The Reference Desk

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched with the Culper Ring, George Washington's secret spy ring credited with turning the course of the war and enabling an American victory .  The Culper Spy Ring operated successfully in and around New York City for five years and the informants were never discovered. Even George Washington himself was unaware of their identities. Along with spies like Hercule...

This week, Katie is bewitched with the polio epidemic and vaccines. As the U.S. takes its first tentative steps toward post-COVID life with the massive roll-out of vaccines, Katie takes time to reflect on another virus that changed our world: polio. For decades, parents lived in fear of summer- time polio outbreaks. Children went from happy and healthy to iron lungs in a matter of days. As a resul...

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the customs, entertainment, and daily lives of the Victorians. The victorian period is named after for reign of Queen Victoria encompassing the span of history between 1837-1901. During this time, Brittain and the United States were experiencing the first Industrial Revolution. Also during this time, Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, Florence Nigh...

In this week's episode, Katie is bewitched by the incredible survival story of Jose Salvador Alvarenga. In November 2012, Alvarenga headed out on a fishing trip despite warnings of a storm brewing. The routine trip soon turned life-threatening when engine failure and rough seas dragged Alvarenga and his mate, 22-year-old Ezequiel Cordoba, deep into the Pacific Ocean. For 438 days, Alvarenga s...

This week, Hailee is bewitched with the strange, funny, sometimes deadly behaviors of people who sleepwalk.  Sleepwalking is a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while still mostly asleep. Listen this week as Hailee discusses some funny sleepwalking stories, including some sleep talking stories from her husband, as well...

In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with Mackinac Island. Nestled in the cold, deep waters between the upper and lower pennisulas of Michigan lies the idyllic and picturesque Mackinac Island. What was once a beloved spot for indigenous people evolved into a fur trader’s outpost, a military stronghold, and eventually the tourist destination we know today. From it’s unique ban...

This week, Hailee is bewitched by the tragic fate of the Donner Party.  Literally every conceivable thing went wrong for this rag-tag group of travelers. Pioneers traveling the Oregon trail were inspired by the promise of free land in California and Oregon. Spurred on by what journalist John L. O’Sullivan coined Manifest Destiny, and encouraged by President Polk who was so singular in his focus of...

In this episode, Katie is bewitched with the debutantes of the London social season.  Since the late 1700s, Britain's most eligible young ladies have been presented to society during London's social season. Providing the framework for our favorite novels like Pride and Prejudice, debutante society hides a deeply problematic world of sexism, racism, classism, and more. In this deep-dive i...

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched with rock and roll myths, legends and curses. Who created Rock and Roll? It’s a question that has been heavily debated and there are many possible answers. Rock has certainly had a very turbulent history. Close calls, plane crashes, heavy use of drugs and alcohol, mysterious deaths, just to name a few. Join us this week as week as Hailee tells the tale of Rober...

In this special episode of The Reference Desk, Katie and Hailee tell you a bit about themselves, why they started a podcast and play a game of Would You Rather! Books Mentioned Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath The Outlander series by Diana Gabeldon Books by Louise Miller Books by Jenny Colgan The Fingerprints series by Melinda Metz If you're interested in purchasing the...

In this episode, Katie is bewitched with the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. Deep in the Amazon basin of South America, indigenous people rely on the wisdom of the sacred ayahuasca brew, a psychoactive drink. For centuries, this medicine has guided and healed those who partake in its sacred ritual. Traditionally, a trained shaman guides their community members through the ritual, but Westerners want i...

In this episode of the Reference Desk, Hailee tells us about the strange Coney Island sideshow responsible for saving hundreds of lives. Martin Couney's Infant Incubator facility was one of Coney Island's most popular exhibits. For more information and a full list of our sources, visit our website . To buy books mentioned in this episode: Bookshop.org affiliate shop. Links : Life Under G...

In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by Frank Abagnale, Jr.    One of America's most notorious con-men, Frank Abagnale Jr's unlikely journey into the world of check forgery, criminal impersonation, and other scams, inspired the popular film "Catch Me If You Can."  From his humble beginnings as a teenage runaway cashing bad checks, to his summer spent escort...

In this episode of The Reference Desk, Hailee is bewitched with The Salem Witch Trials.  Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft in Salem and surrounding towns. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen were executed by hanging, one other man was pressed to death, and at least five people died in jail. Also, two dogs were found guilty of witchcraft. Lis...

In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with the WPA Packhorse Library. As part of FDR's New Deal, the Works Progress Administration provided employment for millions of Americans struggling with the effects of the Great Depression. In the most remote pockets of Appalachia, the WPA Packhorse Library Program delivered books by horse to thousands of nearly-inaccessible homes an...

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