logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
12m 16s

Episode 213: The Light and the Spirits

NATE DIMEO
About this episode

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Music

  • Abisme by Shida Shahadi

  • Ellen’s Image from Lalo Schiffiren’s genius score to The Fox

  • Circulation by H. Takahasi

  • Liquid Spear Waltz from Michael Andrews’ score to Donnie Darko

  • A8 from a terrific record called NuNu by Clever Austin

Notes

  • I found a lot of insight in a terrific book called Extraordinary Beliefs by Peter Lamont. In it, there’s a smart historical, psychological exploration of why spiritualism was able to flourish despite all sorts of evidence opposing it.
Up next
May 15
Episode 232: Oh, Herbert Morrison
Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.On June 13th, 2025, I'll do a special, one-night-only live show at the Tribeca Audio Festival in New Y ... Show More
22m 40s
May 1
Episode 231: On Dexter Avenue
Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.During mid-May, 2025, I'm doing a Midwestern book tour, with stops in Minneapolis, Cincinatti, Indiana ... Show More
17m 54s
Apr 17
Episode 230: Helen Hulick Takes the Stand
Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.During mid-April, 2025, I'm doing a southern book tour, with stops in San Antonio, Houston, Gainesvill ... Show More
15m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | Pilecki’s Great-Grandson on the Man Behind the Mission | 4
Krzysztof Kosior was thirty when he first felt ready to visit Auschwitz. But since childhood, he had heard stories of his great-grandfather’s time there, and of his journey from unknown soldier to one of Poland’s greatest heroes. Talking to actor and spy novelist Charlie Higson, ... Show More
33m 28s
Mar 2025
Chris Alexander, "Art! Trash! Terror! Adventures in Strange Cinema" (Headpress, 2025)
ART! TRASH! TERROR! Adventures in Strange Cinema (Headpress 2025) by Chris Alexander is a treasure trove of in-depth essays and edifying interviews that celebrate some of the most eccentric and unforgettable movies in cult cinema history. From recognized classics (George A. Romer ... Show More
57m 27s
Jun 26
Seahenge
As a 4,000-year-old timber circle uncovered on a Norfolk beach, Seahenge is one of Britain’s most remarkable prehistoric finds. Discovered in 1998, it drew quick comparison as a 'Stonehenge by the sea' - but who built it and what was it used for?In this episode of The Ancients, T ... Show More
45m 50s
Nov 2024
Leonardo da Vinci with Ken Burns
Leonardo da Vinci was a man like no other. A restless visionary and polymath, his paintings are some of the best known of all works of art. To talk about Leonardo, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ken Burns, the multi-award winning American filmmaker who has transformed t ... Show More
39m 26s
Dec 2024
211. A Beautiful World: The Art of Akbar
As a dyslexic child, Akbar explored his curiosities about the world through visual wonders, and by having literature read aloud to him. As an adult, his love of art evolved as he became the patron of a multicultural group of calligraphers, painters, poets and more. A now renowned ... Show More
49m 19s
Dec 2024
Hanukkah & the Maccabees
It's perhaps the best known Jewish festival of the year, but what exactly are Hanukkah's origins, and why was it first celebrated? On today's episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by Dr Jodi Magness to answer these questions and unravel the holiday's comple ... Show More
41m 35s
Sep 2024
25: The smartest man who ever lived - history of William James Sidis
Meet William James Sydis, the “smartest man who lived.” Sydis’ IQ score is estimated by some, to be somewhere between 50 and 100 points greater than that of Albert Einstein. By the time he was just 18 months old, Sydis was able to read The New York Times. At age 2, he taught hims ... Show More
42m 32s
Apr 13
The Real Greatest Showman
PT Barnum may be better known as the loose subject of the movie The Greatest Showman, but his life was so much more than that work of fiction. A master of entertainment, an entrepreneur, and a genius of publicity, he built a career on feeding public curiosity with his grand illus ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 22
Rise of Nero
Before he became one of Rome’s most infamous tyrants, Nero was a golden boy - young, talented, and full of promise.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by bestselling author Conn Iggulden to explore Nero’s early years, from his powerful mother Agrippina and h ... Show More
1h 7m
Mar 2024
#108 Tutankhamun
📖 Episode Transcripts in Link Below ⬇️ Today, let's journey into ancient Egypt and unravel the mystery surrounding one of history's most famous pharaohs: Tutankhamun. His life and unexpected death have captured the imagination of generations, leaving us with numerous secrets and ... Show More
4m 13s