Hypnotic History

Hypnotic History
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What was in the Whole Earth Catalog? How did a program called est give people inner peace while keeping them out of the bathroom? And why was everyone in the past putting gross stuff in Jell-O? Find out the answers to these questions and more as we explore 20th century American life.

  1. 5d ago

    E140: Cemeteries

    We dug deep for this one. Sorry. Had to do it. Sources: “About Us | The Historic Chinese American Cemetery.” Historic Chinese American Cemetery, https://www.chinesehistoriccemetery.org/about-us.  “Chinese Cemetery.” Auburn Joss House, https://www.auburnjosshouse.org/chinese-cemetery.  Custer, Jane. “History of Cemeteries in America.” Storymaps, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/044e810b748f44e495ae9309c5d0933a. D'Angona, Michael. “Death in the Old West – Old West Undertakers.” Athlon Outdoors, https://athlonoutdoors.com/article/death-in-the-old-west/.  Greenfield, Rebecca. “Our First Public Parks: The Forgotten History of Cemeteries.” The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/03/our-first-public-parks-the-forgotten-history-of-cemeteries/71818/.  “Native American Funeral Traditions.” Honor You, 28 February 2025, https://www.honoryou.com/native-american-funeral-traditions/?srsltid=AU7gw4UwxBNlflOF5al0_4gMyaTrLeEp0HEkrFgnycbEPfZTZHKkstON. Pinsky, Paul. “History in Jewish Cemeteries.” Moment Magazine, https://momentmag.com/jewish-geography-six-feet-under/.  Sanders, Laurie. “The Potential of Our Decay: Cemeteries That Save the American Landscape.” Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/cemeteries-burials-american-landscape.  “Seekers of Forgotten Burial Grounds: Rediscovering History.” Legacy Headstones, https://legacyheadstones.com/blogs/articles/seekers-of-forgotten-burial-grounds-rediscovering-history-and-family.  Stoddard, JA. “History of National Cemeteries (U.S.” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/national-cemeteries-history.htm.

  2. Oct 12

    E139: Spontaneous Human Combustion

    We will attempt to answer the big question: Is it real? Sources: Conradt, Stacy. “7 Cases of Alleged Spontaneous Human Combustion.” Mental Floss, 11 April 2025, https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/quick-7-seven-cases-spontaneous-human-combustion.  History Staff. “Is Spontaneous Human Combustion Real?” History, 27 May 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real.  “Is Spontaneous Human Combustion Real?” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/story/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real.

  3. Oct 5

    E138: Radioactive Products

    Why we used these products and which ones survive in antique stores today Sources: Buchholz, MA, and M. Cervera. “Radium Historical Items Catalog - Final Report.” Nuclear Regulatory Commission, August 2008, https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ml1008/ml100840118.pdf.  Daugherty, Greg. “Radium: The Deadly Health Fad of the Early 1900s | HISTORY.” History.com, 29 October 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/radium-cures-health-fad-early-20th-century.  “The History of Radiation | Mirion.” Mirion Technologies, https://www.mirion.com/discover/knowledge-hub/articles/education/the-history-of-radiation.  “Radioactivity in Antiques | US EPA.” EPA, https://www.epa.gov/radtown/radioactivity-antiques.

  4. Sep 28

    E137: The British Invasion

    It may have started in the 1960s, but did it actually end? Sources: “The British Invasion: 60 Years Of Influence.” Ed Sullivan Show, 18 November 2024, https://www.edsullivan.com/the-british-invasion-60-years-of-influence/.  Paese, Meagan. “British Invasion.” The History of Rock and Roll, https://thehistoryofrockandroll.net/british-invasion/.  Partridge, Kenneth. “21 Fab Facts About The Beatles.” Mental Floss, https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/music/11-fun-facts-about-beatles.  Wright, Kristina. “5 Fab Facts About Music's British Invasion.” History Facts, https://historyfacts.com/arts-culture/article/facts-about-the-british-invasion/.

  5. Sep 21

    E136: POGs

    Find out where they got their name and which world leader had his own custom POGs. Sources: Erbland, Kate. “The Weird History of Pogs.” Mental Floss, 3 January 2014, https://www.mentalfloss.com/fun/toys/weird-history-pogs. Kincaid, Christy. “The History of POGs: A Fun Childhood Game.” Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 1 September 2025, https://kalamazoomuseum.org/blog/the-history-of-pogs-a-fun-childhood-game. “Remembering POGs.” Public, https://public.com/learn/pogs. “The Strange History of POGS — Makawao History Museum.” Makawao History Museum, 19 November 2025, https://www.makawaomuseum.org/blog/the-strange-history-of-pogs.

  6. Sep 14

    E135: Birthdays

    American birthday parties are not as old as you may think. Sources: “After all, when did celebrating birthdays became a thing?” The Oakland Post, 15 February 2023, https://oaklandpostonline.com/45230/features/after-all-when-did-celebrating-birthdays-became-a-thing/. Cieslik, Emma. “The festive history of American birthdays | National Museum of American History.” National Museum of American History, 28 May 2026, https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/festive-history-american-birthdays.  “Hallmark Proudly Celebrates 100 Years in Gift Wrap.” Hallmark, https://corporate.hallmark.com/hallmark-news/100-years-in-gift-wrap/.  Pinsker, Joe. “The Strange History of Birthday Celebrations.” The Atlantic, 2 November 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/history-birthday-celebrations/620585/.  Spencer, Laura. “The History Of Gift Wrap.” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2017/12/23/573217009/the-history-of-gift-wrap.

  7. Sep 7

    E134: Ale-8-One

    We’ll tell all of you non-Kentuckians what this is and where it got its name. Sources: “Family Secret.” Ale-8, https://ale8one.com/heritage/family-secret/.  “Fun Facts..” Ale-8, https://ale8one.com/heritage/fun-facts/.  “G. Lee Wainscott: The Ale-8 Man (Part One).” Win City Voices, 22 October 2024, https://www.wincityvoices.org/g-lee-wainscott-the-ale-8-man-part-one/.  “G. Lee Wainscott: The Ale-8 Man (Part Two).” Win City Voices, 29 October 2024, https://www.wincityvoices.org/g-lee-wainscott-the-ale-8-man-part-two/.  Hunt, Ruth. “Explore | Ale-8-One Bottling Plant.” Kentucky Tourism, https://www.kentuckytourism.com/explore/ale-8-one-bottling-plant-5847. Juett, James. “Kentucky soda for a century: Ale-8-One marks 100 years.” The Daily Independent [Ashland, KY], 1-2 August 2026, p. C1. “Oral History: Ale-8-One Bottling Company.” Southern Foodways Alliance, https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/ale-8-one-bottling-company/. Walsh, Karla. “Ale-8-One Soda's History.” Southern Living, 23 August 2025, https://www.southernliving.com/ale-8-one-soda-history-11761535.

  8. Jul 4

    E133: The Bicentennial

    Who did the Senate charge with attempting to “steal the Bicentennial?” Sources: Goetz, Matthew, and Marlyne Sexton. “Gerald R. Ford's Bicentennial Adventure.” White House Historical Association, 6 March 2026, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/gerald-r-fords-bicentennial-adventure. Kalikin, Autumn. “Off the Shelf: The People's Bicentennial.” DC History Center, 12 February 2026, https://dchistory.org/news-and-insights/the-peoples-bicentennial-populist-movement/.  Kennedy, Lesley. “Photos: How Americans Celebrated the 1976 Bicentennial.” History.com, 9 June 2026, https://www.history.com/articles/american-bicentennial-1976-photos.  Mahoney, Mary. “From Noodles to Nostalgia: The Bizarre History of the 1976 Bicentennial.” Landline, 3 July 2024, https://marymmahoney.substack.com/p/noodling-around-the-bicentennial.  Marshall, Sarah. “The Grim American History Of ‘The Bicentennial Minute.’” Medium, 14 March 2013, https://medium.com/the-awl/the-grim-american-history-of-the-bicentennial-minute-1ef9137e29c7.  Rymsza-Pawlowska, M.J. “U.S. Bicentennial, 1976.” The Inclusive Historian's Handbook, 2 July 2019, https://inclusivehistorian.com/u-s-bicentennial-1976/.

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What was in the Whole Earth Catalog? How did a program called est give people inner peace while keeping them out of the bathroom? And why was everyone in the past putting gross stuff in Jell-O? Find out the answers to these questions and more as we explore 20th century American life.

Information

  • Creator
    Hypnotic History
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Hypnotic History
  • Show Website
    Hypnotic History