Podcast
Cock and Bull
Hosted by Spencer Foust, Nathan · EN
True stories with unbelievable characters. Brought to you by amateur historians and professional brothers.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
100: John Hunter and Charles Byrne
Dec 19, 202301:08:16Tap to summarizeOn June 1, 1783, a 7'7" Irishman named Charles Byrne died of tuberculosis and complications with giantism. Eagerly awaiting his death was a man regarded as England's greatest surgeon, who was competing with others in the medical community to earn the opportunity of dissecting such a rare medical specimen. Byrne, however, was terrified of post-mortem dissection, and begged his friends to take any measures to keep his body away from the mob of doctors... but Hunter didn't take "no" for an answer. Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →99: Victor Hugo: An Erotic Life
Nov 14, 202300:33:52Tap to summarizeOn June 24, 1801, Victor Hugo was conceived on the peaks of the Vosges Mountains. It's unclear whether this is pertinent to him writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →98: The Death of King Charles II
Nov 7, 202300:31:49Tap to summarizeFebruary 2 of 1685, Charles II, King of England, woke up feeling a little under the weather. What followed was perhaps the most aggressive case of "good intentions, poor execution." Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →97: Radithor
Oct 31, 202300:37:58Tap to summarizeAfter the discovery of atomic decay, radioactive medicines were soon stocked in drug stores across the world. Today's episode centers on "Radithor," a radioactive patent drug consumed by famed semi-pro golfer Eben Byers; who would go on to be known as "a guy you absolutely shouldn't look up on Google images. Please." Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →96: Honey Mummies
Oct 24, 202300:24:50Tap to summarizeThe mellified men, also known as human mummy confections, were a legendary medicinal substance created by steeping a human cadaver in honey. Join us as we unravel another Bipin Banger History Mystery! Cock and Bull is a primary source on The Dollop. It's also a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →95: Sokushinbutsu
Oct 17, 202300:33:29Tap to summarizeThe Japanese climate is not exactly conducive to mummification. There are no peat bogs, no arid deserts, and no alpine peaks perennially encased in ice. The summers are hot and humid. Between 1081 and 1903, at least 17 monks managed to mummify themselves. Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →94: Tarrare "The Bottomless Pit"
Oct 10, 202300:41:57Tap to summarizeCONTENT WARNING: ANIMAL CRUELTY, EATING DISORDERS In the early 1780s, a family of French famers made the awful, and no-doubt difficult decision to abandon their son. The boy was incredibly skinny, had angel-fine hair, and an insatiable appetite--able to eat his weight in beef. Unable to afford this costly extra mouth, the boy (known only as "Tarrare") was thrown out into the French countryside to fend for himself. What followed was a brief, miserable, and morbidly fascinating life. This is the story of Tarrare: the veteran, sideshow performer, and medical anomaly with a bottomless gut. Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →93: William Buckland's Buffet
Oct 3, 202300:51:45Tap to summarizeFamed geologist and paleontologist William Buckland was among the most energetic and eccentric Deans to ever pass through the halls of Oxford. Not only did he help name the fist-ever dinosaur, but he also played a role in discrediting the Biblical Flood Theory, and... and... checks notes ... And he wanted to eat one of every animal on earth? Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →92: Dr. Messenger Monsey
Sep 26, 202301:01:52Tap to summarizeNathan and Spencer take it down a notch from last week by talking about a silly 18th century doctor who longed for the life of a fancy boy. Midway through the episode we refer to a pair of pictures. Picture 1, and Picture 2. Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can donate to our show with the tip jar, which we promise to use for research materials and NOT $1 medium fountain drinks at Taco Bell from 2-5 p.m. Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
Transcribe →91: Pruitt Igo
Sep 19, 202301:13:11Tap to summarizeIn 1952, construction began on a public housing project in North St. Louis, Missouri. 33 apartment buildings--a herculean spending project in the name of urban renewal. By 1972, they would famously be demolished on television. There’s much more to the story. Pruitt-Igoe was not proof of a Cold War logic; it did not display the “inevitable” failures of planned housing. It was an organized sabotage—and a clandestine site for radiological weapons experimentation. These studies were conducted on innocent and unconsenting civilians, who were mostly poor, mostly Black, and mostly women and children. All credit for this week's episode goes to Devin Tomas O'Shea's article in Proteanmag. Cock and Bull is a somewhat-weekly history podcast about unbelievable characters and shockingly true stories, brought to you by Spencer Foust and Nathan: a sophisticated text-to-speech program. You can find our other shows at: www.one-shot-one-quill.pinecast.co www.marxmadness.pinecast.co www.blunderphonics.pinecast.co www.cooperative-effort.pinecast.co Cock and Bull is a labor of love, and has neither sponsors nor a network to monetize it. Donations go towards purchasing research materials like memoirs, letters, and research papers from a time when people thought "some idiot's gonna buy this in 2023, and he's gotta work for it." Support Cock and Bull by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/cockandbull Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b8b8a7 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Cock and Bull.
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