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The Story Behind

162 EpisodesProduced by Emily ProkopWebsite

The Story Behind tells the extraordinary history of the ordinary. Everyday objects are more closely examined, from their ancient beginnings through the present—all within 5-10 minutes.

6:54

The Candlestick | Clue Series: Naughty Nursery Rhymes, Liberace, and Miss Scarlet (TSB079)

Welcome to The Story Behind: Clue Series. In every episode of this series, we talk about the history of one of the original weapons used in the game, “Clue.” This series may not be appropriate for all ages and listener discretion is advised. 

Did you ever wonder why it’s tradition to blow out candles on your birthday? It actually goes back to the Ancient Greeks and burning candles in religious ceremonies, including to pay tribute to the goddess Artemis who is associated with the moon. They baked cakes to symbolize the shape of the moon and added candles to represent moonlight.

Though cakes are delicious, they can’t really be used as a weapon for MURDER. But another candleholder can ...

I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind The Candlestick.

The Clue Series Butler you heard at the beginning of the episode was played by Paul from Rick and Paul Heal the World.

Miss Scarlet imitations provided by Amy from the podcast Ladies Love Paul Rudd.

The role of Liberace was played by Craig from The Ultra Podcast. And Rub-A-Dub-Dub was read by Heather from her new podcast, Sunshine & PowerCuts, which is about her life off grid.

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Media:

"Dance of Deception" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Happy Happy Game Show" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Music for Makers

Sources:

Why Do We Blow Out Birthday Candles? - Wonderopolis

Ancient Jewish History: The Menorah - Jewish Virtual Library

Book: Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes

Reason Behind the Rhyme: Rub-a-Dub-Dub - NPR

History of Candles - National Candle Association

Candelabra - Merriam-Webster

Book: Liberace: An American Boy by Darden Asbury Pyron

What Is The Candle Maker's Petition? - Investopedia

Thomas Edison was Scrooge - The Unbroken Window

Book Review: A History of the Menorah - The New York Times

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