High Tales of History

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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The Socials and Patreon!
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YouTube-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@High Tales of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠High Tales of History or ⁠⁠@HighTalesofHistory ⁠
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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The Socials and Patreon!
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YouTube-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@High Tales of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠High Tales of History or ⁠⁠@HighTalesofHistory ⁠
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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The Socials and Patreon!
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YouTube-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@High Tales of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠High Tales of History or ⁠⁠@HighTalesofHistory ⁠
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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The Socials and Patreon!
Patreon-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Best Buds Club!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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YouTube-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@High Tales of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠High Tales of History or ⁠⁠@HighTalesofHistory ⁠
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/

Climb aboard the SS Smoke Circle as we head out to the High Seas to learn about the lives of a couple of pirate baddies--Anne Bonny and Mary Read, a couple of the most famous pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy. We love seeing women in male dominated fields.
During this episode we cover the lives of these two pirates as well as the democratic nature of pirate ships, and why pirates have captured the public's imagination.
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Mentioned In the Stories:
All of our pirate episodes!
Episode 1. Ching Shih: the biggest pirate badass of them all
Episode 33: Pirate Captain William Kidd
Episode 47: Sam Bellamy and the Shipwreck of the Whydah Galley
Episode 86: Sayyida al-Hurra: The Mediterranean Pirate Queen
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The Socials and Patreon!
Patreon-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Best Buds Club!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Email—[email protected]⁠ 
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Source Material and References:
Sources:
Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The romance and the reality of life among the pirates. S.l.: Random House Publishing Group, 2013.

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2024/07/the-life-and-trial-of-anne-bonny/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/if-theres-a-man-among-ye-the-tale-of-pirate-queens-anne-bonny-and-mary-read-45576461/

https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/anne-bonny-mary-read-female-pirates-lives-crimes/

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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/