Backyard Philosophy Podcast

I just wanted to do a simple episode of what was… the first public library in history was, but no. No no no… of course… it’s complicated, complex and a bunch of historians are arguing what even is a library let alone the first library. But I did the research, I read, and combed through so, so much information just to give you the straight forward answer of, what was the first public library. Which changes depending on your definiti...

Your fingerprint is your own, there isn’t another like it. Which makes it perfect for identifying you. Whether it be for security reasons or for convicting a criminal. Which is why fingerprints have been used so long in history and why they still use it in court of law. Just think about how many cop shows there are and how often they talk about fingerprints. But something else something else that is a completely distinguished ident...

A lone knight, in full body armor, sits upon his stallion, halberd in hand, sword upon his hip. Waiting….waiting for the invading forces to arrive. The ground rumbles as the invading army draws near. Soldiers marching, and their “calvary” numerous but not riding horses rather riding … tanks. What will this knight do? Will he stand his ground against hundreds … who are armed with rifles, machine guns and tanks. And him only armed wi...

You’re walking down the street through the snow and you see a baby stroller and no one is around. As you walk past you see a child, a baby inside the stroller. Franticly you look around and see through a window a bunch of parents drinking some warm coffee laughing and talking with one another as their children brace the cold winter air. Your first instinct might be anger or to be worried about the child but it turns out it’s a comm...

Milk and cookies are a staple in Christmas culture, the tradition of leaving out treats for Santa as he brings you gifts well… its hard to think of more classic Christmas trope. But all traditions have a beginning and all traditions are done for a reason. So why is it on Christmas eve do you leave cookies and milk out for Santa? Well down the chimney we go to investigate and tell you why so many people leave treats out for old sain...

The Holiday season is filled will joy and cheer, connecting with one’s loved ones and filled with traditions. But it is also filled with dread. Dread of making sure you get everyone gifts, you don’t forget anyone, decorations, obligations. Let’s be honest, the holiday season is a lot of work. And one of the most taxing busy work during the holidays is replying to everyone. Making sure you don’t forget anyone and show people you car...

Imagine you come across a jewel, not just any jewel, a diamond. A diamond that is worth millions. A diamond deep blue in color and almost as big as a golf ball. The only problem is… it is said to be cursed. And over the centuries it has been stolen, remade and all the owners of it… all have mysteriously died. Would you still take it? Would you risk owning a cursed jewel for millions of dollars? … If you said yes, you would not be a...

We all know of Dracula, both the myth and the real man… Whether it be movies about a vampire or books about the historic Vlad The Impaler. But few know about his younger brother Radu. Who had an interesting life of his own. A man who fought with and slept with Sultans, waged war against multiple kingdoms and sat on the same throne multiple times. In this episode we dive into the life of Radu whose life could be a Shakespearean play...

Monsters have always plagued humanities mind, some of them real some of them nothing more than our figure of imagination. Either way, monsters induce fear, and perhaps there is nothing as infections to others as fear. So, what do you do when you have an era of war, plague and famine well you look for an escape goat or in this case an escape wolf. Across most of Europe during the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries a werewolf hunt ensued, pr...

In the dark there is always something, something lurking, stalking, hunting. And with a flash of lightning in this tale a certain creature would appear and come for souls. There are many creatures of the night but if rumors are true this creature comes from the bowels of hell itself. Satan’s own pet, a beast that plagued English countryside’s for centuries. A hellhound. And not just any hell hound, oh no this one has its own name… ...

No that wasn’t your phone, but there is a high chance you thought it was or even felt a vibration in your pocket. And you are not alone. Millions if not billions of people all around the world hear and feel their phone go off, even though it never actually did. A phantom vibration. Is it the phone companies toying with you? Is it that you are going mad? Is it the clothes we wear, giving us a false sensation? Well in this week episo...

Boxing has been an evolving sport ever since its creation. In the early days … it was crude, raw and the rules were not really formed yet. Gloves were considered dishonorable, canvases were wood and dirt and the fight wouldn’t be over, till there was only one man left standing. But what happens when you have two men refusing to go down, refusing to give up, giving every inch of their body to stay in the fight. Well you get the long...

The history of balloons in warfare is long and complicated. And until researching this didn’t know how crazy it actually was. Filled with a lot of drama, drama on who invented balloons first, drama of balloons being used to devastate cities and drama of an arms race with balloons being a hidden key player on multiple continents. But in this episode we are focusing on hot air balloons in war. Mainly when people got in balloons. Not ...

When we think of ancient Rome, we tend to think of Caeser, Gladiators, a vast empire that stretches over enormous amounts of land. But Rome has a had a long history and has done things at times that roman people themselves and people in modern times think “what the hell are yall doing?”  One of these times would be an end of an era, caused by deprecatory leading to a year of war that would stretch across continents. A time when all...

Sometimes you make a decision to peak behind the curtain only to find that you wish you didn’t. And that is what happened to me when I investigated think tanks. I was naive and thought they were just researchers and academics studying specific topics, boy was I wrong. As I explain what think tanks are and how they change the very world around us you will see too behind the curtain and see the power that they hold. This is what thin...

Mankind has always had the hunger the need to push, to race, to challenge not only others but ourselves. For many of us we crave this feeling and sadly for many of us the opportunity never comes. But occasionally the fates listen and grant a chance to a weary soul. A chance to do something one has always dreamed of. But as the saying goes everything has a cost and be careful what you wish for. This is the tale of Frank Hayes a man ...