The Rest Is History
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History
The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean
by Sam Kean
Today: #166 in History on our combined chart.
Chart positions today
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Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the History chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
View as table
| Date | Combined Rank | Apple Podcasts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | #166 | #159 |
About the show
A topsy-turvy science-y history podcast by Sam Kean. I examine overlooked stories from our past: the dental superiority of hunter-gatherers, the crooked Nazis who saved thousands of American lives, the American immigrants who developed the most successful cancer screening tool in history, the sex lives of dinosaurs, and much, much more. These are charming little tales that never made the history books, but these small moments can be surprisingly powerful. These are the cases where history gets inverted, where the footnote becomes the real story.
Latest episodes
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The Museum of Lost Things
September 11, 2026 · 27 minAn audio excerpt from my new book, The Museum of Long Things. Available now! Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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NASA’s Unmentionable(s) Adventure
June 9, 2026 · 19 minIn the 1960s, NASA needed a better spacesuit. So they turned to the one firm on earth capable of meeting their strict standards—the Playtex underwear company. Episode below! Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon"…
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The Pioneers and Vestiges of Evolution
June 2, 2026 · 18 minHis book on evolution rocked 1800s England. Not Charles Darwin. Robert Chambers, whose infamous tome both horrified Darwin, yet paved the way for him. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal…
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The Angel of the Concentration Camp
May 26, 2026 · 17 minNurse Laura Cobb saved more lives than Clara Barton or Florence Nightingale, and under far worse conditions—in a brutal World War II concentration camp. So why did the world forget her? Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my…
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The Battery Dope
May 19, 2026 · 19 minIn the 1950s, scientists hated politics. Then one Allen Astin got fired. After that, scientists knew they had to play politics—or face professional annihilation. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great…
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The Making of the “Flat Earth” Myth
May 12, 2026 · 17 minNo one in Columbus’s time believed the world was flat. So why did so many children learn this bogus “fact” in school? It all goes back to Rip van Winkle... Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal…
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Forensic Pseudoscience
May 5, 2026 · 18 minWhen the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, the two most scientific detectives in the world took on the case. But they overlooked the real enemy—their own petty prejudice. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon"…
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Manhattan Project Propaganda
April 28, 2026 · 18 minThe Smyth Report is the strangest book ever written on atomic bombs—as well as highly effective science propaganda, warping our view of everything from the Manhattan Project to Robert Oppenheimer. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader…