Afleveringen
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No. Neither is Gaia.
Episode 3 and we are bringing the question of social construct out of the school yard and into the deepest recesses of human mythology. Every accepts that 'Mother Nature' is the nurturing yet furious embodiment of our planet but has that always been the case?
We'll get to the origins of nature's femininity with Alicia Britt and featuring special guest interview with Jan Kohn aka Producer Naomi's mum! Together we'll answer the questions:
Was it a man that created existence or five dragons having a good time? What is the cult of the Virgin Mary? Is it good or bad that women have been ascribed characteristics like caring and nurturing? And of course the biggest question of them all: what in the name of all that is good and right was wrong with Zeus?
Tune your earth crystals, say your pagan prayers, and don't forget to put out the bins this week on Seemingly Unrelated.
#Gaia #MotherEarth #Sumerian #WeaponizedIncompetence #podcast #history
Bibliography:
Asher-Greve, Julia M. Goddesses in ContextâŻ: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources. With Internet Archive. FribourgâŻ: Academic Press FribourgâŻ; GöttingenâŻ: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013. http://archive.org/details/goddessesinconte0000ashe.
Bird, Elizabeth. âWomenâs Studies and the Womenâs Movement in Britain: Origins and Evolution, 1970â2000.â Womenâs History Review 12, no. 2 (2003): 263â88. https://doi.org/10.1080/09612020300200351.
Coburn, Carol K. âAn Overview of the Historiography of Women Religious: A Twenty-Five-Year Retrospective.â U.S. Catholic Historian 22, no. 1 (2004): 1â26.
Giese, James R., and Eric Foner. âThe New American History. Critical Perspectives on the Past.â The Journal of Southern History 58, no. 3 (1992): 580. https://doi.org/10.2307/2210227.
âHesiod, Works and Days, Line 1.â Accessed June 18, 2026. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.01.0132.
Lisman, J. J. W. âAt the Beginning... Cosmogony, Theogony and Anthropogeny in Sumerian Texts of the Third and Second Millennium BCE.â Leiden University, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/1887/20756.
Monk, Janice. âChanging Expectations and Institutions: American Women Geographers in the 1970s.â Geographical Review 96, no. 2 (2006): 259â77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1931-0846.2006.tb00052.x.
âNature, n. Meanings, Etymology and More | Oxford English Dictionary.â Accessed June 18, 2026. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nature_n.
Sands, Danielle. âGaia, Gender, and Sovereignty in the Anthropocene.â philoSOPHIA 5, no. 2 (2016): 287â307. https://doi.org/10.1353/phi.2015.0022.
Steinkeller, Piotr. On Rulers, Priests and Sacred Marriage: Tracing the Evolution of Early Sumerian Kingship. 1999, 103â37.
team, CLRN. âHow Many Books Have Been Published in History?â California Learning Resource Network, July 2, 2025. https://www.clrn.org/how-many-books-have-been-published-in-history/.
âThe Project Gutenberg eBook of The Poetical Works of Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2), by The Rev. Alexander Dyce.â Accessed June 18, 2026. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59998/59998-h/59998-h.htm.
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Straighten that tie, lower that hemline, and cover your shoulders listeners because this week we're being very strict about what is proper attire and we even asked Queen Elizabeth I to weigh in.
Join Andrew and Alicia alongside our special guest Dr. Christia Spears Brown for this medieval adventure through the dangerous dynamics of uniforms and dress codes including questions like:
Are school uniforms just for poor people? How long does it take for gender roles to settle into a child's mind? What Emo song best represents the lament of having to wear the same boring outfit every single day?
Plus, our guest interview manages to recreate the conversation we have on the podcast with chilling accuracy despite never being able to hear it.
Check your school regs and don't step out of line or else...this week on Seemingly Unrelated.
Bibliography:
BBC News. âIslamic Headscarf Debate Rekindled in France.â Europe. April 1, 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21997089.
BBC News. âSchool Uniforms: A History of âRebellion and Conformity.ââ England. September 5, 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29047752.
âBeyond the Suit: Contemporary Menswear from the Collection of Alexandre Marr and Dominic Iudiciani | Kent State University Museum.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.kent.edu/museum/event/beyond-suit-contemporary-menswear-collection-alexandre-marr-and-dominic-iudiciani.
Breward C, Lemire B, and Riello G, eds. The Cambridge Global History of Fashion: From the Nineteenth Century to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
EBSCO. âDress Codes and Uniforms in Public Schools | Education | Research Starters | EBSCO Research.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.ebsco.com.
Great Britain. The Statutes of the Realm: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third, in Pursuance of an Address of the House of Commons of Great Britain. From Original Records and Authentic Manuscripts. Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1810. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012297566.
Kingâs Printer of Acts of Parliament. âElementary Education Act 1880.â Https://Www.Legislation.Gov.Uk/Projects/Controllers-Library#item_651859. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/43-44/23/contents/enacted.
Lewis, Ramon. âPreparing Students for Democratic Citizenship: Codes of Conduct in Victoriaâs âSchools of the Future.ââ Educational Research and Evaluation 5, no. 1 (1999): 41â61. https://doi.org/10.1076/edre.5.1.41.3886.
Office, U. S. Government Accountability. âK-12 Education: Department of Education Should Provide Information on Equity and Safety in School Dress Codes | U.S. GAO.â August 16, 2023. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105348.
OHCHR. âExperts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Commend Mauritius on Intercontinental Slavery Museum, Raise Questions on Mandatory HIV Testing for Migrant Workers and the Treatment of the Chagossian People.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/meeting-summaries/2025/04/experts-committee-elimination-racial-discrimination-commend-mauritius.
âPolite, Well-Dressed and on Time: Secondary School Conduct Codes and the Production of Docile Citizens *. - Document - Gale Academic OneFile.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://go-gale-com.ezproxy1.lib.gla.ac.uk/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=glasuni&id=GALE%7CA131235584&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&asid=eb9c3118.
Pomerantz, Shauna. âCleavage in a Tank Top: Bodily Prohibition and the Discourses of School Dress Codes.â Alberta Journal of Educational Research 53, no. 4 (2007). https://doi.org/10.55016/ojs/ajer.v53i4.55303.
Raby, Rebecca. ââTank Tops Are Ok but I Donât Want to See Her Thongâ: Girlsâ Engagements With Secondary School Dress Codes.â Youth & Society 41, no. 3 (2010): 333â56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X09333663.
Ribeiro, Aileen. Dress and Morality. With Internet Archive. LondonâŻ: Batsford, 1990. http://archive.org/details/dressmorality0000ribe.
Riello G, Rublack U,. The Right to Dress: Sumptuary Laws in a Global Perspective, c.1200â1800. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Shakespeareâs Globe. âElizabethan Sumptuary Laws: Fashion Policing in Shakespeareâs England | Blogs & Features.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2019/04/16/elizabethan-sumptuary-laws-fashion-policing-in-shakespeares-england/.
âThe Time Travelerâs School Uniform.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.museumoflearning.org/stories/the-time-travelers-school-uniform/.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Welcome back to Seemingly Unrelated the podcast that makes you wonder if World War II is responsible for you having a food processor (kind of, yeah)
This season we are tackling the topic of 'social constructs' because it seems like a lot of people have heard the phrase but maybe aren't too familiar with why it matters at all. To find out we will plumb the depths of gender traits, stereotypes, and common conceptions to get to the heart of why all our conversations about gender are the way they are.
To help breath life into this season we are joined by co-host and puppeteer extraordinaire Alicia Britt for the whole season starting with today's most pervasive and unassuming gender trope of them all: the pink/blue gender divide.
Is it true that women and girls love the colour pink because of the shapes and sizes of their cornea? Were boys dressed in pink hats and culottes once the height of masculine dress? Is Barbie associated with pink because girls like pink OR do girls like pink because Barbie does? Maybe our special interview guest Dr. Jo Paoletti will help us find out.
We'll be checking our swatches very closely to answer these questions plus examining the early modern colour-coded burial practices for Russian children on the season 3 premier of Seemingly Unrelated.
#blueisforboys #pinkisforgirls #Barbie #Barbenheimer #gender #history #podcast
Bibliography:
â1000 Things a Mother Should Know with Reference to Tiny Babies and Growiing Children | Jpaolettiâs Library | Zotero.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.zotero.org/jpaoletti/collections/AN5GRUJ8/items/9TUJE6TT/item-list.
Aleteia â Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. âWhy Is the Virgin Mary Always Wearing Blue?â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://aleteia.org/2017/06/24/why-is-the-blessed-virgin-mary-always-wearing-blue/.
AP News. âExhibit Spotlights 50 Years of Fab Fashion from FIT Archives.â February 7, 2019. https://apnews.com/arts-and-entertainment-travel-general-news-fashion-c4d4a6a62670406bba319aa3724ce21b.
Brown, Evan. âThe Transformation of the Barbie Logo: 1959 to 2024.â DesignMantic, July 4, 2024. https://www.designmantic.com/blog/barbie-logo-transformation/.
âClothing and Gender in America: Childrenâs Fashions, 1890-1920 on JSTOR.â Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy1.lib.gla.ac.uk/stable/3174031?seq=1.
Del Giudice, Marco. âThe Twentieth Century Reversal of Pink-Blue Gender Coding: A Scientific Urban Legend?â Archives of Sexual Behavior 41, no. 6 (2012): 1321â23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0002-z.
Eschner, Kat. âWhy Coco Chanel Created the Little Black Dress.â Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-coco-chanel-created-lbd-180965024/.
Groyecka, Agata, Christoph Witzel, Marina Butovskaya, and Piotr Sorokowski. âSimilarities in Color Preferences Between Women and Men: The Case of Hadza, the Hunter-Gatherers From Tanzania.â Perception 48, no. 5 (2019): 428â36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006619840937.
Kershaw, Sarah. âRuth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves, Dies at 85.â Arts. The New York Times, April 29, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/29/arts/ruth-handler-whose-barbie-gave-dolls-curves-dies-at-85.html.
Kohl, Johann Georg. Russia: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kharkoff, Riga, Odessa, the German Provinces on the Baltic, the Steppes, the Crimea, and the Interior of the Empire. Chapman and Hall, 1842.
Mattel #1 - 8 Barbie Vintage Dolls 1959+ Ponytail, Bubble Cut Dolls Identified USA. August 25, 2022. https://www.dollreference.com/barbie-vintage-dolls-identified-1959-62/.
Paoletti, Jo B. Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America. Indiana University Press, 2012. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gh7c4.
Phan, Karena, and The Associated Press. âBeyond the Summer of âBarbie Pinkâ: How the Color Went from an 18th Century Fashion Breakthrough to âthe Most Controversial Color in Fashion.ââ Fortune. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://fortune.com/2023/07/21/what-is-barbie-pink-history-of-color-fashion-mattel-trademark/.
The New York Times. âOpinion | Goodbye to Barbieâs Maker.â Opinion. April 30, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/30/opinion/goodbye-to-barbie-s-maker.html.
TIME. âFashions: Babyâs Clothes.â TIME, November 14, 1927. https://time.com/archive/6742587/fashions-babys-clothes/.
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If you've ever wondered what 'social construct' means and what mini-golfing Barbie dolls eating fish tacos has to do with gender, this is the season for you.
We are rapidly approaching the launch of season 3 for Seemingly Unrelated so it's time we give you a little preview to tantalise the senses.
New episodes start June 23rd and they come out weekly after that. But if you subscribe to the premium tiers on Patreon you can get the whole season in your feed ready to binge on day 1 plus exclusive access to bonus episodes and full length interviews conducted for this season.
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Welcome to the season finale of Seemingly Unrelated! We've managed 46 episodes so far and we'll be returning in March with season 3 (bonus eps continually monthly patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated )
To cap it off this festive season we'll be traveling to Japan where holidays like Christmas should seem to be unrelated already, but it gets even weirder. Why is there a Colonel Sanders dressed in a Santa Suit every December? What decidely un-Christian like business has its busiest day of the year on Dec 25th? More importantly: Who is Randy Bass and what has he got to do with buckets of Christmas Chicken?
Joining us again is fan favorite co-host Alicia Britt to answer this secret blend of 11 secrets and spices and to tackle the most daunting mystery of them all: Is 7-11 actually from Asia?
All this and more on the seasonally themed season finale of Seemingly Unrelated!
Bibliography:
ABC Premium News (Sydney, Australia). âHanshin Tigers Lift Curse of the KFC Colonel Sanders with Nippon League Win: Sport Is Legendary for Its Curses â but Japanese Baseball Ended Its Most Famous One on Sunday When Hanshin Tigers Ended Its KFC Curse after 38 Years.â November 6, 2023. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2886356283/citation/9BAAA30148E74FE0PQ/1.
âAn Oklahoma Batter Makes Good - ProQuest.â Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/openview/6179071078ec9b3ff8e1e2e9a6ef5172/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1821452.
Author, No. âKFC Cuts Queues to Keep Japanâs Fried Chicken Christmas Custom Alive.â The Japan Times, December 15, 2021. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/15/business/corporate-business/kfc-christmas-chicken-covid19/.
Bryson, Megan. âJapanâs Laughing Buddha Hotei Is Merging into Santa Claus â Both Are Roly-Poly Sacred Figures with a Bag of Gifts.â The Conversation, December 12, 2022. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAI.53x7njr6k.
Creighton, Millie R. âMaintaining Cultural Boundaries in Retailing: How Japanese Department Stores Domesticate âThings Foreign.ââ Modern Asian Studies 25, no. 4 (1991): 675â709.
Fater, Luke. âHow a White Lie Gave Japan KFC for Christmas.â Atlas Obscura, 48:00 500. http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-japanese-kfc-christmas.
âHanshin Tigers History.â Accessed December 8, 2025. http://www2.gol.com/users/michaelo/History.html.
Idell, Sacha. âHeisei: A History of Japan, 1989-2011.â New England Review (1990-) 39, no. 2 (2018): 148â59.
âJapan: Ending the Curse of Colonel Sanders. - Document - Gale In Context: U.S. History.â Accessed December 8, 2025. https://go-gale-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/ps/i.do?p=UHIC&u=viva2_nvcc&id=GALE%7CA197989795&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&asid=506efe10.
Japan Today. âLoy Weston Brings Kentucky Fried Chicken to 1970s Japan.â April 13, 2023. https://japantoday.com/category/features/when-they-opened-in-japan/loy-weston-brings-kentucky-fried-chicken-to-japan-in-1970.
japansociology. âKFC and Christmas Cake â Christmas in Japan.â JAPANsociology, December 29, 2013. https://japansociology.com/2013/12/29/kfc-and-christmas-cake-christmas-in-japan/.
Kawano, Kirsty. âThe True Story of Why People in Japan Eat KFC at Christmas.â GaijinPot Blog, December 25, 2019. https://blog.gaijinpot.com/the-true-story-of-why-people-in-japan-eat-kfc-at-christmas/.
Kimura, Junko, and Russell Belk. âChristmas in Japan: Globalization Versus Localization.â Consumption Markets & Culture 8, no. 3 (2005): 325â38. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253860500160361.
pressmin, dir. Enterprise -- Colonel Comes to Japan (Kentucky Fried Chicken) -- 1981. 2016. 27:47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwwmKcFVji8.
âProquest.Com/Docview/2886356283?accountid=12902&parentSessionId=u6SlSLvy6QM7STgI2J%2FqPF6QYqo%2FxuqatgX7wWJsI3c%3D.â Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2886356283?accountid=12902&parentSessionId=u6SlSLvy6QM7STgI2J%2FqPF6QYqo%2FxuqatgX7wWJsI3c%3D.
ResearchGate. âPost-Bubble Japanese Department Stores: The Need to Search for New Paradigms.â Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334004922_Post-Bubble_Japanese_Department_Stores_The_Need_to_Search_for_New_Paradigms.
Sok, Elizabeth. âChristmas Cakes in Japan: An Affectionate History.â Savvy Tokyo, December 21, 2022. https://savvytokyo.com/christmas-cakes-in-japan-an-affectionate-history/.
Traphagan, John W., and L. Keith Brown. âFast Food and Intergenerational Commensality in Japan: New Styles and Old Patterns.â Ethnology 41, no. 2 (2002): 119â34. https://doi.org/10.2307/4153002.
äžèŹç€ŸćŁæłäșșæ„æŹéçæ©æ§. âćčŽćșŠć„æçžŸ 1985ćčŽ ă»ăłăă©ă«ă»ăȘăŒă°.â Accessed December 8, 2025. http://npb.jp/bis/yearly/centralleague_1985.html.
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When you look at the back of the box of your favorite ready-to-eat meal, where does the list of macromolecules and daily requirements on the nutrition label come from? That's what we are going to find out this week on Seemingly Unrelated as we explore the unusually recent history of the nutrition label by asking: What did we do before we added these things in 1994? Why don't vitamins and minerals show up on every nutrition label? What role did World War II play in getting the governments of the world to take action on minimal nutrition? And why do the founders of vitamines [sic] Funk & McCollum sound like second rate musical writers?
We're joined this week by the host of the Blue Collar White Coat podcast, she is a professional science communicator perfectly positioned to talk about the difficulties in translating hard science to public consumption it's Amy Weldon!
Together we will find out the greatest mystery of all: Did a corpulant, Victorian undertaker trick us all into counting carbs from beyond the grave? Only here, on Seemingly Unrelated!
Bibliography:
Bibliography: âAbout William Banting, Author of Letter on Corpulence.â Accessed November 24, 2025. http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/banting.html.
Atwater, W. O. FoodsâŻ: Nutritive Value and Cost. With National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. WashingtonâŻ: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1894. http://archive.org/details/CAT87201446.
âElmer Verner McCollum â A Biographical Sketch (1879 â 1967).â The Journal of Nutrition 100, no. 1 (1970): 1â10. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/100.1.1.
âFunk, Casimir.â May 2, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060502084313/http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Biographies/MainBiographies/F/Funk/1.html.
Gilman, Sander L. Diets and Dieting: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Routledge, 2008. Gujral, Unjali P., Mary Beth Weber, Lisa R. Staimez, and K. M. Venkat Narayan. âDiabetes Among Non-Overweight Individuals: An Emerging Public Health Challenge.â Current Diabetes Reports 18, no. 8 (2018): 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-018-1017-1.
Kellem, Betsy Golden. âThe Portly Victorian Undertaker Who Launched the Worldâs First Low-Carb Craze.â Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.narratively.com/p/the-portly-victorian-undertaker-who-launched-the-worlds-first-low-carb-craze.
King, Paromita, Ian Peacock, and Richard Donnelly. âThe UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS): Clinical and Therapeutic Implications for Type 2 Diabetes.â British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 48, no. 5 (1999): 643â48. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2125.1999.00092.x.
LOWE, CHARLES U., DAVID BAIRD COURSIN, FELIX P. HEALD, et al. âCOMMITTEE ON NUTRITIONâŻ: PROPOSED CHANGES IN FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS CONCERNING FORMULA PRODUCTS AND VITAMIN-MINERAL DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR INFANTS.â Pediatrics 40, no. 5 (1967): 916â22. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.40.5.916.
Miller, Jaime. ââDo You Bant?â William Banting and Bantingism: A Cultural History of a Victorian Anti-Fat Aesthetic.â English Theses & Dissertations, ahead of print, July 1, 2014. https://doi.org/10.25777/xda4-7y41.
Mozaffarian, Dariush, Irwin Rosenberg, and Ricardo Uauy. âHistory of Modern Nutrition ScienceâImplications for Current Research, Dietary Guidelines, and Food Policy.â Analysis. BMJ 361 (June 2018): k2392. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k2392.
âNATIONAL NUTRITION CONFERENCE FOR DEFENSE.â Journal of the American Medical Association 116, no. 23 (1941): 2598â99. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1941.02820230042013.
Nhs.Uk. âFood Labels.â February 23, 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/how-to-read-food-labels/.
âNutrition on the Home Front in World War II (U.S. National Park Service).â Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/nutrition-on-the-home-front-in-world-war-ii.htm. Romm, Cari.
âVitamins Are a Waste of MoneyâAnd Theyâre Not Helping You, Anyway.â Health. The Atlantic, February 26, 2015. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/vitamin-bs/386126/.
Simopoulos, Artemis P. âThe Health Implications Of Overweight And Obesity.â Nutrition Reviews 43, no. 2 (1985): 33â40. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.1985.tb06850.x. SpringerLink.
âRe-Appraising Claude Bernardâs Legacy.â Accessed November 24, 2025. https://link.springer.com/collections/aijdbaddaf.
Taylor, Roy, and Rury R. Holman. âNormal Weight Individuals Who Develop Type 2 Diabetes: The Personal Fat Threshold.â Clinical Science (London, England: 1979) 128, no. 7 (2015): 405â10. https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20140553.
Technical Guidance on Nutrition Labelling. n.d. Teicholz, Nina.
âA Short History of Saturated Fat: The Making and Unmaking of a Scientific Consensus.â Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity 30, no. 1 (2023): 65â71. https://doi.org/10.1097/MED.0000000000000791.
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!!ALERT ALERT!! GO TO THE KICKSTARTER FOR WHITE CAT ENTERTAINMENT RIGHT NOW THE FUND ENDS FRI 14 NOV !!ALERT ALERT!!
The gorilla enclosure seconds the motion to sanction the cave bats for their hoarding of fresh fruit resources. More like the Zoo-nited Nations amirite? I'll stop.
On this episode we are diving into the other controversial history behind zoos as explore the ways in which zoos and zoo animals have been used in international diplomacy. Was the first ever zoo made up of trophies from conquest or a contemplative garden to debate the animalistic nature of man? Does the English heraldry actually feature three leopards instead of lions? How long is too long for a zoo to put animals in poorly maintained cages before someone intervenes? And of course, did a polar bear really go swimming in the Thames river every day?
To help us answer these questions we must call upon podcasting veteran, director of the film Earbuds: The Podcasting Documentary and current media mogul at White Cat Entertainment it's Chris Mancini!
He'll help us answer that most important question of all: What makes panda bears so damn popular and is it a secret conspiracy? All this and more will be answered this week on Seemingly Unrelated!
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedFind the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
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LinkedInBibliography:
âA Time For Loving: Part I - History Society & Culture.â October 17, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021017031111/http://www.femexplorers.com/article1027.html.
âA Trip to Schönbrunn Zoo â Vienna Zoo.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.zoovienna.at/en/zoo-and-visitors/trip-schonbrunn-zoo/.
Anderlini, Jamil. âPanda Politics: The Hard Truth about Chinaâs Cuddliest Diplomat.â FT Magazine. Financial Times, November 2, 2017. https://www.ft.com/content/8a04a532-be92-11e7-9836-b25f8adaa111.
BBC News. âChinaâs New Phase of Panda Diplomacy.â Science & Environment. September 24, 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24161385.
Bernstein, Thomas P. âMao Zedong and the Famine of 1959â1960: A Study in Wilfulness.â The China Quarterly 186 (June 2006): 421â45. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741006000221.
Brinkhof, Tim. âHow âKung Fu Pandaâ Conquered China â And China Conquered Hollywood.â New Lines Magazine, March 20, 2024. https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/how-kung-fu-panda-conquered-china-and-china-conquered-hollywood/.
CBC. âHarper's China Visit Ends with Panda Pact.â CBC News, February 11, 2012. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/harper-s-china-visit-ends-with-panda-pact-1.1144815.
Culture. âWho Was Hatshepsut?â November 8, 2025. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/hatshepsut.
Docslib. âTHE GARDEN of INTELLIGENCE Re; Forming the Denatured.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://docslib.org/doc/2296835/the-garden-of-intelligence-re-forming-the-denatured.
Grigson, Caroline, and Caroline Grigson. Menagerie: The History of Exotic Animals in England. Oxford University Press, 2018.
GrrlScientist. âPandanomics: What Is Giant Panda Conservation Worth? Billions Every Year.â Forbes. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2018/06/29/pandanomics-what-is-giant-panda-conservation-worth-billions-every-year/.
Heller, Chris. âHow America Fell in Love With the Giant Panda.â Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-america-fell-love-giant-panda-180956692/.
Historic Royal Palaces. âThe Tower of London Menagerie.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-tower-of-london-menagerie/.
âHistory of the Giant Panda.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?13588/History-of-the-Giant-Panda.
Hoage, Robert J., and William A. Deiss. New Worlds, New Animals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. https://doi.org/10.56021/9780801851100.
Li, Xiaobing, and Xiansheng Tian. Evolution of Power: Chinaâs Struggle, Survival, and Success. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2013.
McShea, Bill. âOpinion | Five Myths about Pandas.â The Washington Post, August 28, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-pandas/2015/08/28/d4a96b1c-4bfe-11e5-bfb9-9736d04fc8e4_story.html.
Patrick, Neil. âDuring the 18th Century, You Could Pay Your Admission to the Zoo in London by Bringing a Cat or a Dog to Feed the Lions. | The Vintage News.â Thevintagenews, September 3, 2016. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/09/03/priority-18th-century-pay-admission-zoo-london-bringing-cat-dog-feed-lions/.
Renner, Michael J. âZoos and Aquariums Shift to a New Standard of âAnimal Welfareâ That Depends on Deeper Understanding of Animalsâ Lives.â The Conversation, January 4, 2022. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAI.jvu7d9f9u.
ResearchGate. âDiplomats and Refugees: Panda Diplomacy, Soft âCuddlyâ Power, and the New Trajectory in Panda Conservation.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255981642_Diplomats_and_Refugees_Panda_Diplomacy_Soft_Cuddly_Power_and_the_New_Trajectory_in_Panda_Conservation.
Reuters. âExplainer: What Is Chinaâs Panda Diplomacy and How Does It Work?â China. June 18, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-is-chinas-panda-diplomacy-how-does-it-work-2024-06-18/.
RSPCA. âWho We Are - RSPCA - Rspca.Org.Uk.â Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/whoweare.
Wang (SLN), Da Jun, Ronald Ray Swaisgood (Institute for Conservation Research San Diego Zoo Global), and Fuwen Wei. âIUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Ailuropoda Melanoleuca.â IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, April 11, 2016. https://www.iucnredlist.org/en.
WWF-Australia. âWhatâs the Story behind the Panda Logo of WWF?â March 16, 2022. https://wwf-australia.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4512782833295-What-s-the-story-behind-the-panda-logo-of-WWF.
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It's the Seemingly Unrelated Spoooooktacular! We've got a terrifying and spinetingling episode for you this week as we look deep into the history of Witch iconography: the point hat, the broom, the black cat, not the nose though...the nose thing is just exactly what you think it is.
Our guide through this spectre of deeply problematic horrors is in fact Michael Johnstone from Walkie Talky Brewing who has to take the reigns because of a Halloween curse placed on Andrew in 1987 that prevents him from leading on main feed spooky episodes.
Michael is better placed for this one because we'll be tackling a popular internet question: Were witches actually just beer brewers who ran afoul of Christian anti-drinking sentiments?
Find out as we repeat the same incantation as a woman around the cauldron did but get all the credit this Halloween on Seemingly Unrelated!
Bibliography:
BBC News. âThe Vocabularist: Whatâs the Root of the Word Computer?â Magazine Monitor. February 2, 2016. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-35428300.
Bennett, Judith M. Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Womenâs Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600. Oxford University Press, USA, 1996.
Bhagat, Shaktibala Suraj Kr. Phyto-Filtration: A New Approach of Waste Water Treatment. 3, no. 2 (2013).
braciatrix. âNope, Medieval Alewives Arenât The Archetype For The Modern Pop Culture Witch.â Braciatrix, October 27, 2017. https://braciatrix.com/2017/10/27/nope-medieval-alewives-arent-the-archetype-for-the-modern-pop-culture-witch/.
Brooks, Laken. âWomen Used to Dominate the Beer Industry â until the Witch Accusations Started Pouring In.â The Conversation, March 5, 2021. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAI.jre7vwvpy.
DOL. âMost Common Occupations for Women in the Labor Force.â Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/occupations/most-common-occupations-women-labor-force.
Editor, Journal. âWhere Are the Women? A Detailed History of Women in Computer Science and How It Impacts the Modern Day Industry.â Chicago-Kent | Journal of Intellectual Property, May 23, 2024. https://studentorgs.kentlaw.iit.edu/ckjip/where-are-the-women-a-detailed-history-of-women-in-computer-science-and-how-it-impacts-the-modern-day-industry/.
Food & Wine. âFemale Brewers Werenât Accused of Witchcraft â but the Real Story Is Just as Infuriating.â Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.foodandwine.com/women-brewers-witches-8736642.
âHow Women Brewsters Saved the World | Craft Beer & Brewing.â January 15, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250115184101/https://beerandbrewing.com/how-women-brewsters-saved-the-world/.
Levanon, Asaf, Paula England, and Paul Allison. âOccupational Feminization and Pay: Assessing Causal Dynamics Using 1950â2000 U.S. Census Data.â Social Forces 88, no. 2 (2009): 865â91. https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.0.0264.
Miller, Claire Cain. âAs Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops.â The Upshot. The New York Times, March 18, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/upshot/as-women-take-over-a-male-dominated-field-the-pay-drops.html.
âMost Influential Women Computer Scientists.â June 9, 2022. https://www.computerscience.org/resources/most-influential-women-computer-science/.
Nikolajeva, Maria. âDevils, Demons, Familiars, Friends: Toward a Semiotics of Literary Cats.â Marvels & Tales 23, no. 2 (2009): 248â67.
Nurin, Tara. âNo, That Halloween Witch (Probably) Does Not Represent A Persecuted Beer Brewer.â Forbes. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/taranurin/2021/10/30/no-that-halloween-witch-probably-does-not-represent-a-persecuted-beer-brewer/.
Oldenziel, Ruth. âMaking Technology Masculine: Men, Women, and Modern Machines in America, 1870-1945.â Bibliovault OAI Repository, the University of Chicago Press 106 (February 2001). https://doi.org/10.2307/2652289.
PBS Eons, dir. What Was The First Beverage? 2024. 13:24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lusWU9zCRj0.
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We're talking about the very real and physical place that is Hollywood, CA on this episode of Seemingly Unrelated. Why are the hills around Los Angeles filled with the rich and famous while the valleys are home to much more socio-economic diversity? Did film studios set up shop in Hollywood because of the weather? Has the 9th circuit court of appeals been holding back patent law for 150 years? Were the seeds of the Great Recession sown in the Great Depression itself?
We dig into these questions with our special guest co-host Phil W. Bayles!
Plus, the most famous billboard in the world tricked us all into thinking it was a legitimate piece of history. All this week on a star studded episode of Seemingly Unrelated.
Here are those wild 9th Circuit Cases I mentioned in the episode: Click Here or https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.f1.067/page/n611/mode/2up
#Hollywood #RealEstateScam #Edendale #BoyleHeights #UniversalCity #ThomasEdison #Hollywoodhistory #historypodcast #podcast
Bibliography
Belderrain, De, and Francisca Lopez. âTHE AWAKENING OF PAREDON BLANCO UNDER A CALIFORNIA SUN.â Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California 14, no. 1 (1928): 64â79. https://doi.org/10.2307/41168829.
âBoyle Heights and Its âPioneer Aristocratsâ â Boyle Heights Historical Society.â Accessed October 13, 2025. https://bhhsla.com/boyle-heights-and-its-pioneer-aristocrats/.
âBoyle Hotel (Cummings Block).â LA Conservancy, n.d. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/boyle-hotel/.
Chalmers Publishing Company. Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1910). With New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company, 1910. http://archive.org/details/movinwor06chal.
Clinton, Craig. âOld Imprints- Southern California 1900-1935.â Old Imprints- Southern California 1900-1935, April 23, 2014. https://ilab.org/assets/catalogues/catalogs_files_1745_southerncaliforniarealestate_2014_04w.pdf.
Edidin, Peter. âLa-La Land: The Origins.â Week in Review. The New York Times, August 21, 2005. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/weekinreview/lala-land-the-origins.html.
Electricity Magazine Corporation. Motography (Apr-Dec 1911). With MBRS Library of Congress. Electricity Magazine Corp., 1911. http://archive.org/details/motography56elec.
âFederal Reporter (F1), Volume 067âŻ: West PublishingâŻ: Free Download, Borrow, and StreamingâŻ: Internet Archive.â Accessed October 13, 2025. https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.f1.067/page/n611/mode/2up.
Jewish Histories in Multiethnic Boyle Heights. âJewish Histories in Multiethnic Boyle Heights: From Elite Suburb to Immigrant Enclave.â Accessed October 13, 2025. https://scalar.usc.edu/hc/jewish-histories-boyle-heights/from-elite-suburb-to-immigant-enclave.
âMotion Picture Studios of California.â July 23, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060723010635/http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/mpstud01.htm.
Newspapers.Com. âMontpelier Morning Journal from Montpelier, Vermont.â February 3, 1913. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/404073993/.
PBS SoCal. âThis 1897 Film Was the First Movie Made in Los Angeles.â October 2, 2016. https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/this-1897-film-was-the-first-movie-made-in-los-angeles.
âSilent EraâŻ: Progressive Silent Film List.â Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/B/BensKid1909.html.
Swartz, Mark Evan. Oz before the RainbowâŻ: L. Frank Baumâs âThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozâ on Stage and Screen to 1939. With Internet Archive. Baltimore, Md.âŻ; LondonâŻ: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002. http://archive.org/details/ozbeforerainbowl0000swar.
The Homestead Blog. âBoyle Heights at 150 Postview: âBringing Boyle Heights to the Front as a Residence District,â Los Angeles Herald, 3 June 1906, Part Three.â April 4, 2025. https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2025/04/03/boyle-heights-at-150-postview-bringing-boyle-heights-to-the-front-as-a-residence-district-los-angeles-herald-3-june-1906-part-three/.
The New York Times. âTimesMachine: Saturday October 2, 1915 - NYTimes.Com.â n.d. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/10/02/issue.html.
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At the time of this episode's release we are in the middle of a 10 day period of reflection and piety for the Jewish people. The window between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as the 'High Holidays' to many. So, we at Seemingly Unrelated want to take this confluence of events where the High Holidays overlap with an extra 3rd episode of the show inside of a calendar month to put the spotlight on these holidays.
What are the High Holidays about? Why are they celebrated so much in the home and not at the temple? How did the Jews of the Malabar coast in South India and the Egyptian god Anubis help shape the meaning of the word "atonement" during these Holidays? What does it mean to atone anyway and how does the shifting nature of that word reflect a flexible Jewish identity spread over thousands of years and bound to no single region of the world? These are the questions we set out to answer on this extra episode as well as to ask what atonement means for the High Holidays of 2025.
To help guide us on our journey is our special guest and the person who will be leading the discussion while Andrew learns some new things, Dr. Ophira Gamliel. Ophira is a senior lecturer in religious studies at the University of Glasgow and author of Judaism in South India 849-1489: Relocating Malabar Jewry.
If you are listening to this before Oct 2, we also think you'll appreciate this screening of The Rose of Ioannina that is definitely worth checking out.
Bibliography:
âEyal Weizman â Forensic Architecture.â Accessed September 28, 2025. https://forensic-architecture.org/about/team/member/eyal-weizman.
Gamliel, Ophira. âLand Fetishism and Genocidal Iconoclasm.â Palestine/Israel Review, The Pennsylvania State University Press, September 2, 2025. https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/366001/.
Gamliel, Ophira. Matrilineal Jews or Slave Descendants? Halakhic Laws and Trade Alliances in Medieval Malabar. Edited by Mahmood Kooria. Amsterdam University Press, 2024. https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/287725/.
Google Arts & Culture. âA 13th-Century Manuscript Depicts an Eastern Muslim Boat from Maqamat al-Hariri.â Accessed September 28, 2025. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-13th-century-manuscript-depicts-an-eastern-muslim-boat-from-maqamat-al-hariri/pwHrty-7mcYEsw.
Lambourn, Elizabeth A. ââThings for the Cabinâ: Inhabiting the Ocean.â Chapter. In Abrahamâs Luggage: A Social Life of Things in the Medieval Indian Ocean World, 189â218. Asian Connections. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
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If it's 2 am in Denver Colorado and you've been out partying all night, where will you go to fill up on some fast food to tide you over? Well, if it's 1858 the answer is: oyster bars. This week on Seemingly Unrelated we are cracking open the shell that hides the secret history of the oyster asking big questions like: How dangerous were oyster beds to early European colonists? Why does anyone know about Altoona, PA? HOW much did the US government spend on the transcontinental railroad?! What putrid Youtube rabbit hole has our guest fallen down recently? And of course, do oysters really get people excited or is it just the beverages we tend to pair with them?
Our guest this week is a marketing guru and podcast producer/host of The Wire Stripped as well as Flixwatcher (both featuring Andrew as a guest in multiple episodes) it's Kobi Omenaka!
All this plus: How McDonald's rebuilt the 11th busiest airport in the world, on Seemingly Unrelated!
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedFind the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Follow us on the socialsSubstack
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
LinkedInBibliography:
Ali, Rafat. âThe 23 Grandest Amtrak Train Stations in Americaâ. Skift, 26 October 2013. https://skift.com/2013/10/26/the-22-grandest-amtrak-train-stations-in-america/.
Bill of Rights Institute. âWestward Expansion Migration USâ. Accessed 15 September 2025. https://live-bri-dos.pantheonsite.io/essays/migration-west/.
Burrows, Michelle. Oyster Nutrition Facts. n.d.
âCanneryâ. The Baltimore Museum of Industry, n.d. Accessed 15 September 2025. https://www.thebmi.org/exhibits/cannery/.
Jennifer Bohnhoff. âA Short Inquiry into Canning, Oysters, and Christmasâ. Accessed 15 September 2025. http://jenniferbohnhoff.com/3/post/2018/12/a-short-inquiry-into-canning-oysters-and-christmas.html.
âKuwait International Airportâ. Airport Technology, n.d. Accessed 15 September 2025. https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/kuwait-international/.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. âTraveling on the Overland Trails, 1843-1860 | National Expansion and Reform, 1815 - 1880 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congressâ. Web page. Accessed 15 September 2025. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/national-expansion-and-reform-1815-1880/traveling-on-the-overland-trails-1843-1860/.
Maryland, Preservation. âThis Day in History: Chartering of the B&O Railroadâ. Preservation Maryland, 28 February 2022. https://preservationmaryland.org/this-day-in-history-chartering-of-the-bo-railroad/.
âOYSTERS AND TYPHOIDâ. Journal of the American Medical Association 84, no. 4 (1925): 286â87. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1925.02660300044015.
Program, Campus Archaeology. âThe Great Oyster Craze: Why 19th Century Americans Loved Oystersâ. MSU Campus Archaeology Program, 23 February 2017. https://campusarch.msu.edu/?p=4962.
Stover, John F. History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Purdue University Press, 1987.
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. âHistory of Oystersâ. 18 September 2017. https://www.umces.edu/oysters/history.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science. âHistory of Oysters in the Chesapeake Bayâ. Accessed 15 September 2025. https://www.vims.edu/research/units/labgroups/molluscan_ecology/archive/vorhf/introduction/.
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Up front this is just about which Europeans landed on the Americas first and set up shop. The actual answer beyond that is no one and there are many peoples and histories that populate both continents for millenia before any Europeans managed to cross the Atlantic (or vice-versa?).
Either way, we are digging into the major competing narratives about which White guys traveled where to get at the heart of the question: Who cares? Along the way we'll talk about: Was the inventor of baking powder the most annoying person in Massachusetts? Should all Italian-American stereotypes really have a Louisiana accent instead of Long Island? Where the ancestors of the Pilgrims all Scandanavian? And why are researchers dedicated to making organ transplants more successful so obsessed with a guy on a raft sailing to Easter Island?
Our guest co-host this week is a professional armorer and safety manager as well as a pretty radically nice guy, it is Dan Walker (no link because he does not exist online for you)
All of this plus, why are people so obsessed with finding heroes in the history of European colonial expan...on right...no that one actually makes sense on the face of it...this week on Seemingly Unrelated!
#Columbus #Vikings #ThorHeyerdahl #Yikes
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedFind the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Follow us on the socialsSubstack
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
LinkedInBibliography:
Holton, Graham E. L. âHeyerdahlâs Kon Tiki Theory and the Denial of the Indigenous Pastâ. Anthropological Forum 14, no. 2 (2004): 163â81. https://doi.org/10.1080/0066467042000238976.
âHorsfordâs Vikings of New England, Pt. 2 | Beehiveâ. Accessed 1 September 2025. https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2024/06/horsfords-vikings-of-new-england-pt-2/.
Ingstad, Helge, and Anne Stine Ingstad. The Viking Discovery of America: The Excavation of a Norse Settlement in LâAnse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Breakwater Books, 2000.
Ledger, Paul M., Linus Girdland-Flink, and VĂ©ronique Forbes. âNew Horizons at LâAnse Aux Meadowsâ. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116, no. 31 (2019): 15341â43. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1907986116.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. âToday in History - October 12â. Web page. Accessed 1 September 2025. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/october-12/.
Marinaro, Melissa E. âThis Is the Real History of Columbus Dayâ. Teen Vogue, 14 October 2024. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/origin-of-columbus-day-america.
Moreno-Mayar, J. VĂctor, Simon Rasmussen, Andaine Seguin-Orlando, et al. âGenome-Wide Ancestry Patterns in Rapanui Suggest Pre-European Admixture with Native Americansâ. Current Biology 24, no. 21 (2014): 2518â25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.057.
Reader, The MIT Press. âA Colorful History of Baking Powder (And Its Unlikely Inventor)â. The MIT Press Reader, 14 December 2022. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/colorful-history-of-baking-powder-and-its-unlikely-inventor/.
Tyler-Smith, Chris. âHuman Genetics: Pre-Columbian Pacific Contactâ. Current Biology 24, no. 21 (2014): R1038â40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.019.
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How could the Three Little Pigs have stopped the most powerful military of the 1st century BCE? That's what we set out to explore on this episode of Seemingly Unrelated where we dive into the history of steel making, story telling, and how they connect the Battle of Carrhae with learning to code in Python.
Our guest co-host this week is puppeteer extoridanaire Alicia Britt!
We'll be asking the big questions this week like: How do you court an armorer? What is so common about the 'Common Era?' Which real time strategy game unit works best against the Roman legions? As well as, could Rumpelstiltskin spin you a website made of gold?
All these questions and the secret anti-capitalist lesson of the Three Little Pigs this week on Seemingly Unrelated.
Visit codestorytelling.com for more about learning how to code through story telling
#fables #history #historypodcast #steel #armor #Rome #Parthia #Aesop #fairytales
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedFind the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Follow us on the socialsSubstack
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
LinkedInBibliography:
Albritton, Andrew, and James Philpot. âAesopâs Fables as a Financial Planning Communication Toolâ. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, SAGE Publications Inc, 20 November 2024, 23294906241299102. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906241299102.Alex, Beatrice, Clare Llewellyn, Pawel Orzechowski, and Maria Boutchkova. âThe Online Pivot: Lessons Learned from Teaching a Text and Data Mining Course in Lockdown, Enhancing Online Teaching with Pair Programming and Digital Badgesâ. Proceedings of the Fifth Workshop on Teaching NLP, Association for Computational Linguistics, 26 May 2021, 138â48. https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/the-online-pivot-lessons-learned-from-teaching-a-text-and-data-mi.
Code Storytelling: Learn Programming as a Storytelling Exercise. âCode Storytelling - Learn Programming as a Storytelling Exerciseâ. Accessed 18 August 2025. http://www.codestorytelling.com/.
Elia, Antonella, and Antonella Elia. âFables and ICT: Intercultural Communication and E-Language Teaching.â Journal of Intercultural Communication 7, no. 2 (2007): 1012. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v7i2.436.
Fowlkes-Childs, Blair, and Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. âThe Parthian Empire (247 B.C.â224 A.D.) - The Metropolitan Museum of Artâ. 1 October 2000. https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-parthian-empire-247-b-c-224-a-d.
Humpherys, Sean L., and Jeffry Babb. âUsing Folklore, Fables, and Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool in Assessment Examsâ. Information Systems Education Journal 18, no. 5 (2020): 34â53.
Manning. Ancient And Mediaeval India Vol. 2. 1869. http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.38309.
Mishra, Ravi K. âThe âSilk Roadâ: Historical Perspectives and Modern Constructionsâ. Indian Historical Review 47, no. 1 (2020): 21â39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0376983620922431.
Park, J.-S., K. Rajan, and R. Ramesh. âHigh-Carbon Steel and Ancient Sword-Making as Observed in a Double-Edged Sword from an Iron Age Megalithic Burial in Tamil Nadu, Indiaâ. Archaeometry 62, no. 1 (2020): 68â80. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12503.
âParthia - Liviusâ. Accessed 18 August 2025. https://www.livius.org/articles/place/parthia/.
Popular Mechanics. âThe Entire History of Steelâ. 9 July 2018. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a20722505/history-of-steel/.
Setiawan, Rahmat, Ferra Dian Andanty, Titah Kinasih, Meytha Dwi Kurnia, and Dolmat Doyat. âRevolution in Fable Universe: Introducing Technology in Childrenâs Literatureâ. EBONY: Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature 5, no. 2 (2025): 150â67. https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v5i2.20217.
Sevillano-LĂłpez, David. Mining and Minerals Trade on the Silk Road to the Ancient Literary Sources: 2 BC to 10 AD Centuries. 17 February 2013. https://www.academia.edu/2591044/Mining_and_minerals_trade_on_the_Silk_Road_to_the_ancient_literary_sources_2_BC_to_10_AD_Centuries.
âThe History of the Parthiansâ. Digital Maps of the Ancient World, 4 June 2024. https://digitalmapsoftheancientworld.com/ancient-history/the-history-of-the-parthians/.
Valente, Andrea, and Emanuela Marchetti. âFables for Teachers and Pupilsâ. In Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Designing Learning Experiences, edited by Panayiotis Zaphiris and Andri Ioannou. Springer International Publishing, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21814-0_16.
Whitfield, Susan. Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road. Univ of California Press, 2018.
WoĆșniak, Marek. âINDIAN STEEL A FORGOTTEN COMMODITY OF THE GREAT TRADE ROUTESâ. Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 1, no. XXIV (2015): 709â26.
Image Source: https://sogdians.si.edu/orlat-plaque/
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This week on Seemingly Unrelated pod we are getting into the villain's origin story behind the most USA of all snack cakes: Twinkies. Love them, or fear them, the twinkie looms large in the US imagination and in the vision of the US from around the world. It represents all things the USA loves: soft golden hydrogenated fats and corn syrup that is pure and white at its core.
We're joined this week to help explore the depths of snack cake depravity by the owner of Walkie Talky Brewing in Leith, Scotland and long time food industry expert Michael Johnstone!
But how did the twinkie rise above the competition to become so famous/infamous? We'll find out on this episode and answer some seemingly unrelated questions along the way like: Why is the Twinkie called a Twinkie and does that have anything to do with the LGBT+ community? What flavour is a Twinkie meant to be anyway? Can eating too many Twinkies drive you to the edge of sanity? Is the Twinkie healthier than unprocessed roadkill?
All these questions plus the life and times of Harvey Milk on this king sized snack of an episode of Seemingly Unrelated!
#Twinkie #HarveyMilk #Twinkiedefense @hostess_snacks
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedFind the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Follow us on the socialsSubstack
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LinkedInBibliography:
âBanana Twinkies: Made With Real Bananas -- In the 1930s - CBS Newsâ. 25 March 2011. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-44042780/banana-twinkies-made-with-real-bananas----in-the-1930s/.Cargile, Clint. âThis Week In Illinois History: Birth Of The Twinkie (April 6, 1930)â. Northern Public Radio: WNIJ and WNIU, 5 April 2021. https://www.northernpublicradio.org/education/2021-04-05/this-week-in-illinois-history-birth-of-the-twinkie-april-6-1930.
Ettlinger, Steve. Twinkie, DeconstructedâŻ: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats. With Internet Archive. New York, NYâŻ: Plume, 2008. http://archive.org/details/twinkiedeconstru00stev.
Godoy, Maria. âThe Science Of Twinkies: How Do They Last So Darned Long?â Producers. NPR, 10 July 2013. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/07/09/200465360/the-science-of-twinkies-how-do-they-last-so-long.
Gordon, Rachel. ââIt Was a Day of Infamyâ: Dianne Feinstein Recounts Harvey Milk, George Moscone Killingsâ. SFGATE, 26 November 2008. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/feinstein-recalls-s-f-s-day-of-infamy-3260395.php.
âGun Control, Assault Weapons Ban a Major Part of Sen. Dianne Feinsteinâs Legacy - CBS San Franciscoâ. 29 September 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/sen-dianne-feinstein-gun-control-assault-weapons-ban-legacy/.
History, Sunnyside. âGeorge R Reilly and the First LGBTQ Legal Victory in US Historyâ. Sunnyside History Project, 19 October 2018. https://sunnysidehistory.org/2018/10/18/george-r-reilly-and-first-lgbt-legal-victory/.
âHostess Closing Bakery That Created the Twinkie: Associated Press Business News - MSN Moneyâ. 23 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140823164810/http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20140821&id=17875582.
John DâEmilio. Making Trouble. With Internet Archive. Routledge, 1992. http://archive.org/details/makingtroubleess00demi.
Logan, Alan C., Christopher R. DâAdamo, Joseph E. Pizzorno, and Susan L. Prescott. ââFood Faddists and Pseudoscientists!â: Reflections on the History of Resistance to Ultra-Processed Foodsâ. EXPLORE 20, no. 4 (2024): 470â76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2023.12.014.
Los Angeles Times. âMan Who Concocted the Twinkie DiesâŻ: James A. Dewarâs Treat Is Part of Americaâs Diet and Folkloreâ. 3 July 1985. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-03-me-10272-story.html.
Pogash, Carol. âMyth of the âTwinkie Defenseâ / The Verdict in the Dan White Case Wasnât Based on His Ingestion of Junk Foodâ. SFGATE, 23 November 2003. https://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Myth-of-the-Twinkie-defense-The-verdict-in-2511152.php.
Reuter, Donald F. Gay-2-Zee: A Dictionary of Sex, Subtext, and the Sublime. St. Martinâs Press, 2006.
Stryker, Susan, and Jim Van Buskirk. Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. Chronicle Books, 1996.
Talbot, David. Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror and Deliverance in the City of Love. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
âTwinkies, 75 Years And Counting (Washingtonpost.Com)â. Accessed 2 August 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46062-2005Apr12.html.
White Night Riot. 1979. 44". http://archive.org/details/ssfWhitent1.
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Protect yourself from invasion get a breeding pair of hamsters, today! This week on Seemingly Unrelated we are deep diving into the history of the cutest widdle guys you have witnessed do unspeakable acts for unknown reasons to find out why exactly did we start keeping these rodents as pets?
Our special guest this episode is Dr. Rianna Walcott Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, and Associate Director of the Black Communication and Technology (BCaT) Lab.
To get to the origin of the pet hamster we have to answer some questions that really do seem completely unrelated like: Why are hamsters always running around at 2am? Is the arabic name for hamsters a major influence on the Dune novels? Are all pet hamsters actually siblings? and were hamsters the secret weapon in the allied invasion of Italy?
All these questions will be folded up into a tiny burrito and stuffed into your cheeks plus the haunting issue of how many hamsters can one man fit into a lab coat before they all escape? This week on an endless exercise wheel of futility called Seemingly Unrelated.
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
đ” Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated
đœïž Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
đ° Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
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Bibliography:
Barrie, Anmarie. Hamsters: As a New Pet. T.F.H. Publications, 1990.
Bartlett, Patricia Pope. The Hamster Handbook. Barronâs, 2003.
CDC. âAbout Leishmaniasisâ. Leishmaniasis, 11 March 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/leishmaniasis/about/index.html.
âDashing Hamsters: History of Hamstersâ. Dashing Hamsters, n.d. Accessed 21 July 2025. https://dashinghamsters.blogspot.com/p/history-of-hamster.html.
Goodwin, Leonard, and Gordon Wolstenholme. Dr Leonard Goodwin CMG FRS in Interview with Sir Gordon Wolstenholme: Interview 2. 2017. https://doi.org/10.24384/000457.
âHamster, n. Meanings, Etymology and More | Oxford English Dictionaryâ. Accessed 21 July 2025. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/hamster_n.
âHistoryâ. Accessed 21 July 2025. https://achh.army.mil/history/book-wwii-internalmedicinevoliii-chapter1.
âNational Hamster Councilâ. Accessed 21 July 2025. https://hamsters-uk.org/.
Orndorff, George R., Michalle Maroli, Barbara Cooper, and Steven E. Rankin. âLeishmaniasis in Sicily (Italy): An Investigation of the Distribution and Prevalence of Phlebotomine Sandflies in Catania Provinceâ. Military Medicine 167, no. 9 (2002): 715â18. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/167.9.715.
Pages, F., M. Faulde, E. Orlandi-Pradines, and P. Parola. âThe Past and Present Threat of Vector-Borne Diseases in Deployed Troopsâ. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 16, no. 3 (2010): 209â24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.03132.x.
Peaker, Malcolm, and Dame Bridget M. Ogilvie. âLeonard George Goodwin. 11 July 1915â25 November 2008â. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 71 (April 2021): 213â27. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.2020.0050.
Siegel, Harold I., ed. The Hamster. Springer US, 1985. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0815-8.
Smithsonian Magazine. âThe Untold Story of the Hamster, a.k.a Mr. Saddlebagsâ. Accessed 21 July 2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-untold-story-of-the-hamster-aka-mr-saddlebags-1223774/.
The Telegraph. âLeonard Goodwinâ. 14 January 2009. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4241645/Leonard-Goodwin.html.
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There are so many chicken little's these days decrying the downfall of man at the hands of Large Language Models. There are also, a lot of grifters taking advantage of that panic to line their wallets or just feel alive if only for a moment. Which is why we are here to fight that misinformation and identify the Seemingly Unrelated truths behind the myths and fears around artificial intelligence.
Joining us this week is a guest host for the first time. They are a researcher into health's role in homelessness prevention as well as a veteran front line mental health nurse from the Covid-19 pandemic it is Franklin Johnstone Didymus!
Alongside Frank, we will tackle the big questions like: Is the uncanny valley real, or just ableist nonsense? Was General Ned Ludd the figment of the polices' imagination? Is the Terminator less scary than the second coming of Christ? And of course...do people stop fearing AI the minute they realize they want to have sex with it?
These questions and the unusual feelings everyone has for Spirit the horse this week on Seemingly Unrelated!
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Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.
đ” Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelatedđœïž Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
đ° Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Follow us on the socialsSubstack
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Facebook
LinkedInBibliography (so you know we did the research):
The National Archives, âThe National Archives - Homepage,â text, The National Archives (blog) (The National Archives), accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/why-did-the-luddites-protest/;
Tyler J. Burleigh and Jordan R. Schoenherr, âA Reappraisal of the Uncanny Valley: Categorical Perception or Frequency-Based Sensitization?,â Frontiers in Psychology 5 (January 21, 2015), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01488;
Richard Conniff, âWhat the Luddites Really Fought Against,â Smithsonian Magazine, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/;
Clarke Garrett, Introduction: Historians and the Millennium (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019), https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/oa_monograph/chapter/2391138;
Boyoung Kim, Ewart de Visser, and Elizabeth Phillips, âTwo Uncanny Valleys: Re-Evaluating the Uncanny Valley across the Full Spectrum of Real-World Human-like Robots,â Computers in Human Behavior 135 (October 1, 2022): 107340, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107340;
Masahiro Mori, âDoes a Robot Have Buddhanature?,â Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (blog), March 21, 2023, https://tricycle.org/article/robot-buddhanature/;
Annalee Newitz, âIs the âUncanny Valleyâ a Myth?,â Gizmodo (blog), September 3, 2013, https://gizmodo.com/is-the-uncanny-valley-a-myth-1239355550;
Judith Wolfe and Judith Wolfe, Heideggerâs Eschatology: Theological Horizons in Martin Heideggerâs Early Work, Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2015);
âA Brief History of AI: How We Got Here and Where We Are Going | University of Portsmouth,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/developing-enhanced-technologies/a-brief-history-of-ai-how-we-got-here-and-where-we-are-going;
âAlan Turingâs Forgotten Ideas in Computer Science on JSTOR,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26058180;
âArtificial Intelligence (AI) Coined at Dartmouth | Dartmouth,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://home.dartmouth.edu/about/artificial-intelligence-ai-coined-dartmouth;
âIII. Realism, the Uncanny Valley and Stylistic Solutions · Designing Embodied Conversational Interface Agents,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://kathrynisabelle.com/;
âMillenarianism,â CDAMM, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.cdamm.org/articles/millenarianism;
ââMillennial Hopes and Fears: Great Britain, 1780-1960â by Hugh Dunton,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/auss/vol37/iss2/46/;
âThe History of AI - Everything You Need to Know,â Scottish AI Alliance, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.scottishai.com/news/the-history-of-ai;
âThe History of the Uncanny Valley? â Crooked Timber,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://crookedtimber.org/2018/04/09/the-history-of-the-uncanny-valley/;
ââWritings of the Ludditesâ by Kevin Binfield,â accessed July 7, 2025, https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/faculty/284/.
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The 'House of Mouse' is a very litigious one which is why we are super wary about this week's episode of Seemingly Unrelated. We're taking a look at the very origins of both Disney the company and intellectual property rights on a journey to find out if Mickey himself might have had an impact on the cost of some prescription drugs. Along the way we'll take a journey by sea to solve the mystery of calculating longitude, laugh and cry alongside the tragically short life of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and ask the question: what does Sonny Bono have to do with any of this?
All this and a lesson in how clocks work on what is quite possibly the most seemingly unrelated topic of any episode of Seemingly Unrelated the podcast!
All these questions and more will be explored, at least until the South Korean government shuts this podcast down, on Seemingly Unrelated!
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated
Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Bibliography:
Bracha, Oren. Owning Ideas: The Intellectual Origins of American Intellectual Property, 1790â1909. Cambridge Historical Studies in American Law and Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1017/9780511843235.
Burton, M. Diane, and Tom Nicholas. âPrizes, Patents and the Search for Longitudeâ. Explorations in Economic History 64 (1 April 2017): 21â36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eeh.2016.09.001.
Chartrand, Sabra. âPatents; Congress Has Extended Its Protection for Goofy, Gershwin and Some Moguls of the Internet.â The New York Times, 19 October 1998, sec. Business. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/19/business/patents-congress-has-extended-its-protection-for-goofy-gershwin-some-moguls.html.
European Commission - European Commission. âNullâ. Text. Accessed 23 June 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/pres_11_303.
âLongitude Found - the Story of Harrisonâs Clocks | Royal Museums Greenwichâ. Accessed 23 June 2025. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/time/harrisons-clocks-longitude-problem.
âMickey, Disney, and the Public Domain: A 95-Year Love Triangle | Duke University School of Lawâ. Accessed 23 June 2025. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/.
Pallant, Chris. Demystifying Disney: A History of Disney Feature Animation. New York, UNITED STATES: Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, 2013. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kcl/detail.action?docID=793280.
Proskauer. â$264 Million Settlement in EpiPen Price Gouging Litigation - Insights - Proskauer Rose LLPâ. Accessed 23 June 2025. https://www.proskauer.com/blog/264-million-settlement-in-epipen-price-gouging-litigation.
Racker, Mini. âA Political History of Disney ⊠and Its Donationsâ. National Journal Daily A.M., 6 May 2022. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2660086184/abstract/9125FB301BC4463FPQ/1.
Rozek, Richard P., and Ruth Berkowitz. âThe Effects of Patent Protection on the Prices of Pharmaceutical Productsâ. The Journal of World Intellectual Property 1, no. 2 (1998): 179â243. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1796.1998.tb00010.x.
âThe Statute of Anne: The First Copyright StatuteâŻ: History of Informationâ. Accessed 23 June 2025. https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3389.
âWalt Before Mickey | Kanopyâ. Accessed 6 February 2025. https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/12287972?vp=kcl.
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Must...resist...urge...to do hyper specific...group...choreography...!!
On today's episode of Seemingly Unrelated we are the biaswreckers here to say you're not delulu, K-pop is having an all time comeback around the world. But are the Big 3 just the visual for a deeper and more sinister subunit bent on world domination? To find out we're going to have to take a tour back to the first K-pop idols from the 1960s and ask: What style of music is K-pop anyway? Did Tony Blair inspire the K-wave? Is PSY mocking, or celebrating the Gangnam neighborhood? And most importantly, if Blackpink told you to betray your government, would you do it?
All these questions and more will be explored, at least until the South Korean government shuts this podcast down, on Seemingly Unrelated!
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated
Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Bibliography:
âA Brief History of K-Pop â The Los Angeles Film Schoolâ, 6 April 2021. https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/a-brief-history-of-kpop/.
A history of K-pop music - The Post. âA History of K-Pop Musicâ. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2023/09/a-history-of-k-pop-music.
Benjamin, Jeff. âThe 2024 Billboard K-Pop Artist 100â. Billboard (blog), 28 February 2024. https://www.billboard.com/lists/k-pop-artist-100-list-2024-ranked/.
Brookings. âWill South Korean Democracy Pass Its next Test?â Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/will-south-korean-democracy-pass-its-next-test/.
Chung, Jong-Eun. âThe Neo-Developmental Cultural Industries Policy of Korea: Rationales and Implications of an Eclectic Policyâ. International Journal of Cultural Policy 25 (2 January 2019): 63â74. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2018.1557646.
Clark, Michael Carson and John. âAsian Financial Crisisâ. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/asian-financial-crisis.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna. âSouth Korean Cultural Diplomacy and Brokering âK-Cultureâ Outside Asiaâ. Korean Histories 4 (1 January 2013): 14â24.
GOV.UK. âSpring Statement 2025 (HTML)â. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2025-document/spring-statement-2025-html.
LISS DTP. âIdentity, Politics, and Influence in Online K-Pop Communitiesâ. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/project/identity-politics-and-influence-in-online-k-pop-communities/.
NBC News. âOver 60% of Netflix Users Have Watched a Korean Title on the Streaming Service, CEO Saysâ, 26 June 2023. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/60-netflix-users-watched-korean-title-streaming-service-ceo-says-rcna91180.
Routledge & CRC Press. âSouth Korean Popular Culture in the Global Context: Beyond the Fandomâ. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.routledge.com/South-Korean-Popular-Culture-in-the-Global-Context-Beyond-the-Fandom/Lim/p/book/9781032233727.
Shin, Hyunjoon, and Seung-Ah Lee. Made in Korea: Studies in Popular Music. Taylor & Francis, 2016.
Son, Sarah A. âGlastonburyâs First K-Pop Group Is a Reflection of Years of Korean Government Strategyâ. The Conversation, 18 March 2024. http://theconversation.com/glastonburys-first-k-pop-group-is-a-reflection-of-years-of-korean-government-strategy-225930.
âThe Birth of the Creative Industries Revisited | Department of Culture, Media & Creative Industries | Kingâs College Londonâ. Accessed 9 June 2025. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cmci/research-expertise/the-birth-of-the-creative-industries-revisited.
âThe Rise of K-Pop, and What It Reveals about Society and Culture | Yale Newsâ, 21 August 2023. https://news.yale.edu/2023/08/21/rise-k-pop-and-what-it-reveals-about-society-and-culture.
Wills, Matthew. âLadies and Gentlemen, Itâs The Kim Sistersâ. JSTOR Daily (blog), 20 August 2023. https://daily.jstor.org/ladies-and-gentlemen-its-the-kim-sisters/.
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Given its association with Homer Simpson, the donut (or doughnut?or do-nut?) is perhaps one of the great icons of American culture filling our minds with corner shops and diners serving piping hot black coffee and delicious fried circles of sweet dough.
The donut however, is not just a calorie dense delivery service that keeps you functional on the go, it is also a hero...
On today's episode of Seemingly Unrelated we unpack an iconic pink box of goodness by exploring the impact the humble donut has had on the United States and beyond. Why are they called "donuts" if there are not usually nuts involved? How did the First World War decorate the donut with its first heroic medal? Who is the 'Donut King' and what nefarious dictator did his reign challenge?
The answers to these questions will do more than just fill the hole at the center of your donut, they will fill your mind with the Seemingly Unrelated heroism of the donut.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated
Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Bibliography:
Batalova, Jeanne Batalova Mary Hanna and Jeanne. âImmigrants from Asia in the United Statesâ. migrationpolicy.org, 9 March 2021. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigrants-asia-united-states-2020.
BBC News. âThe Donut King Who Went Full Circle - from Rags to Riches, Twiceâ. 28 November 2020, sec. Stories. https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-54546427.
âBringing Home to the Front Lines: The History of National Donut Day - Silicon Valleyâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://siliconvalley.salvationarmy.org/silicon_valley/news/bringing-home-to-the-front-lines-the-history-of-donut-day/.
Budiman, Ziyao Tian, Carolyne Im, Sahana Mukherjee and Abby. âWhy Asian Immigrants Come to the U.S. and How They View Life Hereâ. Pew Research Center (blog), 9 October 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2024/10/09/why-asian-immigrants-come-to-the-u-s-and-how-they-view-life-here/.
College of Liberal Arts. âCambodiaâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/cambodia.
Haldane, David. âA TASTE OF CAMBODIAâŻ: A Real Horatio Alger Story: Refugee Built Empire on Doughnutsâ. Los Angeles Times, 19 December 1988. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-19-fi-434-story.html.
âââ. âVOICES FROM THE FIRST GENERATIONâŻ: The Ngoy Familyâ. Los Angeles Times, 5 November 1989. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-05-tm-1171-story.html.
âHistoric 1800s Oly Koek Recipe | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | InLiteratureâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://www.inliterature.net/by-book/sleepy-hollow/2018/10/sleepy-hollow-doughty-dough-nuts-olykoeks.html.
Los Angeles Times. âAsians Looking to Broaden HorizonsâŻ: Immigrants Prosper but Hope to Venture Outside the âBusiness Ghettoââ, 2 February 1987. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-02-fi-44-story.html.
michaell. âLao Refugee Becomes Engaged Community Leader in Minneapolisâ. New American Economy, 28 February 2022. https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/feature/lao-refugee-becomes-engaged-community-leader-in-minneapolis/.
âProtecting the Investigator in Traumatic Research Areas | UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Associationâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://digitalhumanities-uk-ie.org/community-interest-groups/protecting-the-investigator-in-traumatic-research-areas/.
Quinones, Sam. âFrom Sweet Success to Bitter Tearsâ. Los Angeles Times, 19 January 2005. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jan-19-me-donutking19-story.html.
Red, -Vignesh Ramachandran Vignesh Ramachandran Vignesh Ramachandran is a digital news editor for the PBS NewsHour Ramachandran is also co-founder of, White, Brown Media, Focused on Building Media Representation, sharing South Asian American stories Previously, he was at ProPublica, and the Stanford Computational Journalism Lab. âAsian Americans Are the Fastest Growing Group in the U.S., Report Findsâ. PBS News, 13 April 2021. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/asian-americans-are-the-fastest-growing-group-in-the-u-s-report-finds.
South China Morning Post. âFrom Rags to Riches to Ruin, Californiaâs Cambodian âDonut Kingââ, 5 April 2020. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3078243/rise-and-fall-cambodian-refugee-donut-king-charted-award.
Taylor, David A. âThe History of the Doughnutâ. Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-the-doughnut-150405177/.
The British Medical Association is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK. âVicarious Trauma: Signs and Strategies for Copingâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/your-wellbeing/vicarious-trauma/vicarious-trauma-signs-and-strategies-for-coping.
ââThe Story of the Man They Called the Doughnut Kingââ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://www.phnompenhpost.com/7days/story-man-they-called-doughnut-king.
USC Shoah Foundation. âCambodian Genocideâ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://sfi.usc.edu/collections/cambodian-genocide.
âWhat Itâs like in Americaâs âDoughnut Capitalââ. Accessed 26 May 2025. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/06/us/doughnuts-cnnphotos/index.html.
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We're back from hiatus and for season 2 we are starting things off with our first ever theme month! This month, every episode is about that most basic of needs and builder of cultures: food.
To get things started we have to ask a basic question: What is authentic parmesan cheese? The answer to that question is going to surprise you but it's only the beginning as we chart the unexpected waters of European national food history from disappointment of the continental breakfast to the bloody defense of Budapest against the Ottomans we are back in top form.
If this is your first time hearing of the show, welcome and make sure to hit that subscribe button because we do exactly this, all the time.
Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated
Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod
Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelated
Bibliography:
Bartoletto, Silvana, and M.d.Mar Rubio. âEnergy Transition and COâ Emissions in Southern Europe: Italy and Spain (1861-2000)â. Global Environment 1, no. 2 (2008): 46â81.
âBelle Ăpoque, n. & Adj. Meanings, Etymology and More | Oxford English Dictionaryâ. Accessed 12 May 2025. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/belle-epoque_n.
Chevallier, Jim. August Zang and the French Croissant: How Viennoiserie Came to France. Chez Jim, 2009.
Guy, Kolleen M. ââOiling the Wheels of Social Lifeâ: Myths and Marketing in Champagne during the Belle Epoqueâ. French Historical Studies 22, no. 2 (1999): 211â39. https://doi.org/10.2307/286747.
Gvion, Liora, and Naomi Trostler. âFrom Spaghetti and Meatballs through Hawaiian Pizza to Sushi: The Changing Nature of Ethnicity in American Restaurantsâ. The Journal of Popular Culture 41, no. 6 (2008): 950â74. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2008.00559.x.
Halliday, David. The Bloody History of the Croissant. Arcadia, 2010.
Hopkin, Rachel. âThe Way of the Croissant: Traditional Perspectives On A Traditional Pastryâ. Digest: A Journal of Foodways and Culture 5, no. 2 (1 November 2016). https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/digest/article/view/27808.
Humanities Cookbook. âDanish Pastry (Weinerbrod) Storyâ. Accessed 12 May 2025. https://humcookbook.byu.edu/danish-pastry-weinerbrod-story.
OâConnor, Kaori. âCuisine, Nationality and the Making of a National Meal: The English Breakfastâ. In Nations and Their Histories: Constructions and Representations, edited by Susana Carvalho and François Gemenne, 157â71. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245273_10.
Olsen, Jan M. âDanish Pastry: A Mistake That Conquered the WorldâŻ: Food: The Treat Originated 350 Years Ago When a French Baker Forgot the Butter, Folding It in Later to Try to Cover up His Mistake. He Ended up with a Light Dough That Traveled the Globe.â Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1993. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-19-mn-36976-story.html.
Profile Books. âA Brief History of Pastaâ. Accessed 12 May 2025. https://profilebooks.com/work/a-brief-history-of-pasta/.
The United States of Pizza, Mapsplained, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbhy8CLgfOE.
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