Footnoting History

(Christine, Josh, Kristin) The so-called holiday season that ends every year is filled with fascinating history. For our second year in a row, we are bringing you some holiday-themed history to help you say goodbye to 2022 in style.

(Christine, Kristin) Continuing our look at the career of one of medieval England's most famous knights, Christine and Kristin turn their eyes to William Marshal's older years, including his marriage, his continued association with kings, and that time he was named regent of the kingdom.

(Christine, Kristin) What did a man have to do in the Middle Ages to have many call him 'the greatest knight'? Join Christine and Kristin for their dive into the life of William Marshal, from his beginning as a younger son with few prospects to his place in a royal household.

(Christine, Lucy, Kristin) From haunted houses to hysterical historical happenings, our team is here again with snippets of creepy stories from the past to celebrate Halloween.

(Kristin) It’s an unsolved mystery: Licoricia of Winchester, once the wealthiest woman in England, was found stabbed to death, with her maid, in 1277. Licoricia was a businessperson, whose clients included the king of England. She was a wife and a mother. She was also Jewish. The life, times, and circumstances of this extraordinary woman reveal a lot about the history of women and Jews in medieval...

(Christine) Picking up where we left off in Part I, Christine looks at World War II through as experienced by the Milnes (both on the home front and in the military), explains how post-war life saw a dramatic change in the family's dynamics, and follows Christopher as he becomes a family man with his own career and interesting insights into topics like war, disability, and the book industry. 

(Christine) In January, Christine brought you the story of that silly old bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Now, she’s back (thanks to listener requests!) with an in-depth look at the family that brought him to life: A.A. Milne, his wife, Daphne, and their son, Christopher.  ​

(Josh) The Industrial Revolution of the 1830s provoked a considerable amount of anxiety in the United States. While some turned their attention to combatting the scourge of alcohol, others ran away from the new society created by industrialization. Looking for connection and a return to simpler times, many Americans joined groups that offered the perfect society. One such community, in Oneida, New...

(Josh) The Industrial Revolution of the 1830s provoked a considerable amount of anxiety in the United States. While some turned their attention to combatting the scourge of alcohol, others ran away from the new society created by industrialization. Looking for connection and a return to simpler times, many Americans joined groups that offered the perfect society. One such community, in Oneida, New...

(Lucy) Dancer, court favorite, and popular celebrity in late 17th-century England, Jeffrey Hudson was distinguished not chiefly by his achievements, but by his size. Born with dwarfism, Hudson was known as “Lord Minimus.” His diminutive stature and social ableism meant that his court career was dependent in some ways on his novelty. A favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, Jeffrey Hudson was painted b...

(Samantha) Maria Sibylla Merian was born in 1647 – a time when women were not expected to thrive as artists or scientists but she defied all odds to become both and in the process she illuminated the process of metamorphosis.

(Christine and Kristin) You asked, we answered! Join Footnoting History's producers for our first-ever episode entirely dedicated to answering your questions about everything and anything related to history and our show.

(Samantha) Today, the name Godiva evokes two things: fine chocolates, and a gorgeous blonde nude astride a horse. But in her own time Godgifu was best known as the wife of the earl of Mercia and as the generous benefactor of religious houses in Coventry and Lincolnshire. This episode will take you through what we know about this woman and will hint at the origins and growth of her legend through t...

(Lucy) ​Ambitious, resilient, and internationally famous, Anna May Wong was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1930s. She had her first starring role in Hollywood before she was 20. She had also left Hollywood twice by the time she was 30, frustrated by the racism she faced as a Chinese-American woman. Throughout her career, she had to fight racism and censorship rules to get leading roles. But...

(Josh) To know American History is to know the history of substance abuse. Whether alcohol, tobacco, or narcotics, Americans have sought the comfort of substances to ease the pains of the world and to "lubricate" life. And as long as there have been addicts in the United States, there have been others who claim to know the way out of addiction. At the end of the nineteenth century, Dr. Leslie Keel...

(Christine) When we last left the Brothers York, Edmund was dead for several years, while Edward had become King Edward IV of England, Richard was his staunch ally, and George was imprisoned after periods of rebellion and dramatic behavior. In this episode, Christine picks up the narrative and discusses George’s fate, the end of Edward IV’s reign, the rise and fall of Richard III, and the end of t...

(Christine) Richard, Duke of York, and his wife Cecily Neville had four famous sons: Edward, Edmund, George, and Richard. In this episode and the next, Christine will take a look at the lives of the four brothers whose lives were consumed by a fight for the crown known as the Wars of the Roses, and sometimes succeeded in winning it.

(Lucy) Poet and activist, scholar and politician, Sarojini Naidu inhabited many roles. The daughter of privilege, she enjoyed an elite education... and defied her family in marrying for love. Before women students could receive degrees, she studied at universities in both India and England, including at Girton College, Cambridge. A gifted poet, she was known as the "Nightingale of India," and wrot...

(Samantha) When his father died in 1846, Levi Strauss was left with few opportunities as a Jewish youth in his native Bavaria and so he left with his mother and sisters for New York where he joined his brothers’ modest dry good business. A few years later he moved to San Francisco to run the west coast branch of the family firm. Levi went on to build up a successful business and to become a well-r...

(Kristin) Ever wondered about the origins of Valentine’s Day and whether it was purely the invention of the greeting card industry? Join Kristin this week on Footnoting History to explore the development of our modern celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.  

(Kristin) Think you know how the Salem Witch Trials started? You may be surprised. Join Kristin on this week’s episode of Footnoting History to explore the origins of the 1692 trials and find out what historians know … and what we only wish we knew. 

(Christine) Winnie-the-Pooh has lived in the the hearts of people of all ages since the 1920s. Here, Christine traces the life of the famous bear (and his friends) from his origins in the family of author A.A. Milne and his acquisition by the Disney Company, all the way to his current place of residence. For more information, please visit FootnotingHistory.com

(Christine, Josh, Kristin) Join us as we say goodbye to 2021 with a series of historical anecdotes related to holidays, from Hanukkah to Christmas to New Year's.   Click here for tips for  Teaching with Podcasts!  Or here to buy some  FH Merch!  We are now on  Youtube with accessible captions  checked by members of our team! And you can find out how to support us through our  FH Patreon to help ke...

(Elizabeth) How did Joel Chandler Harris's stories on Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox go from beloved to problematic in the mid-twentieth century? In this episode, Elizabeth traces the story of how Joel Chandler Harris's work became Song of the South.     Click here for tips for  Teaching with Podcasts!  Or here to buy some  FH Merch!  We are now on  Youtube with accessible captions  check...

(Elizabeth) By the end of the nineteenth century, Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus folktales were famous not only in the South, but throughout the United States. For much of the last century, however, they have been sharply critiqued for their presentation of antebellum plantation life. But who was Joel Chandler Harris? In this episode, Elizabeth dives into his story and the people from whom he...