This week, Hailee is bewitched with something she stumbled upon during a recent trip to Florida: Houses of Refuge and the United States Life Saving Services. According to Martin County Historical Society, the Houses of Refuge were designated as havens for shipwrecked sailors and travelers along the sparsely populated Atlantic coastline of Florida. Run by the United States Lifesaving Service, the Houses played a critical role in a time when sailing ships dominated world commerce. Over their years...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by the saloon-smashing, hatchet-wielding, temperance leader Carry A. Nation. In the fight for prohibition, no one waged war like Carry Nation. After a hard childhood that ended in a brief marriage to an alcoholic, Carry became involved in the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Finding no success in the usual campaigns of letter-writing and prayer circles, Carry took it upon herself to deliver the message in a more direct way. She became ...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In our last mini spookysode, Hailee tells us about the origins and celebrations of Halloween! How we celebrate Halloween is pretty different than how it was originally celebrated over 2000 years ago, but there are still some traces of the ancient festivals that inspired the holiday. Soul Cake Recipe Creepy vintage Halloween costumes Support the show...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min
In this week's mini spookysode, Katie is bewitched by the soap-maker of Correggio. When fortune-teller Leonarda Cianciulli set up shop in the tiny Italian town of Correggio, luck for the local women seemed to change. Leonarda helped them find new jobs, new loves, and new adventures. But their families never heard from then again, save a couple of letters telling them they'd left town for good. When one missing woman's sister-in-law began poking around, she discovered a vat of secrets in Leonarda...
Oct 20, 2021•40 min
This week, Hailee is bewitched with the legend of the Bell Witch. The Bell Witch is a menacing spirit that haunted the Bell family in Addams, Tennessee for years. Beginning with unexplained noises and sightings of strange creatures, the haunting soon escalated to physical torments and is said to be one of the only cases in which a spirit has caused the death of a person. Support the show
Oct 13, 2021•44 min
This week, Katie is bewitched with what happens to your body after you die. From the time you take your last breath to the time your placed in the ground or an urn, the process and care your human form receives is something of a mystery. Mortuary science is a secretive field, and few people know what goes on behind the scenes in a funeral home. The air of mystery surrounding the very natural end of life only adds to the general fear of death. In this episode, we take you through the process your...
Oct 06, 2021•53 min
We are back! Join us as we chat about what we have been doing, what we have been reading and what we have been watching during our short break. Plus, find out what we will be up to next and when to look forward to new episodes of The Reference Desk! Support the show
Sep 29, 2021•35 min
This week Katie and Hailee continue to be bewitched by the Titanic. In the second half of this two-part series, we go minute-by-minute through the timeline of the sinking and bemoan all the mistakes that led to the massive loss of life. We also discuss the aftermath of the tragedy, including its influence on pop culture and the completely bizarre salvage plans that were cooked up through the decades to drag the wreck out of the depths of the ocean...before it was even discovered in 1985! We also...
Jul 21, 2021•2 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 22
This week Hailee and Katie are bewitched by the Titanic. Is it just us, or does EVERY kid go through a Titanic phase? An adolescent infatuation spurred on by Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio leaving handprints on a steamy car window has morphed into an adult obsession with the story and impact of the Titanic. In our first ever collaborative episode (and part one of our season 1 finale), we explore the history of transatlantic travel, the construction of the “ship of dreams,” life onboard the s...
Jul 14, 2021•2 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In this two-part episode, Hailee is bewitched with the Amityville Horror. Since the 1970s, the beautiful dutch colonial house on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, NY has been full of tragedy and speculation. Starting with the brutal slaying of the DeFeo family in 1974 to the shocking tales of demonic activity in the home afterward to the numerous books, movies, and TV shows made in the aftermath, this house has become one of, if not the most infamous house in America. In part two, Hailee breaks do...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this two part episode, Hailee is bewitched with the Amityville Horror. Since the 1970s, the beautiful dutch colonial house on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, NY has been full of tragedy and speculation. Starting with the brutal slaying of the DeFeo family in 1974 to the shocking tales of demonic activity in the home afterwards to the numerous books, movies and TV shows made in the aftermath, this house has become one of, if not the most infamous house in America. In part one, Hailee will talk...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this week’s episode, Katie continues to be bewitched by the Duggar family. Part two of our expose on one of the world’s most famous mega-families will reveal the Duggars’ long list of scandals. From transphobic tweets that result in members being removed from filming, to infidelity, corporal punishment, and misuse of charity funds, we look at the moments that shook the foundation of the Duggar fanbase. We also devote some time to the most disappointing Duggar of all, Joshua. Josh’s long histo...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 18
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by the Duggar Family. To their adoring fans, the Duggar family is a close-knit, super-sized Christian family intent on raising their brood under a stringent set of beliefs and rules. But when we dig below the surface, we find so much more. From their affiliation with Bill Gothard’s predatory Institute of Basic Life Principles, to their deeply sexist rules for their daughters, to their bizarre and troubling homeschool curriculum, the Dugga...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched with the legends and lore behind cursed films. What is a curse? Some of the earliest curses are found in Egyptian Execration texts, which were tablets listing the enemies of the pharaoh. Essentially, a curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. Throughout history, people have promoted stories of curses for a variety of reasons. You can find curses just about anywhe...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by the myths and legends of Walt Disney World. Known around the globe as “the happiest place on Earth,” Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is a vacation destination like no other. This sprawling property is home to four unique theme parks, a host of themed accommodations, hundreds of restaurants, and a world of carefully-curated experiences. But are there secrets lurking beneath the surface? Was Walt Disney cryogenically frozen and k...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched with the Culper Ring, George Washington's secret spy ring credited with turning the course of the war and enabling an American victory . The Culper Spy Ring operated successfully in and around New York City for five years and the informants were never discovered. Even George Washington himself was unaware of their identities. Along with spies like Hercules Mulligan and James Armistead, the Culper Ring was responsible for preventing the plan of one of history’...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 14
This week, Katie is bewitched with the polio epidemic and vaccines. As the U.S. takes its first tentative steps toward post-COVID life with the massive roll-out of vaccines, Katie takes time to reflect on another virus that changed our world: polio. For decades, parents lived in fear of summer- time polio outbreaks. Children went from happy and healthy to iron lungs in a matter of days. As a result, public pools closed. Adolescents were banned from movie theaters, and parents everywhere hoped an...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the customs, entertainment, and daily lives of the Victorians. The victorian period is named after for reign of Queen Victoria encompassing the span of history between 1837-1901. During this time, Brittain and the United States were experiencing the first Industrial Revolution. Also during this time, Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, Florence Nightingale revolutionizes the nursing field with her sanitary practices, Charles Dickens is the shit - ...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this week's episode, Katie is bewitched by the incredible survival story of Jose Salvador Alvarenga. In November 2012, Alvarenga headed out on a fishing trip despite warnings of a storm brewing. The routine trip soon turned life-threatening when engine failure and rough seas dragged Alvarenga and his mate, 22-year-old Ezequiel Cordoba, deep into the Pacific Ocean. For 438 days, Alvarenga survived at sea before washing ashore on the Marshall Islands. Alvarenga's survival is a story of incredib...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This week, Hailee is bewitched with the strange, funny, sometimes deadly behaviors of people who sleepwalk. Sleepwalking is a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while still mostly asleep. Listen this week as Hailee discusses some funny sleepwalking stories, including some sleep talking stories from her husband, as well as the science behind what goes on in our brains during sleep. And of course, she discusses some slee...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with Mackinac Island. Nestled in the cold, deep waters between the upper and lower pennisulas of Michigan lies the idyllic and picturesque Mackinac Island. What was once a beloved spot for indigenous people evolved into a fur trader’s outpost, a military stronghold, and eventually the tourist destination we know today. From it’s unique ban on automobiles to its Victorian-era flagship hotel, this gem of an island transports its visitor’s b...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week, Hailee is bewitched by the tragic fate of the Donner Party. Literally every conceivable thing went wrong for this rag-tag group of travelers. Pioneers traveling the Oregon trail were inspired by the promise of free land in California and Oregon. Spurred on by what journalist John L. O’Sullivan coined Manifest Destiny, and encouraged by President Polk who was so singular in his focus of owning the western part of the United States he started the Mexican American war, these settlers tho...
Apr 14, 2021•2 hr•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, Katie is bewitched with the debutantes of the London social season. Since the late 1700s, Britain's most eligible young ladies have been presented to society during London's social season. Providing the framework for our favorite novels like Pride and Prejudice, debutante society hides a deeply problematic world of sexism, racism, classism, and more. In this deep-dive into the beginnings and evolution of this bizarre ritual, we explore the realm of the ultra-exclusive debutante ...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched with rock and roll myths, legends and curses. Who created Rock and Roll? It’s a question that has been heavily debated and there are many possible answers. Rock has certainly had a very turbulent history. Close calls, plane crashes, heavy use of drugs and alcohol, mysterious deaths, just to name a few. Join us this week as week as Hailee tells the tale of Robert Johnson who may have sold his soul at the crossroads to become an amazing musician, the 27 club, w...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this special episode of The Reference Desk, Katie and Hailee tell you a bit about themselves, why they started a podcast and play a game of Would You Rather! Books Mentioned Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath The Outlander series by Diana Gabeldon Books by Louise Miller Books by Jenny Colgan The Fingerprints series by Melinda Metz If you're interested in purchasing the books mentioned in this episode, visit our bookshop.org (affiliate shop) Support the show...
Mar 24, 2021•51 min
In this episode, Katie is bewitched with the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. Deep in the Amazon basin of South America, indigenous people rely on the wisdom of the sacred ayahuasca brew, a psychoactive drink. For centuries, this medicine has guided and healed those who partake in its sacred ritual. Traditionally, a trained shaman guides their community members through the ritual, but Westerners want in, too. For more information and a full list of our sources, visit our website Recommended titles: S...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode of the Reference Desk, Hailee tells us about the strange Coney Island sideshow responsible for saving hundreds of lives. Martin Couney's Infant Incubator facility was one of Coney Island's most popular exhibits. For more information and a full list of our sources, visit our website . To buy books mentioned in this episode: Bookshop.org affiliate shop. Links : Life Under Glass - Radio Documentary The Forgotten Carnival Sideshow that Saved Countless Babies NPR: Babies On Display Su...
Mar 10, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by Frank Abagnale, Jr. One of America's most notorious con-men, Frank Abagnale Jr's unlikely journey into the world of check forgery, criminal impersonation, and other scams, inspired the popular film "Catch Me If You Can." From his humble beginnings as a teenage runaway cashing bad checks, to his summer spent escorting a group of Pan-Am flight attendant hopefuls through Europe, this episode covers his life of crime from beginning to end....
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Hailee is bewitched with The Salem Witch Trials. Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft in Salem and surrounding towns. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen were executed by hanging, one other man was pressed to death, and at least five people died in jail. Also, two dogs were found guilty of witchcraft. Listen to find out more about this strange time in America's history! For more information and a full li...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with the WPA Packhorse Library. As part of FDR's New Deal, the Works Progress Administration provided employment for millions of Americans struggling with the effects of the Great Depression. In the most remote pockets of Appalachia, the WPA Packhorse Library Program delivered books by horse to thousands of nearly-inaccessible homes and hollers. This episode details the history and impact of the WPA Packhorse Library program, and provides...
Feb 17, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1
