The Wild Turkeys of Schleswig

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

25-11-2022 • 39 mins

There are eight American turkeys painted on the walls of Schleswig's Cathedral of St Peter - which is odd... since the frescoes were created two centuries before Columbus even crossed the Atlantic.

How did the creatures come to be added to the medieval Biblical scene? Was this proof that the Germans reached the Americas before Columbus? Or do the painted birds tell a different story all together?

For a full list of sources used in this episode visit Tim Harford.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You Might Like

History Daily
History Daily
Airship | Noiser | Wondery
Dark History
Dark History
Audioboom Studios
The Ancients
The Ancients
History Hit
Lore
Lore
Aaron Mahnke and Grim & Mild
The Rest Is History
The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
BADLANDS
BADLANDS
Double Elvis
History Extra podcast
History Extra podcast
Immediate Media
You're Wrong About
You're Wrong About
Sarah Marshall
Tides of History
Tides of History
Wondery / Patrick Wyman
Gone Medieval
Gone Medieval
History Hit
Everything '80s
Everything '80s
Jamie Logie / Curiouscast