An Old Timey Podcast

As soon as David Reimer learned the truth, he knew what he wanted to do. He began presenting as a man. He got a new name. He started testosterone therapy. He underwent surgery. But just when it looked like he had a shot at a normal life, he discovered that Dr. John Money had been writing about him for years. Dr. Money had falsely presented David as proof that we are all born gender neutral, and th...

When he was just seven months old, David Reimer became the victim of a botched circumcision. The accident left him without a penis. His parents, Janet and Ron Reimer, were distraught. They wondered what kind of life David would have. Experts told them that there was little to be done. But then one night, they happened to see an interview with the prominent sexologist Dr. John Money.  Dr. Money was...

You might have thought we couldn’t make it through last week’s episode, but just like Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor, we’re alive, we’re here, and we’re really pissed at you for listening to other podcasts while we were gone. In this episode, Normie C continues to decipher fact from fiction. Meanwhile, Kristin wonders whether we’ll ever hear more about Michael Shannon’s surfboards. Remember, kids, hi...

In this two-part series, we analyze Michael Bay’s 2001 box office smash, Pearl Harbor. Normie C points out historical inaccuracies. Kristin points out cringey dialogue. Above all, we ask ourselves the *important* questions. Questions like: Is Pearl Harbor just Titanic for boys? And, if this film had a $140 million budget, why does Jon Voight’s butt-chin prosthetic look so much like Silly Puddy? Fi...

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. Naval Station at Pearl Harbor. During that chaotic scene, a Black sailor named Doris “Dorie” Miller shot down a Japanese plane and saved an untold number of lives. Doris Miller’s actions were particularly heroic, given the fact that the Navy’s racist policies barred him from serving in a combat role. In fact, he’d only been trained to serve food. ...

In 1917, Alan Hart became one of the first trans men in the United States to undergo a medically-assisted transition. In the months after his transition, the life he’d envisioned took shape. He got an internship at San Francisco Hospital. He fell in love. But, when Alan applied for a job at another hospital, a former classmate spotted him. They outed him to his prospective employer. They outed him...

Decades before the term “transgender” was coined, Alan Hart became one of the first trans men in the United States to undergo a medically-assisted transition. In part one of this two-part series, we delve into Alan’s life before he transitioned. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Trailblazing transgender doctor saved countless lives,” by...

Poor ol’ William Henry Harrison. The dude has the odd distinction of giving the longest inauguration speech in American history, followed by the shortest presidency in American history.  You might be familiar with the story: He gave a speech with no coat on, and as a result, caught pneumonia and died. But… was it really pneumonia that killed him?   Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their so...

Join us on a perilous journey as Kristin discovers that the presidential fun facts she loves are ALL LIES. In this week’s episode, we’ll examine the myth that George Washington wore wooden dentures. As it turns out, our first president didn’t wake up every day and put wooden dentures into his big wet mouth! The real story is much more horrifying. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sour...

Welcome back to the final episode in our two-part series on Wallis Simpson! In this episode, Kyla Pitts-Zevin (Kristin’s sister & mayor of all of Kristin’s podcasts) gives us a lesson on how to tell a story concisely. (Did you know that you could tell a person’s life story in less than seven parts? News to us!) Last week we learned about Wallis Simpson’s early life and first two marriages. In...

In this *very special* two-part series, Kyla Pitts-Zevin (Kristin’s sister & mayor of all of Kristin’s podcasts) tells us about an extraordinarily complicated woman. Wallis Simpson is best known for her relationship with King Edward VIII. When he announced his intention to marry the American divorcee, a constitutional crisis erupted that led to his abdication of the throne. The abdication alte...

By Friday, February 13th, 1925, rescue workers were getting close to Floyd Collins, who lay trapped deep down in Sand Cave. Above ground, crowds gathered and prayed for Floyd. Reporters questioned state officials for any updates. Photographers readied their cameras around the rescue shaft, hoping to capture the big moment.  By that point, Floyd Collins had been stuck for two weeks. Rescuers were c...

Reporters swarmed. Crowds gathered. State officials arrived on scene. People were hungry for information about the trapped cave explorer, Floyd Collins. They wanted to rescue the man trapped 55 feet below the earth’s surface. But a collapse halted any further attempts through Sand Cave. Locals and state experts disagreed on the best path forward. And as they argued, hope dwindled. Remember, kids,...

In the dead of Winter, 1925, cave explorer Floyd Collins crawled, wiggled, and wormed 55 feet below the surface of a sandhole. He was on the hunt for a magnificent cave. But when his lantern began to flicker, he turned back. He re-entered the narrow passageway. In the confusion of darkness, he kicked a protruding rock. When he did, a boulder dropped on his leg. Dirt and debris buried him. Floyd Co...

Floyd Collins had a dream. He dreamt that one day, he’d emerge victorious in the Kentucky Cave Wars. In that era, people made easy money turning beautiful, awe-inspiring caves into tourist destinations. The tough part was *finding* the cave. Finding a cave took months of dangerous, exhausting work, but Floyd Collins was up to the task. In January of 1925, he felt certain that he was digging his wa...

We’ve all heard the story. President William Howard Taft got stuck in the White House bathtub! A bunch of dudes had to yank him out!! They replaced the old bathtub with a new one, BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD FOUR WORKING MEN!!! …except did he *actually* get stuck in the tub? In this episode, we do a deep dive into how this story got started and how it eventually got stuck in the bathtub of our collective i...

Howdy, History Hoes! This month, we’re getting some rest and relaxation. We’ll be back in July to bring you some piping hot stories from history. But for now, we thought you might enjoy a replay of our series on the history JCPenney – the greatest department store in the world. And if you miss us, you can get new content on patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast . For just $5, you can binge our catalog of mo...

Howdy, History Hoes! This month, we’re getting some rest and relaxation. We’ll be back in July to bring you some piping hot stories from history. But for now, we thought you might enjoy a replay of our series on the history JCPenney – the greatest department store in the world. And if you miss us, you can get new content on patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast . For just $5, you can binge our catalog of mo...

Howdy, History Hoes! This month, we’re getting some rest and relaxation. We’ll be back in July to bring you some piping hot stories from history. But for now, we thought you might enjoy a replay of our series on the history JCPenney – the greatest department store in the world. And if you miss us, you can get new content on patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast . For just $5, you can binge our catalog of mo...

Howdy, History Hoes! This month, we’re getting some rest and relaxation. We’ll be back in July to bring you some piping hot stories from history. But for now, we thought you might enjoy a replay of our series on the history JCPenney – the greatest department store in the world. And if you miss us, you can get new content on patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast . For just $5, you can binge our catalog of mo...

Mountain climbing was an unusual pastime in the 1920s. It was particularly unusual among women. But Agnes Vaille made a name for herself as a tough, formidable climber. Soon, she found herself setting records. In 1925, she and fellow climber Walter Kiener decided to make history as the first people to climb Longs Peak’s east face in the wintertime. Their friends warned them against the dangerous c...

Bless you , dear listener! You could have spent your day surfing the net and in doing so, turned a blind eye to this episode, But instead, you’re sitting there, like the cat got your tongue , about to listen to a very special episode of an Old Timey Podcast! We predict that at the end of this episode, you’ll say I wish Kristin would have spilled the beans on other idioms and their origin stories!...

The Presidential Fitness Test has been a gym class staple for decades. Generations of Americans have performed pull-ups, sit-ups, mile runs and flexibility tests under the watchful eye of their sweaty peers. In the end, a select group of kids were given the coveted Presidential Physical Fitness Award. At the time, it all seemed *so important*! But was it, actually? Whose idea was it? And did it ac...

George C. Parker was an infamous con man. He sold the Brooklyn Bridge countless times. He sold Ulysses S. Grant’s tomb. He sold Madison Square Garden. He sold the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He even sold the Statue of Liberty! Most often, the victims of his schemes were new immigrants who didn’t speak English and were unfamiliar with America’s public property laws.  …but… was George C. Parker trul...

Garrett Morgan was a prolific inventor. He invented the gas mask. The three-way traffic light. The self-extinguishing cigarette. He even created a hair care line. But, as a Black man, he had to be creative in how he presented his inventions to the public. He knew that some people would refuse to buy his invention if they discovered that it had been invented by a Black man. So? Sometimes he hired w...