The Curiosity of!?: Recent Episodes
The Curiosity of!? Podcast
A podcast about history, science, tales and everything in between.
A father and son, aged 13, discuss things they are curious about from science and history to monsters and games. We look at the quirky and unusual from around the world as well as seeking out local history, events and characters. We keep it friendly and embrace what we discover - the world is an amazing, curious place.
This episode we brew poison! But how dangerous is it? Join us to find out as we take a look at the history and science of poison. You’ll learn about the hemlock used to kill Plato and Pliny’s less than effective remedies to the arsenic detecting Marsh test developed in the 1800s. We also find a not so famous Famous Anton who should probably be better known for his advancement in the field that formed the foundation for clinical trials today.
Get your early bird ticket for Intelligent Speech 2025: https://intelligentspeechonline.com/
Use code curiosity for 10% extra off!
This episode we take a peek at the devil’s picture books – a name given to playing cards. We start with Chinese accounts dating back nearly 1000 years then go via beautiful Mamluk designs to Thomas de la Rue industrialising the printing process 100 years ago.
But what are playing cards without magic? We meet one of Anton’s namesakes, Anton Zamloch AKA Zamloch the Great! He put on fantastic magic shows in the late 1800s, touring America with his blend of magic, mayhem and mischief!
It’s episode 50 and we have a very special guest - the magician and playing card historian Lee Asher! Anton has been learning magic for the last 18 months and also become an avid playing card collector so Lee was the perfect guy to have on. He’s worked with some of the big names in magic and even invented his own card tricks - his knowledge and advice is invaluable. What we really enjoyed about talking with Lee was the passion and humanity he brings, he sees magic a positive force, something to share and a path to being a better person. Lee is also president of 52 Plus Joker, the world’s largest playing card collecting club, and gave us a brilliant rundown of playing card and magic history. We really enjoyed our chat and hope you will too and a massive thank you to Lee, be sure to check out his website and 52 Plus Joker!
Check out: https://www.leeasher.com/ and https://52plusjoker.org/
We’re back! Podcasts, being an audio format, make the perfect medium for talking about sight and how eyes work.
This episode Anton and I discover how animals see. From the Cambrian Explosion and mass of new creatures that evolved to neutral implants via some unfortunate German rabbits we uncover the history and the science.
A mini bonus episode for you to let you know we are talking at Intelligent Speech 2023 this 4 November. Full details and tickets are available at https://intelligentspeechonline.com/ - use offer code curiosity at checkout for 10% off!*
As we love you, our listeners, we’re also releasing Anton’s story set in Takarajima from our bonus Patreon treasure episode, it was inspired by real events you can learn about here: https://www.morethantokyo.com/takarajima-incident/
You can get all our bonus content on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/curichildpod including a discussion about how Takarajima is reinventing it’s history, life about 1700s ships, a look at AI and a video on Roman metal casting at home!
*whilst offer lasts!
This episode we go treasure hunting, exploring three stories from around the world focussing on our obsession with greed and wealth.
We sail around the globe the wrong way telling an epic tale of survival, visit a tropical island in search of lost treasure and learn about an unusual hermit. Each story is about more than glittering gold and priceless gems, it’s a tale of the lengths man will go to in the pursuit of fame and fortune.
Anton talks about a German man desperate to discover the lost treasure of Lima on Cocos Island and I use the logs of Guernsey Great Philip Saumarez to recount the epic round world trip of the Centurion in search of Spanish gold! We also meet a hermit with a familiar name but a very unfortunate story.
Buy tickets for Intelligent Speech: https://intelligentspeechonline.com/ use offer code ‘curiosity’ for 10% off.
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Support and review: https://linktr.ee/curichildpod
I have uploaded the correct audio this time!
In celebration of Margaret Ann Neve’s birthday we’re re-releasing our feature about her 110 year life! It was buried at the end of episode 19 so deserves to be surfaced. Listen to how much Anton has changed in the 2 and a bit years since release then imagine what 110 years of change must have felt like for Margaret. She was the first person recorded to have lived in 3 different centuries and was born and spent most of her life here in Guernsey!
In celebration of Margaret Ann Neve’s birthday we’re re-releasing our feature about her 110 year life! It was buried at the end of episode 19 so deserves to be surfaced. Listen to how much Anton has changed in the 2 and a bit years since release then imagine what 110 years of change must have felt like for Margaret. She was the first person recorded to have lived in 3 different centuries and was born and spent most of her life here in Guernsey!
This feature was researched and written by Anton!
Have you heard of the 1903 Potato boom? No? Neither had we until recently. Join Anton as he tells you all about Archibald Findlay and his amazing potatoes that were reaching prices of £5000 a ton - that’s half a million in today’s money. But are they all they’re cracked up to be?
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This episode we take a break from talking history and science and interview Paul Mayze MD of Avid Games, the creators of Cards, the Universe and Everything affectionately known as CUE Cards.
CUE Cards is a great fun mobile game that’s chock-full of facts about… well everything! It’s a deck building and battling game where you can learn about everything from Chinese Folklore to the Higgs Boson and Corn Beef Sandwiches to the Macrauchenia!
As soon as Anton and I started playing we knew CUE Cards fitted our podcast and love of learning perfectly so reached out to them and they happily agreed to tell us more.
Paul talks to us about the challenges of creating and maintaining a thriving game and community, the difficulties of balancing trade and game mechanics and the joy of seeing people, particularly families, having fun together. A big thank you to Paul for taking the time to talk to us.
If you enjoy the game please enter Anton’s referral code so you and he get some goodies: W8K-40L-XVK
You can downland CUE Cards from the App Store, Google Play or visit their website: https://www.cardstheuniverseandeverything.com/
The potato, it’s been with us forever, it’s so mundane and everyday it’s hardly worth thinking about, right? Wrong!
A relatively recent arrival to Europe and much of the world this not so simple vegetable has had a very big impact on the modern world. Easily outstripping the nutritional value of grains and other primary crops it can be argued the modern world - and Europe’s - would not have been possible without it.
We travel from Axomama, an Andean potato goddess, through it’s spread across Europe (correcting several incorrect anecdotes along the way) to modern day China where’s the humble potato is celebrated in song!
Artificial intelligence is set to transform the world altering how we work, access content and create. Many visions of AI show it as robotic, machinelike and impersonal but is this really the case? In this first AI revolution it’s creativity and artistic disciplines that are most touched. But can a computer really be creative and what does creativity mean? Trained on our data - our images, writings, stories - they have only ever had an echo of the true experience of feeling sad or the wind in their hair.
We explore this topic, demonstrate how DALL·E works, get creeped out by Bing uncover what animals say, all using AI!
Last episode we were dragged down to hell through our naive use of magic and magical elements - this time we break free thanks to the real elements that make our world - the atoms.
Anton and I recreate a Roman casting technique, melting tin in cuttlefish bone moulds to get a closer look at one of the earliest metals humans would have worked.
From our obsession with gold to burning diamonds with giant magnifying glasses we’ve long sought to control, create and transform the world. Beginning with the first nanoseconds of the universe we chart humanity’s understanding of these smallest of building blocks.
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Magic has a long and complex history. From the earliest times people have sought to understand and control the world around them. The Babylonians would be guided by celestial movements, the Romans would give young boys a Divine Phallus to ward off the evil eye. We start at the beginning and work our way through magical practice taking in stories of witchcraft, meetings with the devil and the burning of babies. Taking all we learn and armed with a powerful wand, divine protection and a handful of herbs we try our hand at magic and summon a banshee.
https://thecuriosityofachild.com/
We were honoured to be invited to talk at Intelligent Speech 2022 on the theme of crossings. https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/
We selected the Balmis expedition - a Spanish attempt to vaccinate their empire from smallpox in the early 1800s but in an age before air travel and refrigeration how do you transfer a delicate vaccine across the world’s oceans? Enter 22 orphans to save the world...
We had a few technical issues during recording but I have tried my best to clean the audio up.
Ahoy me hearties, weight anchor and lets be off!
We look at the life of one of the most amazing but forgotten men of the 1600s, William Dampier. Ever curious he was an explorer, navigator, naturalist, writer and so much more. The author of A New Voyage Around the World, his accounts opened the world to the public. Never before had people experienced such exotic locations from their own homes or had such detailed descriptions of the world beyond their shores. From stories of raids on Spanish settlements in the Pacific to first setting step on the shores of Australia his vivid accounts were a world first. He inspired Charles Darwin, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Alexander von Humboldt and many more. Sadly his more lawless acts would lead him, in the eyes of some, to be little more than a common pirate but we hope to show you just how wrong this is.
Time is one of the biggest mysteries of science but also one of the fundamental aspects of our reality. It’s nature has been discussed for centuries, from Aristotle to Newton to Einstein, we’ve sought answers but only found more questions as we’ve peeled back it’s layers. There is no fixed ‘now’, every point in space has it’s own flow of time. Does it time even exist? How much of what we feel is simply our brain attempting to make sense of the world? Join Anton and me as we uncover it’s secrets.
Thank you to Ronan for allowing us to use his song When is the Future?
Written and produced by Ronan Harris Published by Schubert Music Publishing Taken from the VNV Nation album “Noire”
In this bonus episode we present Anton’s short story Guilty Chocolate read by Anton himself! He claimed second prize in the Guernsey Literary Festival WriteStuff competition judged by leading international author Anthony Horowitz.
The competition gave students the following brief: ‘Write an imaginary 300 word story inspired by Detectives or Spies’. Anton’s story was described as ‘a very dark and mature story that relates closely to world events right now. The title nails it and the whole piece is horribly believable.’
This is also the first time Anton ever edited an episode, choosing the music, cleaning up audio and more.
Legend tells of an early pioneer of rocketry who, in 1633, blasted off over Istanbul in celebration of the birth of the Sultan’s daughter. There are stories of an eccentric French couple flying horses and bulls into the sky to entertain the masses. There were inventors who saw the future of travel in personal balloons that allowed us to bound across the landscape as if we were an astronaut on the moon. These tales my sound absurd by they are the ‘True History’ of mankind’s obsession with flight. Join us as we discover some of history’s craziest people who put entertainment and progress ahead of their mortality!
We are very excited and proud to announce that we will be talking at the 2022 Intelligent Speech conference! Our talk will be about 22 orphans packed onto a ship to America and deliberately infected with cowpox! We would love our listeners to join us. Tickets cost $20 for the early bird (and 8 hours of talks) or $30 thereafter, but if you use promo code curiosity at checkout you get an extra 10% off.
https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com
Here’s what they say:
CROSSING LINES
We chose to make the topic for this year’s Intelligent Speech conference, Crossing Lines, as it seemed to not only resonate with our times but also with what we hope Intelligent Speech 2022 will represent through our range of speakers. This year’s conference will be cross-curricular, we will have speakers who have crossed over from being podcasters to being authors and vice versa, we’ll be crossing continents, we might even have stories about crossing over and crossed lines.
Where lines cross are junctures and our era certainly feels like a major juncture in time; at Intelligent Speech 2022, our speakers will be exploring other times when lines have been crossed in one way or another.
Intelligent Speech 2022 will take place on Saturday, June 25 at 10 am EST (New York)/3 pm GMT (London). There will be eight hours of great presentations from up to 40 different content creators from the worlds of podcasting, YouTube, and media. Each session will be 40 minutes long.
We travel downunder to meet one of Australia’s most unusual creatures: Ornithorhynchus anatinus, better know as the Platypus. Few animals have caused such debate as our duckbilled friend, for nearly a century leading scientists across Europe (maybe they should travel a bit closer to their subject) debated exactly what this paradoxical animal was – mammal, lizard, something entirely new? What are the eggs all about, and where are the nipples? And don’t get us started on the penis! The Platypus is one very strange animal indeed. We explore the folklore, tell the history, look at the science of how we came to understand Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Along the way there are epic arguments and a secret WW2 mission, finally we top it off with a rap written and performed by Anton!
This episode Anton takes the lead as he explores the development of Norman castles in the British Isles. Whilst fortifications dotted the English landscape long before the 1066 Norman invasion nothing quite like their castles existed before. Anton and I talk about early motte and bailey fortifications that offered only rudimentary protection to vast concentric circle castles like Beaumaris in Wales that dominated the surrounding landscape. What did they symbolise? How did they change? And are they the origin of IKEA?!
Full show notes.
Pepper, king of the spices. Found in every kitchen and on every restaurant table pepper is a spice that’s ‘just there’. Today we take this spice for granted but this wasn’t always the case as great European powers fought over it’s control wanting to monopolise the trade and the wealth it brought. The Portuguese, Dutch and British sent countless sailors and soldiers on voyages to the mystical east. But they weren’t only there to trade and soon conflict and brutality would stain the history of pepper. We tell this story, taste some of the finest peppercorns available, test Roman and Greek medical recipes and explore how today pepper is being rediscovered as a power medicine.
Full show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/king-of-spices-the-potent-power-of-pepper
We are honoured to be joined by Greg Wah, science communicator from Australia and co-host of the excellent Smart Enough to Know Better podcast. We discuss the size of the universe and how the JWST is going to help us look back further than ever, iconic images from Hubble, the beauty and importance of science and more.
Podcast: https://smartenough.org/
Greg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewah
SE2KB on Twitter: https://twitter.com/se2kb
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/interview-greg-wah-science-communicator-and-podcaster
Keeping with our space theme we chat to Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy about how he captures his incredible images, space travel, aliens and more. You have to check out Andrew’s photos, they’re mind-blowing. He definitely has an eye for creating something beautiful but it’s backed up by a sound scientific knowledge and genuine love for the wonders of space.
Follow Andrew: Twitter, Instagram, website store
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/interview-andrew-mccarthy-astrophotographer
History remembers many great men but it forgets far more. Warren De la Rue, born 1815, was an engineer and scientist who pioneered astral photography. From designing and operating the photoheliograph – the first instrument created specifically for photographing celestial bodies – to improving chemical processes to decrease exposure times De la Rue was a true innovator. Working alongside some of the greatest names of the age he helped advance not just astronomy but many fields of research through hard work, dedication, intelligence and generosity. Warren De la Rue should be better known today and, with the launch of the James Webb telescope, what better time than now to remember him.
Oh, he also has an incredible invention - a very bight idea! 😉
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/warren-de-la-rue-the-man-who-looked-at-the-sun-scientist-engineer-eclipse
We go ghost hunting in a Neolithic passage grave, taking with us an infrared robot, an EMF metre and recording equipment for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). Do we capture anything? Does anything capture us!?
Belief in ghosts and spirits is a worldwide phenomenon, it crosses cultures and ages. You’d expect modern science to taper these ideas, but surveys show over half of Americans still believe. We look at some of the theories, from stone tapes to infrasound, as we try to understand what is really going on. But reading books and articles will only get us so far, we need to seek answers ourselves with a series of ghost hunts at ancient locations.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/ghost-hunters-of-the-neolithic
Halloween is drawing near and the spirits are stirring so what better time than now to chat with Tim Brown from the Paranormal Intelligence Gathering Service (PIGS). Anton and I really enjoyed talking to Tim as he explained how PIGS conduct their research, what findings they’ve discovered and the use of EVP in some of the unique locations Guernsey offers for those seeking contact with the deceased.
Far from believing every story he hears, Tim wants to find and understand exactly what people are experiencing – is it infrasound, simply being in a heightened state or a haunting spirit? Join us this episode as we learn more. Will we be ready for our ghost hunting trip next episode?
For more information on the PIGS visit their website.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/interview-with-tim-brown-from-the-paranormal-intelligence-gathering-service
We were invited to chat to our local BBC radio station and they very kindly gave us permission to reproduce the show. If you’re curious how the podcast begun and what Anton’s favourite topic has been (I can’t believe he said it live on air, on the BBC!!) then have a listen! It was great fun and we’re so pleased they invited us on, thank you BBC Guernsey.
Find out more about our podcast: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/
This episode marks our two year anniversary and we celebrate in style!
I recreate the 1858 Great Stink of London, a terrible smell caused by an overburdened sewerage system and unresponsive government. Cholera filled the streets killing thousands - bad air or miasma was thought to be the cause. The city needed a hero...
Anton then tells of modern day pollution - plastic dumped into the world’s oceans where it kills wildlife. One of the worst affected areas is the small atoll of Midway where the Albatross population is under threat.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/miasma-a-london-stink-and-plastic-pollution
What is perception? How do we see the world? How do our senses trick and lie to us? Through a series of simple experiments you can try at home we look at all these questions. We then delve deeper into our perception and understanding of the world around us. Most people perceive themselves as above average, can’t take on new ideas and misremember events. Being aware of this will help us all understand the world and each other with deeper respect.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/perception-how-we-see-the-world
We are honoured to be joined by the very charming George McGavin. One of the leading entomologists he taught at the University of Oxford before embarking on TV career that has taken him deep into the jungles of Guyana, New Guinea and more. Always lively and passionate George is full of stories of his adventures and the importance of understanding our position in, and the protection of, our fragile environment. We had an amazing time talking with George and hope you’ll enjoy the interview as much as we did!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/we-chat-with-entomologist-george-mcgavin
Cover photo: Lois Wendon
War is never nice but sometimes it drives people to their extremes. In desperation to gain the upper hand all logic and rational thought is flung out the window and insane proposals for weapons are put forth. From dropping cakes seeded with anthrax on herds of cows to bats with bomb-backpacks and giant siege towers to expanding foam guns mankind has devised some odd and, let’s be honest, terrifying devices. Join Anton and myself as we travel through time discovering some of the strangest.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/chickens-to-wetsuits-stupid-weapons-from-history
In possibly our most uncomfortable episode yet for Anton we talk Oxen! In school history lessons they just seem to turn during the agricultural revolution to help with crop rotation and then disappear. But what exactly are Oxen, how are they used, where do they come from and what is their history? We travel the world to answer all these questions.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/oxen-more-than-just-unintact-bulls
After its independence in 1821 Costa Rica was a poor nation with very little outside trade but one man, from a small island halfway around the world, would change that. William Le Lacheur, born 1802, was a merchant and sea captain who is widely credited with transforming Costa Rica’s economy through the coffee trade. Commanding a fine fleet of ships he would not only bring trade to a nation but also help educate it’s citizens, help pull them from poverty and help fight off American filibusters. This episode we tell the story of this remarkable man.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/william-le-lacheur-and-the-transformation-of-costa-rica
Come settle down next to the fire, help yourself to a mince pie and glass of mulled wine for we have a festive delight for you. This episode we take a relaxed look at popular toys from days gone bye, what will Anton make of Tonka Trucks, Pet Rocks and Cabbage Patch kids? But it’s not long until the warmth of the fire sends the drowsy child to sleep, but he’s awoken by a visitor checking up which list, naughty or nice, he should be on…
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/old-toys-and-christmas-elves
This episode we go nuts! For conkers and hazelnuts to be exact.
Have you ever heard of Melch Dick, a forest guardian who punished children for picking unripe nuts? Or do you know why Ministry of Munitions asked school children to collect conkers during WW1? We reveal all this an more in our nutty winter special.
We also interview Conker Cup representative and host of Chestnut Chat, ‘Mr Conkers’, who tells us all about the exciting sport. Visit conkercup.com to find out more.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/we-go-nuts-for-conkers-and-hazel
People across cultures and ages have practiced corpse medicine – using the human body or it’s secretions to cure ailments ranging from baldness to epilepsy and toothache to mania.
From Europe to China to Arabia a special quality has been attached healing powers of the human body. Crushed skull and cocoa, mellified man, the blood of the recently deceased (or three young boys if you happen to be Pope.) and more have all been highly sort after remedies.
This episode Anton and I bring back this lost knowledge, making and tasting our own corpse medicine from skulls, brains, mummies and honeyed human flesh. Welcome to our Halloween special!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/halloween-special-corpse-medicine
We’ve made a podcast about pigments and colours because why not? I know you can’t see them but we’ve tried really hard to describe them!
When Sir Isaac Newton first draw his colour wheel after seeing light through a prism he matched each colour to a musical note, but our love of colour goes back far further than that, to a time when we maybe weren’t exactly like we are now. Artists all over the world have sought out new pigments, new colours, to wow and amaze, however how they were created and their effects on people’s health hasn’t always been of great concern.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/pigments-that-poison-and-a-colourful-history
Every 19 September is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and we thought we’d celebrate with some pirate tales, history and facts. We aren’t just looking at the golden age of piracy though - we take our time machine to see how Julius Caesar handles being captured by pirates and tell the tale of the Eustace Black Monk. He was a medieval pirate, monk and necromancer who spread fear through the English channel fighting for both England and France. Anton uncovers various pirate facts and rights some wrongs in how we view them and teaches me some pirate lingo! So let’s hoist our sails and journey together once more.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/talk-like-a-necromancer-pirate-monk
This episode we travel far back in time to look at some frozen dogs found in the Siberian tundra. These amazingly preserved animals are helping scientists understand the evolution and domestication of modern-day canines - could they be ancestors of the first Russian space dogs?
We follow this with the life of Margaret Ann Neve, the first woman to live to 110 years and span three different centuries – truly a Guernsey Great!
Please follow us on twitter @curichildpod and rate, review, subscribe and share the podcast.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/the-oldest-woman-in-the-world-and-frozen-dogs
Since the last episode Anton has turned 10 so as a little treat and a sign of his new levels of responsibility he selected the topic for this show. We’ll not reveal it here but it’s fun and maybe a tiny bit rude but still full of science, facts and history! Anton also has a lovely birthday message from the Flatpack History of Sweden podcast and we even had some fan art! Don’t forget we now have a website thecuriosityofachild.com and are on Twitter @curichildpod
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/something-smelly-history-science-farts
Anton is soon to be 10 years old! I'd love if you could send him birthday wishes to @curichildpod on Twitter, or visit our website: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/
I know Anton would love some reviews for his birthday too! ;)
28 June 1940, German bombers attack the town and harbour of St Peter Port, Guernsey. Misidentifying a row of trucks containing tomatoes for military vehicles they destroy them killing 33 civilians in the process, luckily just over a week earlier many of the islanders had been evacuated. Just two days later the island is under German occupation. For the next five years those remaining would live alongside their occupiers - one soldier to every two civilians - as Hitler ordered the island to be turned into an ‘impregnable fortress’.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/fortress-guernsey-the-invasion-and-occupation
Every person alive today is here thanks to pollinators – bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles and more. They are vital to all life on our planet but their habitats aren’t always protected. Anton investigates the pollinators found in Guernsey and the Pollinator Project – a local initiative to help protect and raise awareness of their importance. I then tell of a traumatic event that happened to me several nights ago and the effect it had on my body!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/16-guernsey-pollinator-project-matter-and-the-science-of-fear
This episode we look at the winners of the WriteStuff. It’s a local writing competition for school children and part of the Guernsey Literary Festival, the theme this year was freedom. We are very lucky and have been allowed to play some clips from the winning stories. Visit https://writestuff.gg for more. Anton then reads his winning entry from two years ago. In our second feature I discuss vultures – their myths, their resistance to botulism and their poo!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/15-guernsey-literary-festival-writestuff-winners-and-vulture-poo
This episode we leave lockdown to see what’s living in the rock pools at low tide - far away from other humans - and discover a lot of crabs! Anton tells us more about our many legged friends and I discover what barnacles actually are. We then island hop to the Banda Islands, the home of nutmeg, a spice with an interesting history and effects on your nody if you consume too much.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/14-rock-pool-life-and-back-to-the-spice-islands-for-nutmeg
After a long delay we are back with a bumper episode! We begin with Anton’s look at pre-Christian festivals that may have inspired Easter as well as odd modern day traditions, then Curious Mummy shares her experience of Easter in Russia and her love of Fabergé eggs.
Being our unlucky 13th episode I delve into where this superstition may have come from and we remember that, 50 years ago to the day, Apollo 13 was struck by some bad luck but saved by some amazing minds.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/13-easter-traditions-unlucky-13-and-a-special-guest
Anton is feeling a bit off colour but bravely soldiers on in this episode about viruses. We start by looking at who discovered them and when, then shrink down to investigate if they are living organism or not. After getting so close to a virus it’s wise to wash your hands so we do just this and find out how soap destroys them. Finally we offer a little friendly advice to keep you all going. Stay safe.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/12-lets-soap-that-corona
Anton discovered a 500-year-old journal that has been handed down by generations of archaeologists exploring the history of the Maya. Something very strange happens when we open it as we’re transported back in time. Continuing the Chronometry theme I look why we have leap years and how they lead to 11 missing days.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/11-the-time-travelling-mayan-journal-and-11-missing-days
In 1203 Richard the Lionheart’s favourite castle is sieged after his death. Will it survive or will the French find a humorous fatal design flaw? In Anton Investigates he reveals all and also looks at the role of medieval blacksmiths. We also listen to the voice of a 3000 year-old Egyptian mummy thanks to cutting edge research and introduce our first funny phobia – Shuicaophobia!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/10-the-lionhearts-castle-and-talk-like-an-egyptian
We are back and with our most delicious episode ever!
Anton and I are joined by Curious Granny and Curious Gramps as we taste our way through a multitude of chocolate bars learning a little about each along the way. What’s the fourth kind of chocolate? How many cocoa beans would buy a slave? And who was the neighbour of the man who invented milk chocolate?
We explore all this and more whilst enjoying a lot of Quetzalcoatl’s gift to mankind (and why’d I share so much? I must be crazy!).
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/9-the-taste-and-history-of-chocolate
We were very lucky to get a microscope for Christmas and discuss the tiny creatures we found in a local duck pond. With the dawn of 2020 we then look at funny and unusual past predictions of the future to see if they got the present correct (not exactly!) - Anton also throws a few of his own predictions into the pot. Finally, we announce our first ever Curiosity of a Children Person of the Year winner 🏆!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/8-marvellous-microscopes-and-odd-future-predictions
Happy Christmas one and all. We know the only gift you want this year is more Curiosity of a Child. This episode Anton explores some strange and funny traditions from around the world. Then things get a bit darker when I look at the history of St Nicholas.
It's nearly midnight here and Santa will be arriving soon so I better get to bed and pretend to be asleep as so of what I read is rather scary!
If you’re in the Christmas spirit please leave us a lovely review.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/7-christmas-special-old-and-dark-tales
In part two of our Sir Isaac Brock Guernsey Greats feature we visit the War of 1812. How will Brock cope against the American invasion of Canada and will he create a legacy that lasts the test of time?
Anton then becomes quizmaster as he challenges granny, gramps and myself to a series of Stone Age themed questions!
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/6-from-the-stonge-age-to-the-war-of-1812
Anton discovers that by eating bananas he is in fact 50% cannibal! Then we take a look at the life of Sir Isaac Brock, Hero of Upper Canada but born here in Guernsey however we end on a cliff-hanger with the outbreak of the war of 1812.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/5-cannibalistic-bananas-and-sir-isaac-brock-part-1
Have you ever noticed how your finger is just the right size to fit up your nose? Surely this must be for a reason. We examine some interesting research about bogies and also explore how Anton’s nasal flu vaccine works.
Please review the show if you enjoy it and message us on Twitter @curichildpod
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/4-nose-vaccines-and-eating-bogies
In part two of our Halloween special Vampires, Cyclopes, Zombies and Werewolves do battle to be crowned the Curiosity of a Child Monster Champion. Who will win this epic battle? Who should you take with you whilst trick or treating? Grab a comfy seat and a handful of Halloween treats and we’ll reveal the answer.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/3-2-halloween-monster-battle
The nights grow long and dark, Halloween approaches and all kinds of creatures begin to stir. In the first of a Halloween two parter we examine a witches spell in close detail, could the mistresses of the night really be concocting treats for unsuspecting children? We then introduce you to four monsters of myth and legend who will go head-to-head in the arena to be crowned the Curiosity of a Child Halloween Monster Champion. Listen to part two of this special extended edition for the result.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/3-1-we-put-the-e-in-halloween-spells
Once again I subject Anton to a mystery spice and this time it’s good enough for the emperor of China and can be used as an anaesthetic for fish!
Things then take a darker turn in Anton Investigates as he reveals the lesser known side of fairies before we head off to Le Creux es Faies to hunt one for ourselves.
Will we survive long enough to bring you episode 3?
We’re on Twitter.
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/2-fresh-breath-cloves-and-the-truth-about-fairies
Welcome to the first ever episode of The Curiosity of a Child presented by a father and son team.
This episode I feed my son a spice from the rack, what will he think? I then cover it's history and uses. My son investigates dolmens and we record live from inside one of these amazing ancient tombs. Finally, to end the show we follow a guide on Brain Surgery from Nick Arnold's Horrible Science Bulging Brains book. Will the operation proceed as planned or will our first show also be our last?
Show notes: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/episodes/1-turmeric-tasted-dolmens-and-brain-surgery
A podcast about history, science, storytelling and the curiosity of a child.
We are a son (aged 11) and a father who are curious about… well, everything! The more you look at the world the more you understand and then the more you can see. We like to dig into different topics, everything from the humble Ox (it’s been really important to the development of mankind – but Anton did have to learn what castration is!) to the most popular Christmas toys of yesteryear (including actual firing guns, a hideous doll that could bite off fingers and a pet rock!).
We don’t just like to talk though; we like to experience. That might mean recording on location in a 5000-year-old dolmen full of spiders and reportedly an entrance to the fairy realm. Or simply tasting spices from across the world (I’m looking forward to giving Anton chilli!) to uncover where they came from, how their trade effected people’s lives and how they’re used. Oh, and we also recreated and ate various forms of corpse medicine such as human brain, mellified man and a nice warm glass of urine. Yum!
We do all this from our small island fortress (Hitler built a lot of bunkers here). We don’t get off ‘the rock’ that often so instead we send our minds out around the world and return with stories of wonder. We then take everything we discover and have good chat about it and even do some storytelling (with sound effects!) to present it to you he listener.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we have a time machine too.
Find out more: https://thecuriosityofachild.com/