Michaels Curious History

About Michaels Curious History

A history podcast that explores stories of intrigue and mystery still talked about today. I keep a balanced view and discuss the info out there I love using musical scores across my narrations to accompany the stories and take you on a journey All stories are human narrated by me, Michael, no ai! I'm a British Voice Actor with a light Northern tone Hope you enjoy them! Thanks Michael

Publisher

Michael Ashtiany

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Aug 2026

Latest episode

17 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Oct 2026

   The Origins Of The Devil's Bible Is Genuinely Mysterious

   The Codex Gigas, better known as the Devil’s Bible, is the largest medieval ancient manuscripts known to exist, and one of history's unexplained mysteriesNobody knows Who wrote it, How or WhyAt nearly a metre tall and weighing 75 kilos, it’s said to have been written in a single night by a monk who sold his soul and is one of the strangest books ever made.The legend of how it was written may be up for interpretation, but the book itself is very realIn this episode, I'll take a look at what the Codex Gigas really is and ask whether the stories of a curse really hold up and look at who actually wrote itAlong the way, I'll separate the legend from the record, including one popular curse story that the book itself disproves.📖 See the Codex Gigas for yourself (full digitised copy, Library of Congress): https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667604/#CodexGigas #DevilsBible #CuriousHistoryImage Creditshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25737553By Michal Maňas - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3157817By Kungl. biblioteket, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=216504Per B. Adolphson The National Library of Sweden, HS A 148.📷 IMAGE ATTRIBUTION:• Historical Photograph: Gustaf Liljegren examining the Codex Gigas (1906). • Source: The National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket).• License: Public Domain (Expired Copyright). This historical stereoscopic photograph was published before January 1, 1931, placing the physical photo and the 13th-century manuscript art entirely out of copyright restrictions globally. By Francesco Bini - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=153386928By cs:User:Zp (autor:Zp) - cs:Soubor:Katedrála Nanebevzetí Panny Marie v Sedlci u Kutné Hory.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1522220By https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/9a/5b/c99c429b5b29466f7b7b9bd4d620.jpgGallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0031726.htmlManuscript: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ezvdv4um, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36048579By Sokoljan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29073176By Emil Zillich - Public Domain - Kramerius Digital Libraryː https://kramerius5.nkp.cz/view/uuid:8f788a50-8e37-11dd-a0ff-000d606f5dc6?page=uuid:ff24c1d0-ef2b-11e6-a8e7-001018b5eb5c, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119774062By Josef Mathauser - Pohlednice F.J.P . Umělecká dopisnice. Česká historie v obrazích., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87331728By Skot - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178836949https://www.kb.se/eng/about-us/history.html#question_123f844ecc194ab78623515c4_43f844ecc194ab786235145dBy cs:User:Zp (autor:Zp) - cs:Soubor:Hřbitovní kaple Všech Svatých v Sedlci u Kutné Hory.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1502906Cited SourcesNational Library of Sweden – History of the Codex Gigas: https://kb.se/in-english/the-codex-gigas/history-of-the-codex-gigas.htmlNational Library of Sweden – An Unknown Scribe: https://kb.se/in-english/the-codex-gigas/history-of-the-codex-gigas/an-unknown-scribe.htmlNational Library of Sweden – Script: https://www.kb.se/eng/the-codex-gigas/appearance-of-the-codex-gigas/script.htmlNational Library of Sweden – Content of the Codex Gigas: https://kb.se/in-english/the-codex-gigas/content-of-the-codex-gigas.htmlLibrary of Congress – Devil's Bible (Codex Gigas), full digitised copy: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667604/Biblical Archaeology Review – Codex Gigas: https://old.biblicalarchaeology.org/node/124439Wikipedia – Codex Gigas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Gigas

2. 

   27 Sept 2026

   Was Marco Polo Honest About His Time in China?

   Marco Polo brought a book out called 'Il Milione' telling his story of spending 17 years inside the court of Kublai Khan and the Mongol EmpireBut is any of it true?For 700 years his story has earned him many accolades as the worlds greatest explorer. And while there's no doubt of his travels, some questions have been raised on the validity of all his claimsIn this video I'll go through the information on one of the most famous journeys ever recorded. As always the goal is to separate fact from fiction to hopefully create a clearer, less rumour-filled opinion on what may actually be the truth. Was Marco Polo a witness to one of history's greatest empires, or was he the author of one of its most convincing travel tales? MichaelTimestampsImage and Licensing CreditsBy PHGCOM - Own work, photographed at Tokyo Currency Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9520436By Salviati - http://urbanesalonanddayspa.com/15fa8o-marco-polo.org-cheap, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52252778By McKay Savage from London, UK - China - Chengdu 22 - green tea, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23469193By 국립중앙박물관 - National Museum of Korea - This file was derived from: Bronze chopsticks (Goryeo dynasty).jpg:, KOGL Type 1, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=175047357By Unknown author - http://www.mgltal.com/forum/viewthread.php?action=printable&tid=10431, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26659806Par Anonyme — Le livre des voyages de Marco Polo, traduit par Robert Frescher. Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms. 5219, f. 10.Source : http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b55005891m/f23.image, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67881768By Unknown author - This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b52000858n/f9, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2912563By Tranquillo da Cremona - Tranquillo da Cremona - Marco Polo alla Corte del Gran Khan - 1863, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29294384By Mazarine Master - This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b52000858n/f278, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27484467By Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri and Francesco Zanotto - Image found at www.meisterdrucke.ie and slightly digitally improved. Original from Storia veneta espressa in centocinquanta tavole inventate e disegnate da Giuseppe Gatteri sulla scorta delle cronache e delle storie e secondo i vari costumi del tempo, incise da Antonio Viviani e dai migliori artisti veneziani ed illustrate da Francesco Zanotto. Venice, Giuseppe Grimaldo , 1863., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=155217734Von - - [1], Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7303755By Miniaturiste du XIVe siècle - https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52000858n/f36, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=140097436Par Giovanni Grevembroch — Scanné de Coureurs des mers, Poivre d'Arvor., Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3519073By Eugène Guillaumot - Dessin d'Eugène Viollet-le-Duc le jeune pour le Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française du XIe au XVe siècle (1854 à 1868), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43706By Jose Maria Obregon - Museo Nacional de Arte de México, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78128988By PHGCOM - self-made, photographed at the Musee Saint-Denis. Temporary loan from the Bibliotheque Nationale, France., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3162918

3. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Maybe The Voynich Manuscript Isn't That Mysterious

   The Voynich Manuscript is a 600-year-old book that nobody has ever been able to read, and after a century of failed attempts, it's still one of history's most unsolved mysteries.After carbon dating put it around 600 years old, the Voynich Manuscript is written in a script that matches nothing else ever seen since, filled with illustrations of plants that don't exist and star charts for a sky nobody recognizes. In this video, I take a look at its history and some of the questionable motives around the suggested narrative of its originsThen I look at the most famous decipherment claims and why every single one of them collapsed under scrutiny. Is it a hoax? Is that why every attempt to crack it has failed? This is one where there's enough information to support theories and enough counter arguments to challenge them. No known author. No known language. No proof it means anything at all. This is the Voynich Manuscript.Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think!#unsolvedmystery #unsolvedhistory #voynichmanuscript #mysterystory Timetstamps0:00 The Manuscript That Defeated an Emperor00:01:30:16 Anatomy of an Enigma00:03:51:05 Separating Fact From Fiction00:09:39:10 The Legend That Ate Itself00:12:29:22 Is It Even Real?00:15:49:08 The Decipherment Graveyard00:19:46:05 Where Scholarship Stands00:22:25:22 Why Aliens Came Into It00:24:09:24 Conclusion00:25:41:17 My Final Thoughts VLOG

4. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Did Amelia Earhart Actually Land on an Island or Crash in the Sea?

   Amelia Earhart's disappearance over the Pacific in 1937 is still one of aviation's biggest unsolved mysteries. This is the story of the Amelia Earhart mystery, a woman who had to fight her way into a field that barely let women near a cockpit, to the world's most famous pilot, to the final radio transmission that cut off mid-sentence 100 miles from Howland Island.I cover her rise through 1920s aviation, the planned round-the-world flight with navigator Fred Noonan, the massive Navy and Coast Guard search, and the three competing theories that still divide historians The crash-and-sink explanation, The Nikumaroro castaway theory backed by TIGHAR's research and a peer-reviewed bone analysis, And the far weaker Japanese capture theory. I finish off with my own final thought on it the storyHope you enjoy it!

5. 

   24 Aug 2026

   The FBI's Secret Investigation into Nikola Tesla

   Nikola Tesla died broke and alone in a New York hotel room in January 1943. Within days, government agents had seized almost everything he owned, notebooks, blueprints, ideas nobody outside that room had ever seen.This episode traces Tesla's full story: the bitter rivalry that decided how the world would be electrified, the fortune he tore up out of principle, and the towering wireless power station funded by one of the richest men in America before it was torn down for scrap. It's also the story of his final years, broke and increasingly desperate, and the claim he made at the very end of his life that turned into the strangest, most disputed chapter of his legacy.If you've heard whispers about a secret weapon or a government cover-up, this is the sourced, fact-checked version of where that story actually comes from.My name's Michael, and I curate and narrate all my own work. If you enjoy my sort of content, please consider dropping a like or a sub to the channel so you get notified of my new onesCheers!

6. 

   23 Aug 2026

   The Shipwreck That Hid the Most Advanced Machine of the Ancient World

   The Antikythera Mechanism was pulled from a Roman shipwreck in 1900 by a crew of Greek sponge divers who had no idea what they'd actually found. Tangled among the statues and treasure was a small, corroded lump of bronze, dismissed for a year as nothing, until a single archaeologist noticed something extraordinary hidden inside it. What it turned out to be has occupied historians, engineers, and archaeologists for over 120 years. It's now considered the most sophisticated machine to survive from the ancient world, built to a level of precision nothing else from its era comes close to matching, and one that shouldn't have been possible for another thousand years. This is the story of the men who found it, the scientist who was ridiculed for believing in it, and the researchers across four generations who spent decades trying to prove he was right. It's also the story of an argument that still hasn't been settled; who actually built it, when, and why the evidence points in three different directions at once. If you've heard the phrase "the world's first computer" thrown around and never really understood why, or you just love a genuine, still-unresolved historical mystery, this one's for you. Michael

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