Daphne du Maurier became famous thanks to her books and the adaptations they inspired, and her life story is just as intriguing as any of her writing. 

Aside from her relationship with King Ludwig I, Lola Montez is one of those figures whose life is hard to pin down. That’s not because of a lack of documentation, but because that documentation repeats the completely fictional backstory she made up for herself.

This 2013 episode covers Marie Taglioni, considered THE ballerina of the Romantic era. She's often credited with revolutionizing, restyling and redefining dance, though her father was a significant part of those achievements.

Holly and Tracy compare the Apicius cookbook to cooking today, as well as some confusion over ingredients in the cookbook. They then talk about the life of Struensee, how scholars of medical history interpret the work of the doctor, and Mads Mikkelsen. 

King Christian VII ruled in the 18th century, and during his reign, his physician finagled a surprising amount of power, and basically ruled the country. 

This 2018 episode covers defenestrations - which just means "to throw out of a window." And there's been a surprising amount of defenestration in Czech history. And almost all of it has been connected religious wars.

Holly and Tracy talk about Child's life, the ways in which she was ahead of her time socially, and the questions surrounding her marriage. The Haymarket riot's place in labor history is also covered, with an eye toward how many of the issues that were prominent then remain in play today.

The Haymarket Riot, aka the Haymarket Affair or the Haymarket Massacre, is one of the many interconnected events and people and movements that are all integral to defining the basic idea of what a full-time job is in the U.S. 

Lydia Maria Child was a writer of children’s literature, historical novels, abolitionist tracts, and poetry. She also wrote literature for children and penned a holiday poem that remains popular today.

This 2014 episode covers the devastation of "Black Wall Street," which was a nickname for Greenwood, a vibrant suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was destroyed in a racist attack in 1921. 

Tracy and Holly discuss Tracy's research on Operation Paperclip and how recently information about it has been uncovered. After talking about taking some time off, Tracy also shares how she selected the Paperclippers to focus on for Wednesday's episode.

Under Operation Paperclip, about 1,600 specialists – most with some involvement with the Nazi party – entered the U.S., and many became citizens. Today, we’re looking at four of these specialists, who were nicknamed Paperclippers.

Operation Paperclip, also known as Project Paperclip, which was the U.S. effort to bring German scientists to the U.S. after World War II. 

This 2011 episode is from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina. During the 17th century, the Dutch went nuts for tulips, paying exorbitant amounts for a single bulb. But what exactly triggered this commodity bubble? And what do revisionist historians have to say? 

Holly and Tracy talk about Paré's work in context on the timeline, and then a very cool modern gardening project using the book we mentioned this week, "The Feate of Gardening."

Gardening is a living history that connects us all to people and places through time. This episode covers precolonial North America, Europeans bringing their own gardening ideas to the colonies, and how gardening has developed and shifted since then.

Sixteenth-century barber surgeon Paré has been called everything from “the gentle surgeon” to “the father of modern surgery.” He advanced the field of medicine significantly during his 50+ years in practice.

Revisiting our 2016 episode on black Canadian-American Mary Ann Shadd Cary, who became the first woman in North America to publish and edit a newspaper. She advocated against slavery, for better lives for free black people, and for women's rights.