got started. Of leaving your child to take naps in the cold winter air.

Why We Put Cookies Out For Santa?

Milk and cookies are a staple in Christmas culture, the tradition of leaving out treats for Santa as he brings you gifts well… its hard to think of more classic Christmas trope. But all traditions have a beginning and all traditions are done for a reason. So why is it on Christmas eve do you leave cookies and milk out for Santa? Well down the chimney we go to investigate and tell you why so many people leave treats out for old saint nick.

What Is A Yule? And How Does It Deal With Christmas?

Christmas is filled with traditions, some we make ourselves, some have been passed down through generations and some we practice but have no idea why. One of these events, traditions, is the celebration of yuletide and all the things that comes with it. But questions arise; what is yuletide, where does it come from and what on earth is a yule? Join as we dive down into the history of Christmas and were the holiday comes from.

How Christmas Cards Came To Be

The Holiday season is filled will joy and cheer, connecting with one’s loved ones and filled with traditions. But it is also filled with dread. Dread of making sure you get everyone gifts, you don’t forget anyone, decorations, obligations. Let’s be honest, the holiday season is a lot of work. And one of the most taxing busy work during the holidays is replying to everyone. Making sure you don’t forget anyone and show people you care even when you are tired and just want to crawl under the covers and be left alone. Well you are not the only one. And in fact the feeling of I don’t want to do this is a bit of where the Christmas card came from. And this episode we dive down the chimney and see where the tradition of Christmas cards came from and how they almost disappeared.

The Curse Of The Hope Diamond

Imagine you come across a jewel, not just any jewel, a diamond. A diamond that is worth millions. A diamond deep blue in color and almost as big as a golf ball. The only problem is… it is said to be cursed. And over the centuries it has been stolen, remade and all the owners of it… all have mysteriously died. Would you still take it? Would you risk owning a cursed jewel for millions of dollars? … If you said yes, you would not be alone. Many people would risk their lives in the pursuit of getting the allusive diamond better known as the Hope diamond.

Radu The Handsome ... Dracula’s Little Brother & A Sultan’s Lover

We all know of Dracula, both the myth and the real man… Whether it be movies about a vampire or books about the historic Vlad The Impaler. But few know about his younger brother Radu. Who had an interesting life of his own. A man who fought with and slept with Sultans, waged war against multiple kingdoms and sat on the same throne multiple times. In this episode we dive into the life of Radu whose life could be a Shakespearean play or new game of thrones novel.