Sartorial Violence at its Finest: The Straw H...

He was America's first super-wealthy faith healer. You could also say he was America's first religious robber baron. His name is John Alexander Dowie. After many arrests, lawsuits, and court fights, Dowie decided it would be best if he and his thousands of followers started their ...  Show more

A prototype for generations of crooked politicians and media figures to come, Horatio Bottomley knew how to work the public. Whether defrauding them with fake sweepstakes or holding boisterous hate rallies, Bottomley was a pro at making a name for himself while making plenty of c ...  Show more

It's no secret that history is filled with relatively arbitrary fashion rules, fads and faux pas -- and what may be hot stuff in one era often ends up being seen as cringeworthy in later years. But how ridiculous does clothing of yesteryear get? In part one of this week's special ...  Show more

Guys, times have changed.. but let's take a look back at some of the most insane things that used to be perfectly okay by societies standards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

In the Italian Alps, the world’s oldest known hat is unearthed. In ancient Rome, a simple head covering separates slaves from freedmen. In Victorian London, hats prove deadly for the men and women who make them. And Napoleon Bonaparte causes a stir, by rotating his bicorne 90 deg ...  Show more

The Straw Hat Riot of 1922 is a strange piece of history, and it all centered around the boater hat. How did how the boater become so important to men’s fashion in the early 20th century? And how did that lead to a very bizarre conflict in the 1920s? Learn more about your ad-choi ...  Show more