Did Hamsters Win World War II? w/ Dr. Rianna Walcott

Protect yourself from invasion get a breeding pair of hamsters, today! This week on Seemingly Unrelated we are deep diving into the history of the cutest widdle guys you have witnessed do unspeakable acts for unknown reasons to find out why exactly did we start keeping these rodents as pets?Our special guest this episode is Dr. Rianna Walcott Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, and Associate Director of the Black Communication and Technology (BCaT) Lab.To get to the origin of the pet hamster we have to answer some questions that really do seem completely unrelated like: Why are hamsters always running around at 2am? Is the arabic name for hamsters a major influence on the Dune novels? Are all pet hamsters actually siblings? and were hamsters the secret weapon in the allied invasion of Italy?All these questions will be folded up into a tiny burrito and stuffed into your cheeks plus the haunting issue of how many hamsters can one man fit into a lab coat before they all escape? This week on an endless exercise wheel of futility called Seemingly Unrelated.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture. Episodes drop every other week so subscribe to listen to more.🎵 Subscribe to the audio only version on: https://shows.acast.com/seemingly-unrelated📽️ Find the videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeeminglyUnrelatedPod🎰 Want even more Seemingly Unrelated content? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month as well as the list of sources for this episode (free) on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeeminglyUnrelatedFollow us on the socialsSubstackInstagramTikTokFacebookLinkedIn#hamsters Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture.🎵 Subscribe to the show everywhere 📽️ Find the videos on Youtube🎰 Want even more? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month and a list of sources for this episode on our Patreon Follow us on Substack Instagram TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.