Stuff You Missed in History Class

Part two of our episode on Francisco de Miranda covers his travels after he left North America following the American Revolution, and explores his involvement with the French revolution before he focused on independence for Latin American colonies. Research: "Francisco de Miranda." Historic World Leaders, edited by Anne Commire, Gale, 1994. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K16...

Francisco de Miranda participated in the struggle for independence in the United States, the French revolution and the emancipation of Latin America. Part one covers his early life and his connection to the American Revolution. Research: "Francisco de Miranda." Historic World Leaders, edited by Anne Commire, Gale, 1994. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1616000176/GPS?u=mlin_n...

This 2016 episode covers the Tupac Amaru rebellion, a conflict between Spain and its colonies in South America which took place from 1780 to 1783. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about hard-to-spell words and good intentions without knowledge to go with them. Then Holly discusses some of Solon's laws before things derail into popcorn talk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Solon is one of the seven sages of Athens, and he's credited with laying the groundwork for Athenian democracy. But most of what we know about him comes biographies written centuries after he lived.  Research: Aristotle, tr. Sir Frederic G. Kenyon. “The Athenian Constitution.” https://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/athenian_const.1.1.html Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Draco". Encyclopedia...

The Missouri Leviathan was an enormous skeleton made of fossilized bones that were excavated and assembled by Albert C. Koch. Was it a hoax, or just bad science?  Research:  Lotzof, Kerry. “Missouri Leviathan: the making of an American mastodon.” Natural History Museum (London). https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-making-of-an-american-mastodon.html Wanko, Andrew. “Great River City: The Missouri Le...

This 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina explores the rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. The two started out as friends, but their friendship soon soured. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy share experiences with MRIs and hospital stays, and also talk about the various disagreements and biases in play in the medical community when giving attribution for the invention of the MRI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once Dr. Ray Damadian had the idea to create a machine that used nuclear magnetic resonance to capture diagnostic data by scanning a human body, he still had to build it. And though he did, other scientists got credit for inventing the MRI.   Research: Bashir U, Rock P, Murphy A, et al. T2 relaxation. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-16494 Bellis, Mary. "A Guide to...

Who invented the MRI? Well, that's actually tricky to say, and it is a topic that still opens debate. In this first part, we'll talk about the various developments in physics that led to the idea of an MRI machine even existing. Research: Bashir U, Rock P, Murphy A, et al. T2 relaxation. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-16494 Bellis, Mary. "A Guide to Magnetic Reson...

This 2019 episode examines thyroid disease through history, and the physics lecture heard by Saul Hertz in the 1930s that changed the treatment of hyperthyroidism forever.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss ways that they like to make popcorn, and historical recipes that used popcorn. They also talk about the incorrect assumption that iodized salt is the cause of an overall rise in blood pressure statistics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People started adding iodine to salt because in some parts of the world serious, chronic iodine deficiency was incredibly widespread, which was causing a range of health issues. But how was that solution arrived at? Research: "Iodine." World of Chemistry, Gale, 2000. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2432500388/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=42a73bea. Accessed 17...

A lot of the stories that are told about popcorn in history – particularly in North America – are incorrect. Popcorn has been around for a very long time, though its rise to popularity as a snack has accelerated in recent years. Research: “Ancient Popcorn Discovered in Peru.” Smithsonian. Jan, 20, 2012. https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/ancient-popcorn-discovered-peru com Editors “Orville Reden...

This 2017 episode covers the work of Jules Cotard, the first psychiatrist to write about the cluster of symptoms that would come to be called Walking Corpse Syndrome. But his unfinished work was hotly debated among his colleagues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the Disney animators' strike of 1941, Angel Island, and Tyrus Wong's Christmas cards. They also discuss the merits of dandelions.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gertrude Jekyll was born into a 19th-century English family of means, but her life took an unconventional path for a woman in her circumstances, and she became an iconic and legendary horticulturist. Research: Tooley, Michael. "Jekyll, Gertrude (1843–1932), artist and garden designer." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. June 08, 2023. Oxford University Press. Date of access 13 May. 2024, htt...

Over the course of an extraordinarily long career, Tyrus Wong worked across a range of media in a whole collection of industries – animation, live-action film, commercial art, public art, greeting cards, and in his last years, kitemaking in his personal workshop. Research: Tom, Pamela, writer and director. “Tyrus.” PBS American Masters. 9/8/2017. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/tyrus-abou...

This 2019 episode covers the earthquake of April 18, 1906 that changed San Francisco forever. The earthquake and a series of fires devastated much of the city and had long-term ramifications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the eerie similarities of the stories of the Andrea Doria and the Empress of Ireland. They also talk about Jacob Haish's poetry about barbed wire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joseph Glidden is known as the father of barbed wire, but who actually invented it was a matter of disagreement. As a consequence, Glidden's invention was embroiled in legal battles for years.  Research: “Barb Fence: Its Utility, Efficiency and Economy : a Book for the Farmer, the Gardener and the Country Gentleman.” Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company. Lucius P. Goddard. Accessed online: ht...

The SS Andrea Doria was a luxury cruise liner that sank after colliding with another ship in 1956. Most of the people who were on the Andrea Doria lived thanks to one of the biggest civilian maritime rescues in history.  Research: Cooke, Anthony, editor. “Andrea Doria.” Italian Liners. https://www.italianliners.com/andrea-doria-en Carrothers, John Carroll. “There Must Have Been a Third Ship! (An A...

This 2014 episode covers Aimee Semple McPherson, an extraordinary figure in the early 20th-century religious landscape. As an evangelist, she rose to incredible popularity in the 1920s, and then vanished. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about how to pronounce Sophia, and speculate about why Jex-Blake didn't pursue an education at New England Female Medical College. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After studying with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell in New York, Sophia Jex-Blake moved back to England when her father died. But her determination to get a medical education in the U.K. turned her into an education activist. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake".  Encyclopedia Britannica , 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sophia-Louisa-Jex-Blake B...