The Missing Chapter Podcast

When President Abraham Lincoln in May 1861 issued the call for volunteers to serve in the Union Army for a three-year term, one of those who tried to answer was Ohio resident John Clem. Not yet 10 years old, Clem’s service was refused by the newly formed 3rd Ohio. Undeterred, Clem later tried to join the 22nd Michigan, where his persistence won over the unit’s officers. They agreed to let him foll...

On this episode of the Missing Chapter, we welcome Mrs. Sunderland's class to discuss some of the oddball, obscure, and certainly mysterious parts of history. They have brought a variety of stories that they'd like to call History's Mysteries. Welcome to the Missing Chapter, everyone, grab your coffees and let's get started! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Missing C...

The top 5 - it’s been a little while, but it’s back like bell-bottoms and the mullet. Well, I’m not wearing bell bottoms, nor am I sporting a mullet, but all things trendy aside, let’s talk historic idioms - things we hear all the time but never take the time to ask ourselves - where the heck did that originate? So, here we go, the Part III episode of the Historic Idioms we so commonly use, but no...

It’s summertime and if you’re anything like my family, summer is the time for playgrounds, amusement parks, bike rides, and baseball.  In upstate NY, we only get nice weather a few months out of the year and you can always get hard ice cream, but you can’t always have the soft serve.  And if you’re getting soft serve, what else can you add to it?  My kids always go for…sprinkles. But who the first...

What is it about the Titanic, Phil, that over 100 years later, people are still enamored with the boat, the passengers, and the story surrounding it? People risk their lives to see it first hand, it’s been glamorized in Hollywood movies, and books are still being written about it.  So, what’s left to discuss? What’s left to discover about the “unsinkable ship” and the profound impact it had on his...

In the early 1950’s juvenile delinquency was on the rise.  Pop icons from rock and roll and Hollywood like Elvis Presley and James Dean seemed to encourage children and teenagers to rebel against their parents.  What else was causing this rash of bad behavior across the country?  What menace was the real reason behind the increased criminal behavior of teenagers?  What was so bad that psychologist...

Oh the portmanteau.  We’ve mentioned this a lot in our episodes lately, unintentionally.  If you aren’t familiar with what a portmanteau is, let me explain.  The word podcast is a portmanteau because it’s a combination of 2 words…ipod and broadcast…podcast.  To use a term we used a couple episodes ago, velcro is a portmanteau for velvet and crochet.  Make sense?  Sure it does!  Well, on today’s ep...

Today we’re going to take a look at the explosive legacy of an individual that we’re all familiar with - or at least familiar with his creations. The enigmatic figure that we are about to explore is an inventor, philanthropist, ruthless industrialist, and also a major representative of peace in the contemporary age.  This man’s most significant invention, dynamite, revolutionized the world at its...

The history of baseball is the history of our nation… in amongst the innings of America’s Pastime, you’ll find the story lines that define our country. A timeline of people and events that have carried us through countless decades.   Of all the great names who have ever played the game, there is one that has been almost completely lost to obscurity. A record-holder whose achievements place his nam...

Growing up in the country, there was nothing like spending the entire summer day outside.  Riding bikes, shooting baskets, playing catch, hide and seek, taking a walk through the woods.  There was something about being a kid and coming into the house at night time just being filthy - I’m sure my mom wasn’t too fond of that, but that was what our summers were filled with.  The one thing that I didn...

Who doesn’t love a good riddle? This episode’s introduction will be a riddle… so listen carefully, have an answer ready, and we’ll unveil the solution after the coffee pour. Ready?  Here we go….   An elderly woman sits in her rocking chair knitting, positioned in front of a window, so that she may watch the trains passing by, the warm sun hitting her face and the cool autumn breeze blowing over he...

I can’t stand when people misuse the word “literally” - Some people have said, it’s literally raining cats and dogs - what???  No it’s not literally raining cats and dogs because if it were literally raining cats and dogs then I would physically see cats and dogs coming from the sky at terminal velocity, but I don’t see that, why?  Because it’s a figure of speech, it ISN’T literal. And now, I’m ab...

Well today, on this episode of the Missing Chapter, we are featuring Richard Graziano, a member of the Army Reserve for over 20 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel prior to his retirement. Richard joins us today, to honor Memorial day by talking about the history of a forgotten story - the Four Chaplains. And apart from all of the tech issues we’ve had, we found a way to get around som...

It’s our honor and pleasure to have back to the Missing Chapter, Dawn McKinney.  The winner of our Hometown History competition and an exceptional teacher from Lincoln, CA, Dawn is back with us for a follow-up interview - highlighting her experiences with her class, delving deeper into her award-winning story, and reminiscing about what she thought of the episode from Season 3.   Join us today and...

In just within the past few years, the population of the world has crested the 8 billion mark. With the heightened advances in medicine, technology, fitness, safety, food production, all of it has contributed to a general rise in life expectancy and life production.  It’s quite remarkable!  But not in the slowly shrinking village located in the valleys of Shikoku, Japan.  With the life of a villag...

Humans have worked for centuries to attempt to capture and use the sun’s energy. With the decades-long usage of solar-powered technologies, have you ever wondered how harnessing this power was successful in the first place? Enter Mária Telkes, a hungarian-born biophysicist, chemical engineer and inventor who had a vision for the practical application of solar energy. Her near-50 year devotion to s...

The eastern front of World War II brought with it some of the most brutal, unimaginable fighting the world had ever seen. Conditions for both soldiers and civilians alike was “kill or be killed;” the tide of the war was at stake and the fate of the world hung in the balance. In amongst the rubble and the chaos that was Stalingrad, opposing snipers became a crucial factor in this struggle. One Sovi...

I think everyone would agree with me when I say that we’d all like to be better stewards of our money.  Maybe we didn’t need that $6.00 latte this past Monday, Tuesday, and uh Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.  I mean, my goodness, that’s $30 a week in caffeinated beverages, who would ever do that?  Certainly, not your caffeine-addicted, coffee aficionados known as the Phils.  But in all honesty, just...

His conquests rewrote the history books, as well as the maps of continents. He was feared throughout Europe and his tactics would redefine military strategies for decades to come. Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power out of the French Revolution and the period of upheaval that saw French royalty overthrow, as well as beheaded. Nothing stood in his way, except… four-legged furry animals, renowned for t...

Whether you’re from upstate NY like us, a listener from the south, our California friends, or even for some of our international listeners, I would guess that when I mention the Adirondack Chair, that provides a specific style rather than a generalized term.  It’s the same instance as if I said the term car vs. a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria - the specifics conjures up a different visual.  Well, the A...

Have you ever thought about the unintended consequences of our decisions we make every day, good or bad? Stopping to get a coffee on your way to work has an unintended consequence of seeing an entirely different group of people on the highway. Going back in the house because you forgot something has an unintended consequence of you walking into work with a new set of people. Well, what if I told y...

Hello listeners, welcome to the Missing Chapter.  If you’re familiar to our podcast at all, you know we just introduced a new segment - the MC profile.  On today’s episode of the Missing Chapter, we’re highlighting an individual I’m almost certain you’ve never heard of.  A brilliant individual that takes science to a level that boggles the mind.  His knowledge depth went so deep that our own prese...

Well, everyone, because of all of our loyal listeners and fans, we have officially surpassed 100,000 plays! It’s hard to believe - 100,000!  When we started this podcast 4 seasons ago, we could never imagine we’d be here so quickly, or be here at all! But here we are and we wanted to give you a bonus episode today to celebrate our way to 100k! Welcome to the Missing Chapter, everyone, grab your co...

“I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too!”  As far as iconic Hollywood quotes and villains go… you would be hard-pressed to come up with two more perfect examples in cinematic history.   Not many people would recognize the name or photograph of actress Margaret Hamilton, but just about everyone knows the famous movie role she played, and the subsequent lines she delivered. Bedecked in gree...

The stereotype with today’s youth is that they always have their heads down on their phones, they’re always playing video games, and they never have anything to say. Well, Phil and I decided to put this label to the test and what better place to do it than Canajoharie high school’s very own job fair. Our student contestants sat down for a little impromptu discussion on everything from their favori...