Tracy talks about how long she's wanted to cover Scott Joplin, and the way his cause of death is often omitted from accounts. Holly then mentions the long reaching tendrils of the papacy in 14th century politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
William of Ockham is best known today for the model of problem solving known as Ockham’s (or Occam’s) Razor. But the event that defined his life was an argument with Pope John XXII. Research: Lieberich, Heinz. "Louis IV". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-IV-Holy-Roman-emperor Kilcullen, John. “Ockham’s Political Writings.” “The Cambridge Companion to Ockham. Cambridge University Press. 1999. Republished online: http://publications.thebritishacademy...
During his life, Scott Joplin said that people would not appreciate his music until 50 years after his death. And he wasn’t wrong, though now he’s often called the king of ragtime writers. Research: "Man causes tens of thousands of dollars in damage to Scott Joplin House." St. Louis Post-Dispatch [St. Louis, MO], 4 Oct. 2022, p. A1. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A721049996/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=a37ef18c. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023. "Scott Joplin." Encyclopedia ...
This 2018 episode covers Magnus Hirschfeld, a groundbreaking researcher into gender and sexuality in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work was dedicated to scientific study with the hope of dispelling stigma around homosexuality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Holly and Tracy talk about theories regarding Caroline and Lord Melbourne and whether they had a romantic relationship. They also discuss how little recourse a woman in Caroline’s situation had in the 19th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After Caroline Sheridan Norton’s husband once again tried to destroy her life, she lobbied for another change in English law. This time, she worked to gain equal legal treatment for women in divorces. Research: Reynolds, K. D. "Norton [née Sheridan], Caroline Elizabeth Sarah [other married name Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Stirling Maxwell, Lady Stirling Maxwell] (1808–1877), author and law reform campaigner." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 25. Oxford University Press. Date of access 20 Ma...
Caroline Sheridan Norton’s left an abusive marriage in 1835. She then turned her skill as a writer into a lobby for legislation that would enable mothers in England to get custody of their young children. Research: Reynolds, K. D. "Norton [née Sheridan], Caroline Elizabeth Sarah [other married name Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Stirling Maxwell, Lady Stirling Maxwell] (1808–1877), author and law reform campaigner." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 25. Oxford University Press. Date of access 2...
This 2019 episode the tale of an elaborate hoax. It starts with the Scythians and how their artifacts became highly prized in 19th century Europe, and ends with an artist who came into fame as a result of his part in a forgery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 Journal of Psychology, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr., 1919).” https://www.jstor.org/s...
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 Maglione. Reprinted by permission of Tom Maglione. https://www.doe.mass.e...
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.” New Yor Times. June 6, 1899. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine...
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c1943190. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023. "How the...
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 for Patricide.” Gettysburg Times. Feb. 14, 1928. https://news.google.com/...
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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=d75f28d6. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023. Schwartz, Adam. "Conceiving a culture o...
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 Encyclopaedia. "airship". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Feb. 2023, https://www.britann...
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." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. Norton & Company. 2013. Hempel, Sarah. “Eliza Fenning: the case of the pois...
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.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Swallow-Richards. Accessed 8 February 2023. Chapman...
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tracy and Holly talk about the ways enslaved people found to push back against their enslavement. They then examine the animal welfare aspect of Old Rip’s story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Old Rip was a reptile with quite a legend. Some people believed that he survived a 31-year entombment in a courthouse cornerstone, and he became celebrity, even gaining an audience with President Calvin Coolidge. But was it all a hoax? Research: “Toad Alive After 31 Years Sealed in Texas Cornerstone.” New York Times. Feb, 20, 1928. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/02/20/91477181.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Coolidge Sees Famous Horned Toad of Texas.” The Greenville News. May...
