The necessity for toilet paper has existed since long before the invention of paper (or, indeed, toilets). Initially, the most common solution for bum-wiping was whatever happened to be within arm’s reach, and there was nothing, er, ‘charming’, shall we say, about the shells, snow, sheep’s wool,...
While people in medieval times weren’t quite as filthy as we tend to think, they certainly weren’t clean by today’s standards. Here’s what keeping clean looked like back in the olden days. Bathing: The Devil’s Work Prior to the Middles Ages, bathing was a pretty popular pastime....
In the past few years there’s been growing evidence — or at least, an increasing number of headline-baiting surveys — suggesting that men in the 2010s are increasingly fixated on their own appearance. The average modern male checks himself out in the mirror 23 times a day,...
Welcome to DSC Original Content’s weekly podcast, where we explain a weird, tricky or surprising subject in mere minutes. In this edition, learn who had a fondness for fish bladder jelly; find out just how many different animals went into a single Medieval meat pie; and discover...
Welcome to DSC Original Content’s weekly podcast, where we explain a weird, tricky or surprising subject in mere minutes. In this edition, learn what the Kama Sutra has to say about manscaping; find out why some Ancient Egyptians removed their body hair every single day; and discover...
Welcome to DSC Original Content’s weekly podcast, where we explain a weird, tricky or surprising subject in mere minutes. In this edition, learn how cowboys chose to consume their post-booze rabbit droppings; find out who ate fried canaries for breakfast; and discover the secret ingredient of Mongolia’s...
We’ve all waved a sparkler around on a warm July 4th evening, perhaps either trying to write our name in the air in magical glowing letters, or perhaps just trying to draw a rude doodle in the same manner, depending on your age/inebriation level. But where did...
Welcome to DSC Original Content’s biweekly podcast, where we explain a weird, tricky or surprising subject in mere minutes. In this edition, discover why history’s shortest war lasted slightly less than your lunch hour; find out how a war was started by angry sports fans; and learn...
Humans have gone to some pretty drastic lengths to look good through the centuries, including slicking their hair back with bear fat and replacing their eyebrows with strips of rodent fur. Even those folk might think twice about the beauty regimens practiced by 17th century Japanese geishas,...
Welcome to DSC Original Content’s biweekly podcast, where we explain a weird, tricky or surprising subject in mere minutes. In this edition, find out how much the average person really curses per day; why cursing can help you tolerate physical pain; and why people only recently became...
In modern Western society, having someone else shave your face is considered to be a luxury. But it wasn’t always this way: Many cultures throughout history valued their facial hair so much that having someone else forcibly chop it off was one of the worst punishments imaginable....
As any man who’s ever been through puberty can tell you, there are few things more embarrassing than a wayward, unexpected erection. More than a few teenage boys have chosen to ride the bus a few extra stops rather than stand up in front of everyone with...
