Every time I use the subject of today’s episode, my husband is quick to point out how I shouldn’t. He loves to tell me about all the injuries this common household item causes, and as much as a lot of what I do depends on my hearing, I can’t help but continue to use it now and again. And I’m sure you do too. You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Cotton Swabs. Let's get social! The Story Behind Di...
Aug 10, 2019•8 min•Ep. 148
From starting out as eye protection against snow blindness to helping pilots navigate the skies without being blinded by the sun, the subject of today’s episode not only protects your eyes but has also been a staple of fashion for centuries, as it turns out. You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Sunglasses. Let's get social! The Story Behind Discussion Group: TheStoryBehindPodcast.com/Facebook-Gr...
May 23, 2019•12 min•Ep. 147
Ever hear of Shiny Object Syndrome? Usually, it’s said to refer to those who see something new and have to have it, only to get bored with it once they finally attain it. But in this episode, I wanted to know just what it is about literal shiny objects that make them so appealing to humans. And this particular shiny object is no different unless you have to clean up the mess it makes. You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, an...
Apr 18, 2019•7 min•Ep. 146
One of the most fascinating things about today’s episode is not just the creation of this everyday object, but the marketing tactic of presenting a problem that many people weren’t concerned with until the solution was advertised. You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Mouthwash. Vote for The Story Behind for the Webby Awards! CLICK HERE to vote! Let's get social! The Story Behind Discussion Group...
Apr 09, 2019•10 min•Ep. 145
Happy April Fool’s Day. This year, I was part of a number of other podcasts that wanted to do some cross-promotion, so if you’re looking for The Story Behind April Fool’s Day, I invite you to check out the Forgotten News Podcast. I should put a disclaimer on this episode that it may not be suitable for younger or sensitive audiences since procreation and the anatomical names for body parts are mentioned. And remember, take everything you read and hear today with a grain of salt. Enjoy this episo...
Apr 02, 2019•24 min•Ep. 144
One of my favorite holidays just passed. February 15th. Yup, you heard me right. February 15th, not the 14th. Oh, I love Valentine’s Day, but I’m more in love with the discounted candy the day after, including a candy that apparently I’m in the minority when it comes to liking. But this year, they were harder to come by, despite being the most popular Valentine’s Day candy. The history of any modern-day candy, actually, can be attributed to these, as well. You’re listening to The Story Behind: T...
Feb 14, 2019•8 min•Ep. 142
One of my favorite things to learn about when researching episodes is how people marketed inventions that had never been on the market before. In The Story Behind Post-its , we talked about how 3M’s style of marketing was to show what the product could do, rather than just showing the product. In The Story Behind Dr Pepper , John W. Davis made it a point to tell six people every day his version of the beverage’s origin story. And, probably in the running for most audacious marketing of an invent...
Feb 07, 2019•8 min•Ep. 141
Okay, campers, rise and shine and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today! No, you’re not stuck in a loop, unless you’ve already listened to this episode before. But today’s episode is all about a seemingly silly holiday that has a fascinating history behind it and a 1993 movie that probably helped it become most likely permanently attached to Bill Murray. You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is ...
Feb 02, 2019•9 min•Ep. 140
Even though the topic of today’s episode isn’t necessarily exercise-related, it would be safe to say it gave me a bit of a workout this past week. Imagine paying $12 for something, then you find yourself struggling to put it on, only to have it rip. Now, because I didn’t have time to go to the store for another pair, I put some clear nail polish on the rip and hoped they would hold out for the next few hours until I could take them off and throw them away. Women, you probably know what I’m refer...
Jan 17, 2019•9 min•Ep. 139
Remember the Left Shark from the Super Bowl a few years ago? He was supposed to be just a guy in a shark costume dancing next to Katy Perry during the halftime show. But because he decided to do his own thing, he became the center of attention. Every so often, another Left Shark will come along in the background of an event only to steal the show. The most recent of these was the Fiji Water girl during the Golden Globes red carpet, who has been given the title 2019’s first meme after appearing t...
Jan 10, 2019•15 min•Ep. 138
One of my favorite compliments I get about The Story Behind book is that people love reading it in the bathroom. At first, people seem embarrassed to tell me this, but in the introductory chapter of the book, I put a PS at the end that says, “I won’t be offended if you read it in the bathroom.. So, in case you want to bring the book into the bathroom or you just want something to think about for those awkward moments you find yourself in a stall without any reading material, this episode is for ...
Jan 03, 2019•8 min•Ep. 137
Hey there! Hope everyone is enjoying this weird week between Christmas and New Years! When I released the last episode, The Story Behind Christmas Traditions, Part 2, I had some questions about the first part. I released that one way back in 2016, but since I’ve gotten more listeners since then, I thought it would be fun to re-release it. Even though it’s no longer Christmas, why not enjoy saying goodbye to Christmas 2018 with The Story Behind. Enjoy! There are lots of fun things in store for Th...
Dec 27, 2018•8 min•Ep. 136
As I’m recording this, I have my holiday candle burning, my kids hopped up on Christmas cookie sugar, and I’m struggling to find a way to hide Christmas presents from my husband before being able to wrap them. If you’re listening to this way later, and you haven’t already looked at the title of this episode, get ready for a throwback to what kids and retailers call The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. When I first started this podcast back in 2016, I did an episode like this and I liked it a lot...
Dec 13, 2018•12 min•Ep. 135
I love my job as a podcast editor. I get to listen to podcasts every day and get paid for it, and my clients are absolutely wonderful, as many podcasters often are. One of my clients, Catherine, is the producer for Solo Travel Talk with Astrid Clements of AstridTravel.com . Every episode I listen to, I find out about travel destinations that all end up going on my bucket list. But when I edited a particular episode, answering questions about today’s topic as it pertains to different parts of the...
Dec 06, 2018•9 min•Ep. 134
When I was in Washington, DC, a few weeks ago, I stopped at the International Spy Museum before leaving. I could have stayed in there for hours, and it was incredible to see these gadgets and spy equipment that we normally only see in movies. But a set of pictures intrigued me. They were of both Union and Confederate soldiers using the topic of today’s episode to spy on one another. Not only would they use this to observe the enemy, but they were also able to learn the terrain of the battlefield...
Nov 29, 2018•10 min•Ep. 133
This past year has been one of the busiest I’ve ever had. I could never have imagined two years ago that starting this podcast would have brought me the most amazing listeners in the world or that they would go from listeners to the best book launch team I could have imagined. Since we’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States this week, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how thankful I am for everything you’ve done for me and this podcast. From sharing the show with your friends and f...
Nov 22, 2018•11 min•Ep. 132
Sorry for the delayed episode this week! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have seen that I went to DC Podfest. And the first day I was there, I woke up with the beginnings of a cold. Luckily, I was able to get a hold of a bottle of Zicam fairly quickly and stave off the cold for a few days … until I got home. And then, it hit. This week has been a bit of a fever dream for me, but it made me start to wonder about some of the things we say when we’re sick and the origins, so get r...
Nov 15, 2018•8 min•Ep. 131
If you follow @StoryBehindPod on Instagram, you may have seen that I went to Boston last weekend for the Sound Education conference at Harvard University to be on a panel with other history podcasters that included Liz Covart from Ben Franklin’s World, Patrick Wyman from Tides of History, and David Stenhouse from BackStory. I respect these podcasters greatly and it was such an honor to be in the same room as them. Because my travel schedule is pretty hectic this month, I only stayed in Boston fo...
Nov 08, 2018•8 min•Ep. 130
This is a very special episode of The Story Behind. Believe it or not, two years ago I pressed Publish on the first three episodes of this podcast, The Story Behind the Theremin, The Story Behind Dry Ice, and The Story Behind Sugar Skulls. This podcast was supposed to be a side-project for me. It was supposed to just take up a little of my time, so I could continue my hobby of podcasting while holding a full-time job and when I was pregnant with my son. That’s what it was supposed to be. But in ...
Nov 01, 2018•12 min•Ep. 129
If you’re a parent who has even been on Pinterest and looked for activities for your child, you’ve probably seen at least a dozen different recipes for modeling clay or sensory dough, as it’s sometimes called. Most of the recipes are different variations on the mixture of flour, water and salt dough I remember using to make Christmas ornaments. So, one morning this week, I was searching for a recipe for my son. I spent a good 20 minutes making it, mixing in different colors, getting just the rig...
Oct 25, 2018•9 min•Ep. 128
There will be a new episode this week, but I also wanted to put out a bonus episode talking about The Story Behind book, which releases Monday, October 15th. In all honesty, it's still not real, even after getting the advanced copies of the book, and on top of everything, social media fatigue and impostor syndrome have really gone into overdrive the past few weeks. But before the book launch day is here, I wanted to thank you all, once again, for all your support. Plus, get a preview of the ackn...
Oct 11, 2018•6 min•Ep. 127
If you’re listening to this episode when it comes out, you may know that The Story Behind book will be released on Monday, October 15th. In the spirit of that, I’ll be doing a few episodes revolving around books. This topic seemed almost too easy to cover, since the invention was something I think we all remember learning about in grammar school. But, as per usual with this podcast and the book, whenever I dig a little deeper, I always find out new information that wasn’t in my history books. Wh...
Oct 11, 2018•11 min•Ep. 127
Only a few more weeks until The Story Behind book is out! And one of my podcasting mentors and buddies Dave Jackson gave me the idea to do a bunch of episodes relating to books around this time to hopefully set the mood for its release. While I was looking into different topics, I found out that the week this comes out, the week from September 23-29, 2018, is Banned Books Week, so what better time to have that as a topic. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Banned Books. Fi...
Sep 27, 2018•13 min•Ep. 126
School picture time is here and every time I get my daughter ready for her picture, I try not to follow current trends too much. I have this fear she’ll have the same experience I had in 1990 when my mom decided to go all out with my school picture and not only give me a big enough pinafore on my dress that it could double as a wind sail on a small boat, but she also teased my bangs and hair so much that I remember the photographer moving his camera back to get the full look. And, yes, if you fo...
Sep 20, 2018•11 min•Ep. 125
I honestly didn’t think I would be as interested in the history of today’s topic when I first started reading about it. There was a lot of chemistry involved and anyone who knew me in high school knows that was the worst subject for me. When you listen to the episode, you’ll notice I kept the chemistry aspect to a minimum. But as I kept researching, what intrigued me the most was when the chemistry switched to biology and women’s studies toward the end, when working conditions for those making t...
Sep 13, 2018•11 min•Ep. 124
I love when I find out an origin story I think I knew turns out to be either a widely believed false rumor or when I find out other people learned different origin stories. That’s what this episode is about, so if you think you already know the story behind today’s subject, you may be surprised to learn there are actually multiple versions. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind the Teddy Bear. Check out Varmints! Episode 73 — Black Bears Find out more about The Story Behind B...
Sep 06, 2018•9 min•Ep. 123
For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer is pretty much reaching the end. And, as a parent, I’m pretty happy about that because it means my daughter is back in school. But before we start talking about Pumpkin Spice-everything and the holiday season, here’s one last hurrah. And, for many like me, no summer is complete without having ridden the topic of today’s episode at least once. Although, you might be surprised to learn its origins actually began as a winter recreational activity. I’m y...
Aug 30, 2018•12 min•Ep. 122
This episode will be told in layers. The tasty summer treat I’m talking about has three ingredients, and while they’re all delicious on their own, together they are incredible. And this episode will be set up similarly, with different stories smushed together into one show. This episode has just a little mature subject matter in the first section that refers to the birds and the bees, just a heads up. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind S’mores. Find out more about The Stor...
Aug 09, 2018•11 min•Ep. 121
Today I’m doing a collaborative show with Josh Hallmark from the podcast Our Americana, which explores unique small towns across America through the stories that impact, cultivate, and challenge community. America can feel oppressive. Every day it feels more and more like pieces of it are disappearing. That it’s losing its value. But … there are monuments and mementos of the past if we just take a moment from our busy lives to take a look. Strange reminders of small victories, new life, love sto...
Aug 02, 2018•13 min•Ep. 120
If you’re listening to this when it comes out, you may know that next week I’m going to a huge conference for podcasters known as Podcast Movement. And I thought it only appropriate to do an episode related to this. You may be using the topic of today’s episode right now and listening to this episode with it. You may have even been appalled two years ago when Apple announced it was getting rid of the jack to plug today’s episode topic into on their iPhones. Nevertheless, almost everybody has a p...
Jul 19, 2018•9 min•Ep. 119
