Short showHistorically Bad Advice
Ever wonder about the experts who got it spectacularly wrong? We're digging up hilariously terrible advice from history, from bizarre health fads to failed tech predictions. Join us for a sarcastic look back at the myths and misconceptions people once believed, celebrating the sweet hindsight of today.
Latest drops:
Bad Blood & Bile: Ancient Greek Medicine
For 2,000 years, doctors made patients sicker.
Mice From Mud: The Theory of Spontaneous Generation
How science debunked a 2,000-year-old 'obvious' fact.
Terrible Farming Advice: The Soviet Union
How one man's bad ideas led to a devastating famine.
Whale-Buses & Flying Firemen: Victorian Futurism
19th-century artists predict life in the year 2000.
Margarine Over Butter: Mid-Century Health Advice
How experts pushed a 'healthy' food that was worse.
Tapeworms for Weight Loss: A Victorian Diet Fad
A historical health trend that involved ingesting parasites.
Farming with Dynamite: DuPont's Explosive Idea
How big business sold farmers on a failed solution.
Drapetomania: The Fake Disease for Escaping Slaves
How a doctor used medicine to justify human bondage.
Soothing Syrup: The Victorian Baby Killer
How parents were sold morphine to quiet their children.
Octagon Houses for a Better You: A 19th-Century Fad
How a quack science tried to reshape our homes and minds.