For over six years the past and the curious has been winning fans sharing stories of real people from the past and making people smile.

I'm mix Sullivan author of I see Lincoln's underpants which is a book about well famous people's underwear. You'll find all of those

stories and much much more in the 100 plus episodes of the Past and the Curious that are currently

available. Find it in all the usual podcast places. The Past and The Curious and the Curious That Are Currently Available.

The Past and the Curious with Mick Sullivan.

That's me.

Soundington Media!

What animals are you afraid of?

Maybe spiders or sharks?

Or maybe you get worried about large dogs or certain kinds of creepy-crawleys.

As we mention a lot on this show, fear is a very normal human response meant to keep us safe. Our brains have evolved over thousands of years

to use fear to activate a series of chemical processes that help us avoid or

get away from danger. Fear can trigger the release of adrenaline, which would power our bodies

to run away without feeling tired or slow, as we might in a non-dangerous situation. For many of us, a fear of a particular animal might be related to a particular

experience. I was very young when I saw the shark movie Jaws, and even when I found out that sharks did not get as big as

the ones in the movie and that most sharks are not dangerous to people, I still

found myself thinking about them every time I went in the water. That experience

shaped my thinking. But what about when we're afraid of something that isn't

real or doesn't have a basis in lived experience.

Would it surprise you if I told you that one of the most widely recognized creatures in fantasy culture

might actually have its origins in humans' instinctual fear of real animals?

I'm Elise Perijian, and we'll be talking about everything to do with dragons

...