The History of Alchemy is a paradox at the crossroads of the history of science and the occult. While it was a sort of proto-chemistry, for sure—it was also a science of demon summoning, divination, and magic. Any way to get to the secrets of creating artificial gold!
Men and women from a wide range of beliefs, cultures, and backgrounds all got in on the search for immortality, artificial life, and—above all—the philosopher’s stone.
Find out how a magical recipe led to the discovery of phosphorous, why alchemists believed it was possible; and both the darker and nobler sides of the Great Work.
Sample Show
What listeners are saying…
Travis and Pete bring Alchemy to life in a pleasant and informative format, which goes above and beyond anyone else attempting to bring the “Great Art” to the web.SNEAKERKING510
Love this podcast..great concise little podcast filled with fun alchemical history told in an interesting manner.Purposely Hoodwinked
From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton the History of Alchemy Podcast surveys and enlightens us moderns on the alpha to zeta of alchemy.Rumi045
Pete & Travis plunge headfirst into a truly deep subject with enthusiasm and joy that is contagious.Sue Hawkins
About Travis J Dow
Born in Oregon, grew up in Munich, Germany, went to high school and university in Corvallis, Oregon (with another year in Munich between). After college I moved to Prague, the Czech Republic and stayed there for a decade before finally moving to Santa Clara, California.
I studied Business and German, taught English and German, worked in IT support, aerospace and aviation sales, and have spent the last few years as a technical writer for mainframe and big data software.
Since growing up in Germany I’ve had a love for history, spent a half-year as a ghost tour guide in Prague visiting the dungeons and torture chambers beneath the castle, and… everywhere, really. Which got me curious about some of the other local history in Prague. Which in turn led to a lot of time spent documenting my readings on alchemy before discovering podcasts as a medium–-and started distilling my research over the years into podcast episodes. At the same time we decided to also give the Czech Republic a similar history podcast treatment.
And with Pete Collman have been podcasting since 2012. We started with the History of Alchemy and Bohemican podcasts, and I also host the History of Germany (English and German) and translate the Secret Cabinet Podcast from its original German. Our latest adventures are trying to create videos to compliment the podcast.
Oh yeah, I also paint. dowsart.com
About Pete Coleman
Several years ago I moved to Prague, Czech Republic from Atlanta, Georgia (USA) where I had worked for one of the nation’s leading spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation centers, Shepherd Center Hospital.
I currently work as Technical Information Engineer for an American tech company based in Prague.
I hold two BA’s in Journalism and Telecommunication from Marshall University (Huntington, WV) and Michigan State University.
I was born in Hawai’i, grew up in Northern Virginia, and have called West Virginia, Michigan, and Georgia my home over the years. I was fortunate and honored to have been a part of the United States Wheelchair Fencing Team from 1999-2006.
I competed in European tournaments as a Paralympic hopeful this experience introduced me to the joys of international travel.
I am a proud parent to two great kids.
Besides co-hosting the History of Alchemy with Travis J. Dow we also collaborate on the Bohemican YouTube Channel.
