Our Fake History

In the mid-19th century a new religious movement, known as modern spiritualism, was sweeping North America and Europe. At the heart of this phenomenon were two sisters from western New York who claimed they could speak with the dead. Kate and Maggie Fox became famous as teenagers when they started being followed by strange knocking sounds they claimed were made by the hands of spirits. However, as the girls aged they discovered that being famous spirit mediums came with many difficulties. Eventually the Fox Sisters would turn their backs on the movement they helped create and would confess to perpetuating a decades long fraud. But the confession itself was riddled with lies, exaggerations, and obfuscations. Should we trust it? How did the girls managed to pull off such an elaborate years long hoax? Were they ever truly honest about how they created the amazing things witnessed at their seances? Tune-in and find out how ghost kisses, arctic explorers, and toe-ology all play a role in the story
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1848 in the rural community of Hydesville, New York, a small farmhouse owned by the Fox family was overrun by strange rapping and knocking sounds. The family eventually guessed that the sounds were being made by spirits and that those spirits were trying to communicate with the living. Strangely, the knocking sounds did not stay confined to the farmhouse, instead they seemed to follow the family's two youngest daughters, Kate and Maggie Fox, wherever they went. Soon the young girls discovered that they could reliably communicate with these strange knocking spirits. This set them on a path to becoming America's best known spirit mediums, launching the movement known as modern spiritualism. But, many were convinced that these teenagers were were frauds, whose April fool's day prank had spun wildly out of control. What was going on with these girls? Were they truly interacting with the paranormal, or where they instead child-prodigies who had orchestrated one of the eras greatest cons? Tune-in and find out how floating tables, Benjamin Franklin's ghost, and the Ramones first album all play a role in the story.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special series Sebastian presents a story that was originally created exclusively for Patrons back in 2020. The extra-long original episode is now being presented in two installments. Sebastian knew Tesla was figure shrouded in historical myths… he just didn’t know how many. It turns out Tesla may be one of the most mythologized people to have lived in the last 200 years. Tesla was as great a showman as he was an inventor. He created an image of himself in the American media that made him seem more like a wizard than a scientist. Decades later, when Tesla’s memory was being revived, many of his fans latched on to this semi-magical image. But what should we believe about a man whose story includes wireless light-bulbs, electricity leaping from his fingertips, communication with extra-terrestrials, and a death ray? Tune-in and find out how 19th century lightsabers, the world’s most beautiful pigeon, and Donald Trump’s uncle all play role in the story.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special series Sebastian presents a story that was originally created exclusively for Patrons back in 2020. The extra-long original episode is now being presented in two installments. Sebastian knew Tesla was figure shrouded in historical myths... he just didn't know how many. It turns out Tesla may be one of the most mythologized people to have lived in the last 200 years. Tesla was as great a showman as he was an inventor. He created an image of himself in the American media that made him seem more like a wizard than a scientist. Decades later, when Tesla's memory was being revived, many of his fans latched on to this semi-magical image. But what should we believe about a man whose story includes wireless light-bulbs, electricity leaping from his fingertips, communication with extra-terrestrials, and a death ray? Tune-in and find out how 19th century lightsabers, the world's most beautiful pigeon, and Donald Trump's uncle all play role in the story.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 compares the differences between folklore and urban legends. Finally, Sebastian shares a few giant stories from the Lake Huron region and talks about some contemporary online creators playing fast and loose with the Children's Crusade myth. Tune-in and find out how Atlantis, Giant's Tomb, and newspaper sages all play a role in the story.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.