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
Holly and Tracy talk about their relationship to trees, and how humankind's understanding of climate science has changed over the years. They also talk about the continuing relevance of Jennie June's life story.
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Earl Lind, Ralph Werther, and Jennie June were all pseudonyms of the same person, who wrote what are sometimes described as the first autobiographies of a transgender person ever published in the West.
Research:
- “Lost transgender memoir from 1921 discovered by Drexel researcher” (2010, October 13) retrieved 13 March 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2010-10-lost-transgendermemoir-1921-drexel.html
- Book Notes. “The American Jo...
Holly is joined by John Perlin, author of "A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization,” to talk about the ways that human development and survival depends on the health of the planet’s forests.
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The 2015 episode covers a volcano eruption in Sumbawa, Indonesia in 1816, that combined with several other factors to create an unusual -- and catastrophic -- series of weather events.
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Holly and Tracy dig into the role of Augustin Daly's brother in his life, including a legal battle over Augustin's will. Then they talk about roller coaster experiences and the idea of fear as entertainment.
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The French word for “roller coaster” is “montagnes russes” or “Russian mountains.” Since the origin of roller coasters, inventors have been improving the early designs that came from Russia to create astonishing amusement park thrill rides.
Research:
- “Coaster History” by Gil Chandler, from Roller Coasters. Text copyright © 1995 by Capstone Press. Reprinted by permission of Capstone Press. Photograph copyright © 1987 by Tom ...
Augustin Daly is often described as a foundational figure of the U.S. theater. He wrote, adapted, and produced dozens of plays in the 19th century, and he created a theater company that produced many stars of the New York stage.
Research:
- “Augustin Daly Enjoins Dixey.” New York Times. March 22, 1896. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/03/22/105744198.html?pageNumber=3
- “Augustin Daly Recovers From Illness.” ...
This 2017 episode covers the loss of the U.S.S. Akron -- the biggest single tragedy in aviation history at the time that it happened. But unless you're an aviation or U.S. Navy history buff, you may not know much about this airborne aircraft carrier.
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Holly and Tracy talk about some of the odd details in the Alma Petty Gatlin trial and difficulty finding the right language to discuss alcohol misuse. Then discussion turns to vivisection and the hosts' experiences with dissection in school.
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The Brown Dog Affair was a series of demonstrations and riots surrounding a statue that had been erected in the Battersea area of London, commemorating dogs who had been killed due to vivisection.
Research:
- "Ethical Treatment of Animals." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2016, pp. 376-380. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3631000262/GPS?u=mlin_n_mel...
In 1928, a young woman from North Carolina named Alma Petty Gatlin went on trial for the murder of her father. A preacher Alma had confessed to informed authorities, setting off a sensational case that examined confessional privilege.
Research:
- “Girl Sobs as Jury Grants Her Liberty.” The Charlotte Observer. Feb. 23, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/image/616612305/?terms=%22Smith%20T.%20Petty%22&match=1
- “Woman on Trial...
This 2016 episode discusses the Doolittle Raid, an attack on Japan launched by the U.S. in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. But the leader of the mission was a legend long before his daring efforts in WWII.
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Tracy shares how the recent wave of spy balloon news inspired this week's episode, and the hosts talk about the technology of war balloons. They also talk about G.K. Chesterton, his anti-eugenics writing, and his anti-Semitism.
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G.K. Chesterton was a prolific writer across many genres, including fiction, poetry, journalism, literary criticism, biography, social criticism, theology, and Christian apologetics. He was also a vocal critic of eugenics.
Research:
- "Chesterton, G.K." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, Merriam-Webster, 1995. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/RN1480001897/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid...
We’ve gotten requests to talk about the balloon bombs that Japan used to target North America during World War II. But these were not the only balloons in use during the war, or the first balloons used for military purposes.
Research:
- Barnett, Glenn. “Another Way to Bomb Germany.” Warfare History Network. June 2021. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/another-way-to-bomb-germany/
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopae...
In 2017, the show covered the fears, prejudices and societal issues that drove the eugenics movement in the U.S., which focused on identifying, sequestering and even sterilizing people who were deemed to be "unfit."
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Tracy and Holly talk about the way that the eugenics movement pops up almost any time there's research into late 19th and early 20th century figures. They also discuss the nature of chicken and dumplings in their experience.
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Eliza Fenning worked as a cook in a London household until she found herself in the middle of a poisoning accusation. Her controversial trial brought the bias of the 19th-century British criminal justice system into focus.
Research:
- “Circumstantial Evidence.” The Abilene Gazette. June 23, 1876. https://www.newspapers.com/image/367010505/?terms=eliza%20fenning&match=1
- Hempel, Sarah. “The Inheritor’s Powder.” W. W. Nor...
Ellen Swallow Richards was a big part of the establishment of home economics as a field. But well before that, she broke a lot of ground and was often way ahead of her time.
Research:
- Bettex, Morgan. “A life filled with firsts.” MIT News. 1/26/2011. https://news.mit.edu/2011/timeline-richards-0126
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ellen Swallow Richards". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Nov. 2022, https://www.britann...
In 2016, Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. joined Tracy to discuss the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which gave rebelling states 100 days to return to the Union or have their enslaved population freed during the U.S. Civil War.
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