Episodes
What does hockey's first organized league and a colony of creative rabbits have in common? One was black, one was white, but both buck expectations and deserve some overdue recognition for being really freaking good in their fields. Listen and learn about The Colored Hockey League and The White Rabbits (women sculptors) of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete citations on our website.⁠⁠⁠⁠ SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, @SharedHistory on...
Published 07/11/23
Published 07/11/23
What the networks deem "newsworthy" barely scratches the surface of what it means to be a nation at war, a community at war, a civilian at war. Cultural anthropologist Dr. Greta Uehling joins us to provide a window into life for noncombatant civilians in Ukraine looks like during the current conflict, and the humor and humanity that gets them through the day. More on Greta Greta Uehling began her career by working directly with refugees, helping them find work in the United States. Her...
Published 07/06/23
Today we're talking about two ladies who've got rhythm and music: black singer, composer and music critic, Nora Holt; and fierce beast of falmenco, Carmen Amaya. ⁠⁠⁠Complete citations on our website.⁠⁠⁠ SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, @SharedHistory on ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, ⁠⁠@sharedhistorypod on Mastadon⁠ SUPPORT: Support us on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠ MERCH: ⁠⁠⁠Snag some Shared History merch and get stylin’! ⁠⁠⁠ CREDITS: Original Theme: ⁠⁠⁠Garreth Spinn⁠⁠⁠ Original...
Published 06/27/23
As we explore overlooked figures from history, we often find ourselves shouting about how these folks should have been celebrities, either in their time or in history books. But this week we're taking a step further back to examine the history of celebrity itself. And who better to lead us on that journey than former managing editor of People and Money magazines, Landon "Lanny" Jones. More on Lanny Landon Y. Jones (Lanny) is an author and magazine editor. He is the former managing editor of...
Published 06/06/23
Remember when every TV show had a musical episode? Ring in the 100th episode of Shared History with the sweat and style of the history of house music and Chicago's notorious and naughty Everleigh club PLUS original and fully improvised songs courtesy of some of our very talented friends: the Then This Happened Podcast, S6 finale guest Alex DiVirgilio, Andi Sharavsky from Sports Kid/Drama Kid, Mike Amandes, Teddy Oliver and Eli Wilson. Huge thanks to Then This Happened: Musical Stories for...
Published 05/30/23
Nobody puts Baby in the corner and nobody makes Merton Clivette pick a lane. Author and indie publisher, Michael MacBride, regales us with tales of painter, magician, writer and more Merton Clivette, aka Clivette the Great, aka The Man in Black, aka The Mysterious Strange. Join us to learn about all things Clivette and how/why MacBride found himself writing a whole book about him. More on Michael Originally from Michigan, Michael MacBride now calls Minnesota home. Michael received his PhD...
Published 05/23/23
Finally, more people are talking about Scythia and, of course, Chicago! And by more people, we mean us. Listen and learn about Persian-crushing Queen, Tomyris of Scythia and vinyl-crushing mayhem, Disco Demolition Night of Chicago 1979. Handy map of Scythians during Tomyris' time Tomyris straight dunking Cyrus' head 1979 coverage of disco demolition night (video) Steve Dahl with dumpster of disco records Dahl on the field Comiskey field in chaos ⁠⁠Complete citations on our...
Published 05/16/23
We’re starting this season off with a bang…or at least Natalie is, as she traumatizes Cass with a harrowing tale from Chicago history: The Wingfoot Air Express Disaster before Cass shares the fashion and racism behind the Zoot Suit Riots. Wingfoot Express Leaving Grant ParkInside bank after crashDiagram of crashComposite illustration of wingfoot explosion City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist (Nat's book rec) Pachuco Style Zoot Suits Service members acting as a self-appointed zoot suit...
Published 05/12/23
In this incredibly sincere and well-researched bonus minisode, we read a note from the mailbag, explore a magical neighborhood in Wisconsin, and answer the question: "what if Nat & Cass commit to a bit for ~24 minutes?". We want to shout out our listener Melanie who sent in this request and probably didn't expect this. See y'all for Shared History Season 7, starting next week. We also want to say f*ck terfs and encourage you to support organizations who are committed to providing...
Published 05/02/23
It's the season 6 finale and that calls for our signature silly finale tradition of a waterfall episode...although this time our comedy guest, Alex DiVirgilio, took that extra literally. That's right, join us for a barrel of laughs as we discuss the history of Niagara Falls! More on Alex Alex DiVirgilio is an improviser, musician and shaper of young minds. He's trained and performed on comedy stages all across Chicago and is 1/2 of a spooky, cryptid comedy band called the Van HellStrings....
Published 12/20/22
Everyone knows there is nothing cooler than sweet tats and sick dragons, so in this week's episode we're bringing you both. Cass takes us to the Philippines to school us in the Kalinga art of the batok tattoo, and then Nat takes us on a whirlwind adventure to prove once and for all that dragons are real. Whang-od Whang-od at work St. George and the Dragon icon circa late 1300s St. George and Dragon circa 1500s St. George and Dragon circa 1800s (fully europeanized) Complete citations on our...
Published 12/13/22
We're taking beer back to it's roots, literally, with a not-so-hoppy history lesson from our friend Nicholas Ryan at Herbiery. Join us as we talk about the history of hops, the proven potential of hop-free beers, and what Queering Beer means to us. Learn more about Herbiery and where to find their delicious beers at Herbiery.com And look out for their taproom in the Atwood neighborhood this spring! More on Nicholas Nicholas Ryan is the Founder of Herbiery. They've also lived about 1000...
Published 12/06/22
Same topic, different person. It finally almost happened. Cass and Nat come in hot with ALMOST THE EXACT SAME TOPIC. Join us as we learn about Eleanor Marx and Edith Nesbit, two feminist, socialist organizers in mid-to-late 19th century London. Eleanor Marx Edith Nesbit Edward Aveling Hubert Bland The Railway Children, first edition Miss Marx movie trailer The Essex Serpent show trailer Complete citations on our website. SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on Twitter &...
Published 11/29/22
If Tom Cruise is involved, it's wrong. That's one of many lessons we take away from this week's episode on samurai women warriors, or the onna-bugeisha, with Tehya from For The Love of History Podcast. Listen to Tehya's podcast here. Tomoe Gozen Woodblock printing of a warrior woman (Utagawa Kuniyoshi) Woman dressed as Tomoe Gozen at festival Ishi-jo, wife of Oboshi Yoshio using naginata Female warriors of Kagoshima Rebellion (Chikanobu Toyohara) More on Tehya Tehya is a teacher,...
Published 11/15/22
Coming up with new nicknames is an art form, and this episode is chocked full of art. Cass teaches us all about composer, conductor and family man Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (not to be confused with Samuel Taylor Coleridge). And while they may not have been lauded a fine art in their time, Nat's topic of Dime Novels (or Penny Dreadfuls) are responsible for a lot of the advances in printing and prose you enjoy to day. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor SCT on the keys Avril Coleridge-Taylor &...
Published 11/08/22
...because he was kind of a d*ck. We're joined by motion designer and co-host of the Cartoon Feelings podcast, Caitlin Cadieux to examine some of the less than ideal labor practices of Walt Disney and his studios. Listen to Cartoon Feelings here. Cait is hosting an online event TOMORROW, Wednesday 11/2: info here More on Caitlin Caitlin Cadieux is a senior motion designer at Discord and a freelance art director, animator and illustrator. She hosts the Cartoon Feelings podcast...
Published 11/01/22
Sometimes there is nothing scarier than reality. So, in this edition of Scared History, Nat & Cass is keeping things close to home with a very real local (Chicago) murder and Cass is bombarding us with scary tales of Nature. Chicago Reader headline/illustration on Ruthie McCoy murder The Death of Alexander, 323 bce Lake Nyos limnic eruption Lake Nyos limnic eruption kinda explained Camp Funston KS - influenza hospital - spanish flu Artistic expression of ‘The Great Dying Event’ 30 min...
Published 10/25/22
Once the second most recognizable brand in the world after Coca-Cola, Pan Am is and was more than an airline. Historian and host of The Pan Am Podcast, Tom Betti, takes us on a journey through historical firsts, fashions and tragedies that all tie back to the innovative, iconic and inspiring: Pan American Airlines. Our Guest, Tom Betti The Pan Am Museum Listen to The Pan Am Podcast here Edith Head Pan Am uniform design Concorde at the Cleveland Air Show (1985) Pan Am Worldport at JFK TWA...
Published 10/18/22
Cass tells us the 1850 BCE Egyptian story of "The Eloquent Peasant" and Natalie opens up the crock of lies about the danger of poisons in the royal court. Sources: editorialinc, JSTOR, Medicina Antiqua,  Complete citations on our website. SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on Twitter & Instagram  SUPPORT: Support us on Patreon or Buy us a "coffee" and fuel our next episode. MERCH: Snag some Shared History merch and get stylin’!  CREDITS: Original Theme: Garreth...
Published 10/11/22
This week we're all over the map but also right at home as Dr. Natalia Molina schools us on the historical and everyday impact of immigrants and the all-around importance of big H history and little h history. From community touchstones to your textbooks, the immigrant story is our story. Our Guest Natalia Molina Natalia's latest book: A Place at the Nayarit... LA Residential Security Map Franciscan Pattern Plates "Born & Razed" - NPR/KCRW Juan Romero & Robert F. Kennedy (CW) Lupe...
Published 10/07/22
The women in today's episode saw a need and crafted their own solutions to fill it. First we've got the 10th century canoness Hrotsvitha bringing theatre back to the western world with "clean" new plays, and then we've got Myers and Briggs themselves -- Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs -- offering a more nuanced, introspective look into our psyches. Sources: ThoughtCo, Wiki, PBS and others Complete citations on our website. SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on...
Published 09/27/22
Lard almighty, this week we're joined by King of Kings, Brian King, for a most delectable and distractable episode for you. Make yourself a snack and get lost in the nostalgia as we explore the history of the greatest treat there ever was: The Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich. And once you've unstuck the bread from the roof of your mouth, feel free to come at us for our controversial opinions. Our lovely guest, Brian King Marcellus Gilmore Edson's peanut butter patent George Washington...
Published 09/20/22
If you're wondering where to find fantastic beasts, may we suggest The Great Emu War of 1932 and The Hippo Bill of 1910. Cass and Nat both coincidentally bring tales from the animal kingdom this week showcasing the failure of the Australian army to defeat the pesky Emus and the failure of American congress to pass a bill that would've filled our nation's bayous with hippos. These are real things. We hope you learn something. Sources: Wired, The Atavist, YouTube and others Complete citations...
Published 09/13/22
We don't know how it took us 6 seasons but we're joined by our unofficial podcast twins, the Hashtag History podcast!!! Leah and Rachel join the fray today to discuss eugenics and the forced sterilization of thousands of Latinas in California throughout the 20th century. There is also a fair amount of Natalie bullying. Hashtag History covered this story in their own episode 89, check it out. Our amazing guests, Rachel & Leah Sample of a sterilization form for a 15 y.o in CA Flyer for...
Published 09/06/22