Episode #205- Why the Mona Lisa?

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent shows on Paul Bunyon and the Children's Crusade. The host takes some time to further unpack the idea of fakelore and draw some distinctions between "authentic" lore and the creations of money writers. Sebastian also ...  Show more

In the year 1212 something strange happened in Western Europe, but none of the contemporary historic sources can agree on exactly what it was. Later historians would claim that a religious movement made up of children under twelve sprang up in rural France. After gathering togeth ...  Show more

The Mona Lisa is the most visited piece of art in the world. But how much do we know about the painting? In this first episode, Dave Warneke presents a report on how the piece became world famous after an incident at the Louvre in 1911. We also discuss the man himself Leonardo ...

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world. 500 years old and just 77x53cm in size, it is kept behind bulletproof glass in the Louvre museum in Paris, where it draws 10 million visitors a year. But how did a small portrait find global fame? Who is the ...  Show more

HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes starting September 16th! In the meantime, listen to a favorite classic from the archives.August 21, 1911. On a Monday morning, a department store employee on a Paris street sees a man hurrying by. He carries a white-wrapped package and, ...  Show more

August 21, 1911. On a Monday morning, a department store employee on a Paris street sees a man hurrying by. He carries a white-wrapped package and, as the employee watches, he throws something small and shiny over his shoulder...it’s a doorknob. Then the man disappears into the s ...  Show more