Our Fake History

Latest Episodes:

Episode #255 - Rhiannon Giddens: Can the Banjo Explain American History? Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Rhiannon Giddens is a multi-instrumentalist, a singer, and a composer. She is a MacArthur Genius fellow, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and one the most dynamic voices in American folk and roots music performing today. She’s also one of the knowledgeable people you can possibly talk to when it comes to history of the banjo and American music generally. In the finale of season 11 Ms. Giddens joins Sebastian for a sprawling talk about how the history of the banjo is deeply connected to America's tumultuous development as a nation. Is the banjo America's most misunderstood instrument? Tune-in and find out how the Tango craze, African lutes, and Japanese men playing minstrel tunes all play a role in the story.

Pre-order Rhiannon Gidden's new album HERE

Listen to Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE

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Bonus Episode - Plagiarizing Patriots, Human Chickens, and Canadian Character Assassination Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

On this Bonus Episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent series on the Knights of the Air and the one-off on the Midnight Ride. The host grapples with questions about the American perception of Canadian history, tarring and feathering, WWI weaponry, and Paul Revere's plagiarized engravings. Sebastian also gives some important updates about the end of Season 11, the start of Season 12, and plays a new song from Staring Contest. Tune-in and find out how angry letters, machine gun poetry, and Canadian theatre all play a role in the story.

Get the new album from Staring Contest HERE

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Episode #254 - What Went Down on the Midnight Ride? Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

Paul Revere is one of the best remembered heroes of the American Revolution. The Boston silversmith is often credited with rousing the Massachusetts countryside to resist the King's army as they moved against the towns of Lexington and Concord. However, he popular understanding of the famous "midnight ride" was largely shaped by a romantic poem written 85 years after the fact by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The image of Paul Revere as a lone rider, single handedly saving the revolutionary cause has become a textbook historical myth. The real story is way weirder and more exciting than the Longfellow poem would have you believe! Tune-in and find out how oar-silencing underwear, a smooth talking leather tanner, and a horse named Brown Beauty all play a role in the story.

Check out more from Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE

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Episode #253 - Were the Knights of the Air a Myth? (Part II) Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

By 1916 the airplane had proven itself as an important new weapon in the Great War. Arguably just as important was the image of the glamorous flying aces. Entire flying units, like France's Lafayette Escadrille made up of American volunteers, were created with the hope of generating positive press that could bring the United States into the war on the side of allies. When America did join WWI in 1917, there was a belief that the airplane was the "natural weapon of Americans." Some lawmakers dreamed of building a war-winning American airplane armada. Meanwhile, the reporting on flying aces had the affect of turning the air-war into a sport, with "high scorers" looking to break new records. How did this affect the behavior of the warriors in the sky? Tune-in an find out how an unbreakable sword, the flying circus, and hells-handmaiden all play a role in the story.

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Episode #252 - Were the Knights of the Air a Myth? (Part I) Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

At the outbreak of First World War airplanes were still a novelty on the battlefield. Originally planes were used for reconnaissance and the pilots were usually unarmed. This quickly changed and soon airplanes were being outfitted with machine guns and tasked specifically with destroying enemy aircraft. Fighter pilots were a new type of warrior, but ironically they started to be described in medieval terms. Stories began to appear in the wartime press about acts of courtesy between enemy pilots. Soon propagandists were claiming that airmen were "knights of the air" bound by an unwritten code of chivalry. The image of the daring and gentlemanly "flying ace" proved to be an incredibly effective recruitment tool. Were the stories of gallantry in the sky little more than wartime propaganda, or was there something to the image of the gentleman-pilot? Tune-in and find out how King Arthur, Ernest Hemmingway, and the "Fokker Scourge" all play role in the story.

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Bonus Episode - Roman Bondage, Voodoo Macbeth, and Bunga Bunga May 26, 2026

Show notes

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about episode 249, 250, and 251. First, he does his best to grapple with how morality should factor into history education. Then a listener provides an epic email about Orson Welles' legendary production of "Voodoo Macbeth" and cursed run of Romeo and Juliet. Finally, Sebastian looks at the weird legacy of the phrase "bunga bunga." Tune-in and find out how missing chickens, corrupt Italian Prime ministers, and a wounded Benvolio al play a role in the story!

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Episode #251 - What Was the Dreadnought Hoax? May 20, 2026

Show notes

When the HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906 it completely revolutionized naval warfare. It made all previous ships obsolete and helped spur an arms race between Britain and Germany. For many the Dreadnought was symbol of the militarism that was sweeping Europe before World War One. Then in 1910 the ship was targeted by pranksters, who managed to get access to Dreadnought by impersonating Abyssinian (Ethiopian) royalty. The pranksters wore gaudy theatre costumes and blackface make-up. Despite this, they still somehow managed to fool the Dreadnought's officers. In the years since the prank many have debated it's significance. Some have argued that the prank was anti-authoritarian and anti-imperialist, but does that give the pranksters too much credit? Was the Dreadnought Hoax little more than a racist stunt meant to build the clout of England's most infamous hoaxer? Tune-in and find out how Virginia Woolf, Dreadnought Operettas, and Beelzebub all play a role in the story.

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Episode #250 - Is Macbeth Cursed? May 05, 2026

Show notes

Every theatre kid can tell you that Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth is a cursed play. Some believe that even saying the name of the play in a theatre where it is not being performed can jinx a production. Stories of misfortune, injury, and death haunt productions of Macbeth like the ghost of a slain friend. It has been suggested that the curse of Macbeth goes all the way back to it's first performance in 1606. However, evidence of this is sketchy at best. When did people start believing that there was a hex on Macbeth? Does it date to the 17th century or is something else going on here? Tune-in and find out how an arrow through Laurence Olivier's leg, Shakespeare in drag, and Charlton Heston's flaming thighs all play a role in the story.

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Episode #249 - Who Built Rome? (ft. Dr. Emma Southon) Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

The Roman Empire is often remembered for it's grand works of architecture and formidable military. However, for most of its history Rome's economy was underpinned by the labour of millions of individuals who had been forced into slavery. Despite the fact that enslaved people quite literally built Rome, their lives were rarely recorded by the ancient historians. In her new book Not Built In a Day historian Emma Southon seeks to bring new attention to Rome's relationship with slavery. Dr. Southon joins Sebastian for a wide ranging chat about Rome's addiction to bondage and the lives of people caught up in the this brutal institution. Tune-in and find out how fake speeches, bogus Bithynians, and heartwarming graffiti all play a role in the story.

Pre-order Not Built In a Day here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Not-Built-in-a-Day/Emma-Southon/9781668089552

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Bonus Episode - Minor Miners, Activist Entertainers, and Spanish Painters Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

In this bonus episode Sebastian takes question from the listeners about the recent episodes on Henry Box Brown and Snow White. First, we hear some comments from a listener in Iceland who wanted to weigh in on the North American Vikings. Then Sebastian unpacks some tricky questions about the line between activism and entertainment. Finally the host muses about the Mandela Effect and considers an interesting question about little people who were known to serve at the Hapsburg court. Tune-in and find out how the speed of sound, the one ticket sold to Kazaam, and "Minor Miners" all play a role in the story.

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