Stuff You Missed in History Class
Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.
Episodes
This 2021 episode covers three prank stories, including a joke that became a living legend, a large-scale prank that created havoc, and a televised hoax that reminds us all of the importance of critical thinking.
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Holly talks about the various inspirations for her love of embroidery. Tracy shares her experiences with movies and her cat while embroidering.
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The second part of the discussion of embroidery history covers blackwork and Opus Anglicanum, then embroidery samplers and beetle-wing embroidery.
Research:
- Абильда, Айжан. “Scythians are creators of embroidery art.” Qazaqstan Tarihy. May 24, 2019. https://e-history.kz/en/news/show/7178#:~:text=Embroidery%20is%20a%20traditional%20East,a%20wedding%20or%20a%20party.
- Angus, Jennifer. “Nature’s Sequins.&rdq...
The first installment of this two-parter covers ancient embroidery around the world, and then focuses on European embroidery, Chinese dragon robes, and the Bayeux Tapestry.
Research:
- Абильда, Айжан. “Scythians are creators of embroidery art.” Qazaqstan Tarihy. May 24, 2019. https://e-history.kz/en/news/show/7178#:~:text=Embroidery%20is%20a%20traditional%20East,a%20wedding%20or%20a%20party.
- Angus, Jennifer. “N...
This 2020 episode covers Paul Cuffe, who protested taxation, built wealth for himself in whaling, became a Quaker and used his fortune for the betterment of others. He also advocated creating a colony in Africa for of African ancestry to immigrate to.
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Tracy talks about the events that happened in the gap between writing the latest Unearthed episode and recording it. Holly shares thoughts about art heists.
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Discussion of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 continues. It begins with potpourri then covers tools, Neanderthals, edibles and potables, art, shipwrecks, medical finds, and repatriations.
Research:
- Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 11/26/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106805 &...
The show's coverage of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 begins with updates, books and letters, animals, and just one exhumation.
Research:
- Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 11/26/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106805
- Abdallah, Hannah. “Early humans butchered elephants using ...
This 2015 episode covers the lack of access to public education for children with disabilities in the U.S. until 1975.
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Tracy discusses film ratings and the bias behind them. Talk then turns to clothing in the afterlife.
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Jean Baptiste's crime of robbing graves shocked Salt Lake City in the 1860s. This history mystery offers insight into the way a community deals with the unthinkable.
Research:
- Devitry-Smith, John. “The Saint and the grave Robber.” BYU Studies Quarterly. Volume 33, Issue 1. January 1, 1993. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2856&context=byusq
- “Exciting and terrifying Occuren...
Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax were key players in the 1977 sit-ins which pressured the Department of Health and Human Services to establish policies to implement section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.
Research:
- R.8070 - Rehabilitation Act of 1973. https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/8070
- Grim, Andrew. “Sitting-in for disability rights: The Section 504 protests of the 1970s.” National Museum of A...
This 2021 episode covers Andrew Crosse, who observed a strange thing happening on an electrified rock in his lab in the early 1800s, and was catapulted into the public spotlight.
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Holly and Tracy talk about the pros and cons of self-help writing and whether Ben Franklin would like bullet journaling. They then talk about a past trip they took to Walt Disney World.
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In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.
Research:
- Cain, Joe. “New Year’s Eve Dinner in the Iguanodon at Crystal Palace 31 December 1853.” https://profjoecain.net/dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-dinosaurs/
- Cain, Joe. “Top Questions About New Year’s Eve Dinner in Iguanodon at Crystal Palace.” https://profjoecain.net/top-questions-about-new...
The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.
Research:
- Brady, Diane. “Charles Manson’s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.” Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.co...
This 2019 episode covers Paul Julius Reuter, who had a knack for filling in the gaps in communication systems, and making a lot of money doing so.
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Holly talks about the ways Joseph Medill could be both problematic and surprising. Tracy shares her additional thoughts on the book about caroling she used during research that wasn't always about caroling.
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William Sandys was an antiquarian who published a collection of Christmas carols in the 19th century that turned out to be really influential.
Research:
- Archambo, Shelley Batt. “The Development of the English Carol Through the Fifteenth Century.” The Choral Journal, OCTOBER 1986, Vol. 27, No. 3. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23547224REFERENCES
- Brain, Jessica. “History of Christmas Carols.” His...
Joseph Medill was a powerhouse in 19th century journalism who made no attempt to conceal his bias when it came to political writing. He also had a fascinating second career due to a tragedy, when he became a politician.
Research:
- Anderson, Jeffrey Justin. “JOSEPH MEDILL: HOW ONE MAN INFLUENCED THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION OF 1860.” Thesis. Roosevelt University. 2011. https://www.proquest.com/openview/6c0d...
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