History Fix

In this episode of History Fix I discuss the history behind the Buffalo Soldiers mentioned in Bob Marley's hit 1983 song by the same name. Recruited just after the Civil War, these all Black army regiments were sent out west to claim land already inhabited by Indigenous Americans during the decades long "Plains Wars." Despite being forced by desperation to do this dirty job for a co...

In this episode of History Fix, I unpack the history of Valentine's Day. Join me to discover more about the holiday's bizarre Roman roots (there are naked, drunk priests!), how no one really knows who Saint Valentine was or what he did, and who sent the first valentine and when. You'll also learn about Esther Howland, the 18th century Massachusetts woman who started a multi-million...

This week on History Fix, I have a chat with New Orleans tour guide Tanya de Fazen to uncover the true story of the infamous "Queen of Voodoo" Marie Laveau. Get a look inside the culturally colorful and unique history that has made New Orleans a one of a kind city. Learn why Marie Laveau is closer to a saint than a witch and how her story got so twisted.  Connect with Tanya: Tanya's...

In this episode of History Fix, I reveal the dark history of the eugenics movement and how it led to the forced sterilization of over 60,000 Americans. I'll also reveal how American sterilization policies influenced similar policies enacted in Hitler's Nazi Germany that led to the forced sterilization of 400,000 Germans, the "euthanasia" of 250,000 disabled people, and eventual...

In this episode of History Fix, I discover how rats have impacted history. I'll go way back to uncover how the brown rat came to occupy every continent (except Antarctica) as well as how rats have impacted human health throughout history - their ties to the Bubonic plague and how they are used in medical and scientific testing today. Join me to learn more about rats than you ever thought you...

In this episode of History Fix, I tell the stories of four historically Black towns that are now underwater: Oscarville, Georgia, Kowaliga (Benson), Alabama, Vanport, Oregon, and Seneca Village in New York City. We'll take a look at how and why these fledgling towns were destroyed and the ripple effect it's had on Black Americans even today.  www.historyfixpodcast.com Sources:  Travel No...

This episode is all about the Mona Lisa. Who was Mona Lisa and how did her portrait become the most famous work of art, ever? How does everyone know her face but nothing at all about the woman herself? Join me to uncover the history behind the famous painting - the subject, the artist, and how it came to be so very famous.   www.historyfixpodcast.com Sources: Short History of Podcast "The Mon...

As the clocks ticked down to midnight on December 31st, 1999, as each final second of the last millennium slipped away, people all over the world collectively held their breath. If all the hype was to be believed, if the Y2K threats were real, their New Years merrymaking - the fireworks, the champagne, the confetti - might all come crashing down amidst terror and chaos, the apocalypse. Would the p...

In this episode, I explore the history of Christmas traditions including Santa Claus, stockings, and Christmas trees. I'll also uncover the pagan roots behind Christmas and examine how it has evolved from a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ to a secular day of excessive spending. Chances are you've been celebrating Christmas your entire life, carrying out these strange ri...

In this episode, I share how heroic sled dogs and their mushers achieved the impossible in  1925 to deliver a life saving serum to the children of Nome, Alaska.  I'll recount their harrowing journey along the Iditerod Trail in subfreezing whiteout conditions and explore why one dog, Balto, seemed to get all the credit while the real hero of Nome, Togo, was almost forgotten by history.  www.hi...

In this episode of History Fix, I explore the concept of "Mayanism" -  the centuries old notion that the Maya were a mystical, lost civilization with abilities, knowledge, and powers that modern humans no longer possess. And how these beliefs were started by European conquistadors who couldn’t fathom that the Maya were possibly capable of their impressive accomplishments without some kin...

In this episode, I explore the disappearance of famous British crime novelist, Agatha Christie. I'll relay the events leading up to her mysterious disappearance in 1926 and give you a play by play of the investigation, including where and how she was found. I'll also consider possible motives and try to make sense of why the "Queen of Crime" became the subject of her own real l...

When I think of rum, I think of pirates. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, right? And when I think of pirates, I think of treasure chests full of gold, silver, precious gems, buried treasure. The rum seems recreational, dastardly, debaucherous, trivial. The treasure, now that’s serious. That’s the job. There’s no messing around with the treasure. But, did know, for many in the business of maritime tra...

I remember the pilgrim hats, the buckles on the shoes, the feather headdresses and beads, the fun, cutesy crafts we did in school. The smell of construction paper and tempera paint as we stamped out handprint turkeys, glued on brightly colored feathers. You dress like a pilgrim. You be an Indian. We’ll all sit down and have a feast together. I remember learning about the first Thanksgiving in scho...

Agnes Sorel was beyond beautiful. When the King of France, Charles VII first laid eyes on her in 1444, he was struck dumb by her stunning good looks. With golden hair, large blue eyes, and a striking figure, Charles absolutely had to have her. He was already married, of course, to the queen, Marie of Anjou, with whom he had 14 children. But, depressed and melancholy, beat down by the sorry state o...

 “A diamond is forever,” has gone down in history as one of the greatest advertising slogans of all time. It has appeared in every single De Beers diamond ad since 1948 and was ranked the number one slogan of the century by AdAge marketing journal in 1999. But, did you know, the company that hired Frances’ ad agency to come up with this slogan, De Beers, used it to trick the entire world into thin...

In 1949, 13 year old Pamela Smedley boarded a ship with 27 other girls from a Catholic orphanage in Britain. The nuns told them they were going on a day trip. The girls were excited, happy to be out in the world, on an adventure. According to Pamela, quote “We thought it would be like going to Scarborough for the day because we were so innocent and naive.” But they weren’t going to Scarborough. Th...

Halloween is weird y’all. I mean, I love it, don’t get me wrong, but it is weird. The costumes, carving faces into pumpkins and putting candles in them, trick or treating - walking around to stranger’s houses at night, costumed stranger’s houses asking for candy, putting the candy into a bucket shaped like a pumpkin with a face. It’s bizarre, really. What a bizarre holiday. And it’s spooky too, ri...

Hello dear listeners, this is Shea LaFountaine, popping in on a Wednesday with a mini fix for you. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with Sara Swann-Barnard who is a prolific historical fiction author. She has written so many books, several of them set in the worlds that I have delved into in recent episodes. She’s really just a delightful person and a fellow history fan and I...

Burial has always been a sacred thing, undertaken with utmost reverence and respect for the dead. Graveyards and cemeteries, while yes often creepy, are peaceful, quiet places. The wind rustles the leaves of a tree, a dove coos mournfully, a tearful widow silently places flowers on her late husband’s grave. We typically think of graves as final resting places for the dead - the end of their storie...

“Skeleton of a Giant Found,” “Reported Discovery of a Huge Skeleton,” “Monstrous Skulls and Bones,” “A Race of Indian Giants,” “Giant Skeleton Unearthed at Buzzards Bay,” “Skeleton Found of a Man Over 9 Feet High With An Enormous Skull,” “New Mexico Discovery: 12 Foot Giant Found,” These are newspaper headlines and they’re not from the National Enquirer or any other disreputable tabloid like that,...

Picture a vampire. Yeah, you’re picturing Dracula. That’s Dracula. I mean unless you’re a Twilight fan, then maybe you’re picturing Robert Pattinson’s fine self. But no, chances are you’re picturing the title character from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” about a vampire named Count Dracula who moves from Transylvania to England in search of new victims of his undead curse. This character, who...

This is my full, uncut interview with Emma Louise Dyson, an Earth medicine practitioner and practicing witch in the UK. Connect with Emma: Facebook group "The Wild Child Crystal Collective"  TikTok @thewildanduntamedway Support the show!  Buy Me a Coffee Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine Shoot me a message! Support the show

This is my full, uncut interview with Ben Stimpson, a psychotherapist, pagan author, and student of classical, medieval, and religious studies at the University of Waterloo. Connect with Ben: "Essence" podcast benstimpson.com YouTube @BenStimpsonAuthor Support the show!  Buy Me a Coffee Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine Shoot me a message! Support the show

Think of a witch. You’re likely picturing an old woman, gnarled and stooped with a hooked nose and stringy unkempt hair. Maybe she’s wearing a black robe, a pointy hat. Maybe she’s flying on a broomstick. Does she have a black cat? A cauldron where she mixes up deadly potions? An ancient book of spells she uses to curse people? This witch you’re picturing is evil. She cavorts with the devil and us...