The Missing Chapter Podcast

The history of the U.S. space program is the story of American pioneers; brave men and women who boldly went where no one before them had gone. Their names have become synonymous with bravery and courage – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell.  We shared in their accomplishments – Apollo 11 - held our breath in their struggles – Apollo 13 – and wept in their disasters – Challenger. But som...

Have you ever truly paid attention to what is in the food that you eat? This isn’t just a case of counting calories, or watching your salt and sugar intake. Dating as far back as biblical times, people were unknowingly being poisoned just by doing something that was a necessity……eating. Today we welcome a colleague and friend of ours, Science teacher Melissa Fisher, as she shares a story, based in...

A great journalist is someone who can objectively bring a news story that not only catches the attention of the reader, but many times exposes some unknown truths that the masses don’t know.  This kind of journalism not only creates great talking points, but can sometimes be the best way to learn as lots of these stories spread like wildfire.  I immediately think of the works of Tom Brok...

Has anyone ever seen the Christmas classic, The Santa Clause?  It’s one of our family’s favorite go-to movies during the Christmas season and one of the parts of the movie that gets my kids to giggle every time is the part where Tim Allen is interrogated and asked, very firmly I might add, what his name is.  The interrogator is looking for him to say Scot Calvin, but his response instead...

Missing Chapter fans, we know you love history, and many times throughout our studies of the past, we recognize similarities between the past and present.  We’ve heard from presidents, generals, and historians about how often we need to look at history to repeat favorable actions as well as correct our former mistakes.  But how often do we notice history repeating itself while it’s happe...

I’m sure you’ve seen the movies, whether sci-fi or action, that encompass the power of nature.  Immediately, I think of the hit movie Twister and its scary depiction of how powerful tornadoes can be, or some other cinematic examples like the movie Armageddon, 2012, Dante’s Peak.  All extreme examples of natural disasters, but nonetheless terrifying.  And because of my affinity for t...

As a parent, a trip to the beach on a hot, summer day can be exactly what the family needs to complete the perfect vacation. However, as a diligent father, you always have to be aware of possible dangers – even on a remote, sandy beach reminiscent of a pristine paradise getaway. Crashing waves, strong undertows; did we apply enough sunscreen? Why is that one scene from ‘Jaws’ continually running t...

America’s pastime - I can vividly remember my first time ever going to a big league baseball game - my family drove through the insanity also known as Bronx traffic and made our way to a random parking garage.  As we paced our way through the enormous line, we start to approach this enormous stadium that looked more like a castle to my young self than a baseball arena.  The words Yankee...

I ask myself the same question every morning when I wake up and every afternoon I drive home. Our sons inquire about it when I pull in the drive way and my wife requests an answer when I walk in the house. “What’s for dinner?” The answer to this question can be an easy one or one that causes me to wrack my brain. It all depends on whether or not one of us has gone grocery shopping. Ahh! The magica...

Welcome to an impromptu episode of the Missing Chapter!  We've had multiple conversations, numerous questions, and many complaints about something we have questioned for many years - why in the world are we still participating in Daylight Saving Time?  Who was the crazy person who conjured up such an idea?  Didn't Ben Franklin realize we like our sleep?  Was it even Ben Frankli...

We ask a lot of questions on this podcast.  Where this originated, who did that, how did this invention take shape…this type of curiosity is what leads us to this episode.  Today on this episode of the Missing Chapter, we welcome author Chris Barton.  Author of more than 20 published books, including the focus of this episode, his book called Dazzle Ships.  These ships weren’t...

Hello Missing Chapter fans, welcome, and happy Halloween!  For today's episode we’re headed down the haunted rabbit hole of everything haunted and historic about some of our traditions and customs surrounding this national holiday.  Why not gather some great talking points about the history of this crazy holiday before you gather the kids to go trick or treating?  Let’s do it, a Mis...

In our 21st century model of advertising and brand recognition, everyone has a logo.  Logos represent what the business, enterprise, or team is all about.  We almost take them for granted actually, because we’re exposed to logos everywhere we look!  For today’s episode, yes we’re biased - Yankee fanatics through and through - we’re looking at the unknown history of one of the most i...

The United States Civil War ended on April 9th, 1865.  The Confederate States were officially dissolved, U.S. territorial integrity had been preserved, the institution of slavery abolished and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era was ushered in. In the subsequent years, the country would see the passage and ratification of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the Unite...

Hey MC listeners, welcome to a Part II episode of This Side Up! If you haven't listened to the original This Side Up episode, go back to Episode 2 of Season 3 and find out how the US postal system was used to carry quite the unexpected yet vitally important package some 250 miles away. What was in that package you ask?  Well we won’t ruin it for our listeners who haven’t tuned in, but let’s j...

More than just a words on page, far beyond just a recitation and nothing less than a unifying tradition, the Pledge of Allegiance is engrained in our American brains at a very young age.  It is recited before school starts, before meetings, some sporting events, and it’s even well known internationally.  But here’s a question…we know the Pledge, but do we know the person?  The perso...

In the history of film and cinema, no animal has ever been awarded the distinction of an Academy Award. Which is too bad because Hollywood has produced countless movies starring a variety of animal stars. Lassie, Benji, Mr. Ed, Old Yeller… while the rules don’t specifically disqualify an animal from taking home the distinguished honor, in the strictest interpretation of the definition of “actor” o...

Before the advent of Amazon Prime delivery, UPS, and FedEx, the US Postal System was the only option.  It was a luxury and a necessity at the same time - a way to send information and a means by which supplies could be distributed throughout the nation.  As a matter of fact, did you know the US Postal Service processes over 160 million pieces of first class mail daily?  It's hard to...

On this episode of the Missing Chapter, we have a regular guest of the program, Chris Bower, to discuss one of baseball's forgotten heroes, "Bud" Fowler.  A continuation of our Hometown History segment, this episode highlights Fowler's pioneering ventures - by using his undeniable strength in character to overcome racial boundaries and obstacles - to become one of the members of the National...

A disturbing trend existed in the mid-19th century when it came to maternity clinics and child birth. New mothers were dying in alarming numbers due to a mysterious ailment referred to at the time as, “childbed fever.” A Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis, who was working in a Vienna, Austria maternity, who began to notice and question this shocking trend in 1847.  As he delved deeper in...

When you think about the stories of escaped slaves, I bet your mind immediately goes to certain people and terms - maybe Underground Railroad, maybe Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth - but what about something that maybe has gone unnoticed in this area of history - court cases?  Well, court cases over the issue of slavery were actually very common in the 1800s, many of whom are actually well kn...

On this episode of the Missing Chapter, we’re commemorating our 100th episode!  We’ll review our favorite episodes, some forgotten history, as well as the guest speakers that have offered up their time to be with us.  100 stories about the people, events, and time periods that the history books left out and the journey we’ve taken over the past 2 years in bringing them to you. Thank you...

The female pioneers in Hollywood also stand as some of the most iconic figures in American History. Their work, sacrifice, and perseverance helped pave the way for women not only in entertainment forums like television, radio, and film, but in fields throughout our culture. You know their names, but do you really know the far-reaching impact they had on the industry? In this episode of the Missing...

The Land down under, the Aussies, the lucky country, Oz - all nicknames for the area of the world that seems to have almost gone unnoticed by authors of the history textbooks.  “How come we don’t learn much about Australia”, some of our students ask yearly…well, you’re about to, kids.  Grab a cup of coffee, you know we are, because we’re going to take you back to the 1930s and talk about...

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the Allies never won World War II? What about if President John F. Kennedy was never assassinated? In this podcast we will discuss one of the most interesting philosophical questions in history. Is it a person or an event that makes what we learn in the textbooks important?  Find out more on this episode of the Missing Chapter. Go to The Missi...