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
Mrs. Patrick Campbell was a hugely famous actress in the early 20th century, though she hasn’t really retained her iconic status. She quickly had a reputation as a stage diva with a sharp tongue, and originated one of the most beloved characters of the stage and screen.
Research:
- Campbell, Mrs. Patrick. “My Life and Some Letters.” New York. Dodd, Mead. 1922. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/mylifesomeletter00cam...
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters became the first African-American labor union to be recognized by the American Federation of Labor. This 2014 episode covers how the group became an important force for social change.
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Holly and Tracy talk about Ruby Payne-Scott's progressive marriage. They also cover Japan's global connectivity earlier than people may realize.
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Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga was a samurai who led a diplomatic delegation to New Spain, Spain and Rome in the 17th century. But many of the Japanese records about their mission were lost or destroyed after they returned.
Research:
- Carl, Katy. “Aiming for Japan and Getting Heaven Thrown In.” Genealogies of Modernity. 12/2/2020. https://genealogiesofmodernity.org/journal/2020/11/25/scales-of-value-shusaku-endos-the-samurai
- C...
Ruby Payne-Scott is often called a pioneer in radio astronomy, but she was also a pioneer in advocating for women’s rights. She was clearly brilliant, but her work was cut short by her desire to have a spouse and a family.
- Erickson, Dorothy. “Payne-Scott, Ruby Violet (1912 - 1981).” THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OFWOMEN & LEADERSHIP IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY AUSTRALIA. https://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0692b.htm
- M. Goss a...
This 2018 episode covers Levi Strauss, whose life story touches on a lot of important moments in U.S. history. His business was tied to the California Gold Rush, the U.S. Civil War and American clothing culture.
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Tracy talks about the likely wrap up of the Mother Goose series. Holly shares a story about growing up with chickens.
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In the 1940s the U.S. Department of Agriculture and A&P supermarkets teamed up to hold a contest to see who could breed the meatiest, most efficient, most visually appealing chicken.
Research:
- Audio Productions inc. “The Chicken of Tomorrow.” Documentary. (1948).
- Boyd, William. “Making Meat: Science, Technology, and American Poultry Production.” Technology and Culture , Oct., 2001, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct., 2001). Via JST...
It's our third installment of shows about the origins of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Spoiler alert: Many of the real stories are hard to pin down.
Research:
- Cheadle, Roberta Eaton. “Dark Origins – Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.” Writing To Be Read. https://writingtoberead.com/2021/06/30/dark-origins-here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush/
- Historic UK. “More Nursery Rhymes.” 4/15/2015. https://www.historic-uk.com/Culture...
This 2019 episode covers Julian of Norwich, a medieval mystic who wrote down her visions, which she called showings. In this episode, we talk about her life in context of mysticism and how it fit into the context of Christianity in medieval Europe.
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Tracy talks through the many paths she went down trying to track down Wautier's birth year. The hosts also discuss Louis Sullivan's incredibly quotable autobiography.
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Louis Sullivan was an architect working in Chicago at the dawn of the skyscraper. He sought to define a new, bold style of design in the U.S., and was deeply frustrated when his peers didn’t do the same.
Research:
- Sullivan, Louis. “An Autobiography of an Idea.” Dover Architecture. 2012. Kindle Edition.
- “Louis Sullivan.” Chicago Architecture Center. https://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/architecture-dictionary/entry...
Flemish painter Michaelina Wautier’s style was realistic and detailed, with a dark, almost somber color palette. And for a long time, she remained an unknown, even among art historians.
Research:
- Atkins, Christopher D.M. and Jeffrey Muller, editors. “Michaelina Wautier and The Five Senses: Innovation in 17th-Century Flemish Painting.” CNA Studies. December 2022. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2022.
- Atkins, Christopher and Al...
This 2015 episode covers Artemisia Gentileschi, often called the greatest female painter of the Baroque period. Her work is extraordinary, and reflects the influences of her father Orazio Gentileschi and Caravaggio.
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Holly and Tracy discuss the commercial nature of Canaletto's work. They also talk about how Lully managed to achieve his many ambitions.
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Jean-Baptistle Lully is perhaps best known for the unusual circumstances of his death. But he lived a fascinating life that would rival any fictional rags-to-riches story.
Research:
- James R. Anthony. “Lully’s Airs. French or Italian?” The Musical Times, vol. 128, no. 1729, 1987, pp. 126–29. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/964491
- Brett, Philip. “Issues in Music and Sexuality in the Long Eighteenth Century.” Historical Refle...
Canaletto rose to fame painting remarkable views of Venice. He became especially popular with wealthy tourists, who commissioned his paintings as souvenirs of their travels.
Research:
- Constable, William G.. "Canaletto". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Canaletto
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "War of the Austrian Succession". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Mar. 2023, https:...
This 2017 episode covers Great Zimbabwe, a massive stone city in southeastern Africa that was a thriving trade center from the 11th to 15th centuries. When Europeans learned of it in the 16th century, they were certain it wasn't African at all.
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Tracy and Holly discuss the ways they speculate about the backstories of the many finds that appear on Unearthed!
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To wrap up Unearthed! for spring 2023, we've got potpourri, jewelry and adornments, edibles and potables, mistaken identity stories, repatriations, and the always popular shipwrecks.
Research:
- Agence France-Presse. “New Easter Island moai statue discovered in volcano crater.” The Guardian. 1/3/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/02/new-easter-island-moai-statue-discovered-in-volcano-crater
- Alberge, Dalya. “‘In...
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