High Tales of History

It's 1937 in China. Japan has invaded China some years prior and the Chinese people are under a ruthless Japaneses occupation. This story is about when people get fed the fuck up and rise against their oppressors.
While most historians agree that WWII started with the invasion of Poland, some historians will say this is an even earlier catalyst for the war--and it all took place at the Lugou Bridge, most commonly known as the Marco Polo Bridge (although that guy had nothing to do with the bridge besides being awestruck and writing about it in his journal...) This must be some bridge and some "incident," right?!
For episode 120, KT is taking us to China in 1937 with the event that started the Second Sino-Japanese War.
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Episode 4: Hatori Honzo
Episode 93: Yi Sun-Sin, the Korean admiral
GEICO Marco Polo ad
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
Coming Soon!
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Intro/outro music: "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (⁠incompetech.com⁠) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Come, dear Listener! The game is afoot!
The sisters are relocating the Smoke Circle to the cozy sitting room of 221B Baker Street! In this episode, Laurel takes you through the history of Sherlock Holmes' from literary creation to global phenomenon, exploring the life of Sherlock's creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the birth of his great detective Sherlock Holmes, and his influence on modern media and forensic science.
Find out who Sherlock Holmes is REALLY based on, how Sherlock's fandom is the first "modern" one (complete with fanfic!), and how badly the creator wanted to kill off his creation.
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Mentioned In the Stories:
⁠Episode 98: The Queen's Seer: A History of Divination, from the Elizabethan Period and Beyond⁠
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The complete Sherlock Holmes. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 2015.

https://www.history.com/articles/was-sherlock-holmes-based-on-a-real-person

https://historynet.com/sherlock-holmes-history/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41398643?seq=1

https://www.pbs.org/articles/sir-arthur-conan-doyle-reluctant-creator-of-sherlock-holmes
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Intro/outro music: "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (⁠incompetech.com⁠) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Think Merlin was a happy, magical wizard? Think again.
Join us in the Smoke Circle as KT takes us through the dark history of Merlin's origins and his evolution through time. From demon spawn to bard, from "madman" to the wise sage of Camelot, Merlin has a fascinating history. Join us as we contrast the myth with historical realities, and examine how folklore reflects cultural and historical transformations.
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Mentioned In the Stories:
And this is website working on getting all that poetry up for everyone to see and read:https://merlinpoetry.wales/welcome/ 
Episode 91: A History of Witches
⁠⁠Episode 87: The Sword in the Bosnian Stone
Episode 97: Divining the Future in Ancient Civilizations
Episode 98: The Queen's Seer: A History of Divination, from the Elizabethan Period and Beyond
Episode 45: The Satanic Panic
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merlin-legendary-magician

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/10/merlin-demons/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Myrddin-Wyllt

https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/early-welsh-literature/pages/merlin.shtml

https://blogsarchive.sites.haverford.edu/celticfringe/2014/03/10/757/

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2025/02/rediscovering-myrddin-early-merlin-poems-reveal-the-poet-and-prophet-behind-the-myth.php
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Intro/outro music: "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (⁠incompetech.com⁠) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

One night in June 1497, Giovanni Borgia--the second and most favorite son of Pope Alexander VI--was in the company of his valet and possibly a masked man. Both the valet and Giovanni were soon found dead with no leads in solving the case. Who might have murdered Giovanni Borgia and what was the motive?
Turns out, a handful of people would want him dead and for a variety of reasons. The Borgias are one of history's greatest notorious families. Their lives were filled with salacious (often slanderous) rumors of their sexual proclivities as well as briberies, assassinations and feuds against other powerful Italian families of the time.
Settle into the Smoke Circle for one of history's greatest cold cases. It's going to be a wild ride...
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Mentioned In the Stories:
⁠Episode 66. Syndrome K: The Deadly Disease that Saved Lives
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/pope-alexander-borgia-family-black-legend?loggedin=true&rnd=1773433319727
https://www.rutaborjaborgia.com/en/epoca/2-349/la-muerte-de-juan-borgia.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banquet_of_Chestnuts
https://archive.org/details/popealexandervih00burc/page/90/mode/2up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Borgia2ndDuke_of_Gand%C3%ADa
https://www.historytoday.com/history-matters/were-borgias-really-so-bad
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Intro/outro music: "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (⁠incompetech.com⁠) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

There's something in the trees and it ain't no man...
It's Kt, actually. She's bringing a change up for episode 116 with the history and social commentary around the 1987 classic, Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and the massive Kevin Peter Hall as the titular Predator.
Together, Kt takes us through the jungles of toxic masculinity tropes, patriarchy and 80s politics reflected in the 1987 movie, we well as behind the scenes looks at its "hit and hope" creation. Kt also talks about the lore that surrounds the Yautja (the alien species that are the predators) throughout the franchise.
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Mentioned In the Stories:
Predator Helicopter Scene "Goddamn Sexual Tyrannosaurus!"
Commando Opening Scene
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
https://www.fangoria.com/aint-no-man-how-predator-targets-toxic-masculinity/

https://cinephiliabeyond.org/predator-john-mctiernans-first-studio-gig-became-epic-action-classic/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3p_WopxE_E&t=32s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(film)#:~:text=Jim%20and%20John%20Thomas's,forces%20operations%20during%20that%20time

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(fictional_species)#:~:text=Early%20Predator%20design%20concepts%20by,adding%20dreadlocks%20to%20the%20design
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Intro/outro music: "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (⁠incompetech.com⁠) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/