Mars. Mars has fully invaded pop culture, inspiring its own day of the week (Tuesday), an iconic Looney Tunes character, and many novels and movies, from Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles to The Martian. It’s this cultural familiarity with the fourth planet that continues to inspire advancements in Mars exploration, from NASA’s launch of the Mars rover Perseverance to Elon Musk’s quest to launch a manned mission to Mars through SpaceX by 2024. Perhaps, one day, we’ll be able to answer the questions our ancestors asked when they looked up at the night sky millennia ago. Or, we’ll just listen to this conversation with Marc Hartzman! Author of The Big Book of Mars, Marc describes how Mars has been a source of fascination and speculation ever since the ancient Egyptians observed its blood-red hue and named it for their god of war and plague. But it wasn't until the 19th century when “canals” were observed on the surface of the Red Planet, suggesting the presence of water, that scientists, novelists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs became obsessed with the question of whether there’s life on Mars. If there IS life on Mars, I bet they’ll enjoy reading about themselves in Marc’s book! More about Marc: ABCnews.com has called Marc Hartzman "one of America's leading connoisseurs of the bizarre" and George Noory from Coast to Coast AM said he's "as bizarre as Robert Ripley." Hartzman considers both high compliments since his passion for the unusual started with Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the annual Guinness World Records books during his youth.  In addition to his books about UFOs, ghosts, Mars, Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head, weird things on eBay, sideshow performers, and unorthodox messages from God, Hartzman has written for Mental Floss, HuffPost, AOL Weird News, AllThatsInteresting.com, The Morbid Anatomy Online Journal, and Bizarre magazine. He's discussed oddities on CNN, MSNBC, Ripley’s Radio, History Channel’s The UnXplained, the Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum, and dozens of podcasts. More of his love for the unusual can be found on his site, WeirdHistorian.com. Outside of these projects, Hartzman earns a living as an award-winning advertising creative director. Marc is also a STORIES of Space Project Ambassador and story contributor!  Want more cool stories about fun and weird stuff? Listen to Marc’s Podcast, the Weird Historian!  https://www.weirdhistorian.com/the-podcast/ Enjoy The Big Book of Mars: From Ancient Egypt to The Martian, A Deep-Space Dive into Our Obsession with the Red Planet: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Mars-Deep-Space-Obsession/dp/1683692098  Pre-order Marc’s New Book!  We Are Not Alone: The Extraordinary History of UFOs and Aliens Invading Our Hopes, Fears, and Fantasies https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683693353/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_0CXVB2JQNW37YBS5NP8N?linkCode=ml1&tag=godmademedoit-20