Flashback: History's Unintended Consequences

About Flashback: History's Unintended Consequences

A series of stories of disastrous turning points, dangerous ideas, crazy coincidences, unsung heroes and forgotten villains. From OZY’s Sean Braswell, host and creator of the chart-topping, Webby-nominated The Thread, comes a new show about how some of the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong, or prove unexpectedly magnificent.

Publisher

iHeartPodcasts and OZY

Category

history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Apr 2020

Latest episode

4 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

5 of 32 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   4 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: Hoax!

   Hi, Flashback listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Hoax! Hoax!: Why do so many people believe things that aren’t true? In an era when claims of “fake news” come as naturally as breathing, and social media allows lies to spread and multiply like viruses, the question feels more relevant than ever. From the teenage girls who convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies were real in the 19th century to “Balloon boy” in 2009, Hoax! will explore the most audacious and ambitious tricks in history. Along the way, we’ll uncover the reasons people let themselves be fooled and how we can live our lives and engage with the media with a more critical eye. Co-hosted by Noble Blood’s Dana Schwartz and pop culture writer Lizzie Logan, we’ll bring you stories of pranks and grifts throughout history so big and bold they make us question why we believe what we believe in the first place. Listen to Hoax! on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

2. 

   3 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: United States of Kennedy

   Hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris explore America's cultural obsession with the Kennedy dynasty in this interview episode about the "United States of Kennedy" podcast.

3. 

   2 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: American History Hotline

   Bob Crawford introduces American History Hotline, a podcast answering listener questions about American history, offering insights from the Revolutionary War to rock and roll feuds in an interview format.

Inside a recent episode

Introducing: Hoax!

Published 4 Aug 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] It was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you don't recognize his name, you probably know the name of his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the man who invented literature's most brilliant detective was fooled by two girls into thinking fairies were real. The thing, which you probably know, is that fairies aren't real. But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wanted to believe they could be. And so he found ways to dismiss all of the logical ways the photos of the Coddingley fairies could have been faked. History is filled with hoaxes. People coming up with scams and tricks, sometimes for profit, but sometimes just for fun. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

800 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

14 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

66

Contact Flashback: History's Unintended Consequences

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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