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Playgrounds
Learn all about how we got playgrounds, and why they are the way they are! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Children's Playground in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The Hull Hous...
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Feb. 16, 2026
Playgrounds
Learn all about how we got playgrounds, and why they are the way they are! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Children's Playground in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The Hull Hous...
Feb. 3, 2026
Commonly Used Phrases
Learn all about the origins of common expressions we use all the time! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The origin of "loose cannon." A "clean Bill of Health" report from 1810. Th...
Jan. 19, 2026
Tupperware
Learn all about the origins of the food storage containers we all call Tupperware! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Leo Baekeland, inventor of the first fully-synthetic plastic: B...
Jan. 6, 2026
Advertising & Jingles
Learn all about the development of advertising, and who pioneered the practice of jingles! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The first political cartoon advertised in print. Benjam...
Dec. 22, 2025
The Modern Origins Of Christmas
Learn all about the origins of modern Christmas traditions! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Edward H Johnson's Electrically Lit Tree (1882) American Eveready Company Electric Lig...
Dec. 8, 2025
The Ancient Origins Of Christmas
Learn all about the ancient origins of modern Christmas holiday traditions! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Mistletoe growing on an oak tree. Gold medallion from 400-500 AD depic...
Nov. 24, 2025
Thanksgiving
Learn all about the true story of the origin of American Thanksgiving! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The Plymouth Living Museum The Plymouth Colony Seal The Winslow Letter The ...
Nov. 11, 2025
Timekeeping
Learn all about the earliest forms of timekeeping from Neolithic Era calendars to the Atomic Clock, and everything in between! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The Oldest Sundial ...
Oct. 27, 2025
Halloween
Learn all about the ancient origins of Halloween and how it evolved into what it is today! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The chapel built and dedicated to All Hallows Day in 73...
Oct. 14, 2025
Dating Apps & Mail-Order Brides
Learn all about how people have been getting together throughout history, and the strange practice of Mail-Order Brides! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Personal Ad from 1759! Th...