Stuff You Missed in History Class
Episodes
Jean-Baptiste Denis and the Blood Transfusion Race, 2
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Denis made several missteps - some of them criminal - as he tried to prove his superior knowledge in the science of transfusion. Due to his hubris and...
Jean-Baptiste Denis and the Blood Transfusion Race, 1
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 17th century, Europe was obsessed with science – and very competitively so. When it came to blood transfusions, there was a great deal of co...
SYMHC Classics: The Unsinkable Violet Jessop
02 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This 2015 episode covers the story of Violet Jessop, who was a shipwreck survivor -- several times over. She traveled the world aboard some of the mos...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Voynich and Scurvy
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about why Holly loved studying Wilfrid Voynich, when scurvy became a jokey disease, and the need for a good multivitamin and gett...
Scurvy
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scurvy is a deficiency in vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, and its story goes way back in history – all the way to our evolutionary ancestors living mor...
Wilfrid Voynich
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve talked about the Voynich manuscript many times over the years, but the man for whom the manuscript is named has his own fascinating story. Le...
SYMHC Classics: Roses Through Time
26 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2017 episode revisits roses, which humans have painted, written about, and assigned symbolic meaning for centuries. But this much-beloved flower ...
Behind the Scenes Minis: O. Henry and Rudolph
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Tracy and Holly discuss their levels of familiarity with O. Henry and have a food digression. Talk then turns to how Rudolph becam...
The Creation of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us grew up with the story of the sweet little reindeer that was picked on by his peers, and becomes the hero who saves Christmas. But Rudolph ...
O. Henry
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
O. Henry’s writing is taught in many schools because of his stories like “Gift of the Magi,” but it’s rarely mentioned that during his life, h...
SYMHC Classics: Eggnog Riot
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This classic is from 2014. In 1826, liquor was forbidden at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Cadets smuggled alcohol into t...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Lost Cause and the Constitution
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly discuss the difficulty people may have with Civil War history and how surprisingly exciting Constitutional scholarship can be. Learn ...
Interview: Kerry Sautner of the National Constitution Center
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly is joined by Kerry Sautner, Chief Learning Officer of the National Constitution Center, to discuss the museum's mission, unlikely career paths t...
The Lost Cause
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy was a distortion of the history of the U.S. Civil War that’s still affecting the world today. Learn m...
SYMHC Classics: Maccabean Revolt
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Were revisiting a 2016 episode about the uprising of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire during the Hellenistic period, which is an integral par...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Ibn al-Haytham and Waffles
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about the animated version of Ibn Al-Haytham's story, Omar Sharif, waffle cones, and what to do with holiday leftovers. Learn m...
A Brief and Yummy History of Waffles
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Waffles are popular and commonplace on tables and as street food around the world, but they’ve evolved a lot over time to become the syrup vehicle m...
Ibn al-Haytham, First Scientist
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ibn al-Haytham made massive contributions to the world’s understanding of light and vision through experiments that he did during a prolonged house ...
SYMHC Classics: The Historical Roots of Holiday Treats
05 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a holiday throwback to a 2017 episodes. Tasty treats associated with winter holidays have some slightly hazy origins, because the evidence of ...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Thorpe and Poinsett
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly discuss the issue of final resting places illustrated by Jim Thorpe's story, the pronunciation of poinsettia, and plant toxicity. Le...
Joel Roberts Poinsett
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Poinsett was a statesman who was connected to some very important moments in our nation’s history, with mixed results. He’s also credited with int...
Jim Thorpe, Pro Athlete (Part 3)
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The conclusion of our three-parter on the life of Jim Thorpe covers his time as a professional athlete, and his life after the end of his athletic car...
SYMHC Classics: Coubertin and the Modern Olympics
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is our 2016 live show from the Dallas Museum of Art about the Olympics. Pierre de Coubertin is described as the father of the modern Olym...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Jim Thorpe Parts 1 & 2
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about football, Jim Thorpe, and the morality of trick plays in sports in previous decades. They also discuss the complexities of ...
Jim Thorpe, Olympian (Part 2)
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After the 1908-09 football season at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Thorpe seemed to be headed for a career in baseball. But the offer to return t...
Jim Thorpe and Carlisle Football (Part 1)
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Thorpe was an incredible all-around athlete, famous around the world. In part one, we’ll talk about his life before and during his time at Carli...
SYMHC Classics: Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2018 classics covers Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, who was the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree. She lived at a time when a l...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Baby Savers
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about the three people who are linked together in the story of the surgical treatment for cyanotic babies, including stories that...
Vivien Thomas, Surgical Pathfinder
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1944, Thomas developed a surgical treatment for babies with cyanotic heart conditions. Thomas was a Black man working at an institution whose only ...
Helen Taussig, Mother of Pediatric Cardiology
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Helen’s story is tied to Vivien Thomas and Alfred Blalock in the surgical treatment of blue baby syndrome. She was the one who suggested that Alfred...
SYMHC Classics: The Cod Wars
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2016 episode covers Icelandic history. A fishing territory dispute between Iceland and the U.K. started off with a cordial tone, but escalated in...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Cecilia and Maria Anna
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about the sexism that held back Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin,the desire to see her lecture notes, and stories from their education. ...
Maria Anna Mozart
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Anna Mozart is often left out of brief accounts of her brother’s life. But his sister was sharing the bench with him and was also considered a...
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was an astronomer who made a lot of firsts. She grew up in a society that didn’t really prioritize education for girls, and...
SYMHC Classics: The Night Witches
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode from 2015 covers the Night Witches, an all-female bombing regiment in the Soviet Air Force. Flying biplanes meant for dusting crops and t...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Unearthed! in Autumn 2020
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly discuss the wealth of unearthed stories that came up this time around, as well as their favorite finds from this batch. Learn more a...
Unearthed! in Autumn 2020, Part 2
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of our autumnal unearthing report includes shipwrecks, exhumations, repatriations, and quite a bit about Vikings, and a bit of potpourri. ...
Unearthed! in Autumn 2020, Part 1
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's once again time to take a look at things that have been literally and figuratively unearthed over the last few months. In part one of this Autum...
SYMHC Classics: The History of Halloween Candy
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Halloween! To celebrate, we're revisiting a 2014 episode. Candy and Halloween go hand-in-hand, but when did candy become the standard for trick-...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Tarot and Hellhounds
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about their experience with tarot cards and readings, and about the bad rap black dogs get. Happy Halloween to all of our listene...
Three Hellhounds in History
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we inch closer to Halloween, we're talking about three of the MANY supernatural canines and hellhounds that have lengthy histories in our collectiv...
A Brief History of Tarot Cards
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did a card game gain a reputation for being connected to mysticism? Tarot's history takes a significant turn in the 18th century, but much of that...
SYMHC Classics: Belle Gunness
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're revisiting a 2011 episode today. In 1908, a fire leveled the Indiana home of Belle Gunness. Four bodies were found in the cellar, and it seemed ...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Stoker and
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about the work and life of Bram Stoker, including a brief talk about his mother. And then talk turns to Tracy's new interview wit...
Interview: Jackie Cochran with Dr. Katherine Sharp Landdeck
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Katherine Sharp Landdeck joins the show for a second time, to talk with Tracy about Kate’s new book – but mostly about Jacqueline Cochran – ...
Bram Stoker
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dracula is an iconic character, and the man who created him has become almost as much of a source of fascination for many as his famous vampire.. But ...
SYMHC Classics: Why would you put a cadaver on trial?
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this 2011 episode, prior hosts Sarah and Deblina cover Pope Stephen VI having his deceased predecessor Formosus exhumed and put on trial in 897. Th...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Demon Core & Green Book
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly share stories of their own moments of poor judgement, and the Tracy discusses her interview with Alvin Hall and Janée Woods Weber, cr...
Interview: Driving the Green Book
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy talked to Alvin Hall and Janée Woods Weber, host and producer of the podcast Driving the Green Book. Alvin and Janée share their thoughts on t...
The Demon Core and Other Criticality Accidents
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Demon Core was a sphere of plutonium-gallium alloy that the U.S. made for use in an atomic bomb during World War II. After the war, researchers at...
SYMHC Classics: Spring-heeled Jack, Mystery Assailant!
10 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're revisiting a 2010 episode from previous hosts. Most people are familiar with Jack the Ripper, but Victorian England was also plagued by an odd c...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Blavatsky and Shipton
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about Madame Blavatsky's shocking level of cigarette smoking and the surprising amount of Mother Shipton material Tracy was able ...
Mother Shipton
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mother Shipton may or may not have been a real person. She's described as living in 16th-century England, and was everything from an oracle to a witch...
Madame Blavatsky
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blavatsky is an iconic figure. She was the founder of the theosophical movement, and lived a life of adventure that’s hard to believe. The impact of...
SYMHC Classics: The Green Children of Woolpit
03 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2017 episode covers the story of how, in the 12th century, two children, green in color, appeared in Suffolk, England. The green children were wr...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Tanaka Hisashige and Nina Otero-Warren
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this casual Friday chat, Tracy and Holly talk about the genius of Tanaka Hisashige, and Tracy's frustrations at finding the more problematic aspect...
Nina Otero-Warren
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nina Otero-Warren was from a prominent New Mexico family, and worked in education, politics, and the suffrage movement, focusing largely on Spanish sp...
Tanaka Hisashige
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tanaka Hisashige was an inventor, a craftsman and an artisan, and he lived during a time that Japan went through enormous cultural, scientific and tec...
SYMHC Classics: Walt Whitman, Poet of Democracy
26 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is from 2017. Whitman is often touted as the best and most important poet in U.S. history, but he also worked as a teacher and a journali...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Paramount Decrees
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about the business dealings of Hollywood in context with the moral scandals that were playing out in the press at the time, as we...
The Paramount Decrees: The Court Cases - Pt. 2
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once Adolph Zukor combined his production company, Famous Players-Lasky, with Paramount’s distribution company, he had consolidate two aspects of th...
The Paramount Decrees: Paramount’s Beginnings - Pt. 1
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The development of the Hollywood studio industry features a number of people who drove it forward. Today, we're talking about Adolph Zukor and William...
SYMHC Classics: Alexander Selkirk
19 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this 2011 episode, prior hosts Sarah and Deblina talk about privateer Alexander Selkirk, who became a buccaneer in 1695. In 1704, after a fight wit...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Forten and the Lawson Murders
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy delve into the unverifiable parts of James Forten's life and the problematic idea of respectability. Tracy also talks about her geogra...
Six Impossible Episodes: There’s a Book About That!
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
These are episodes that we’d love to do as a full-length episode, and we’ve gotten listener quests for most of them. But there’s a book that’s...
James Forten
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a child and young man, James was part of the British colonies that rebelled against rule from the throne. As an adult, he made his fortune in sail ...
SYMHC Classics: Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning in Love
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this 2015 episode, prior hosts Sarah and Deblina covered a poet's romance. Robert Browning's early work wasn't as well-received as Elizabeth Barret...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Croesus and Cultures
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy discuss the story of Croesus and how disabilities are represented in the writing of Herodotus. The topic then turns to the Igbo women'...
Women’s War of 1929
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Women’s War was a response to British colonialism in Nigeria. British authorities described the group as a “hostile mob” because they didn’...
Croesus of Lydia
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the ridiculously wealthy Croesus, which was fictionalized in a number of ways, becomes a cautionary tale about pride and hubris, and what...
SYMHC Classics: The Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2018 episode is running in honor of Labor Day in the U.S. Memphis sanitation workers stayed off the job starting January 12, 1968 in a strike tha...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Delano and Slocum
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly discuss trying to stay organized, the relevance of the Delano grape strike today, and how Joshua Slocum's story makes us think about o...
Captain Joshua Slocum, Sailing Alone around the World
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Joshua Slocum was the first person known to sail around the world alone. Unlike lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis, he didn’t always enjoy that solitude –...
The Delano Grape Strike & Boycott
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Delano Grape Strike, which led to an international boycott of table grapes as grape workers in California tried to get better pay, working conditi...
SYMHC Classics: Elbridge Gerry's Monstrous Salamander
29 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2018 episode covers Elbridge Gerry, who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Gerrymandering is the draw...
Behind the Scenes Minis: The White House
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy talk about how this week's topic shifted from its original plan. They also discuss how slavery in the U.S. capital has been handled in...
The White House and Its Legacy, Part 2
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the second part of the discussion of White House history, Holly and Tracy first cover the gardens and landscaping, and then dig into discussion of ...
The White House and Its Legacy, Part 1
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s White House has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. But that hasn’t always been the case. It also was not always called the White House, of course...
SYMHC Classics: Bracero Program
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2016 episode covers a time in the the 20th century when the U.S. and Mexico had agreements in place allowing, and even encouraging, Mexican natio...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Hollow Earth and Canning
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about their personal thoughts on Symmes's hollow Earth theory, and then talk about their experiences with canning and winning pri...
Nicolas Appert and the Invention of Canning
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Canning dramatically changed how people around the world have dealt with food. Early canning efforts were kind of stabs in the dark, though – we had...
Symmes’s Theory of Concentric Spheres
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1818, something about the rings of Saturn - we don't know what, exactly - led John Cleves Symmes to conclude that the Earth was hollow. And he spe...
SYMHC Classics: Johann Beringer's Fossils
15 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2013 episode covers Johann Beringer, the University of Wurzburg's chair of natural history and chief physician to the prince bishop in 1725. He w...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Tear Gas and Coxey
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about the use and misuse of tear gas, and then a theory that links L. Frank Baum's work "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to Coxey's A...
Coxey’s Army
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jacob Sechler Coxey led the first protest march on Washington, D.C. in the 1890s, with a plan to create jobs for the nation's unemployed population w...
Tear Gas
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tear gasses, or lachrymator agents, are named for the lachrymal glands, which secrete tears. But tears are just one part of it. It was developed for ...
SYMHC Classics: The Kaiser's Chemist -- Fritz Haber
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina examines Fritz Haber's mixed legacy. The Nobel-Prize-winning Father of Chemical Warfare was r...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Isabella and Wu Lien-Teh
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy discuss the complexities of Isabella Bird's story, as well as the similarities between the pneumonic plague in Wu Lien-Teh's story and...
Wu Lien-Teh and the Manchurian Plague
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wu Lien-Teh was a doctor who’s most well known for his public health work and the pneumonic plague epidemic in the early 20th century. Learn more a...
Isabella Lucy Bird
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bird is celebrated as a world traveler, though she didn’t really come into her own as a traveler until she was in her 40s. Her books about her journ...
SYMHC Classics: Irish Famine, Part 2
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The second episode in our revisit of the Irish Famine covers the mid-1800s, when the poorest people in Ireland ate almost nothing but potatoes, saving...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Seneca Village and Unearthed!
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Holly and Tracy discuss the week's topics, including their own experiences with Central Park, and a segment of the summer edition of Unearthed! that T...
Unearthed! in July 2020
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This edition of Unearthed! covers episode updates, science and history discoveries, books and letters, and potpourri. And yes, there's (brief) talk ab...
Seneca Village
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca Village was a predominantly black community that built itself from the ground up. But its story is fragmented. Even though it existed at a time...
SYMHC Classics: Irish Famine, Part 1
25 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're revisiting a 2013 two-parter. The history lesson kids often get on the Irish Famine could be summed up as "a blight destroyed the potato crops, ...
Behind the Scenes Minis: COINTELPRO
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy and Holly talk about this week's two-parter on COINTELPRO, and how they both think about those initiatives. Learn more about your ad-choices at...
COINTELPRO, Part 2
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this topic, the show looks at some of the specifics of the COINTELPROs that targeted black liberation organizations and the New Left, a...
COINTELPRO, Part 1
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
FBI surveillance of people associated with the civil rights movement has come up on the show many times. Today, we’re going to talk about the histor...
SYMHC Classics: The Scopes Trial
18 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 2017 episode covered the Scopes Trial, aka the Monkey Trial, that played out in Dayton, Tennessee in the summer of 1925. It all stemmed from a st...
Behind the Scenes Minis: Ignatius and Frank
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy shares how she landed at the topic of Ignatius Sancho, and she and Holly discuss his writing style. Free Frank's unique story, and how it involv...