Episodes
Henry Martyn Robert was connected to multiple historical events, but his most lasting legacy is the set of guidelines he created that offered a standardized way to run meetings.
Published 03/27/24
Margaret E. Knight was an ingenious woman. She started tinkering with things when she was still just a tiny child, and the first invention that really improved the lives of those around her came about at the age of 12.
Published 03/25/24
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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/23/24
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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/22/24
Books on etiquette don’t necessarily reflect rules everyone is actually following – they’re more like what the author thinks the ideal standard of behavior should be. This episode looks at six such books from history.
Published 03/20/24
Divorce ranches sprung up in the 1930s when Nevada relaxed its divorce laws. This unique and controversial style of resort was incredibly popular for several decades before becoming obsolete.
Published 03/18/24
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.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/16/24
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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/15/24
In the early 16th century Gottfried von Berlichingen was known as Götz of the Iron Hand because after an injury and amputation, he wore a prosthesis made of sheet iron that was painted to match his skin.
Published 03/13/24
Charles Francis Hall was inspired by expeditions like Sir John Franklin’s push to find the Northwest Passage, but he repeated the pattern of doom when he made a try for the North Pole – though he was the only one from his expedition to die.
Published 03/11/24
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/09/24
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/08/24
The coelacanth was believed to have gone extinct about 66 million years ago, until one was spotted in South Africa in 1938. Naturalist and museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer played a key part in that event.
Published 03/06/24
Sloppy Joe, Hot Brown, and the Reuben are all well-known sandwiches, and they are all named after people. Though the specific person is argued in two of these cases.
Published 03/04/24
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/02/24
Tracy mentions tracking down sources for quotes about Rebecca Crumpler during research. She and Holly also discuss measles vaccine protocols.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 03/01/24
Though measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. decades ago, outbreaks do still happen here, and in other places it’s much more common. Before vaccines were widely available, it killed an estimated 2.6 million people worldwide each year.
Published 02/28/24
Rebecca Crumpler was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. She also wrote one of the first, if not the first, medical texts by a Black person in the United States.
Published 02/26/24
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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 02/24/24
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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 02/23/24
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.  Research: Bibby, Miriam. “Mad Jack Mytton.” Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Mad-Jack-Mytton/ Haskin, Frederic J. “John Mytton – Madcap.” Quad-City Times. June 8, 1938. https://www.newspapers.com/image/301169605/?terms=john%20mytton&match=1 “Joh Mytton’s...
Published 02/21/24
George Washington Williams was one of the first people to publicly describe the atrocities being carried out in the Congo Free State under King Leopold II of Belgium. But so much happened in his life before that.
Published 02/19/24
Through a “Mr. Rogers-styled-esque perspective B Daht presents #IDKMYDE (I Didn't Know, Maybe You Didn't Either) Podcast Series. An introspective interpretation of long lost history facts shared in an engaging, and informative way. Layered with originality and equipped with actual historical references and some hard truths, this journey of discovery is filled with comedy and entertainment for all ages to learn and be entertained. Listen here and subscribe to I Didn’t Know, Maybe You Didn’t...
Published 02/18/24
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.                  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 02/17/24