Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2020 episode shares the story of the ridiculously wealthy Croesus, which was likely fictionalized in a number of ways. It has become sort of a cautionary tale about pride and hubris, and what really has value in life.

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Tracy shares frustration over a historical find being described as a piggy bank. She and Holly then discuss the Van Gogh Pokémon and whether they would chase similar items. 

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This 2020 episode looks at croquet's murky origins. Because of its relative ease of play and low barrier of entry, it went through a surge in popularity almost as soon as it was documented.

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Tracy and Holly talk about how much Tracy loves eclipses. They also discuss their favorite TV jingles for the game of Life. 

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On May 28, in the year 585 BCE, there was a total solar eclipse during a battle between the kingdoms of Media and Lydia. This eclipse had been predicted by Thales of Miletus, and it led to the ends of both the battle and the war. Maybe. 

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This 2019 episode covers Sylvia of Hollywood, famous in the 1920s and 1930s for shaping up starlets, cementing the idea that Hollywood's beauties were aspirational figures for the average woman. 

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Holly reads Vinnie Ream's account of when she met Franz Liszt. Then discussion turns to Ream's friendships, her shopping habits, and why she lived in Rome instead of closer to Carrara. 

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Part two of our episode on Vinnie Ream covers the completion of her first major work, and the rest of her life, which was just as controversial as her early adulthood. 

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This 2014 episode covers the story of how in 1859, the United States and Great Britain nearly went to war over an American settler shooting a Canadian pig that was rooting around his garden. 

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Holly and Tracy ponder why the wrong photo has become used so frequently in mentions of Margaret E. Knight. Tracy shares the reasons she almost didn't cover Henry Martyn Robert on the show. 

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This 2019 episode covers James G. Fair, known as the Silver King. But though Fair often appears on lists of the richest men in U.S. history, his image was also tainted by scandal. 

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Holly and Tracy talk about there not being a national divorce law in the U.S. and how to pronounce Nevada. Tracy talks about the ways social rules are necessary but can be used in ways that are exclusionary. 

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This 2021 episode covers sixteenth-century barber surgeon Ambroise Paré, who has been called everything from “the gentle surgeon” to “the father of modern surgery.”

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Holly talks about the various theories about events in Charles Francis Hall's life. Tracy discusses some of the troubling sources she came across while researching Götz von Berlichingen. 

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This 2017 episode covers the extinction of one New Zealand bird species that's often attributed to a single cat. While feline predation played a significant role in the end of the Stephens Island wren, the story is more complex.

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Holly and Tracy discuss how neither of them like Sloppy Joes, and a cocktail recipe Holly found during research. Tracy shares how very much she adores Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.

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This 2020 episode examines how, though rinderpest was declared eradicated fairly recently, rinderpest's history goes way back. Eradicating the disease took a coordinated, international effort.

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Tracy mentions tracking down sources for quotes about Rebecca Crumpler during research. She and Holly also discuss measles vaccine protocols. 

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This 2017 episode features three unique women, all of whom are notable. They each have a surprising aspect to their stories, and they each have the name Belle. 

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Tracy shares why the story of George Washington Williams makes her so sad. Holly then offers some additional information about John Mytton that wasn't in the Wednesday episode. 

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John Mytton is often called an eccentric, but that doesn’t really capture his whole story. Despite his wild behavior, he's something of a local hero, and sometimes a joke, but his life is sort of sad in many ways. 

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This 2018 episode covers Mary Breckinridge, who advanced the medical field and found new ways to treat underserved communities. But there are problematic elements to her story.               

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Tracy explains why Natalie Clifford Barney needed two episodes. She also shares some of the stories from Barney's stories that didn't make it into either of the episodes.

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This 2021 episode covers Lola Montez, a figure 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.

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Holly and Tracy discuss the unfortunate and gruesome event that allegedly happened at Anne-Marie-Louse's funeral. Harrison Dyar's compulsion and cruelty are also examined.

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Anne-Marie-Louise d’Orleans has been described by historians as having been one of the richest heiresses in history, as an insurgent, as unaccomplished, as an Amazon, as a writer, and as a fool. And she was sort of all of those things. 

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This 2015 episode examines how Dr. Peters helped revolutionize the treatment of both breast cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma. But, at the time, her work was largely dismissed.

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Holly and Tracy discuss van Dyck's personal life and historical photography. They also discuss mammogram science and try to reassure listeners about the experience.

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This 2013 episode covers a tsunami that struck the coast of Japan in January 1700, . It took a while -- a long while -- to figure out where the catalyzing earthquake had been.

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Holly talks about her infatuation with the show "Succession," and why Tracy might not like it. Tracy talks about a unique bridge designed by John Roebling. 

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This 2013 episode covers Hypatia, one of the earliest female mathematicians and astronomers. Though she wasn't the very first, she was among the greatest. At the time of her murder, she was the foremost mathematician and astronomer in the West, and possibly in the world.

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Tracy explains why there aren't any repatriations or exhumations in this week's edition of Unearthed! There's also discussion of all the ways a sandal might end up in a well. 

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This 2013 episode covers Benjamin Banneker, a man of color in Colonial America who became an accomplished scholar despite having almost no formal schooling.

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Holly and Tracy talk about how actuarial science informs other fields, the book "The Player," and insurance mentions in Terry Pratchett's writing. 

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This 2019 episode covers the career Alfred Wegener had outside of his ideas around what we now understand as plate tectonics, which had both detractors and supporters. 

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Holly and Tracy talk about the new year and the ways they use calendars. Tracy mentions the birds that often receive ire from humans.

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For New Year's Eve, we're resharing our Sept 2021 episode on the history of gin. Happy New Year to all our listeners, and cheers to you no matter your drink of choice!

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In 2014, the show covered the 1903 fire at the new Iroquois Theater. The horrible, incredibly tragic incident was the result of multiple code violations and wrongdoings.

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Differing points of view regarding the Stone of Scone are discussed. Tracy also shares thoughts on "Assassins' Creed," its mixed reviews, and the most interesting historical elements in it. 

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On Christmas day in 1950, the Stone of Scone was removed, heist-style, from Westminster Abbey. Some believed it to be an act of theft, and others, liberation. 

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For Christmas Eve, we’re sharing our 2016 episode about holiday figures from around the world. This one features the Mari Lwyd, which came up on a recent episode. 

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This 2019 episode covers John Wilkins who planned out what he thought it would take for humans to travel to the moon In the 1600s. Wilkins managed to ride out a rocky time in England's history comfortably.

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 Tracy talks about not seeing a frozen body of water that could support a person as a kid. Holly discusses how difficult it is to pare down Hedda Hopper's life into an episode.

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Holly and Tracy share formative experiences with math classes. Then Tracy discusses a spinning bee, Lafayette in Medford, and her historical fanfiction.

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This 2019 episode looks at a few of the moments in traffic light history that got us to where we are today, as well as what made them a necessity in the first place

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Holly and Tracy discuss Advent calendars in their own lives. They also discuss some of their experiences in Barcelona. 

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Montjuïc Castle is a fortress in Barcelona that dates back to the 17th century. And it has been involved in both the defense of Barcelona and its repression – repeatedly, over the course of centuries.

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The religious observation of Advent has shifted and changed through the years. But how did we get to a point where an Advent calendar is also a non-religious Christmas countdown with chocolates or other treats?

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Holly and Tracy talk about the blackout that happened during the recording of their live show in Los Angeles. They then discuss their different activities during their time visiting Montserrat. 

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Montserrat is a culturally important place with a lot of stories. This episode focuses on three to show its importance as a religious center, as a strategic military location, and finally, as a place that has been home to political protest.

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This episode was recorded (mostly) live at the AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay, where we talked about Collinses, the Bees Knees, and a man who is iconic in bartending history.

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This 2018 episode covers the four Mirabal sisters, who are national heroes in the Dominican Republic. But they weren't very well-known elsewhere until 20 or so years ago when they became the subject of a historical novel.

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Holly and Tracy discuss Bertillon's influence in the practice of people carrying ID cards. Tracy talks about how much she loves historical uprisings that include smashing things. 

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The Rebecca Riots took place in Wales in the 1830s and 1840s. While these events are often described as a protest against heavy road tolls, that was only a small part of the story. 

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Bertillon developed a system of identification via body measurements that was designed to identify whether crime suspects had an existing criminal history. But his contributions to police work have been occluded by some terrible missteps. 

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This 2019 episode covers Sarah Josepha Hale's well-known poetry, and her publication Godey's Lady's Book, the most popular magazine in the U.S. in the middle of the 19th century,

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Tracy and Holly discuss elementary school experiences with Mourning Dove's work, and Tracy ponders whether her story intersected with other topics from the show. 

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This 2015 episode examines that humans have always longed to explore underwater, but need to breathe air. From as far back as the 4th century B.C.E., clever inventors have been designing technology to give us face time with the creatures of the sea.

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Tracy shares her cat’s input on the Empress of Ireland outline. She and Holly also discuss the relatability of Mary Somerville’s writing.

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This 2017 episode examines the practice of British and French monarchs laying on hands to cure sick people from the medieval period to the 18th century. One disease was so often "cured" it came to be known as the King's Evil.

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Holly discusses the strange reassurance she finds in examining historical crime stories. Tracy talks about the way Lenormand cartomancy decks differ from tarot.

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