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PODCAST

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong

A podcast about exactly what it says it is: examining the bad ideas, mistakes and accidents that misshaped our world.

history natural sciences

All Episodes

87:20

Reductio Ad Absurdum

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/07/14

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

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33:06

Fish Story

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/06/16

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/

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68:40

The Cold, Hard Truth, Pt 2

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/06/02

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

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58:44

The Cold, Hard Truth, Pt 1

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/05/19

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

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42:05

The Airship

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/05/05

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

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51:51

Use The Accident

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/04/21

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

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43:58

True Crime

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/04/07

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

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62:02

Light and Shadow of American Life

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/03/24

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

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112:11

The Foolkiller Pt 5: The White Whale

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/03/10

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

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65:26

The Foolkiller Pt 4: The Unusual Suspects

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/02/25

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

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55:05

The Foolkiller Pt 3: The Man from The East

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/02/11

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

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63:11

The Foolkiller Pt 2: Infinite Distress

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/01/28

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

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46:28

The Foolkiller Pt 1: Tears Falling from The Sky

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2020/01/14

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

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30:59

It's Wonderful Redux

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/12/30

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,

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18:55

The Christmas Bullet

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/12/17

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

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55:53

Perpetuum Mobile

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/12/03

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

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36:17

Suck and Blow

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/11/19

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

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55:09

Necessity

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/11/05

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

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40:20

The Curse

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/10/22

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

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46:12

Chewing The Fat

The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong ·

2019/10/08

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

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218 results

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