Three Eponymous Diseases

<p>This 2019 episode covers Thomas Cook, a pioneer of the idea of a travel agency to manage tourist holidays. But Cook was initially motivated by his support of the temperance movement and his deeply held religious beliefs.&nbsp;</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More

<p>Tracy and Holly talk about the proclivity for destruction that was part of the balloon craze. They also discuss cat trees and how hard it is to find one that's cute.&nbsp;</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.< ... Show More

<p>Cat litter, it could be argued, kicked off the pet products industry. After its invention in the 1940s, other inventors started to come up with products that today are standard in the homes of people with pets.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Caminiti, Kasey. &l ... Show More

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For a special holiday treat, we're going to explore two tales of salmonella disease detectives -- the first about Mary Mallon ("Typhoid Mary") and the birth of the genre; and the second about a mysterious salmonella outbreak at Massachusetts Gen ... Show More

<p>In 1952, polio was everywhere: killing or paralyzing roughly half a million people annually. Yet just 10 years later, paralytic polio cases in the US dropped by 96% and we were on track to get rid of polio for good. But in recent years, the virus started striking back. So, wha ... Show More

The mysterious disappearance of a group of nine Soviet hikers in 1959 has puzzled the world for decades. What happened? Was it simply horrible weather? A secret weapons test? Or, something otherworldly? That is the subject of this very Unpleasant Dream. EM Hilker is our writer an ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most abundant lifeform on Earth: the viruses that 'eat' bacteria. Early in the 20th century, scientists noticed that something in their Petri dishes was making bacteria disappear and they called these bacteriophages, things that eat bacteria. F ... Show More

<p>Diseases have defined eras, from the Antonine Plague during Marcus Aurelius’ reign to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci, a public health leader and advisor to seven Presidents, talks with Ryan about the importance of social responsibility, his influential contributions d ... Show More

The alleged link between vaccines and autism is back in the news this week, being regularly speculated on by both President Trump and Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The claim has been repeatedly disproven: there is no evidence that vaccines and autism a ... Show More

It was one of the most lethal pandemics in global history. The bubonic plague’s devastating spread in 6th and 14th century Europe paved the way for how we handle outbreaks today — though patients in medieval times saw no sign of a cure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod ... Show More

When the plague broke out again in the late 19th century, scientists dissected buboes, bodies, and fleas… and found the source of the Black Death. The disease had already killed millions throughout Europe and Asia. In 1900, it reached San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choic ... Show More

Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded in 1620, was the site of one of colonial America's most devastating winters, where only 52 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers survived through disease, starvation, and brutal conditions. Discover more TERRIFYING podcasts at http://eeriecast ... Show More

<p>It was beyond Biblical in its horror. Around half of all Europeans are estimated to have died in the Black Death. Death ravaged towns and villages, castles and hovels. What did it feel like to live through this darkest of histories? Bestselling author Helen Carr guides Anthony ... Show More