The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong
A podcast about exactly what it says it is: examining the bad ideas, mistakes and accidents that misshaped our world.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 51 minutes
- Episodes
- 216
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Men of Stone (Pt 2)
Throughout the 19th Century, The United States was absolutely barraged by tales of petrified stone men: ancient giants, missing links, careless miners, unfortunate souls and one Civil War hero, Gener…
01:17:39 |
Tue 21 Dec 2021
Men of Stone (Pt 1)
In 1897, a Montana prospector discovered something valuable in The Missouri River. Not gold, not silver, not even copper. It was the petrified body of a missing Civil War hero, General Thomas Francis…
00:57:21 |
Tue 07 Dec 2021
It's a Secret to Everyone, Too
Our second annual dive into the hidden world of The Constant Secret Feed.Continue your education via University of California Irvine now! (https://ce.uci.edu/?utm_source=TNM&utm_medium=podcast&utm_ca…
01:07:33 |
Tue 30 Nov 2021
Something from Nothing
Be the most popular kid on the block with these fantastic new tricks! Produce bees from lions! Frogs from mud! Scorpions from bricks! This week we're taking on the oldest and most widely believed bul…
01:43:48 |
Tue 16 Nov 2021
Lucy Lightfoot
Lucy Lightfoot went missing in 1831, and was later found alive and well... in 1364. Listen to this episode through Vodacast here! (http://feed.vodacast.com/59793132/The%20Constant:%20A%20History%20of…
00:51:07 |
Tue 02 Nov 2021
Long Story Short (Pt 3)
A long story, made short, and then long again, is finally ready to end. Join us for part three, the story of one guy who singlehandedly solved the most difficult problem in human history. Sort of. Ki…
01:26:48 |
Tue 19 Oct 2021
Long Story Short (Pt 2)
In part two, we've got an enormous naval disaster, a long-shot con-job, some far-fetched inventions, and some of the most famous scientists to ever lived, all unified by that most difficult of human …
01:09:32 |
Tue 05 Oct 2021
Long Story Short (Pt 1)
Humanity has tackled a lot of hard problems over the last few thousand years--from medicine to physics to splitting tips. But the most difficult question we've ever answered is our subject this week:…
01:06:42 |
Tue 21 Sep 2021
Trivial
Today we've got a potpourri of smaller stories: invasive bird spies! Cunning robberies! Booby traps! MULES! Listen in!Check out this show and all your other podcasts on Vodacast (http://www.vodacast.…
00:55:08 |
Tue 07 Sep 2021
Are Whales Fish?
In 1818, New York City was gripped by the trial of the century. At stake was $75, the regulation of a multimillion dollar industry, and the answer to the question on everyone's mind: were whales fish…
01:06:55 |
Tue 24 Aug 2021
Walking on Sunshine
There is an episode of this show entitled "In The Air Tonight", but make no mistake: this episode is the "In The Air Tonight" of Constant episodes. Confused? You won't be, after this episode of... Th…
01:02:46 |
Tue 10 Aug 2021
Holy Toledo Jefferson Correction
I made a big enough oopsie in the last episode, Holy Toledo, that I think it deserves a formal correction here. I hope you'll listen.
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00:09:45 |
Mon 02 Aug 2021
Holy Toledo
Ohio versus Michigan! It's a familiar rivalry. But this week, it's not a football game: it's a war, fought over the city of Toledo.Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting: http:…
01:12:29 |
Tue 27 Jul 2021
Map & Territory
A perfect map is a useless map, but imperfect maps are how myths get made. Get $75 credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com/theconstantGet 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiti…
00:56:05 |
Tue 13 Jul 2021
Start Here (100th Episode!)
For our 100th episode, we're going back and remastering some of very first stories. If you're looking for a place to start listening, this is it. Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by …
00:43:44 |
Tue 29 Jun 2021
The Lead Age
Clair Cameron Patterson discovered the true age of the Earth, and in the process, the greatest environmental catastrophe in human history.Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting…
01:17:32 |
Tue 15 Jun 2021
It's a Date
How old is the world? There're only fifteen or twenty ways to find out!Get $75 credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com/theconstant (http://www.indeed.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first mont…
01:11:09 |
Tue 01 Jun 2021
Death Rays (Part Two (Electric Boogaloo))
Here it is! The Big Bad Boys of Death Ray History: Axis vs. Allies, Marconi vs. Tesla, and barely anything about the mysterious Japanese WWII monkey shortage that is picking the inside of my brain bl…
01:16:54 |
Tue 18 May 2021
Death Rays
This one does what it says on the tin: instantly kills you with a beam of indeterminate provenance! What other podcast can promise that? Aside from Roman Mars, obviously.Get 10% off your first month …
01:13:52 |
Tue 04 May 2021
Don't Know Much About History
Nobody paid much attention to Jean Hardouin in 1729 when he said that all of history was faked. But since then, his message has found a lot more receptive ears. Meet your newest conspiratorial friend…
01:02:54 |
Tue 20 Apr 2021
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