Stuff You Missed in History Class

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Tracy and Holly discuss the anger-making aspects of working on the story of the Flint sit-down strike. They also discuss the way Holly happened upon the story of Wilson Bentley and what his personality was like.

Bentley was a Vermont farmer and amateur meteorologist who became known to many during his lifetime as the Snowflake Man. 

Flint, Michigan was at the heart of auto manufacturing for General Motors in 1936. And while the strike was largely centered around Flint, it also involved workers at GM factories all over the U.S.

This 2018 episode covers Violet Paget, more often known by her pen name Vernon Lee, who was a historian and an art and literary critic. She wrote on myriad subjects including music, travel, aesthetics, psychology and economics. And she was well known for her ghost stories.

Holly and Tracy discuss how Vernon Lee factored into the story of Amy Levy's life. They also talk about what a pain in the neck Theodore Hook must have been.

Today we have a series of prank stories that aren’t quite substantial enough to be their own episodes. We’ve got 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. 

Levy was recognized as an extraordinary literary talent of the 1880s. But after her tragic early death, she receded into the background of history. 

This 2013 episode covers the taxidermist Potter, who had preserved and mounted 98 birds by the time he was 19. In 1880, his work had grown to a point where it had to be moved to a building, which became his museum. Potter's museum collection continues to enthrall collectors and enthusiasts.

Holly and Tracy discuss Perkin's idealism, and how many things in their lives are impacted by his work. Then they discuss "Who killed Cock Robin?' and Tracy's fascination with it as a child.

Today’s episode is the next installment of our Six Impossible Episodes series, and our second one on nursery rhymes. This one explores the historical context of Jack and Jill, London Bridge, Cock Robin and others. 

For Perkin, the creation of the first synthetic dye was the beginning of a career that combined chemistry and business to great success. And he got to see the world of industry change in response to his innovation.