Stuff You Missed in History Class

Benjamin Lay, the Quaker Comet

21 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Benjamin Lay was a Quaker and a radical abolitionist who lived in the period between when the Religious Society of Friends began and when it started f...

The Rise of the Traffic Light

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are multiple contenders when it comes to the question of who invented the traffic light. This episode looks at a few of the moments in traffic l...

SYMHC Classics: Diogenes of Sinope

17 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we reach back to our 2015 episode on Diogenes of Sinope, the father of the Cynicism school of philosophy. He was also an incredibly eccentric fi...

A Brief History of Thalidomide, Part 2

14 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re finishing out our two-parter on thalidomide. This episode covers the response, including criminal trials, changes to drug laws, and debates ab...

A Brief History of Thalidomide, Part 1

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thalidomide has been described as the biggest man made medical disaster of all time. This first part covers what thalidomide is, the animal testing th...

SYMHC Classics: Freya of Arabia

10 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today revisits a 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina. After a childhood spent roaming Europe, Freya Stark began saving money to take Ar...

The Peterloo Massacre

07 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Peterloo Massacre took place during a peaceful protest for parliamentary reform in Manchester, England. And there was a lot feeding into why peopl...

William Maclure and New Harmony’s Boatload of Knowledge

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Robert Owen founded his utopian community, he wanted to have the best minds he could find running the educational system. He recruited William Ma...

SYMHC Classics: The Klondike Big Inch Land Promotion

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a fun 2014 episode. In the mid-20th century, one ad company had a wacky plan to actually dole out land deeds as part of a cereal prom...

SYMHC Live: The New Harmony Utopias

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We did a live show for the Indiana Historical Society about the town of New Harmony, Indiana in the window from 1815-1827. In that period, two differe...

Unearthed in July, Part 2

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of this year's Unearthed! in July features some longtime listener favorites like edibles, potables and of course shipwrecks.    Learn more...

SYMHC Classics: Heaven on Earth, the Brook Farm Community

27 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2013 episode. In the 1840s, Boston's West Roxbury suburb -- which was completely rural at the time -- was home to an experiment in ...

Unearthed in July, Part 1

24 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for the July edition of Unearthed! And this one is in two parts! Today, we have updates and connections to previous episodes. Then some thin...

Thomas Harriot: Mathematician, Astronomer, Relative Unknown

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Harriot's story is tied to SO MANY other notable historic things, including a lot of business with Sir Walter Raleigh. He’s really not a household n...

SYMHC Classics: Charles IX of France

20 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2015 episode about French royalty. Much like many of the other mad royals that have been discussed on the podcast through the years...

The Port Chicago Disaster

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This was the worst stateside disaster in the United States during World War II. Apart from being a horrific tragedy, the disaster itself and its after...

Ferdinand and Barbara, Married Mad Royals

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Despite ascending to power in a court filled with intrigue, juggling relations with Britain and France, and both likely having mental health condition...

SYMHC Classics: Ibn Battuta, the Traveler of Islam

13 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit an episode from 2017 about Ibn Battuta, whose 14th-century travels were extensive. He was away from home for roughly 24 years and dur...

Fearless, Feisty and Unflagging: The Women of Gettysburg

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Military history rarely focuses on the women who lived through conflict and worked on recovery efforts. This episode covers women who assisted troops,...

Thomas Cook, John Cook, and the Rise of the Tourism Industry

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Cook and his son John Mason Cook were pioneers of the idea of a travel agency to manage tourist holidays. But Thomas Cook was initially motivat...

SYMHC Classics: Hartford Circus Fire

06 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This 2015 episode covers an event in 1944, when one of the most disastrous fires in U.S. history broke out during a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Ba...

Hatshepsut and the Expeditions to Punt

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of our biggest sources of information on Punt comes from Hatshepsut, who sent a huge expedition there in the 15th century B.C.E. The expedition to...

Sylvia of Hollywood – Beauty Consultant to the Stars

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1920s and 1930s, Sylvia was famous for shaping up starlets, cementing the idea that Hollywood’s beauties were aspirational figures for the av...

SYMHC Classics: The Compton's Cafeteria Riot

29 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode reached back to 2015 for some LGBTQ history. In 1966, a restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin district was the site of a violent incid...

Marie Laurencin: Avante-garde Painter of Paris

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Laurencin is a difficult painter to study. In addition to her work not quite falling in line with the artists who were her contemporaries, her persona...

The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The 1919 strike is the largest in Canada’s history, and shut Winnipeg down. While the strike started out as a simple labor dispute, there were many ...

SYMHC Classics: Good Humor v. Popsicle

22 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a fun episode from 2015. There was a time when Popsicle and Good Humor couldn't stop suing one another about frozen treats on sticks....

Packard v. Packard, Pt. 2

19 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After being forcibly admitted to a mental hospital by her husband, Elizabeth Packard began advocating for herself as well as the improvement of treatm...

Packard v. Packard, Pt. 1

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Packard’s marriage started out well, but soon, her questioning nature exploration of new ideas about religion led her husband to decide sh...

SYMHC Classics: Sisi - The Empress of Austria and Her Cult of Beauty

15 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're traveling back to 2011 for this one! Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi, is often considered the public's "favorite" member of t...

The General Slocum Disaster

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The P.S. General Slocum burned in the East River in New York on June 15, 1904. It had been chartered for a group outing that suddenly became a deadly ...

The Advent of Radioiodine Therapy

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have recognized thyroid disease for thousands of years. But in the 1930s. Saul Hertz had an insight after hearing a physicist's lecture that ch...

SYMHC Classics: Mad King Ludwig Dines Alone

08 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2010 episode, previous hosts Katie and Sarah look at Ludwig II of Bavaria. From his opulent, solitary dinners to the amazing Neuschwanstein Ca...

A Brief History of Doughnuts

05 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Making basic pastes or doughs and frying them has been part of human civilization for centuries. From this, the doughnut eventually evolved, and also ...

Red Summer, 1919

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1919, a wave of racist violence played out in the U.S. In many ways, the violence of Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by)...

SYMHC Classics: Lakshmi Bai -- Who is India's Joan of Arc?

01 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2011 episode of the podcast. Lakshmi Bai was born into wealthy family in 1830, but she was far from the typical aristocrat. In this...

Samuel Pepys, Beyond the Diary

29 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re coming up on the 350th anniversary of Pepys’ last diary entry, written May 31, 1669, so it seemed like a good time to take a closer look not...

The Limerick Soviet

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For two weeks in 1919, the city of Limerick went on a labor strike. During that time, the strike committee managed the workings of the city, including...

SYMHC Classics: A Brief History of Time Capsules

25 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we're revisiting an episode from 2015! People feel very strongly about time capsules, even though the contents are often a little underwhelming...

The 'Mysterious' Birthplace of Chester A. Arthur

22 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Arthur was selected as the Republican party’s vice presidential nominee in 1880, questions arose about whether he had been born in the United S...

To the Hon. Chester A. Arthur; Respectfully, Julia I. Sand

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 1882 and 1883, decades before women had the right to vote, Julia Sand wrote a series of letters to President Chester A. Arthur that may have influe...

SYMHC Classics: Lili'uokalan -- Who Was the Last Queen of Hawaii?

18 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're revisiting a 2010 episode from previous hosts Katie and Sarah. Born in 1838, Lili'uokalani became the queen of Hawaii in 1891. Unfortunate...

The Showings of Julian of Norwich

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Julian was a medieval mystic who wrote down her visions, which she called showings. In this episode,  we talk about her life in context of mysticism ...

Godzilla: The Start of His Story

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Godzilla first hit the big screen, there was no intention that it would launch a film franchise that would run for decades. Director Ishiro Honda...

SYMHC Classics: Kamehameha The Great

11 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're traveling back to 2010 to revisit this one from the archive! Born shortly after the appearance of Halley's comet over Hawai'i in 1758, Kamehameh...

They Were Her Property: An Interview With Stephanie Jones-Rogers

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Holly was lucky enough to chat with historian Stephanie Jones-Rogers, author of “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American...

Alice Hamilton and the Birth of Occupational Medicine

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Alice Hamilton was a trailblazer in science and medicine, and dedicated her life to improving the workplace standards for laborers in an effort to...

SYMHC Classics: The Bawdy House Riots of 1668

04 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're going back to a 2016 episode today. In early modern London, there was a tradition of sorts where apprentices would amass on holidays and physica...

Evil May-day Riots

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On May Day in 1517 a riot was carried out by apprentices, journeymen and other workers. While this was an uprising of laborers, this incident, called ...

Hennig Brand and the Discovery of Phosphorus

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Spoiler alert: Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous by boiling pee. And phosphorous is the first element whose discoverer we can name. But he was reall...

SYMHC Classics: Secret Science - Alchemy!

27 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're revisiting an episode from Sarah and Deblina from 2011. Many think of alchemy as a fool's pursuit, but alchemy has a rich history closely tied t...

Smithsonian American Art Museum: An Interview With Stephanie Stebich

24 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Holly had the privilege of sitting down with Stephanie Stebich, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, for a chat in the museum. The discuss...

James G. Fair, Silver King

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fair was a contemporary of Levi Strauss, living and working in San Francisco around the same time as the denim magnate, but though Fair often appears ...

SYMHC Classics: John Dee, Her Majesty's Secret Sorcerer

20 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're revisiting an episode from 2011 featuring previous hosts Sarah and Deblina. Born in 1527 to a Welsh family, John Dee grew to become one of Queen...

Bacon's Rebellion, Part 2

17 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Last time, we talked about the many reasons Virginia colonists were frustrated by the 1670s, including the price of tobacco, taxation, and disparities...

Bacon’s Rebellion, Part 1

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time Bacon’s Rebellion was primarily interpreted as a precursor to the Revolutionary War, with patriotic colonists rising up against the ...

SYMHC Classics: Rosalind Franklin, DNA's Dark Lady

13 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're reaching back to 2011 for an episode from Sarah and Deblina about a woman scientist. The men who are usually credited with discerning DNA's stru...

Stop-motion Animation History With LAIKA Studios

10 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Holly recently got to visit the set of LAIKA's new film "Missing Link," and the production team there agreed to be part of an episode about the histor...

Baron Franz Nopcsa

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nopcsa lived an adventurous, scholarly life, funded entirely by his family money. He identified dinosaurs, inserted himself into Albanian politics, an...

SYMHC Classics: The Battle of Hastings

06 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're traveling back to a episode from 2014 about the Battle of Hastings, which is often boiled it down to a sentence: The Normans invaded Brita...

Juliette Gordon Low

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America had an early life that’s somewhat surprising. But she was deeply interested in helpi...

The Tiara of Saitaphernes

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our April Fool’s Day story is the tale of an elaborate hoax. It starts with the Scythians and how their artifacts became highly prized in 19th centu...

SYMHC Classics: Laura Bridgman's Education

30 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're revisiting the 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina on Laura Bridgman, the first deafblind person to be educated -- a feat a...

The Life and Disappearance of Ettore Majorana

27 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Had his life had taken a different course, he may have become as widely known as Albert Einstein. In the 1930s, Majorana contributed to the field of q...

6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was part of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The 6888th was the only battalion of black wom...

SYMHC Classics: Emmy Noether, Mathematics Trailblazer

23 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2015 episode about Emmy Noether pursued a career in mathematics in the early 20th century in Germany, despite many obstacles in her...

Fanny Brice, Part 2

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Fanny Brice's personal life was often a mess even though her onstage personas were all about laughter. Even as her beloved, Nick Arnstein, wa...

Fanny Brice, Part 1

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fanny made a space for herself on stage as a comedian because she felt she could never be pretty enough to be an actress. And her personal life was a ...

SYMHC Classics: Caroline Herschel, Astronomy's Cinderella

16 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2014 episode about Caroline Herschel, who managed to break the barrier of women in scientific fields far earlier than you might sus...

Sappho

13 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sappho is described as the greatest female poet of ancient Greece. Or, the greatest Greek lyric poet, period. Her reputation as one of the world’s f...

Raphael Lemkin and the Genocide Convention

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Raphael Lemkin is often described as the person who coined the term “genocide.” And he did do that – but was also the driving force behind t...

SYMHC Classics: Evliya Çelebi, World Traveler and Companion to Mankind

09 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we revisit a 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina. Evliya Çelebi grew up in 17th century Istanbul as the "boon companion" of Sult...

Transatlantic Cruising Before the Titanic

06 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ships were of course carrying cargo for centuries before the idea of carrying passengers in any sort of vacation sense existed. But once the Black Bal...

Olga of Kiev

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Most of what we know about Olga comes from the Russian Primary Chronicle, also known as the Chronicle of Nestor or the Tale of Bygone Years. Some elem...

SYMHC Classics: Katie Sandwina, the Glamorous Strongwoman

02 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're revisiting a 2015 episode about Katie Sandwina, who wowed crowds from an early age, first as a wrestling act and then exclusively as professiona...

Alexandre Dumas Père

27 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Alexandre Dumas wrote such classics as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and both those books’ sequels, eight Marie Antoinette rom...

General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

General Dumas sounds like a character out of one of his son’s books. Because he pretty much was. His life is a series of dramatic and daring adventu...

SYMHC Classics: John Snow and Mary Seacole

23 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today's classic is a double feature! First, Katie and Sarah's look at Dr. John Snow's famous "ghost map" in 2009, and then the related work of nurse M...

The Rabbit Test

20 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After the discovery of hormones in the early 20th century, new methods of pregnancy testing were developed. Some of these involved animal use, but how...

A Brief History of Vodka

18 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The story of vodka is one that’s closely tied to cultural identity for several countries, but where did it originate, and how did it evolve over tim...

SYMHC Classics: Rose Bertin, the First Fashion Designer

16 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're revisiting an episode from 2014, where we discuss the legendary wardrobe of Marie-Antoinette. Where did all those glorious clothes come from? In...

Paul Julius Reuter

13 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Julius Reuter had a knack for filling in the gaps in communication systems, and make a lot of money doing so. And eventually, he managed to to tu...

Mary Winston Jackson, NASA Engineer

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jackson is most well known as the first black woman to become an engineer at NASA. But she also worked to clear the way for other underrepresented peo...

SYMHC Classics: Victoria and Albert

09 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're looking back at an episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina. She's one of Britain's best-loved queens, but Victoria's parentage made her an...

A. Gustave Eiffel, Part 2

06 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of our look at Gustave Eiffel's life picks up just after he closed down all business interests in South America, and leads into some o...

A. Gustave Eiffel, Part 1

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gustave Eiffel’s expertise in iron work was sought for projects throughout Europe and South America, and he worked on one of the most iconic structu...

SYMHC Classics: Leading the Charge - The Massachusetts 54th

02 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode revisits a 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina. A 1792 law prevented African Americans from taking up arms in the Civil Wa...

The Perdicaris Incident

30 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Perdicaris kidnapping happened in Morocco in the early 20th century, but impacted American history significantly. It has been fictionalized in wri...

The Regulator War

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was inspired by the TV series "Outlander." The Regulator War, aka the War of the Regulation, aka the Regulator Movement, was a North Caro...

SYMHC Classics: The Flannan Isles Disappearance

26 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This 2013 episode delves into a maritime history mystery. The Flannan Islands have been rumored for centuries to be haunted or have some supernatural ...

Sushruta, Father of Plastic Surgery

23 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sushruta’s Compendium is one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda, India’s traditional system of medicine. He’s also known as the father of pla...

Teresa Carreño

21 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not only was Teresa Carreño the most famous pianist of her day, she is considered to be Venezuela’s first international super star. And her persona...

SYMHC Classics: Lisztomania

19 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This 2015 episode is all about pianist, composer and conductor Franz Liszt. He was basically the first rock star who drove fans into fits of swooning ...

Sojourner Truth, Pt. 2

16 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Last time, we talked about Sojourner Truth's enslavement and how a religious vision after she was free led her to moving to New York City. Today, we’...

Sojourner Truth, Pt. 1

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist in the 19th century. But because a speech most famously associated with Truth is a v...

SYMHC Classics: The Famous Speech Chief Seattle Never Made

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're revising a 2013 episode about the Suquamish chief who is best remembered for a speech he gave upon discovering that Governor Stevens wante...

A Brief History of Ballet, Pt. 2

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the first part of this two-parter, we covered ballet’s origins and early evolution. We left off with the founding of the Academie Royale de Musiq...

A Brief History of Ballet, Pt. 1

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, there was no formalized dance in western culture. Eventually, court performers in Europe were asked to also teach their audiences how...

SYMHC Classics: Catherine de' Medici and the Scarlet Nuptials

05 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this classic 2010 episode of the Medici super series, Katie and Sarah follow up on the further adventures of Catherine de'Medici. Listen in and lea...

Unearthed! in 2018! Part 2

02 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Wrapping up coverage of things found, discovered and dug up in 2018, this second in our two-part Unearthed! episode includes a little potpourri, edibl...