Lillian Exum Clement Stafford was one of the first women in North Carolina to practice law, and the first woman in the South to be elected to a state legislature. Research: “Letter from Elias Eller Stafford to Lillian Exum Clement, 1920.” North Carolina Archives. https://fromthepage.com/ncdcr-ncarchives/women-s-history-v5/pc-2804-lillian-exum-papers-b2f25-corr-eller-1920 “Lillian Exum Clement." NCpedia. Accessed on February 19th, 2025. https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/lillian-exu...
Mar 10, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2020 episode covers the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. The Lost Cause was a distortion of the history of the U.S. Civil War that’s still affecting the world today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 08, 2025•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tracy shares issues she has with overly reductive internet videos that misrepresent the story of nixtamalization. She and Holly also discuss the various ways they like to eat corn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 07, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode on the pellagra epidemic focuses on its prevalence in the U.S. in the early 20th century. Some of the scientific work done to understand it involves self-experimentation, and some of it is ethically problematic by today’s standards. Research: Akst, Daniel. “Pellagra: The Forgotten Plague.” American Heritage. December 2000. https://www.americanheritage.com/pellagra-forgotten-plague Baird Rattini, Kristin. “A Deadly Diet.” Discover. Mar2018, Vol. 39 Issue...
Mar 05, 2025•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast The pellagra epidemic of the early 20th century may have been the deadliest epidemic of a specific nutrient deficiency in U.S. history. Part one covers what it is, its appearance in 19th-century Italy, and the first reports of it in the U.S. Research: Akst, Daniel. “Pellagra: The Forgotten Plague.” American Heritage. December 2000. https://www.americanheritage.com/pellagra-forgotten-plague Baird Rattini, Kristin. “A Deadly Diet.” Discover. Mar2018, Vol. 39 Issu...
Mar 03, 2025•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2020 episode covers the first protest march on Washington, D.C., led by Jacob Sechler Coxey in the 1890s. His plan was job creation for the nation's unemployed population with projects that would build the country's infrastructure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 01, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Holly talks about how impossible it is to build a spite house now, thanks to municipal building codes. She also shares some uncertain stories of the childhood of Robert Morris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 28, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robert Morris is one of the lesser-mentioned founding fathers of the U.S. When he is mentioned, he is called the financier of the Revolutionary War. But his story is more complicated than that. Research: “18th Century Currency.” Valley Forge National Historical Park. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=42877E64-155D-451F-67DACC05A2515349 Bill of Rights Institute. “Stamp Act Resistance.” https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/stamp-act-r...
Feb 26, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A spite house is a structure that is built by one party to irritate another, or to cause some sort of difficulty or even damage. And there have been a lot of them built over the years, though there aren’t a huge number remaining. Research: Bailey, Steve. “A Tiny, Beloved Home That Was Built for Spite.” New York Times. Feb. 29, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29away.html “Charles A. Froling, Local Contractor, Passes Away.” Alameda Times ...
Feb 24, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2020 episode covers direct action demonstrations and protests that have some similarities to the sit-in movement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 22, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Holly talks about her gardening efforts and an amusing machine reading error. Tracy talks about her expectations of researching the epizootic of 1872, and My Little Pony toys turning 40. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 21, 2025•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The epizootic of 1872 was a massive outbreak of a flulike illness primarily among horses in North America, Central America, and some islands in the Caribbean. Research: "WHEN A FLU REINED IN NEW YORK." States News Service, 28 Apr. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622209555/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=2bf7de71. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025. Andrews, Thomas G. “Influenza’s Progress: The Great Epizootic Flu of 1872-73 in the North American West.” Ut...
Feb 19, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The practice of growing plants in water rather than soil isn't new, though early examples are difficult to substantiate. In the 1930s, hydroponic plant culture made headlines, but the field also had conflict among researchers. Research: Bacon, Francis. “Sylva sylvarum; or, A natural history, in ten centuries. Whereunto is newly added the History natural and experimental of life and death, or of the prolongation of life.” London. 1670. https://archive.org/details/sylvasylvarumorn00bac...
Feb 17, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2021 episode covers William Montague Cobb, who was the first Black person in the U.S. to earn a PhD in physical anthropology. He was also an activist and an anatomy professor at Howard University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 15, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tracy discusses the inherent challenge of talking about topics that relate to current events. She also shares more information about Emma Reynolds that didn't really fit into the Dr. Daniel Hale Williams episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 14, 2025•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Daniel Hale Williams is often described as the first person to successfully perform an open-heart surgery. That's not entirely accurate, but he was still a surgical innovator, and he was also a huge part of the Black Hospital Movement. Research: "Daniel Hale Williams." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 2, Gale, 1992. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606000260/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c4ae7664. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025. "Daniel Hale Williams." Nota...
Feb 12, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast The 1898 supreme court case called United States vs. Wong Kim Ark had affected enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, because the court found that people born in the U.S. to Chinese parents were U.S. citizens. Research: Graber, Mark A. "United States v. Wong Kim Ark." American Governance, edited by Stephen Schechter, et al., vol. 5, Macmillan Reference USA, 2016, pp. 228-230. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3629100710/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=73...
Feb 10, 2025•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2021 episode covers the Chinese Exclusion Act, the United States’ first major immigration law. As its name suggests it specifically targeted people from China, and it led to Supreme Court cases that set the stage for later restrictions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 08, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tracy shares how much she loves the work of Helen McNicoll and how the gaps in her biography posed a challenge during research. Holly talks about Harry Craddock and his efforts to combat prohibition in Britain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 07, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ada Coleman was head bartender at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London in the early 20th century. She created a cocktail that is still served today, and she's an enduring icon of the bartending industry. Research: The Ada Coleman Project. https://theadacolemanproject.com/about/ Allison, Keith. “Spies at the Savoy Part One.” Alcohol Professor. Oct. 5, 2016. https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2016/10/05/spies-at-the-savoy-part-one Allison, Keith. “Spi...
Feb 05, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Helen McNicoll was a Canadian painter who had a significant influence on the rise of Impressionism in that country. McNicoll, who lost her hearing in childhood, was quite successful as an artist, though her career and life were short. Research: Anderson, Jocelyn. “William Brymner: Life & Work.” Art Canada Institute. https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/william-brymner/biography/ Atanassova, Katerina. “Helen McNicoll: In Search of Light.” National Gallery of Canada. ...
Feb 03, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2016 episode looks at the beginning of Denmark's monarchy and its link to two large rune stones at Jelling. Is it possible that the stones were part of an effort on Harald Blátand's part to revise the history of his parents, Gorm and Thyre? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 01, 2025•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tracy talks about the way she usually handles names in episodes, and how Icelandic naming conventions changes that. Holly discusses the way that one leader’s petulance can lead nations into unnecessary conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 31, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Isles of Scilly were part of one of the longest wars in human history, but the main reason for the length of the very mild conflict was lagging paperwork. Research: “335-year-old War Ends for Scilly Isles.” Star Tribune. April 18, 1986. https://www.newspapers.com/image/188704902/?match=1 “The breakdown of 1641-2.” UK Parliament. https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/civilwar/overview/the-breakdown/ Britannica, The...
Jan 29, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jón Arason was the last Catholic bishop in Iceland before it became a Lutheran country. His story involves a lot of gory details in this story including a pretty gruesome beheading. Research: Buck, Thomas. “An Icelandic Martyr: Jón Arason.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, vol. 46, no. 182, 1957, pp. 213–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30103574. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025. Cunningham, Jack. “Jón Arason, ‘the last Icelander’ and the Com...
Jan 27, 2025•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast This 2018 episode covers Christine de Pizan, who wrote verse, military manuals, and treatises on war, peace and the just governance. She was the official biographer of King Charles V of France and wrote about Joan of Arc in her lifetime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 25, 2025•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Holly and Tracy talk about the spiky parts of Tamara de Lempicka's life story. They also discuss how Isaac Pitman benefitted from his association with a bible publisher. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 24, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Humans have been writing in abbreviated ways as long as writing has existed. In the 19th century, Isaac Pitman developed – and marketed – a system of shorthand that became widely adopted. Research: Baker, Alfred. “The Life of Sir Isaac Pitman.” London. Pitman. 1919. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/centenlifeofsiri00bakeuoft/page/34/mode/2up Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir Isaac Pitman". Encyclopedia Britannica , 8 Jan. 2025, https://www.b...
Jan 22, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tamara de Lemicka was a trailblazer with an incredible, fresh style that really defined and influenced the development of Art Deco. She lived a life that was focused on originality, both artistically and personally. Research: Bade, Patrick. “Lempicka.” Parkstone International. 2020. Brown, Mark. “Georgia O’Keeffe flower painting sells for record-breaking $44.4m.” The Guardian. Nov. 20, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/nov/20/georgia-okeeffe-painti...
Jan 20, 2025•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
