Episodes

Learn all about the origin of America's fire-prevention mascot, Smokey The Bear! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The Biltmore Estate - Asheville, NC Gifford Pinchot, the first professional forester in the U.S. German forester, Carl Alwin Schenck Founder of the first forestry school in the U.S. The first CFFP fire-prevention poster, 1943 Bambi Fire-Prevention Poster, 1943 The first Smokey Bear Poster by Albert Sta...

Learn all about the origin of barbering, one of the world's oldest professions! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/OnTheOriginOfEverything/membership?vanity=OnTheOriginOfEverything Ancient Egyptian Tomb Relief of Barbering Egyptian Barber Razors Depiction of Tonsure Medieval Bloodletting A Medieval Barber Pole An early barbers' manual. King Camp Gillette Gillette's Safety Razor Gillette's Safety Razor Patent (1904)

Learn all about the surprisingly old origin of the durable, blue fabric we call the blue jean! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Woad Dye Indigo Dye John Kay's Flying Shuttle (1733) James Hargreaves's Spinning Jenny (1770) Edmund Cartwright's Power Loom (1785) Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin (1793) Slater's Mill (1790) Lowell, Massachusetts Jacob Davis's and Levi Strauss's Patent Letter (1873) The...

Back by popular demand, more idiom origins! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership WWI No Man's Land Photo Joseph Heller’s satirical war novel from 1961 George Orwell's 1949 Dystopian Novel The origin of "Big Brother" The 1944 film that spawned the term "Gaslight." Daniel Chapter 5 The origin of the phrase "the writing on the wall." Matthew 5:13 The origin of "the salt of the earth."

Learn all about the origins of birthday celebration traditions! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Libum (Ancient Cake) Savillum (Ancient Cake) Placenta (Ancient Cake) Patty Smith Hill & Mildred J Hill, co-creators of Good Morning To All.

Learn all about the origins of the happiest place on earth: Disneyland! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Marceline, MO Electric Park Electric Park The site-selection study conducted by the Stanford Research Institute. Concept Art for Disneyland 160 acres of orange groves, the future site of Disneyland. Aerial view of the same land after construction. Construction Photo Construction of the Sl...

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 House Jane Addams, co-founder of the Hull House Seward Park, NYC Junk Playground, London Retired Concrete Animal Playground Structure Mid-Century Space Age Playgrounds Ancient Greek Sculpture (1450 - 1300 BCE) 5th centu...

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. The origin of "back to the drawing board." (1941) A 1868 Safety Coffin patent. The earliest documented use of "chew a bullet." (1796) The earliest recorded use of "bite the bullet." (1891)

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: Bakelite (1907) Earl Tupper Wonder Bowl Patent The Wonder Bowl Brownie Wise A Tupperware Party Brownie Wise on the cover of Business Week magazine. Brownie Wise's Autobiography

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. Benjamin Franklin, 1754 The Original (Jolly) Green Giant, 1928 Leo Burnett's Tony The Tiger (1952) Leo Burnett's Marlboro Man (1954) Leo Burnett's Toucan Sam (1963) Leo Burnett's Pillsbury Doughboy (1965) Leo Burnett's Maytag Repairman (1967) A Whe...

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 Lights Washington Irving's A History of New York A Children's Friend Poem Account Of A Visit From St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas Poem) A Christmas Carol (1843) Thomas Nast's Santa Claus 1930s Coca-Cola Ad The 1939 Rudolph Promotional B...

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 depicting Odin. Depiction of Saint Nicholas (13th Century CE) Depiction of Saint Nicholas (1294 CE) Schmutzli

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 Bradford Manuscript Sarah Josepha Hale (The Mother Of Thanksgiving) Over The River And Through The Wood

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 Ever Found A Chinese Fire Clock An Egyptian Water Clock (Clepsydra) A Sand Clock (Hour Clock) A Pomander Watch A Late 17th Century Long Case Clock (Grandfather Clock) A Mid 19th Century Chronometer

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 731 CE. The Dennison Manufacturing Company that published The Dennison’s Bogie Book. Dennison's Bogie Book 1919 Dennison's Bogie Book 1924 Ben Cooper Inc. Costumes Sears Catalog Costumes 1957

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! The first computer used for matchmaking. The IBM 650, 1959 The first computer matchmaking service in the U.S. Operation Match, 1965 Great Expectations, the videotape dating service. Dateline Ad Match.com's original logo. 1995 Picture Brides arrivi...

Learn all about the earliest board games and the ancient origins of pool! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The Royal Game of Ur The First Complete Board Game Ever Found The Royal Game Of Ur Rules Nefertari Playing Senet Hounds And Jackals, AKA The Palm Tree Game, AKA The Game of 58 Holes Wei Qi The Royal Game Of The Goose The Travelers Tour Through The United States The Mansion Of Happiness Game The Checkered Game ...

Learn all about the stories behind the names of famous cities, and the origin of civilization itself! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Chief Seattle's Grave Çatalhöyük, The First Agrarian Settlement Ancient Mesopotamia Sumer, The Home Of The First Cities

Learn all about the origin of basketball, and the stories behind the names of some NBA teams! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Washington Irving's satirical book that gave New Yorkers the nickname: Knickerbockers. Harness Racing Pacers The Tri-Cities Blackhawks The San Diego Clippers The Minneapolis Lakers The New Orleans Jazz The San Diego Rockets The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons The Seattle Supersonics James ...

Learn all about how the "Entertainment Capital of the World" ended up in such a remote part of Nevada, and who came up with the all-you-can-eat buffet! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership Petroglyphs Near Las Vegas John C Fremont The Old Spanish Trail The Fremont District The First Hotel in Las Vegas The Golden Gate Hotel The First Hotel Resort On The Strip El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas Aerial View The Flamingo The St...

Learn all about the name origins of famous bands like The Doors and the Foo Fighters, and how Woodstock '69 came to be! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership The Doors named their band after this book. Jerry Garcia found this term in a dictionary. Pink Anderson and Little Pink Anderson Floyd Council LA Guns An Iron Maiden Torture Device Smokey Stover, Fighter of Foo Woodstock Poster

Learn all about the origin of the American cowboy!

Learn about the events that led to the mobile home, and the origins of van life culture! Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/c/ontheoriginofeverything/membership A Vardo A Touring Car A Touring Car Hauling A Trailer For Car Camping The Covered Wagon Company The First Airstream Model: The Torpedo (shown towed by a touring car) Early RV Camping (1931) WWII Mobile Homes The Golden Age of Mobile Homes (1950s) William Gordon Stable’s Land Yacht (1880s) The Fi...

Learn all about the surprisingly old history of roller coasters, and the origin story of cotton candy!