Science: A Peculiar History
@peculiar-history.bsky.social
A new podcast covering amusing, interesting and significant episodes from the history of science, at historyofscience.podbean.com, on YouTube at youtube.com/@ScienceAPeculiarHistory, and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
buymeacoffee.com/JoeBath
buymeacoffee.com/JoeBath
Pinned
I have finally got round to publishing the first episode in a new miniseries on four rumours of kings from Scotland to India, over more than 2000 years, conducting the same depraved experiment.
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
At long last, the latest episode is out.
I introduce a third language experiment, that was supposedly carried out by James IV of Scotland, on an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, with a surprising and frankly preposterous result.
Listen at:
historyofscience.podbean.com/e/10-the-for...
I introduce a third language experiment, that was supposedly carried out by James IV of Scotland, on an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, with a surprising and frankly preposterous result.
Listen at:
historyofscience.podbean.com/e/10-the-for...
November 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
At long last, the latest episode is out.
I introduce a third language experiment, that was supposedly carried out by James IV of Scotland, on an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, with a surprising and frankly preposterous result.
Listen at:
historyofscience.podbean.com/e/10-the-for...
I introduce a third language experiment, that was supposedly carried out by James IV of Scotland, on an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, with a surprising and frankly preposterous result.
Listen at:
historyofscience.podbean.com/e/10-the-for...
Emily Wilson Odyssey discourse is going on again on Twitter
November 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Emily Wilson Odyssey discourse is going on again on Twitter
I've been learning about Jan Gerartsen van Gorp (aka Johannes Goropius Becanus), a 16th-Century antiquarian who claimed that the closest current language to the language spoken before the Tower of Babel was not Hebrew (as was widely believed at the time) but the Antwerp dialect of Dutch.
November 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I've been learning about Jan Gerartsen van Gorp (aka Johannes Goropius Becanus), a 16th-Century antiquarian who claimed that the closest current language to the language spoken before the Tower of Babel was not Hebrew (as was widely believed at the time) but the Antwerp dialect of Dutch.
My research often takes me in fascinating and unexpected directions. This time, I've ended up learning about the life and works of the 16th-century Hebraist Elias Levita.
November 3, 2025 at 7:56 PM
My research often takes me in fascinating and unexpected directions. This time, I've ended up learning about the life and works of the 16th-century Hebraist Elias Levita.
Science: A Peculiar History is now on Apple Podcasts, at podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-a-peculiar-history/id1849352201 and on Spotify at open.spotify.com/show/science...
Image largely unrelated
Image largely unrelated
October 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Science: A Peculiar History is now on Apple Podcasts, at podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-a-peculiar-history/id1849352201 and on Spotify at open.spotify.com/show/science...
Image largely unrelated
Image largely unrelated
Reposted by Science: A Peculiar History
Panel of wood (probably pine) with polychrome decoration in tempera, including an elephant
Spain, c. 1400
Spain, c. 1400
October 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Panel of wood (probably pine) with polychrome decoration in tempera, including an elephant
Spain, c. 1400
Spain, c. 1400
There's a new episode out.
This episode continues from the last episode's look at an allegation that the Pharaoh Psamtik I had two children raised without exposure to language to find out what language they would speak, looking at another, similar rumour from centuries later.
This episode continues from the last episode's look at an allegation that the Pharaoh Psamtik I had two children raised without exposure to language to find out what language they would speak, looking at another, similar rumour from centuries later.
October 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
There's a new episode out.
This episode continues from the last episode's look at an allegation that the Pharaoh Psamtik I had two children raised without exposure to language to find out what language they would speak, looking at another, similar rumour from centuries later.
This episode continues from the last episode's look at an allegation that the Pharaoh Psamtik I had two children raised without exposure to language to find out what language they would speak, looking at another, similar rumour from centuries later.
August Kekulé discovering the structure of benzene
September 22, 2025 at 12:07 PM
August Kekulé discovering the structure of benzene
The podcast now has a functioning website at scienceapeculiarhistory.co.uk
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scienceapeculiarhistory.co.uk
September 21, 2025 at 10:23 AM
The podcast now has a functioning website at scienceapeculiarhistory.co.uk
Inspired by the last few episodes of @thebhp.bsky.social
September 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Inspired by the last few episodes of @thebhp.bsky.social
Galileo Galilei, I put it to you that you did, in your volume "Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems", commit the most pernicious heresy of representing his holiness the Pope as a soyjak and yourself as a chad
September 16, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Galileo Galilei, I put it to you that you did, in your volume "Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems", commit the most pernicious heresy of representing his holiness the Pope as a soyjak and yourself as a chad
Been making a website. It's technically on the internet already but not fit for human consumption. It's going to take a while because I felt like building it from scratch (learning HTML as I go).
September 2, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Been making a website. It's technically on the internet already but not fit for human consumption. It's going to take a while because I felt like building it from scratch (learning HTML as I go).
I've been re-reading "Unbelievers" by Alec Ryrie, largely because I remembered that there was some stuff in it about Frederick II of Sicily and the Medieval moral panic about "Epicureans" that would be relevant to the second episode of the current miniseries on language deprivation experiments.
August 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I've been re-reading "Unbelievers" by Alec Ryrie, largely because I remembered that there was some stuff in it about Frederick II of Sicily and the Medieval moral panic about "Epicureans" that would be relevant to the second episode of the current miniseries on language deprivation experiments.
I have finally got round to publishing the first episode in a new miniseries on four rumours of kings from Scotland to India, over more than 2000 years, conducting the same depraved experiment.
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
August 20, 2025 at 7:30 AM
I have finally got round to publishing the first episode in a new miniseries on four rumours of kings from Scotland to India, over more than 2000 years, conducting the same depraved experiment.
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
The first episode is available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/8-the-forb...
Progress update on Episode 8
(From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton)
(From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton)
August 18, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Progress update on Episode 8
(From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton)
(From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton)
I suppose the question you're probably all wondering about is when the next episode is coming out. The research for it sort of got out of control as I kept finding more things to write about.
August 4, 2025 at 11:24 AM
I suppose the question you're probably all wondering about is when the next episode is coming out. The research for it sort of got out of control as I kept finding more things to write about.
Researching the next podcast miniseries, I've recently come across the "Clepsydra Analogy" by the Pre-Socratic Philosopher Empedocles. He's saying that blood is pushed backwards and forwards by differences in air pressure when we breathe.
Several interesting points about this:
(Continued...)
Several interesting points about this:
(Continued...)
![From William Ellery Leonard's 1908 verse translation "The Fragments of Empedocles" (100: The Rushing Blood and the Clepsydra). PDF from the Internet Archive at https://ia601301.us.archive.org
And when from here the thin blood backward streams
The air comes rushing in with roaring swell
But when again it forward leaps, the air
In turn breathes out; as when a little girl
Plays with a water-clock [mistranslation] of gleaming bronze:
As long as ever the opening of the pipe
Is by her pretty fingers stopped and closed,
And thuswise plunged within the yielding mass
Of silvery water, can the Wet no more
Get in the vessel; but the air's own weight,
That falls inside against the countless holes,
Keeps it in check, until the child at last
Uncovers and sets free the thickened air,
When of a truth the water's destined bulk
Gets in, as air gives way. Even so it is,
When in the belly of the brazen clock [sic]
The water lies, and the girl's finger tip
Shuts pipe and tube: The air, that from without
Comes pressing inward, holds the water back
About the gateways of the gurgling neck,
As the child keeps possession of the top,
Until her hand will loosen, when again-
Pours out and under the water's destined bulk,
As air drops down and in. Even so it is
With the thin blood that through our members drives:](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kxni7mtywvmrv45d5yjka6jp/bafkreick3wuf4bdxil22xnhj6wt7bs5fuvnbprc4lh6yoqupuhqxkpsrqu@jpeg)
July 16, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Researching the next podcast miniseries, I've recently come across the "Clepsydra Analogy" by the Pre-Socratic Philosopher Empedocles. He's saying that blood is pushed backwards and forwards by differences in air pressure when we breathe.
Several interesting points about this:
(Continued...)
Several interesting points about this:
(Continued...)
Mom found the 6000 litres of urine I was going to boil to make phosphorus
July 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Mom found the 6000 litres of urine I was going to boil to make phosphorus
The fourth and final episode of the podcast's miniseries on Mary Toft is now available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/mary-toft-4
In this episode we continue our look at the media coverage of Mary Toft, particularly looking at John Maubray, and his description of a "sooterkin".
In this episode we continue our look at the media coverage of Mary Toft, particularly looking at John Maubray, and his description of a "sooterkin".
July 4, 2025 at 9:52 PM
The fourth and final episode of the podcast's miniseries on Mary Toft is now available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/mary-toft-4
In this episode we continue our look at the media coverage of Mary Toft, particularly looking at John Maubray, and his description of a "sooterkin".
In this episode we continue our look at the media coverage of Mary Toft, particularly looking at John Maubray, and his description of a "sooterkin".
Reposted by Science: A Peculiar History
It's revealing how much you can read about electricity whilst barely coming across any references to electricity workers. There's a striking contrast here with coal where scholarly literature and media coverage focuses on miners. By contrast, electricity workers are strikingly absent and overlooked.
June 24, 2025 at 1:51 PM
It's revealing how much you can read about electricity whilst barely coming across any references to electricity workers. There's a striking contrast here with coal where scholarly literature and media coverage focuses on miners. By contrast, electricity workers are strikingly absent and overlooked.
In writing my next miniseries, I've been finding out about the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily Frederick II, known as "Stupor Mundi" (The Wonder of the World). He was notorious for his huge menagerie of exotic animals and was especially obsessed with birds.
June 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM
In writing my next miniseries, I've been finding out about the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily Frederick II, known as "Stupor Mundi" (The Wonder of the World). He was notorious for his huge menagerie of exotic animals and was especially obsessed with birds.
"Algorithms were invented in 820 AD by Muhammad Algorithm" is much more true than it sounds
June 19, 2025 at 10:27 AM
"Algorithms were invented in 820 AD by Muhammad Algorithm" is much more true than it sounds
The third episode of the Mary Toft miniseries, looking at how the media made fun of the doctors involved in the Mary Toft affair is now available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/mary-toft-3 and on YouTube at youtu.be/VtcUkd6s9TI?...
June 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The third episode of the Mary Toft miniseries, looking at how the media made fun of the doctors involved in the Mary Toft affair is now available at historyofscience.podbean.com/e/mary-toft-3 and on YouTube at youtu.be/VtcUkd6s9TI?...
Reposted by Science: A Peculiar History
Anaesthesia pioneer James Young Simpson was born #OTD 1811. We love this student's sketch of Simpson lecturing as Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh University in the 1850s.
June 7, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Anaesthesia pioneer James Young Simpson was born #OTD 1811. We love this student's sketch of Simpson lecturing as Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh University in the 1850s.
Reposted by Science: A Peculiar History
Lots of fish for #FishonFriday and just look at that seahorse!
BL Harley MS 4751; Bestiary; Late 12th century-Early 13th century; England; f.68r
BL Harley MS 4751; Bestiary; Late 12th century-Early 13th century; England; f.68r
June 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Lots of fish for #FishonFriday and just look at that seahorse!
BL Harley MS 4751; Bestiary; Late 12th century-Early 13th century; England; f.68r
BL Harley MS 4751; Bestiary; Late 12th century-Early 13th century; England; f.68r