In our modern age we have lived through natural disasters and floods in various parts of the world, and no matter what, they are always tragic. But tragic floods are not always a cause of nature. In episode 7, we discussed the great molasses flood that occurred in Boston and the ensuing devastation of that event. Well today, we’ll be taking a look at a similar, albeit less gloopy tidal wave of destruction that occurred 100 years before that. And, as much as any of us may love a beer every now and then and dream of swimming in a pool of the bubbly liquid, this tragic event was unfortunately n ..read more

There are many stories throughout history of individuals with freakish appetites, who seem to be able to consume quantities of food well past what a human stomach should be capable of handling. Today, we’ll be diving into the story of Charles Domery, a Polish-born soldier who tried to eat the whole world. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month: patreon.com/foodhistorypod ------------------- Sources for this episode's research: https://historianandrew.medium.com/the-man-who-couldnt-stop-eating-including-cats-rats-grass-and-his-friend-s-leg-c7ec7e1fce01 https ..read more

There are few things more universally loved than a good sandwich. We as humans love the simplicity and deliciousness of having something to hold all of our favourite fillings together. But there was a time in our history when the venerable sandwich was used not for sustenance, or delight in a tasty meal, but rather as a loophole with which to get around some rather limiting laws. ------------------- Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode. To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs wi ..read more

In the late 1800s in Japan, there was a disease that seemed to target not just inner-city dwellers in Edo, what we know as modern-day Tokyo, but it affected mainly the upper classes. Not even the emperor and his family were immune to this slow, agonizing disease that saw people waste away in front of their loved ones. It would be a few years until the true culprit was discovered and it would throw Japanese culture into a frenzy when the cause was found to be none other than their beloved, white rice. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod and g ..read more

Food inherently is meant to sustain life, but this has not always been the case, in fact, for as far back as history goes food has also been used as a vehicle, not for invigorating life, but for delivering death. In this episode, we’re looking at some of the most bizarre moments in which food was involved in assassination plots throughout history. . In an extra special segment in today's episode, my friend Moxie LaBouche from the podcast Your Brain On Facts takes us through some of the more creative assassination attempts on the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro ..read more

William Buckland and his son Francis were two men whose goal in life seemed to be to consume every single animal on earth. From bluebottle flies to mice on toast they were not afraid to try anything put in front of them, not even a mummified king's heart! Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod Find show notes, transcripts and references on the website: www.foodhistorypodcast.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support ..read more

This episode is a look at how in the early to mid 1900’s the abolitionist laws banning the production and consumption of alcohol played a majorly significant role in the creation of what, today, is a veritable institution of the American South, NASCAR. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month: patreon.com/foodhistorypod ------------------- Sources for this episode's research: https://winstoncupmuseum.com/nascar-and-prohibition/#:~:text=Across%20the%20country%2C%20bootleggers%20had,cases%20of%20liquor%20as%20possible https://www.history.com/news/how-prohibitio ..read more

There are many stories throughout history of individuals with freakish appetites, who seem to be able to consume quantities of food well past what a human stomach should be capable of handling. Today, we’ll be diving into the story of Charles Domery, a Polish-born soldier who tried to eat the whole world. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month: patreon.com/foodhistorypod ------------------- Sources for this episode's research: https://historianandrew.medium.com/the-man-who-couldnt-stop-eating-including-cats-rats-grass-and-his-friend-s-leg-c7ec7e1fce01 https ..read more

For most of history, the Dutch have been an almost all-powerful force to be reckoned with. They were the forerunners for a lot of the world's exploration, and for a long time dominated the seas and trade routes through the stranglehold of the Dutch East India Company. In the preceding century, they were still under Spanish rule, with 2 of their kings, Charles the Fifth and his Son Phillip II, simultaneously ruling as the kings of Spain and the so-called Low Countries of The Netherlands. But the Dutch weren’t having any of this for long and at the first sign of mismanagement, made their feeli ..read more

For today's story we will be diving into the life of a truly extraordinary man named William V McKenna, and while he fits the category of “people who eat random things”, those things that he ate can’t really be classified as food. So let's see just how this man, William McKenna first discovered his talented digestive system. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : patreon.com/foodhistorypod ------------------- Sources for this episode's research: https://www.picuki.com/tag/humanostrich https://www.weirdhistorian.com/appetite-for-intestinal-destruction-the ..read more