Pick the Next Extra History Series! "Animal Instincts" (Patreon)

It's time for our Extra History poll! Where you get to vote on what our next Extra History Series is about!

These four topics were selected from our "Animal Instincts" Patreon Suggestions and are listed in no particular order below.

History of Cats: Fabulous Felines

It's arguable that instead of us taming cats, cats tamed us. They've never been quite as malleable as the dog, which was easily drafted for different kinds of work. Cats, by contrast, can only be bred for aesthetics rather than for specific jobs. But despite that, they've been living with us a long time. Archaeologists found a grave in Cyprus that's 9,500 years old, where a child was buried along with—presumably—a pet cat. They've been gods in ancient Egypt, familiars of Satan in early modern Europe, and rodent control for thousands of years. They are the tigers of our homes, the sleepers on our sill, and the murderers of native wildlife—they are cats.

Barnum's American Museum: Fire and Fur

Where can you find a cage with a bald eagle, anteaters, a turtle, cats and dogs, seven monkeys and a very angry anaconda? At Barnum's American Museum of course! Even better, next to it is a real mermaid, and there are two beluga whales in the basement. Barnum's American Museum stood from 1841 to 1865, when a spectacular fire destroyed the building—but by then, it had already shaped American culture in ways both small and great. A dizzying array of exhibits, it included human oddities, real historical artifacts, scientific lectures, theatre performances and many, many animals. Ruled over by the larger-than-life huckster and showman P.T. Barnum, it would educate, titillate, and often deceive the public in equal measure. In doing so, Barnum became an innovator in American entertainment and advertising, while also commoditizing the bodies of both people and "exotic" animals—eventually leading to his venture into the traveling circus.

American Whaling: Soon May the Wellerman Come

Whales were central to 19th century life in Europe and America. Not only was whale oil the petroleum of its day, but baleen was the plastic. And the industrial center that dominated that trade was the tiny island of Nantucket, which sent its fleets globally. Yet they didn't originally have to go that far. In the 1690s, the whale hunts were barely offshore, carried out by white settlers harpooning whales in rowboats driven by Native American oarsmen, but the extinction of nearshore whales within a couple generations meant that by the 19th century fleets were hunting in Hawaii and the Arctic. In an age when many people did not believe in extinction, the public began to ask whether whale stocks were really as inexhaustible as industry figures—including Herman Melville—claimed. But though the years of whaling were numbered, it would change America forever—from serving as America's unofficial exploration fleet to helping establish American control over Hawaii.

War Beasts: A History of Animals at War

Mankind has long drafted animals to fight for them in wars. From Hittite chariots and mounted knights, to Cortez's attack dogs, to Thai war elephants and WWI carrier pigeons, we've made animals into soldiers. This series will look at the changing face of animals at war, from transportation and communication, to hunting and guarding, to serving as weapons themselves. And along the way we'll meet a few famous nonhuman soldiers, such as Cher Ami the heroic WWI carrier pigeon, to Wojtek, the famous soldier-bear who helped Polish soldiers carry ammunition crates in WWII. But enlisting animals in conflicts has always come with moral quandaries—if animals do not understand war, is it ethical to subject them to it?

Our Current Schedule is:

Nazi Occultism: Oh It Gets Weirder! - Starting 10/19 -> The Pazzi Conspiracy -> The Unholy Roman Emperor Frederick II vs. The Papacy -> Your Vote!

***Friendly reminder: The poll will end at 11:59 PM PT on Monday the 21st. You can vote for as many choices as you want! This style of voting helps us see what people are most interested in without having to make tough decisions between a couple of close favorites. ***