Stuff You Missed in History Class

SYMHC Classics: Demon Core

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2020 episode covers the sphere of plutonium-gallium alloy that the U.S. made for use in an atomic bomb during World War II known as the Demon Cor...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Complicated Ely

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy relays how Sarah Winnemucca's story inspired this week's episodes, though they were recorded about a month apart, and also how Ely S. Parker is ...

Ely S. Parker and Ulysses S. Grant (Part 2)

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While working for the Treasury Department, Ely S. Parker met someone who would become a big part of much of the rest of his life – Ulysses S. Gr...

Ely S. Parker and the Tonawanda Seneca (Part 1)

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ely S. Parker was instrumental in the creation of President President Ulysses S. Grant’s “peace policy." Parker was Seneca, and he was the...

SYMHC Classics: Scurvy

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2020 episode covers scurvy, a deficiency in vitamin C. Its story goes way back in history – all the way to our evolutionary ancestors living m...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Impossible Shoes

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks about getting listener requests, and wonders about the details of one the stories from Monday's show. Tracy and Holly talk about the size ...

Jan Ernst Matzeliger

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The shoes you’re wearing today likely were made possible by an invention from the late 19th century. But the inventor of that machine, who had littl...

Six Impossible Episodes: Listener Requests III

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode includes six stories requested by listeners that wouldn't quite work as standalone episodes. The topics include: Nellie Cashman, Ela of S...

SYMHC Classics: Ko'olau Rebellion

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2016 episode covers the introduction of Hansen's disease to Hawaii, when businessmen, especially from the U.S., were having an increasing influen...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Unplanned Sarah Week

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks about the SYMHC calendar, and the controversial nature of Sarah Winnemucca's life story. She also discusses the different ways people have...

Sarah Winnemucca, Part 2

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As an adult, Sarah Winnemucca spent a lot of time trying to advocate for the Northern Paiute, although her legacy in that regard has some complexities...

Sarah Winnemucca, Part 1

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Winnemucca was Northern Paiute and was born not long before her band had their first contact with people of European descent. That happened in t...

SYMHC Classics: Treaty of Waitangi

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2014 episode covers the Treaty of Waitangi, a treaty between the British and the Maori that established New Zealand as a nation. The goal was to ...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Questionable Jokes and Turkey

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly notes the racist views of one of Charles Brown's biographers. Tracy and Holly also discuss presidential proclamations and the ways Thanksgiving ...

Thanksgiving vs. Franksgiving

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s decision to move the date of Thanksgiving with the hope of helping businesses that were tr...

Charles Farrar Browne, the First Standup Comedian

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Farrar Browne is often called the first standup comedian. He was, in the 1860s, wildly famous, but his early death, and the soaring career of ...

SYMHC Classics: 3 Reformation Women Classic

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2017 episode covers Katharina von Bora, Marguerite d’Angoulême and Jeanne d’Albret, who all left their mark on the Reformation, but all in d...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Hans, Mike, and Nate

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly talks about realizing how Hans Sloane’s early life likely normalized the idea of colonization for him, and also Museum Mike the cat. Tracy tal...

Interview - Nate DiMeo and The Memory Palace

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks with Nate DiMeo about podcasting, varying approaches to talking about history, and his new book, "The Memory Palace." You can find the boo...

Sir Hans Sloane and the British Museum

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Hans Sloane’s legacy is a bit mixed. He is the reason there’s a British Museum, but there are a lot of problematic aspects to the way he gathe...

SYMHC Classics: Victorian Orchidelirium

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2018 episode covers the craze in the 1800s when orchids became a status symbol and the cornerstone of a high-dollar industry. Collecting the plan...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Lyon and the Family

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly talks about the bias against Lyon in his bank robbing trial. Tracy talks about the way other podcasts that cover history are made, and the dynam...

Interview - Toby Ball/Rip Current

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy speaks with Toby Ball, creator and host of the podcast Rip Current, which explores the story of the two assassination attempts against President...

1798 Robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first recorded bank robbery in the U.S. resulted in the wrong man sitting in jail, a very strange confession, and a serious lawsuit for the admini...

SYMHC Classics: Bram Stoker

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2020 episode covers the life of the man who created Dracula. But even Bram Stoker's own life story - at least as he told it - may have some ficti...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Farewell, Halloween

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly shares some of the theories about the Brown Lady photographers that characterizes them as charlatans. Tracy and Holly also share their experienc...

Ghosts of the British Isles, Part 2

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our week of ghosts is all about one spirit – this time, a poltergeist. People have been arguing over this one since the 1660s, including...

Ghosts of the British Isles, Part 1

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of our Halloween finale on British Isles ghosts features two very classic ghost tales: the brown lady of Raynham Hall and the ghosts of of Ba...

SYMHC Classics: Greenbrier Ghost

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2019 episode covers the story of Zona Heaster Shue's death and subsequent appearances to her mother as an apparition. This story is often referre...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Literature and Kooky Houses

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks about a college course on gothic literature and a DDoS attack on archive.org. She and Holly then talk about the incongruities of Horace Wa...

Horace Walpole’s Gothic Castles, Part 2

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our episode on Horace Walpole gets into the gothic literature and gothic castles his life is associated with, including his own eclectic a...

Horace Walpole’s Gothic Castles, Part 1

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Horace Walpole is best known for his gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto," but he lived a lot of life before that. The first part of this two-parter c...

SYMHC Classics: Vardø Witch Trials

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2016 episode cover the disproportionate number of executions for sorcery that happened in Vardø during Europe's witch trials, This small fishing...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Tennis Balls on Sticks

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy shares her efforts to make sure the information included in our Unearthed! episodes is up to date. Talk also turns to the many works of art that...

Unearthed! in Autumn 2024, Part 2

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of this installment of Unearthed! gets into the listener-favorite subject of shipwrecks, plus animals, art, edibles and potables, and...

Unearthed! in Autumn 2024, Part 1

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of this edition of Unearthed! is mostly updates - about two-thirds of the episode. The rest is weapons, medicine, and books and letters.  Re...

SYMHC Classics: Desmond T. Doss

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2016 episode covers Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Alger and Carlo

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly talks about the details of the typewriter evidence that was used in the Alger Hiss case. She and Tracy also talk the relationships among sources...

Carlo Gesualdo

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Carlo Gesualdo’s madrigals are unique and captivating. But he was seen by many as a monster in his own time due to a double murder and associations ...

Alger Hiss

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alger Hiss worked in high-level roles in the U.S. government during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. And then he was accused of using his acc...

SYMHC Classics: Women's March Versailles

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2017 episode covers the moment in 1789 when a group of protesters -- mostly women -- marched from Paris to Versailles to pressure King Louis XVI ...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Crowns and Critters

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly shares a story that appeared in a U.S. newspaper about Wawel that she was never able to substantiate. Tracy talks about wanting to cover animal ...

Medieval & Early Modern Animal Trials

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are some parallels between historical witch trials and trials of non-human animals in the same period, with a lot of the same procedures as were...

Wawel Castle

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wawel Hill in Krakow is home to the Wawel Hill complex, a historically important set of buildings that are central to Poland’s history. In many ways...

SYMHC Classics: Boatload of Knowledge

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2019 episode covers work of William Maclure, who was tasked by Robert Owen with running the education system in Owens’s utopia. Maclure brough...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Anglo, Communist, French

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly and Tracy discuss the use of the term Anglo-Saxon and its problems. Tracy discusses the way the perception of the word communism has shifted sin...

Étienne Cabet and the Utopia of Icaria

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the mid-19th century Étienne Cabet had an idea to establish a utopian society in Texas, and he moved his followers from France to do it. Things we...

Battle of Brunanburh

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Battle of Brunanburh took place in 937, and is often referred to as the battle that made England. But there are a LOT of questions about that batt...

SYMHC Classics: New Harmony

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2019 live show was recorded at the Indiana Historical Society. it covers the two different communal societies of New Harmony, Indiana in the wind...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Submarines and Pecans

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy discusses all the non-submarine history that the Narcís Monturiol episode needed. Holly talks about going into the office for the first time in...

Anne Byrn: Baking in the American South

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anne Byrn stopped by the Atlanta studio to talk about  her new book “Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories.” She sha...

Narcís Monturiol’s Submarines

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Catalan inventor Narcís Monturiol fought for ideals like equality, freedom, and progress in the midst of a lot of social and political chaos in 19th-...

SYMHC Classics: Mendez v Westminster

14 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2013 episode covers the Mendez v. Westminster case that fought the segregation of Mexican-American students in the state of California in the 194...

Behind the Scenes Minis: The Rebel and Home Dec

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy shares some notes about people Jovita Idar was connected to that didn't fit into her episode. Holly discusses her thoughts on the nature of Carv...

António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro and Quinta da Regaleira

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro is usually described as a rich eccentric who used his money building his dream home, which he did. But he was also ...

Jovita Idar

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jovita Idar was a journalist, teacher, and activist in south Texas in the early 20th century. And she was s a force to be reckoned with. Research: "J...

SYMHC Classics: Tycho Brahe

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2010 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina examines how Tycho Brahe lost his nose, built the world's first observatory, and met with an unti...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Tennis, Trash Television and Art

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy discusses the difficulty in assessing the reality of Charlotte Cooper Sterry's hearing loss, and recalls a song about Martina Navratilova. Holly...

Richard Dadd

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This one is an art episode, but also a murder episode and also a madness episode. Artist Richard Dadd's life story is quite sad, but his art remained ...

Charlotte Cooper Sterry, Tennis Champion

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Cooper Sterry was a tennis player who set records during her lifetime that remained unbroken for almost a century. One of them still stands....

SYMHC Classics: Who was the Real Robin Hood?

31 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2013 episode examines the real Robin Hood - and the question of whether there ever really was one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Age Gaps and Piracy

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy and Holly talk about the age gap between Johannes and Elisabetha Hevelius. They also cover the many historical points that came up in the Eustac...

Eustace the Monk

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This pirate lived in the 13th century and was connected to some major events in British and French history. During his lifetime he was so notorious th...

Johannes and Elizabetha Hevelius

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Johannes Hevelius and his second wife and collaborator, Elisabetha were the 17th-century's astronomy power couple. For one, they had a personal observ...

SYMHC Classics: Waffles

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2020 episode explores the history of waffles, from early grain cakes all the way up to their modern proliferation on tables and as street foods a...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Cats, Caves and Scandal

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks about the many requests the show has gotten for a Mammoth Cave episode and she and Holly discuss claustrophobia. They also consider all of...

Domenica Guillaume Walter and l'Affaire Lacaze

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Domenica Guillaume Walter’s life was full of drama and scandal. She was accused of attempted murder, blackmail, and forgery as she tried to maintain...

The Kentucky Cave Wars

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 19th century, Kentucky's Mammoth Cave launched an entire, very competitive cave tourism industry in the area, In 1925, Floyd Collins was trappe...

SYMHC Classics: Léonard Autié

17 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2017 episode was originally a two-parter about Marie Antoinette's hairdresser, Léonard Autié. Léonard set the styles of France during King Lou...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Evil Genius Perms

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly talks about Quisling's intellect and why her neighborhood crows are angry with her. She and Tracy also discuss peer pressure, personal style, an...

Charles Nessler’s Permanent Waves

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Nessler is usually credited with inventing the permanent wave in the early 1900s. And he made a huge fortune from it, while also bolstering a ...

Vidkun Quisling

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

His name is now a term that means traitor. That’s because after two decades of working for the Norwegian government in various roles, he collaborate...

SYMHC Classics: Battleships!

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2011 episode, previous hosts Deblina and Sarah take a look at why four different warships from around the world went down, and why they were buil...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Traveling and Diseases

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy and Holly talk about traveling for live shows, and the ways people often pick apart things people say to find hidden meaning. They also discuss ...

Three Eponymous Diseases

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two of the eponymous diseases in this episode are transmitted through incredibly casual exposure. The third requires more prolonged, direct contact wi...

Gene Stratton-Porter Live at the Indiana History Center

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was recorded live at the Indiana History Center, where one of their current exhibits is about Gene Stratton-Porter, a best-selling writer...

SYMHC Classics: La Scala Opera House

03 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2014 episode covers the Teatro alla Scala, one of the most renowned opera houses in the world. It's Italy's crown jewel of the arts, and even if ...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Foodie Fun and Bureaucracy

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly talks about stories from Henri Charpentier's life that didn't make it into the latest eponymous foods episode. She and Tracy also talk about the...

Domesday Book

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Domesday Book sounds ominous, but it was actually a data gathering project that was compiled in the 11th century at the behest of William the Conq...

Eponymous Foods: Snacks and Sweets

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of Eponymous Foods features a beautiful dessert, some myth busting about a very common food’s invention, and a very sweet finish with a...

SYMHC Classics: Jeanne Baret

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2019 episode covers Jeanne Baret, the first woman known to circumnavigate the globe. Her work took her to places that were totally unexpected for...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Unpacking Harriet and Watching Olympics

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly and Tracy talk through the problematic aspects of Harriet Strong's life. and share their thoughts about the Olympics as spectators. They also ta...

Defunct Olympic Sports

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of the modern Olympics, there have been a number of sports that have been added and struck from the roster. Today we’ll talk about a...

Harriet Williams Russel Strong

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Harriet Williams Russell Strong was quite a powerhouse of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Not only did she manage to dig herself out of an unf...

SYMHC Classics: 1900 Olympic Games

20 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2012 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina explains how the 1900 Paris Olympics are considered some of the strangest. Many of the events wer...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Diagrams and Iceland Memories

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly and Tracy discuss the challenge of understanding concepts in fields outside their own. They also talk about memories from their previous separat...

The Skaftáreldar, or Laki Fissure Eruption

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Laki Fissure Eruption was a volcanic event in Iceland in 1783 lasted for months, leading to the deaths of thousands of people and affecting the cl...

John Venn

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Venn created the Venn diagram, and though he’s an important figure in the fields of mathematics and logic, he eventually left that work behind ...

SYMHC Classics: Beekeeping

13 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2020 episode covers the path of beekeeping from its global origins thousands of years ago to modern square hives and beekeepers in white suits an...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Categories, Museums and Cherries

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy talks about how and why the Unearthed episodes are structured into categories. There's also discussion of how to manage a visit to the Louvre, a...

Unearthed! July 2024, Part 2

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion of the July 2024 edition of things unearthed literally or figuratively covers animals, shipwrecks, and medicine. But it starts with the...

Unearthed! July 2024, Part 1

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another edition of Unearthed! Part one of this edition covers updates, art, books and letters, and edibles and potables.  Research: Bi...

SYMHC Classics: Battle of Ambos Nogales

06 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2018 episode covers a 1918 conflict between two cities, both named Nogales, one on each side of the U.S.-Mexico border. See omnystudio.com/liste...

Behind the Scenes Minis: Road Trips and Bicycles

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holly and Tracy talk about the various roadside stops that people can find in various places. They also examine the arduous nature of long bicycle and...

The 25th Infantry Regiment Iron Riders

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, also known as the Iron Riders, was part of the segregated U.S. Army units that came to be known as the Buffa...

Historical Roads and Highways

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers three examples of historically important roads. One is quite ancient, one is an important part of the development of the U.S., and...

SYMHC Classics: Henry Gerber

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 2015 episode on Henry Gerber covers his founding of the Society for Human Rights  in Chicago in the 1920s with the intent to decriminalize homos...

Behind the Scenes Minis: The Statue Started It

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy discusses a surprising Google Street View discovery she made while working on the Francisco de Miranda episodes. Holly shares her thoughts about...

Francisco de Miranda, Part 2

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our episode on Francisco de Miranda covers his travels after he left North America following the American Revolution, and explores his inv...

Francisco de Miranda, Part 1

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Francisco de Miranda participated in the struggle for independence in the United States, the French revolution and the emancipation of Latin America. ...