Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2017 episode covers the life of Aphra Behn, but there's really not a lot concretely known about the her. In addition to being a spy, was a dramatist, poet, novelist, translator, and the first woman in English literature known to have made her living as a writer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about Tracy’s research process for the William Apess episodes, and how much of his writing she wanted to include in the episode. And that’s because his work is still deeply relevant.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apess’s religious work and writing consistently stressed the inherent humanity and worth of Indigenous people, but in the later years of his career he also became involved in more direct activism in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minister William Apess is often described as the first Native American to publish their own, book-length autobiography. But that is a reductive way to describe a man who wrote a great deal more than that, and also became an advocate for Indigenous people. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy share interviews with some of the cast and crew behind the new film "Cyrano" to talk about their thoughts on history and historical spaces, as well as why the Rostand play has such an enduring appeal.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2017 episode covers an American sculptor who was a celebrated artist in her day, but receded from the spotlight; her final years remained a mystery for quite some time. Her marble works are striking examples of the neoclassical style popular at the end of the 19th century.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about some of stories of Egerton that didn't make it into the episode. Then discussion of the Nika Riots touches on modern sports riots, and the writings of Procopius,

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Large-scale rioting and mass violence were fairly common in Constantinople when this riot – and then massacre – took place in the year 532. But we have more documentation of the Nika Riots than many of the others.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 8th Earl of Bridgewater’s life is a hodgepodge of privileged eccentricity. From deeply spoiled pets to shoes used as a diary to a whole lot of writing about his relatives, it seems that Egerton was always guided by whim. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This classic episode from 2018 covers a 1917 event with elements of a labor strike, a wartime hysteria, a vigilante mob, and a mass propaganda effort, all rolled into one. It took place in Bisbee, Arizona, southeast of Tucson and close to the U.S. border with Mexico.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the angry-making aspects of the Millar will's aftermath, and discuss the only Black participants in the derby. They also discuss the intriguing life of Lucy Parsons, including her very complicated identity and behaviors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parsons was an activist focused on improving the lives of workers, poor people, immigrants, and people who were unemployed or homeless. The Chicago Police Department described her as more dangerous than a thousand rioters.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toronto’s Great Stork derby of the 1920s and 1930s is often reported with a bit of whimsy. But classism, right to privacy, exploitation, the role of women in society, racial superiority, eugenics, and reproductive rights have been left out of the discussion. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2018 episode covers what's often held up as one of history's great love stories - Plutarch wrote that Pericles kissed Aspasia every single day. And that's very sweet and romantic, but their high-profile relationship was central to a key period in Greek history.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss the difficulty in examining sociological texts as part of research. They also recount their first encounters with the work of Moms Mabley, and her incredible timing in telling jokes that were often incredibly daring for their time.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moms Mabley’s career lasted more than six decades. She was hugely influential, and inspired so many comedians and other performers who came after her. But outside of her work, a lot of the details of her life are a mystery, and there are some contradictory accounts of a particularly traumatic part of her early life.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 18th century, Britain needed money. In 1711, the South Sea Company was established to try to manage this debt, and the heart of the debt consolidation the company arranged was a debt-for-equity swap that did NOT keep the nation from incurring more debt. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2018 episode Shirley Chisolm, who was politically active starting during her college years. Her drive and desire to make positive change led her to many political firsts, including being the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss their relationships with the various foods from our third eponymous foods episode. They also discuss the surprising aspects of Peter Roget's life story, including some which didn't make it into his episode. .

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Roget was a doctor and scientist who really liked putting things into classification systems. His life was very dramatic well before he came up with the book that is his legacy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re covering a super yummy comfort food from Italy, and two dishes with debate as to their origin, one on the U.S. East Coast, and one on the West Coast. All are delicious! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Riots are a distressingly common part of human history, and the strangest events can trigger widespread violence. In this 2011 episode, previous hosts Deblina and Sarah take a closer look at one of history's strangest riots.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the woman who Breckinridge hired to spy on Madeline Pollard, and horror of Madeline's writing being read in court. They also discuss how unicorn lore shows up in pop culture, and Tracy's disappointment at seeing a "real" unicorn.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know exactly what animal we mean when we say “unicorn,” but descriptions and depictions of unicorns have shifted over the millennia. Some lore has roots in sightings of real animals that people have found difficult to describe, or that have been misinterpreted. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Madeline Pollard’s relationship with Congressman William C.P. Breckinridge became a national story when it went from a romance to a bitter and dirty court battle. To some, Madeline emerged as an icon of the women’s movement. But to others, she became a cautionary tale. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2014 episode covers the 1925 diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska that put a community in grave danger -- without the proper supplies to fight the disease. A daring sled-dog relay was mounted to deliver needed medicine to small community and their only doctor.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the ire that comes about when examining the press coverage of the Goolds when they were murder suspects. They then discuss the artwork plundered from Benin in 1897, and how that comes with its own biases when looking at contemporary accounts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many cultural objects and works of art were taken from the Kingdom of Benin in western Africa in 1897, in what is typically described as a punitive raid or a punitive expedition by the British. In the last few years, some nations and institutions have committed to returning these pieces, but only a few have actually been returned at this point.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The violent Monte Carlo Trunk Murder is fascinating as a terrifying crime, and its connection to wealth and fame made it global news. But the way it was covered in the papers offers an unsettling glimpse into bias and privilege. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2015 episode delves into carousels. They're part of childhood, but they were originally billed as an entertainment for adults and children alike. And even further back than that, it's believed that they were used to train horsemen.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy shares the logistics of assembling her lists for Unearthed!, and she and Holly talk about criteria for leaving details out of the show on purpose. They also discuss confusion over days off, and Holly's excitement about Dutch Golden Age paintings.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second part of the year-end edition of Unearthed! the show covers necropolises and art, and edibles and potables, shipwrecks, and potpourri. But there are also a few last-minute additions to the list before the potpourri!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for what was unearthed in the last quarter of 2021! Part one this time includes lots of updates to previous episodes, as well as books and letters, exhumations and and repatriations.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2014 episode discusses Jules Verreaux and his two brothers, who collected an impressive array of flora and fauna specimens from around the world for placement with museums and collectors. They also did some really unsavory things that had long-term ramifications.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss the natural tendency to find the platypus suspect as an animal. They also talk about some of the tangential pieces of the Cyrano story that didn't make it into Wednesday's episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyrano de Bergerac is often called a man of letters, a philosopher, a soldier, a duelist, a playwright and many more things. But what he may have been best at was self-invention. His real story is blurry to begin with, and he contributed to that blur, but it’s been even more obscured obscured over the centuries by the fictionalized versions of his life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When European naturalists saw a platypus for the first time, they found it so bizarre that they thought it was fake, and then argued about how to classify it for almost a century. This happened in tandem with similar discussions about another Australian animal – the echidna, or spiny anteater – and discussions of scientific taxonomy in general. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2016 episode covers the Piltdown Man, which is one of the world's most infamous instances of scientific fraud. It derailed the study of evolution for decades. How exactly did scientists in 1912 fall so completely for a hoax?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss Daguerre's life, and veer off into VR, and the nature of Daguerre's monetization of photography. Then they talk about the famously handsome Cornelius and the importance of photography to our modern world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cornelius is famous for having taken what’s often called the world’s first selfie - and he's noted for how handsome he looks in it. But he was smart and inventive in a variety of ways, and he innovated in lighting fixtures the same way he did with photography.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daguerre comes up almost any time we mention photography, but we’ve never covered his life story. Well before he figured out how to capture images through a camera obscura, he was an artist and innovator in entertainment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2018 episode takes a look at three creative works that have become staples of the Christmas season. All three of them have played a huge part in how people observe and celebrate Christmas in parts of the world, and they all had milestone birthdays that year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss Tracy being frightened by Ichabod Crane's fate in the Disney Sleepy Hollow cartoon as a kid, and the letters between Dickens and Irving. They then discuss the trickiness of researching a historical topic that has the same name as a band.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may recognize the name as that of a band, but Jethro Tull was an 18th-century gentleman farmer often credited with inventing the seed drill.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington Irving may come to mind more in connection with Halloween, but his writing had a significant influence on the way Christmas is celebrated in the U.S.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2014 episode covers the life of a woman who was smart and learned, but not a particularly good ruler. Her entire life was marked by being kind of a contradictory, restless character - starting basically from the moment she was born.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss their preferences in ways the Nutcracker should be staged, and their love of it from the audience and performer perspectives. Then they compare notes on Caesar salads, anchovies, and the troubles with Sylvester Graham.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This eponymous food episode features a(nother) salad that came together improvisationally out of necessity, and a cracker made to align with specific dietary guidelines, with a namesake who would undoubtedly be horrified at how that item has evolved. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Russian adaptation of a German story and wasn’t really a Christmas staple in its home country. But music from the Nutcracker has also become a huge part of the Christmas season and beyond.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2015 episode cover the expedition efforts of Andrée, who hoped to succeed in reaching the North Pole where others had failed by doing it by air. With a seemingly endless positivity, he and two other men hoped to earn bragging rights for Sweden by reaching the pole.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.