Footnoting History

(Host: Ben) Beginning in the early 20th century, African American intellectuals and organizers such as W.E.B. Dubois and Marcus Garvey held surprising views of solidarity towards the increasingly powerful Imperial Japanese government. Their views evolved in the years leading up to and during the Second World War, however perceptions of a sympathetic ally from both sides of the Pacific disseminated...

(Host: Lucy) A bestselling novel you’ve probably never heard of created pop culture waves and sparked a mid-Victorian tourist industry. Westward Ho! is full of daring adventures, exciting sea battles, lush landscapes, and romance, but – unlike the novels of Stevenson and Dickens – is mostly forgotten today. Its author, Charles Kingsley, was an Anglican clergyman, amateur historian, and zealous soc...

(Host: Jessica) Red lipstick is one of the oldest cosmetics on earth. From its oldest archaeological documentation in Bronze Age Ira n, to women in the military being issued 'Montezuma Red' lipstick to spite Hitler. This episode of Footnoting History explores the history and impact of this famous cosmetic.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ted) In the fall of 1775, the British and American forces were stuck in a prolonged stalemate around Boston, Massachusetts. Then, a young bookseller with a passion for fortifications and artillery, came to General Washington with a bold idea. Join me on Footnoting History as we learn about Henry Knox’s ambitious plan to save the fledgling American Revolution.   For further reading suggestio...

(Host: Samantha) Have ever had jury duty? Do you dread it or would you like to see what it’s like? The jury – or, rather, the right to a trial by jury – is a cornerstone of the Anglo-American tradition, but where did it come from? Tune into this episode of Footnoting History to learn more.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Jessica) The human cost of World War I was extreme; enlisting meant you and the other men in your village went off to serve together. This also meant that in a single battle, one community might lose all of its young men. And yet there were a few villages where everyone came home; these 'Thankful Villages' became both a blessing and a curse.    For further reading suggestions and more, plea...

(Host: Ben) In the mid-4th century CE, the powerful Aksumite civilization officially adopted Christianity as its state religion. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we look at this often-forgotten chapter of African history and explore the kingdom’s broader trade relationship with the Greco-Roman world.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghi...

(Host: Kristin) In 1676, the Marquise de Brinvilliers stood trial in Paris for poisoning. It was a shocking revelation – and result – and, as it turned out, only the beginning of a much larger scandal known as the Affair of the Poisons. Learn about the scandal that rocked Paris on this episode of Footnoting History!        For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnot...

(Host: Christine)  In 1901, a man named Leon Czolgosz decided to attend the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. While there, he attacked United States President William McKinley. This episode of Footnoting History looks at the lives of Czolgosz and McKinley, their fatal encounter, the aftermath of the assassination, and how it came to be depicted in a Stephen Sondheim musical.   For furt...

(Host: Samantha) Taverns are frequently imagined as bleak, rowdy places occupied exclusively by men but for the occasional buxom serving wench. The popular image, however, does not match the depiction of drinking establishments in medieval sources. Learn more about how medieval drinking establishments should be envisioned in this special revisiting episode of Footnoting History.   For further read...

(Host: Ted) Before becoming King, the future Edward I of England fulfilled his vow of going on crusade to the Holy Land. Sometimes called the 9th Crusade, this would also be the last crusade to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre and the end of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. Join me on Footnoting History to learn more about Lord Edward's crusade.   For further reading suggestions and m...

(Host: Christine) In the mid-18th century, the illegitimate son of a British noble was born in France. In the mid-19th century, the Smithsonian Institution was founded in the United States. What do these two seemingly unrelated things have to do with each other? Find out in this week’s episode of Footnoting History, as we look at the history of James Smithson–the man behind the creation of the Smi...

(Host: Jessica)  On the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis, sugar, slavery, and empire shaped the childhood of future Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and the early married life of naval hero Horatio Nelson. From bustling Charlestown streets to windswept plantation estates, this episode of Footnoting History uncovers how a so‑called “forgotten spot in the Caribbean” became the backdrop for global st...

(Host: Lucy) The life of Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone was a remarkable one. It was also a life surrounded by myths, many of which she created herself. This episode explores the career of a Cherokee-Creek woman who lived through the violence of US expansion, forged a musical career that took her to the Metropolitan Opera and the Hollywood Bowl, and helped to create an enduring center for the stud...

(Host: Ben)  One of the most famous members of the Corps of Discovery Expedition (aka, the Lewis and Clark Expedition) was a four legged 150-pound Newfoundland named Seaman. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we take a look at one dog’s remarkable journey, and learn about the lives of working dogs in the early years of the Republic.    For further reading suggestions and more, please...

(Host: Ted) On April 19th, 1775, colonial militia battled the British regulars at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in what would become the first conflict of the American Revolution. But what if I were to tell you that the first shots were actually fired months before, in December 1774? And not in Massachusetts at all, but in New Hampshire. Join me in this episode of Footnoting History, as w...

(Host: Kristin) A hidden storeroom in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo was the repository for old, worn out manuscripts.  For centuries, a wide variety of writings were deposited and then lay untouched. Explore a medieval time capsule and learn why historians are so excited about a trash heap this week on Footnoting History!     For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.fo...

(Host: Lucy)  Alexander was heir to a small kingdom, and became ruler of multiple worlds, uniting the Greek archipelago with the territories of Persia, and creating an empire that spanned continents, reaching across the Mediterranean into Egypt as well as to the edge of the Himalayas. Now. How did the eastern Mediterranean – and central Asia – transform from the world of Athens and Persia to the w...

(Host: Samantha) Over the past nine millennia, people have made beer out of rice, berries, barley, wheat, hops, corn, honey, and even bananas. Join us on Footnoting History as we skim over the evolving and fascinating history of beer from its origins straight into the modern period.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Kristin) Celebrate the end of 2025 with our annual selection of historical stories about the holiday season!  

(Host: Kristin) You know it and love it, but did you realize who was responsible for bringing macaroni and cheese into your life? Learn about James Hemings, the enslaved man who traveled to France and trained in French cuisine, this week on Footnoting History!  For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha) In 1847, the idea that a woman could be a medical doctor was absurd. Some thought it couldn’t be done. Others accepted the premise that a woman could learn to be a physician, but suggested such a woman would need to disguise herself as a man and go study far away where no one would recognize her – France, perhaps. But for Elizabeth Blackwell that defeated the purpose. Her goal was...

(Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Sam, and Kristin)  ​It's the spookiest time of the year and we are here with your annual dose of historical Halloween tales!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy) Giant turkey legs, fried food, implausible costumes… and counterculture? This episode explores the roots of Renaissance Faires in the US, and how this originally hippie-centric phenomenon was linked to other forms of medievalism in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Communes, folk music, particolored tights, and a reimagined past turn out to be more closely linked than you might imagine. This episode...

(Host: Kristin)  In 1612, nine-year-old Jennet Devize accused her mother in court of witchcraft. Her testimony led  to the conviction of 11 people, 10 of whom were sent to the gallows. Find out about the most famous witchcraft event in English history that you may never have heard about in this episode of Footnoting History!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.foo...