Dark History

Diabetes is a disease that’s been around for thousands and thousands of years. Literally, since the neanderthals were walking around, painting in caves. Recently, I went to the doctor. And something happened. I had to pee in a cup, you know, pretty routine. But my doctor came back with this look on his face and he was like… your pee is full of sugar. Turns out, this could be a sign of diabetes. So while I was waiting for my test results… you know me. I was doom scrolling. Googling until 3am. Just preparing myself for the worst. I ended up not having diabetes, but even still… I couldn’t stop reading about it. Because this disease has an *insane* history. Before there was insulin and Ozempic, there were starvation diets, opium cocktails, and… beer made of literal pee. Let’s get into it.

History books put presidents on a pedestal. We think of them as these untouchable heroes. In school we learn about what made them good leaders… What their big achievements were. How they handled war. Disasters. Terrorist attacks. But what about the weird stuff they did that no one talks about? I’m talkin’ their quirks and their… un-presidential behaviors. When I looked into this, turns out, there were a lot of them.

Last year I had a surgery so that I could breathe again, and it’s been nice, thanks for asking! I love breathing. But when I was in the hospital, the doctors gave me some really strong pain medication. I asked what it was, and the doctor told me it was fentanyl. At first I was like..fentanyl??? Doesn't that kill everyone? But after a few seconds hey… this is working really well. Turns out, Fentanyl has been used in hospitals for a LONG time. It’s used in epidurals, it’s prescribed for cancer patients, and there was a time when doctors were even putting it in LOLLIPOPS. Even though it feels like fentanyl came out of nowhere over the last few years, it has a long and crazy history. So how did America, big pharma, and a well meaning scientist create the most powerful and deadly opioid in history? WHERE is this stuff even coming from? And how did the fentanyl epidemic become a problem too big to stop?

We all know who Amelia Earhart was. You know, she was a really famous pilot, who set a bunch of records and I discovered… disappeared without a trace. Officially, no one knows what happened to Amelia, her plane,or the man who was on board with her. But boy oh boy, are there theories. So many theories. And surprisingly… a lot of research and evidence behind them. Some of them even had me reaching for my tin foil hat. But I’ll let you guys make up your minds for yourself. So today, we’re going to talk about Amelia Earhart - and what the hell happened to her.

Since ancient times, people have sought out aphrodisiacs—those mysterious foods, herbs, and even animal parts thought to ignite desire, spark passion, and awaken romance. But do these so-called love enhancers really work? Are they based on science or just the stuff of legend? And what’s the strangest aphrodisiac ever used? Today, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of aphrodisiacs—exploring the wild, the weird, and the surprisingly real effects behind these tantalizing tales of romance.

Most celebrities are lucky to be known for one big thing. But some are famous for different things, across multiple generations. To me, those are the icons. And one of those people is Eartha Kitt. A lot of millennials recognize her as the voice of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove, that animated movie with the llama? But Eartha was so much more than a cartoon villain. She was a civil rights activist, an award winning singer, dancer, actor, teacher and author. And on top of all that, a sex icon! Learning about her story just made me even more obsessed with her. So let’s get into it. Welcome to the Dark History of the one, the only… Eartha Kitt.

Even though it’s super controversial, it seems like everyone is vaping these days. If you’ve ever watched my FYP videos, you know that I like to take a hit of the devil’s lettuce from a vape pen. But every time I post one of those videos, without fail, someone is like, [annoying voice] “vaping is so bad for you!” or “hell yeah, I’m hitting my vape pen right now.” People are always on opposite sides of the fence. So of course, I had to bite the bullet and do some research. Who the hell invented the vape pen? And are they really that bad for you?

All great rulers at some point had to deal with the people who had the real power… pirates. I know. It sounds like a joke. But it’s true. For centuries, pirates were a huge power to be reckoned with. They didn’t follow any rules, they were violent, unpredictable, and there were tens of thousands of them just waiting to pounce on other ships or cities at any given moment. Surprisingly, I discovered that some of the world’s most famous pirates were *women*. And their backstories… you guys. I was shooketh. So much drama. I had to spill the tea. Welcome to the Dark History of Pirates.

The other day I was invited to a bachelorette party. And it wasn’t one of those simple, one day parties. NO. This was going to be an all-out, wild, expensive bachelorette weekend in… the city of Las Vegas. And I knew exactly what was going to happen. The shots. Thunder from Down Under. $300 dinners. No sleep. And I’m like… why is everyone obsessed with going to this random, expensive city in the middle of the desert? Don’t get me wrong… I love Vegas. But it’s kind of surprising that it’s still around. I mean, if you think about it, Vegas has almost been canceled over and over and over again. I mean there was the mob, the recession, covid, inflation… but Vegas *always* seems to find a way to survive. And I had to get to the bottom of why. So join me on this journey as we discuss The Dark History of… Las Vegas.

You know what I love more than anything? A good prank. A perfectly timed jumpscare that makes someone pee their pants a little bit? I live for it. But I went back and I was looking at some famous pranks throughout history… And I realized, a lot of pranks go *too* far. Either because the pranker gets carried away, or because there’s a completely unexpected reaction from the prankee. And sometimes the pranks go so sideways, they cause freak accidents that no one sees coming. So join me for the strange, the sad, and the dark history of pranks gone wrong.

There are some things from history class that just stick in my brain. Mostly… the murders. I’m sure this isn’t surprising to anyone. Like JFK getting shot in his car. Or… Julius Caesar getting stabbed in the back. And, for some reason I always remembered that Abraham Lincoln was shot in a theater. I always thought, “wow, way to ruin everyone's night at the theater.” But that's really all I knew. But after some searching… I was SHOCKED to learn the real story.

Julius Caesar...military genius, fashion icon, drama queen, and oh yeah—murdered by 60 of his coworkers. We've all heard the name before. Maybe you think of togas, Caesar salads (not from him btw), or that phrase "Beware the Ides of March." Whatever that means. But Caesar’s real story? Lemme tell you... way messier than what they told us in school. From pirate kidnappings to public sex scandals, and flexing on his enemies to literally dumping a bucket of #2 on a senator’s head— history remembers this man as some regal leader. But he was pure chaos. And his murder? Less Shakespearian tragedy and more Game of Thrones energy. So why did Rome turn on their “god”? And did Caesar kind of have it coming? Let’s get into it.

I love Wendy Williams. She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and “she is the moment.” From 2008 to 2021 Wendy hosted over 2,000 episodes of her show, got an Emmy nomination for best host, and honestly gave us some of the best memes and clips of all time. Then, in 2021, Wendy kind of… Vanished. No one really said what was going on. Just that she was dealing with “health problems.” Turns out, Wendy was put under something called… a“conservatorship.” Now this was allegedly to help her manage her life and money in this difficult time. But a lot of fans, myself included, were left wondering… who’s really calling the shots here? And is Wendy in trouble? It seems like we only hear about conservatorships when it comes to celebrities. But after I did some digging… it turns out, it’s *WAY* more common than we think. So let’s get into it.

The other day I was watching Monster In Law - remember that movie? It starred J Lo, her character falls in love with this dream guy, they get engaged, and everything is perfect until… she meets her mother-in-law. The mother in law is played by Jane Fonda by the way, she’s so good in it. And the whole movie is essentially about how this mother in law makes her future daughter in law’s life hell, so she can break up the marriage. I caught this movie on TV, around mother’s day. Which made me laugh, because when most of us think of mother’s day, we think of flowers, chocolate, cards that say I love you. But for so many people, that’s not the case. Sometimes moms can be the worst. Which got me thinking… who *are* the worst mothers in history? And what did they do to be considered *so* bad? Well, let me just say, I wasn’t expecting to find *so* many crazy stories. I had to keep it to two. So let’s get into it. Welcome to the Dark History of Momsters. Get it? Moms who are Monsters?!

You know, after living in Los Angeles for a few years, I’ve learned a lot. Like, for example, if you tell people you live in LA, the first thing they ask about is celebrities. Who have I seen? What were they like? Am I friends with Kris Jenner? It’s always the same question. LA is huge and a lot of people don’t realize it has a *crazy* history. Hollywood and celebrity culture is just one small part of it. We’ve covered some LA history here on Dark History a couple of times. We did an episode on the Chicano Movement, and we even did one the Zoot Suit Riots. During my research for those episodes, I came across an event I had never heard of… the Chinese Massacre of 1871. You might think by the name, this massacre happened in China. But turns out, it happened right here in Los Angeles. It was essentially a mass murder killing spree, targeting Chinese American communities.

As a country, America has always had a complicated relationship with dairy. One month we hate it, the next month, some weird cottage cheese recipe goes viral, and we’re all over it again. But here's something I thought was a little strange. You never hear about dairy farmers or the dairy industry going bankrupt. It made me wonder why. Turns out… the dairy industry is in bed with the government. Why? Because the government desperately needs them not to fail. And that’s just the tip of the string cheese. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking we *need* dairy from the time we were kids. And there’s a wild reason for that. It involves Marie Antoinette, cheese caves, and… Dominoes? Guys… this is a wild one. And I’m not going to lie… you might think twice before ordering your next Taco Bell burrito. Welcome to the Dark History of Big Dairy!

I honestly don’t remember a time in my life when Walmart didn’t exist. Millions of Americans depend on their low prices just to get by in this economy. Walmart is a savior to some people. Others believe it’s the reason millions of Americans are in debt. I know… plot twist. Whatever you believe… Walmart is the biggest company in the world and *everyone* has an opinion on it. So of course I had to get the tea for us. Welcome to the Dark History of WALMART!