This is part 2 of the The Knights Templar Saga. In this episode we discuss the fall of the order in 1314. Were they really heretics, or was this a planned sabotage. Most importantly, we discuss some modern Knights Templar, and the Grail Quest.
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In part one of a two-part series, Mildred introduces the Knights Templar. Best known as the mysterious groups of knights which were established during the Crusades, they have been linked to the quest for the Holy Grail, and keepers esoteric secrets. In this episode we discuss their not at all mysterious origins, and their rise to power.
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It's December! Too many Tuesdays, so Lou will take the reigns on this episode. Lou challenges Mildred's brain-meats with a history based trivia game. Mildred also thinks it's New Years eve, and that's just the beginning of how wrong she is in this episode.
Some of the questions are taken directly from the topics we've covered and others are just general Q&A.
Happy Festivus and Merry Chrimbus
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In this episode we share the story of the explosion that devastated Halifax in 1917. A munitions ship headed to Europe during World War One exploded in Halifax harbour. We examine the unfortunate turn of events leading up to the disaster, and the relief efforts after.
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This episode begins with Mildred telling Lou about some drama surrounding a recent statue commemorating feminist pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft.
We continue the theme of important women thinkers with the story of Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron, who contributed to the field of computer science 100 years before Alan Turing got to computers.
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In this episode Mildred shares a history of the early days of moving pictures, and the race among inventors to be the first to discover a way of photographing and projecting. Among the inventors was Louis le Prince, who is arguably the first person to invent and patent a moving picture camera and projector. But his films would never have a public screening, because in 1890 he mysteriously disappeared.
What happened to le Prince? Was it industrial sabotage, or an unrelated, random crime?
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In this episode, we're joined by Dan, a film scholar and horror movie buff. We discuss the 1927 silent film London After Midnight, the first Hollywood vampire film. Shrouded in mystery, this movie was lost in a warehouse explosion, and was responsible for a murder. Is it cursed?
Visit Dan's Youtube page at
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In this episode, Lou continues the story of the disaster at Chernobyl. Covering the trial, how the disaster affected the Soviet union and the literal fallout of the explosion.
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In this episode, Dr. Mildred takes a break and let's Lou talk about a grim, bleak subject matter: Chernobyl. It's the worst nuclear disaster mankind has ever faced. Since this subject matter is very dense, it had to be split up into two episodes (even then it's not doing it justice).
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In this short bonus episode, we discuss yet another history mystery: the disappearance of Glenn Miller.
Glenn Miller was one of the most famous celebrities of the 1940s, known for such hit as Moonlight Serenade, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, and Little Brown Jug. But in 1944, he disappeared on his way to preform for US troops in Paris.
What happened to him? Was it simply a case of pilot error or was there something greater? We don't have answers, but it's a good story.
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In this episode we examine the life of Joseph Merrick, who had a mysterious illness that caused skin and bone growths on his face and body. These growths led him to a life as a stage attraction known as the Elephant man.
We discuss the difficult life Joseph led, and his kind and gentle spirit which made people see past his appearance.
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We break format a bit in this episode as Mildred pays tribute to her late grandmother, who was born in 1916, with a discussion of what happened in the world when her grandmother was born.
The last third of the episode is a brief history of the Wall Street stock market crash of 1929.
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It's another Canadian history mystery!
In this episode we discuss the disappearance of Ambrose Small, a theatre magnate in Toronto, who, in 1919, deposited a million dollar cheque, and was never seen again. What happened to Ambrose Small? Did he run away and start a new life, leaving his new fortune untouched? Or did he piss off the wrong person who felt like they deserved a cut?
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in this episode Mildred begrudgingly tells the story of the Marquis de Sade, author of subversive 18th century erotica.
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In this episode we discuss the life of Richard Pierpoint, or at least the parts of it that are known. He was born in West Africa and trafficked into slavery in America in the late 18th century. He eventually gained his freedom, and moved to Canada as a Loyalist. As a black man he was mistreated by the British government in Canada, but he persevered and fought for his rights and the compensation he was owed as a soldier.
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In this episode, Dr. Mildred Strange tells Lou The Story of Mary MacLane, a woman who published her first book in 1901 at age 19. What made her stand out from other writers of the time is that she lived a life in opposition to what was expected of girls in 1901. From declaring her devotion to the devil, shunning Christianity, publicly flouting her bisexuality, and being the first woman to write, star in, and narrate a motion picture.
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In this episode Mildred and Lou host guest scholar Irina to discuss her doctoral research on early 20th century Russian artist Kazimir Malevich. His work was influenced by esoteric concepts including various forms of mysticism, and theoretical mathematical concepts like the 4th dimension and imaginary numbers. Roles are reversed as Lou discusses science and Mildred references cartoons.
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In this episode, we take a look at Geoffrey of Monmouth and his 12th century book "The History of the Kings of Britain". This is the book that contains the most famous source for the legend of King Arthur, though it is largely accepted that the legend is fictitious. Why did Geoffrey write this book, at this specific time, and how did it become so widely known. Few books from this time period have endured quite like this one.
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In this episode Mildred tries to untangle the confusing tale of the Chevalier/Chevaliere d'Eon, an 18th century french spy and diplomat who presented masculine for the first 49 years of life, and female for the last 33. Speculation from scholars of their change in gender range from a hoax, to punishment by the king, to being a gender theorist ahead of their time.
We also forget to introduce ourselves and the show- so if this is your first time, welcome to History Lessons for Misanthropes, we're Dr. Mildred Strange and Lou.
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In this episode, Dr. Strange discusses the life of Saladin (aka Salah ad-Din), the Sunni Muslim leader who fought against King Richard I (Lionheart) during the third Crusade in the 12th Century C.E.
News Story: A water-powered flour mill is running again due to COVID-19
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