Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2018 episode covers the fraud career of Cassie Chadwick. Her biggest con was convincing banks that she was the daughter of Andrew Carnegie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about Alexis Soyer's legendary charm, Emma Jones, and famine soup. They also talk about the globes and maps they grew up with. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mercator projection gets a lot of grief for distorting the relative sizes of different land masses, but Mercator’s map was actually pretty good at helping people navigate long distances at sea. Research: "A new view: A new world map projection seeks to minimse the problems inherent in flattening the globe." Geographical, vol. 93, no. 4, Apr. 2021, pp. 6+. Gale In Context: Science, link.g...

At a young age, Alexis Soyer became a very well-known chef in both France and England, as popular for his fun personality as for his cooking. But he also left a legacy of invention and charity. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jules-Armand, prince de Polignac".  Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Feb. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jules-Armand-prince-de-Polignac Bri...

This 2018 episode covers Anne Lister, who was looking for a wife at a time when many women sought husbands to ensure financial stability. She was also writing thousands of pages of diaries, including sections written in code about her relationships. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the folklore aspects of Jack Sheppard's story, and how a mustache drawn on a photo of Charles Ponzi was part of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism about that case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s synonymous with fraud today, but the most famous scheme Charles Ponzi pulled in his lifetime was surprisingly short-lived.  Research: "Charles Ponzi Cheats Thousands in Investment Scheme, 1919-1920." Historic U.S. Events, Gale, 2012. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2359030095/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=2fa9c993. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022. "...

Jack Sheppard became sort of a serial breakout artist in 18th-century England. He was a real person who became a folk hero, but many of the accounts of his life are suspect. Research: Buckley, Matthew. “Sensations of Celebrity: Jack Sheppard and the Mass Audience.” Victorian Studies. 3/1/2002. Defoe, Daniel (attributed). “A narrative of all the robberies, escapes, &c. of John...

This 2016 episode covers famed lady pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who have been often requested as a topic by listeners. But telling their story requires navigating some rather suspect historical accounts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss online disagreements over the origin of the science-fiction genre of literature and the nature of Margaret Cavendish’s marriage. They then talk about Mabel Lee’s willingness to advocate for other people, and how much of her quoted words are from when she was a teenager. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a teenager, Mabel Lee fought for the women’s vote in the U.S. even though she wouldn’t benefit from it. As an adult, she continued to live a life in service, as community and spiritual leader in New York’s Chinatown.             Research: National Archives. “Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).” https://www.archives.g...

Cavendish was a prolific poet, playwright, and natural philosopher. She published multiple works under her own name before that was common for a woman, and she published at least five major works on natural philosophy. Research: Boyle, Deborah. “Margaret Cavendish on Gender, Nature, and Freedom.” Hypatia vol. 28, no. 3 (Summer 2013). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24542000 Bri...

This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers John Dillinger, whose robbery career actually began when he was paroled in 1933. Several escaped inmates joined Dillinger, and they were arrested in 1934. Dillinger escaped, but was gunned down in July. To this day, conspiracy theories abound about his death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about their experiences with dentists, and the legacy of Crawford Long in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As promised, part two covers dental chairs and amalgams, as well as support careers in dental medicine, and a bit about orthodontics. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Shamash". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Mar. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shamash Hand, Greg. “IDA GRAY WAS A PIONEERING CINCINNATI DENTIST WHO EARNED NATIONAL FAME.” Cincinnati Magazine. F...

This first episode covers the earliest ways humans cared for their teeth, including the belief that demons might have something to do with tooth decay. We move all the way up to the 18th century, as dentistry became a profession in the U.S., including a surprising early practitioner. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Shamash". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Mar. 2020, https://w...

This 2017 episode covers how animals and humans have been living together for centuries, but standardized veterinary care developed over a long period of time in many different places. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss their knowledge of rabies and how often it appears in popular culture. They then talk about touring former prisons and how varied that experience can be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dramatic prison escapes often have some common themes -- they often include a lot of tunneling. Here are six highly ingenious and low-violence prison breaks from history.  Research: "Warriors, witches and damn rebel bitches: The Scotswomen who stood their ground." Herald [Glasgow, Scotland], 15 Sept. 2019. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599477490/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&a...

Today’s rabies prophylaxis is almost 100% effective at preventing human death from the bite of a rabid animal. How did people come to understand rabies, and then develop a vaccination for it? Research: Etymologia: Rabies. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2012 Jul [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1807.ET1807 Velasco-Villa, Andres et al. “The history of rabies in the...

This 2014 episode covers a 1930s a New York socialite with a dream. She wanted to be the first person to capture a panda from Asia and return to the western world with it. Her quest had a significant impact on the way the Western world viewed wild animals.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the ways Europeans explorers wrote about the indigenous peoples of Africa, and just how good the okapi's natural camouflage is. They also discuss the unattainable beauty standards that were in place for women in entertainment from the beginning.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Theda Bara is often referenced as the first sex symbol, or the first celebrity to have an entire persona crafted by a PR team. Photos of her are synonymous with the word vamp, and 100 years later, still have a certain mysterious appeal. But what was she really like? Research: “Theda Bara at Quimby’s.” The Times Recorded. Oct. 26, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/284870168/?...

The okapi became known to European explorers in the late 19th century, and then several explorers tried and failed to even see a live okapi. Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston often gets credit for its discovery, but there's much more to the story than that.  Research: “Obituary: Dr. Wilhelm Junker.” Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York, vol. 24, 1892, pp. 148–5...

Holly Frey, host of Stuff You Missed in History Cass , sits down with Lola Omalola, one of the ten winners of Seneca Women to Hear: Search for the Next Great Female Podcasters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.