Hey there from Hiatus-land! Enjoy this bonus episode drop. Normally, I don't use pid advertising in The Story Behind, but when I talked to the folks over at Stitcher about this new project, I was so excited and knew my audience would love this

Cotton Swabs

Aug 10th, 2019 8m 18s

Every time I use the subject of today’s episode, my husband is quick to point out how I shouldn’t. He loves to tell me about all the injuries this common household item causes, and as much as a lot of what I do depends on my hearing, I can’t he

Sunglasses

May 23rd, 2019 11m 41s

From starting out as eye protection against snow blindness to helping pilots navigate the skies without being blinded by the sun, the subject of today’s episode not only protects your eyes but has also been a staple of fashion for centuries, as

Glitter

Apr 18th, 2019 6m 50s

Ever hear of Shiny Object Syndrome? Usually, it’s said to refer to those who see something new and have to have it, only to get bored with it once they finally attain it. But in this episode, I wanted to know just what it is about literal shiny

Mouthwash

Apr 9th, 2019 9m 49s

One of the most fascinating things about today’s episode is not just the creation of this everyday object, but the marketing tactic of presenting a problem that many people weren’t concerned with until the solution was advertised. You’re listen

Son of a Gun - Operation Switcharoo

Apr 2nd, 2019 24m 19s

Happy April Fool’s Day. This year, I was part of a number of other podcasts that wanted to do some cross-promotion, so if you’re looking for The Story Behind April Fool’s Day, I invite you to check out the Forgotten News Podcast. I should put a

Muses

Mar 21st, 2019 8m 18s

This special episode is a preview to a new series I am premiering over on Patreon.com/TheStoryBehind for Executive Producers at the $5 per month level called MUSE. The series follows Pattie Boyd. And, if you don’t know her name now, you’ve prob

RERUN: Ping-Pong (Forrest Gump February 2016)

Feb 21st, 2019 9m 39s

Hey all! There will be a few weeks of reruns for The Story Behind coming up. I’m going to be taking a break to go to Podfest down in Orlando from March 6 through the 10th, so if you’re attending the event, please come say hi! I’m also going to

Conversation Hearts

Feb 14th, 2019 8m 27s

One of my favorite holidays just passed. February 15th. Yup, you heard me right. February 15th, not the 14th. Oh, I love Valentine’s Day, but I’m more in love with the discounted candy the day after, including a candy that apparently I’m in the

The Trampoline

Feb 7th, 2019 8m 19s

One of my favorite things to learn about when researching episodes is how people marketed inventions that had never been on the market before. In The Story Behind Post-its, we talked about how 3M’s style of marketing was to show what the produc

Groundhog Day

Feb 2nd, 2019 8m 56s

Okay, campers, rise and shine and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today! No, you’re not stuck in a loop, unless you’ve already listened to this episode before. But today’s episode is all about a seemingly silly holiday that

Pantyhose

Jan 17th, 2019 8m 31s

Even though the topic of today’s episode isn’t necessarily exercise-related, it would be safe to say it gave me a bit of a workout this past week. Imagine paying $12 for something, then you find yourself struggling to put it on, only to have it

Bottled Water

Jan 10th, 2019 15m 18s

Remember the Left Shark from the Super Bowl a few years ago? He was supposed to be just a guy in a shark costume dancing next to Katy Perry during the halftime show. But because he decided to do his own thing, he became the center of attention.

Toilet Paper

Jan 3rd, 2019 7m 59s

One of my favorite compliments I get about The Story Behind book is that people love reading it in the bathroom. At first, people seem embarrassed to tell me this, but in the introductory chapter of the book, I put a PS at the end that says, “I

Re-Release of The Story Behind Christmas Traditions (Part 1)

Dec 27th, 2018 8m 19s

Hey there! Hope everyone is enjoying this weird week between Christmas and New Years! When I released the last episode, The Story Behind Christmas Traditions, Part 2, I had some questions about the first part. I released that one way back in 20

Christmas Traditions (Part 2)

Dec 13th, 2018 11m 47s

As I’m recording this, I have my holiday candle burning, my kids hopped up on Christmas cookie sugar, and I’m struggling to find a way to hide Christmas presents from my husband before being able to wrap them. If you’re listening to this way la

Tipping

Dec 6th, 2018 9m 10s

I love my job as a podcast editor. I get to listen to podcasts every day and get paid for it, and my clients are absolutely wonderful, as many podcasters often are. One of my clients, Catherine, is the producer for Solo Travel Talk with Astrid

Balloons

Nov 29th, 2018 9m 49s

When I was in Washington, DC, a few weeks ago, I stopped at the International Spy Museum before leaving. I could have stayed in there for hours, and it was incredible to see these gadgets and spy equipment that we normally only see in movies. B

Cranberry Sauce

Nov 22nd, 2018 10m 33s

This past year has been one of the busiest I’ve ever had. I could never have imagined two years ago that starting this podcast would have brought me the most amazing listeners in the world or that they would go from listeners to the best book l

Sick Sayings

Nov 15th, 2018 7m 31s

Sorry for the delayed episode this week! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have seen that I went to DC Podfest. And the first day I was there, I woke up with the beginnings of a cold. Luckily, I was able to get a hold of a bottl

Boston Baked Beans

Nov 8th, 2018 8m 24s

If you follow @StoryBehindPod on Instagram, you may have seen that I went to Boston last weekend for the Sound Education conference at Harvard University to be on a panel with other history podcasters that included Liz Covart from Ben Franklin’

Africa by Toto

Nov 1st, 2018 11m 39s

This is a very special episode of The Story Behind. Believe it or not, two years ago I pressed Publish on the first three episodes of this podcast, The Story Behind the Theremin, The Story Behind Dry Ice, and The Story Behind Sugar Skulls. This

Play-Doh

Oct 25th, 2018 8m 50s

If you’re a parent who has even been on Pinterest and looked for activities for your child, you’ve probably seen at least a dozen different recipes for modeling clay or sensory dough, as it’s sometimes called. Most of the recipes are different

The Printing Press

Oct 11th, 2018 11m 1s

If you’re listening to this episode when it comes out, you may know that The Story Behind book will be released on Monday, October 15th. In the spirit of that, I’ll be doing a few episodes revolving around books. This topic seemed almost too ea

Book Update #2

Oct 11th, 2018 6m 4s

There will be a new episode this week, but I also wanted to put out a bonus episode talking about The Story Behind book, which releases Monday, October 15th. In all honesty, it's still not real, even after getting the advanced copies of the boo