Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.
This 2015 kickoff to the Six Impossible Episodes series features Stagecoach Mary, Edward Mordrake, Robert the Haunted Doll, the London Beer Flood, the Lost Army of Cambyses and La Maupin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/17/26 • 26:49
Holly shares an odd detail about the red barn murder case. She and Tracy also discuss the way Forrest Mars may have affected the way his father's life is described.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/16/26 • 19:07
This installment of the eponymous foods series covers candy bars, including Snickers, Mars Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and some side mentions of other candies. Research: “Behind the Bar.” Snickers. https://www.snickers.com/our-story Brenner, Joel Glenn. “Life on Mars: The Mars family saga has all the classic elements.” Independent. July 25, 1992. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/life-on-mars-the-mars-family-saga-has-all-the-classic-elements-1535722.html “Forrest Mars Sr., Candy Bar Titan Famed for Snickers.” The Plain Dealer. July 3, 1999. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1071308390/?match=1&terms=%22Forrest%20Mars%2C%20sr.%22&search-id=695f29a8-5f65-43f4-8445-637d2758eb9e&search-rank=1 “Frank C. Mars Buys Trotters.” The Lexington Herald. May 30, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/684730957/?match=1&terms=%22Frank%20C.%20Mars%22%20Pulaski&search-id=b3e1ac20-1b03-4d55-8bb0-bf38efd85070&search-rank=7 “Frank C. Mars Dies of Heart Attack.” The Atlanta Constitution.” April 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/398152288/?match=1&terms=%22Frank%20C.%20Mars%22%20Pulaski&search-id=b3e1ac20-1b03-4d55-8bb0-bf38efd85070&search-rank=8 “Frank C. Mars Is Victim of Death.” The Decatur Daily. April 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/534932502/?match=1&terms=%22Frank%20C.%20Mars%22%20Pulaski&search-id=b3e1ac20-1b03-4d55-8bb0-bf38efd85070&search-rank=4 “Frank C. Mars Taken By Death.” Tacoma Daily Ledger. April 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/725917256/?match=1&terms=%22Frank%20C.%20Mars%22&search-id=3bd9eccf-f65f-485c-ac5b-70d3f755a3fc&search-rank=6 “Frank C. Mars.” Candy Hall of Fame. https://candyhalloffame.org/inductee/frank-c-mars/ “Frank Mars.” Oak Park River Forest Museum. https://oprfmuseum.org/people/frank-mars “The H.B. Reese Candy Company Story.” The Daily News. June 9, 1956. https://www.newspapers.com/image/517725214/?match=1&terms=%22H.B.%20Reese%22&search-id=a96c9fd5-6131-45ad-91a5-d3390afd07b1&search-rank=9 “H.B. Reese Company Housed in Large, Modern Building.” The Patriot-News. Nov. 27, 1957. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1094489845/?match=1&terms=%22H.B.%20Reese%22&search-id=cc48e553-f70b-43c6-a7b2-c7374b30be88&search-rank=1 “Harry Burnett ‘H.B.’ Reese.” Candy Hall of Fame. https://candyhalloffame.org/inductee/harry-burnett-h-b-reese/ Lieberman, Hallie. “Was It Hershey or Reese That Made Peanut Butter Cups Great?” Atlas Obscura. October 27, 2016. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/was-it-hershey-or-reese-that-made-peanut-butter-cups-great Mari, Christopher. “H.B. Reese.” EBSCO. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/h-b-reese/ “Mars Family.” Forbes. June 29, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/profile/mars-1/?list=families “Mars, Incorporated: History in the Making.” https://www.mars.com/about/history “The Milky Way: How Frank Mars started a candy bar empire in Minnesota.” Fox9 KMSP. March 30, 2022. https://www.fox9.com/news/the-milky-way-how-frank-mars-a-minnesotan-created-a-candy-bar-empire “Snickers History: The Horse, the War, and the World’s Top Candy Bar.” Moss & Fog. Oct. 25, 2023. https://mossandfog.com/the-history-of-snickers-the-worlds-most-popular-candy-bar/ “Sons, Daughters Willed H.B. Reese Property.” The Patriot-News. May 25, 1956. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1094130007/?match=1&terms=%22H.B.%20Reese%22&search-id=a96c9fd5-6131-45ad-91a5-d3390afd07b1&search-rank=8 “Table Data - Automobile Registrations, Passenger Cars, Total for United States.” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/A01108USA258NNBR Upton, Emily. “The Fascinating Rise of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.” Business Insider. June 30, 2013. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-fascinating-rise-of-reeses-peanut-butter-cups-2013-6 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/14/26 • 38:10
In the spring of 1828, a news story broke in Suffolk, England about the horrific murder of Maria Marten. Her paramour was the only suspect, but he evaded authorities for some time before he was captured and put on trial. Research: Curtis, J. “AN AUTHENTIC AND FAITHFUL HISTORY OF THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER OF MARIA MARTEN, WITH A FULL DEVELOPMENT OF ALL THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF HER BODY IN TO WHICH IS ADDED, THE TRIAL OF WILLIAM CORDER, TAKEN AT LARGE IN SHORT HAND SPECIALLY FOR THIS WORK, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF HIS EXECUTION, DISSECTION, &c. AND MANY INTERESTING PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE VILLAGE OF POLSTEAD AND ITS VICINITY; THE PRISON CORRESPONDENCE OF CORDER, AND FIFTY-THREE LETTERS, IN ANSWER TO HIS ADVERTISEMENT FOR A WIFE.” London. Thomas Keity. 1828. https://archive.org/details/b20443237 Devlin, Laura. “Who was the murderer whose skin binds a book?” BBC. April 22, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0wrdleer2o Harding, J. “Celebrated Trials of All Countries, and Remarkable Cases of Criminal Jurisprudence.” 1847. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=pj3FyXaS91YC&rdid=book-pj3FyXaS91YC&rdot=1 “Horrible Murder.” Bristol Mirror. April 19, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/970366046/?match=1&terms=%22Maria%20Marten%22&search-id=6e26d629-68a9-4c86-a81d-4164828d99b9&search-rank=1 “Horrible Murder.” The Morning Chronicle. April 24, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/392094838/?search-id=6e26d629-68a9-4c86-a81d-4164828d99b9&search-rank=3 “Horrid Murder. North Wales Chronicle. May 1, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1367388437/?match=1&terms=William%20Corder&search-id=15f8324b-4277-49e4-ade3-f37de505ca71&search-rank=4 Langbein, John H. “THE PROSECUTORIAL ORIGINS OF DEFENCE COUNSEL IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: THE APPEARANCE OF SOLICITORS.” Cambridge Law Journal. 58(2), July 1999, pp.314-365. https://law.yale.edu/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/Faculty/Langbein_Prosecutorial_Origins_of_Defence_Counsel.pdf “Murder in Suffolk.” Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal, Isle of Ely Herald and Huntingdonshire Gazette. May 2, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/785569973/?match=20&terms=William%20Corder&search-id=15f8324b-4277-49e4-ade3-f37de505ca71&search-rank=2 “Murder in Suffolk.” Birmingham Journal. May 3, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/784498364/?match=1&terms=%22William%20Corder%22&search-id=9a769e68-25cc-42f4-b01d-1bca08e64ac6&search-rank=38 “The Red Barn Murder.” St. Edmundbury Chronicle. http://www.stedmundsburychronicle.co.uk/rbpeople.htm “Sanguinary and Atrocious Murder.” Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic. May 1, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/786265260/?match=3&terms=William%20Corder&search-id=15f8324b-4277-49e4-ade3-f37de505ca71&search-rank=1 “William Corder.” Lancaster Gazette. May 24, 1828. https://www.newspapers.com/image/395993259/?match=1&terms=William%20Corder&search-id=a5f1199d-5191-413d-943a-1cbabcb0a368&search-rank=16 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/12/26 • 35:40
This 2022 episode covers Giordano Bruno, a mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, occultist, and according to the Catholic church of 16th-century Italy, a heretic. He met a bad end because of his views, but he started out as a friar.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/10/26 • 35:15
Tracy ponders how Sara Weiss knew some of the things she knew and whether her husband characterized her as less informed than she was. Holly talks about a possible relative of Theophilus Brome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/9/26 • 22:14
Screaming skull lore is something that is unique to Britain, though specific skull lore varies. The first episode has roots in the English Civil war, and the second is tied to colonialism in the Caribbean and the slave trade. Research: Berry, Helen. “Exclusion Crisis: Challenging James II’s Right to Rule.” History Today. May 5, 2026. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/exclusion-crisis-challenging-james-iis-right-rule “The Bettiscombe Skull – Pinney Family.” Bridport and Lyme Regis News. March 25, 1904. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1325106358/?match=18&terms=Azariah%20Pinney%20&search-id=f74cfd16-6d86-49a4-a9db-d190c38e3250&search-rank=1 Collinson, John. “The history and antiquities of the county of Somerset, collected from authentick records, and an actual survey made by the late Mr. Edmund Rack. Adorned with a map of the county and engravings of Roman and other reliques, town seals, baths, churches and gentlemen’s seats.” Vo. II. Bath. R. Crutwell. 1791. https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-history-and-antiquit_collinson-john_1791_2/page/n1/mode/2up?q=horrid Cooper, W.J. “Bridport’s Most Exciting Day 280 Years Ago.” Bridport and Lyme Regis News. June 11, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1325206100/?match=2&terms=Azariah%20Pinney%20&search-id=f74cfd16-6d86-49a4-a9db-d190c38e3250&search-rank=2 Davey, Tim. “A Slave to History.” Evening Post. Sept. 28, 1999. https://www.newspapers.com/image/909493603/?match=7&terms=Azariah%20Pinney%20&search-id=f74cfd16-6d86-49a4-a9db-d190c38e3250&search-rank=10 Frere, Sheppard Sunderland, et al. "United Kingdom". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Sep. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom “Higher Farmhouse.” Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1296177?section=official-list-entry Hubbard, Vincent K. “Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis to 1900.” Premiere Editions. 1996. Ingram, John H. “The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain.” London.Gibbings. 1901. https://archive.org/details/hauntedhomesand01ingrgoog Kelly’s Directory of Liverpool & Birkenhead, 1894. [Part 2: Birkenhead and Trade & Court Directories]. Kelly & Co. Ltd, 1894. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.30135909 Prickett, Katy. “The Macabre Tale of Oliver Cromwell’s Head.” BBC. Nov. 17, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j8vn2ne70o “Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe.” Dorset Echo. Aug. 14, 1963. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1325267462/?match=1&terms=Bettiscombe%20skull&search-id=0ee431ba-ab8d-4d60-a29c-7ac53b535399&search-rank=1 Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. “Strange Pages from Family Papers.” LONDON. SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY. 1895. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17050/pg17050-images.html#CHAPTER_II Underwood, Peter. “Ghosts of Somerset.” Bossiness Books. 2011. Weaver, Frederic William, M.A., ed. “Notes and Queries for Somerset and Dorset. Vol. II.” Sherbourne. J.C. and A.T. Sawtell. 1891. https://archive.org/details/notesqueriesfors02brid/page/n3/mode/2up “A West Dorset Legend.” Dorset Echo. July 24, 1953. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1194417076/?match=7&terms=Bettiscombe%20Skull&search-id=f5da8122-4471-4f76-bbb5-a9d54fce9cc6&search-rank=11 West, John. “Britain’s Haunted Skulls.” Psychic News. October 2021. https://pocketmags.com/us/psychic-news-magazine/october-2021/articles/britain-s-haunted-skulls?srsltid=AU7gw4XzpYKPL3Gr5erHXG9udfTa62VhFURg_DaM9wBGEqMGPwm4YI-G See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/7/26 • 33:29
Sara Weiss wrote a lengthy account of life and afterlife on Mars, a place she said she visited through psychic travels starting in 1892. Research: Calanchi, A. (2024). “Renewed in health”: Meeting Giordano Bruno on planet Mars. Between, 14(27), 93-109. https://doi.org/10.13125/2039-6597/5444 Crossley, Robert. “Mars and the Paranormal.” Science Fiction Studies , Nov., 2008, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Nov., 2008). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25475179 Daly, Liza. “Journeys to the Planet Mars (1903).” 2/23/2022. https://lizadaly.com/utopian-novels/journeys-to-the-planet-mars/ Daly, Liza. “Sara Ditto Weiss.” https://ayonmuya.org/21-biography.html Dickey, Colin. “Sara Weiss’ Journeys to the Planet Mars (1903).” The Public Domain Review. 2/3/2026. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/journeys-to-the-planet-mars/ “Funeral of Mrs. S. Weiss.” The St. Louis Republic (St. Louis, Mo.), March 25, 1904. Page 14. Hennesy, Roger. “The Martian Century.” History Today. 7/7/1998. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/martian-century Hyslop, James H. “Journeys to the Planet Mars.” Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. Vol. 7, Issue 5. 1913. Lane, K. Maria D. “Mapping the Mars Canal Mania: Cartographic Projection and the Creation of a Popular Icon.” Imago Mundi, 2006, Vol. 58, No. 2 (2006). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40234145 Mason, Brian D. “The Navy’s Greatest Refractor Turns 150.” Astronomy. February 2023. “Mrs. Sara Weiss Passes Away.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Page 1. 3/23/1904. Myers, F.W.H. “The Subliminal Self.” Chapter VIII. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research. Vol. 11. 1895. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Proceedings_of_the_Society_for_Psychical/iuZAAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “26-inch ‘Great Equatorial’ telescope.” https://www.cnmoc.usff.navy.mil/Our-Commands/United-States-Naval-Observatory/Our-Telescopes/The-26-inch-Great-Equatorial-telescope/ Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “Our Telescopes.” https://www.cnmoc.usff.navy.mil/Our-Commands/United-States-Naval-Observatory/Our-Telescopes/ “Romance, Philosophy, Morals.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Page 11. 1/15/1904. “Spirit Bands In Mars.” Boston Evening Transcript. January 06, 1904. Page 16. Louis Post-Dispatch. “A St. Louis Woman’s Journey to Mars.” Page 52. Dec 20, 1903. Louis Post-Dispatch. “St. Louis Woman Draws Under Spirit Influence.” 6/2/1901. The St Louis Republic. “What the Spirits Say of Mars.” Page 41. 4/9/1899. The St. Louis Republic. (Saint Louis, MO) 12 Dec. 1903, p. 10. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn84020274/1903-12-12/ed-1/. The St. Louis Republic. (Saint Louis, MO) 25 Mar. 1904, p. 10. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn84020274/1904-03-25/ed-1/. “The ‘Weiss’ Books.” Reason. August 1910. “WEISS.” Obituary. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Page 7. 3/24/1904. Weiss, Sara. “Journeys to the planet Mars, or, Our mission to Ento.” The Bradford Press. 1903. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/5/26 • 39:45
This 2021 episode covers Colchester, who claimed to be psychic and may have warned President Abraham Lincoln that he was going to be assassinated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/3/26 • 33:49
Tracy talks about how the beer riots may sound silly, but were underpinned by serious issues. Holly talks about the Elizabeth Fry’s daughters polishing their mother’s image when publishing her diaries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/2/26 • 25:06
Elizabeth Fry is lauded as an early 19th century prison reformer. But she had no formal background or training in prison or social work. Research: BREED, ANNA. “ELIZABETH FRY.” Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), vol. 13, no. 3, 1882, pp. 21–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27906270 Britannica Editors. "Elizabeth Fry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 May. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Fry Britannica Editors. "Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Mar. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Thomas-Fowell-Buxton-1st-Baronet Buxton, Thomas Fowell. “An inquiry, whether crime and misery are produced or prevented, by our present system of prison discipline.” London. J. and A. Arch. 1818. https://archive.org/details/b33283333/page/14/mode/2up Cooper, Robert Alan. “THE ENGLISH QUAKERS AND PRISON REFORM 1809-23.” Quaker History, vol. 68, no. 1, 1979, pp. 3–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41946871 Cooper, Robert Alan. “Jeremy Bentham, Elizabeth Fry, and English Prison Reform.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 42, no. 4, 1981, pp. 675–90. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2709127 Corder, Susanna. “Life of Elizabeth Fry.” Philadelphia. H. Lonstreth. 1853. https://archive.org/details/lifeofelizabethf00cordiala/page/n9/mode/2up Craig, Russell L. “Correctional Education Historical Vignette: WOMEN IN CORRECTIONS: Elizabeth Gurney Fry.” Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 57, no. 2, 2006, pp. 141–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23282705 Crawford, William, and Whitworth Russell. “Extracts from the second report of William Crawford and Whitworth Russell, Esqs., the Inspectors of Prisons for the Home District ; addressed to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home Department.” National Library of medicine. Philadelphia : Republished by the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, 1838. https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101596454-bk Foxhall K. From convicts to colonists: the health of prisoners and the voyage to Australia, 1823-53. J Imp Commonw Hist. 2011;39(1):1-19. doi: 10.1080/03086534.2011.543793 Griffiths, Arthur. “The Chronicles of Newgate.” LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL(Limited). 1884. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46746/46746-h/46746-h.htm Kent, John. “Elizabeth Fry.” London. B. Batsford. 1962. Rose, June. “Elizabeth Fry.” New York. St. Martin’s Press, 1981. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/30/26 • 40:59
The Munich Beer Riot of 1844 was a reaction to the price of beer set by the Bavarian government. The Lager Beer Riot took place in Chicago in 1855, and was a response to municipal policies put in place by mayor Levi Boone that targeted the city’s Catholic and immigrant populations. Research: Alberts, Brian. “‘Streets as Stages’ — The Munich Beer Riots of 1844.” Good Beer Hunting. https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2020/7/13/streets-as-stages-the-munich-beer-riots-of-1844 "Bavaria." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 16 Mar. 2026. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FBavaria%2F13830&ebboatid=9265928. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026. Britannica Editors. "Oktoberfest". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oktoberfest. Accessed 2 September 2026. Carpenter, Kim Newak. “‘Sechs Kreuzer sind genug fuer ein Bier!’: The Munich beer riot of 1844: Social protest and public disorder in mid-19th century Bavaria.” A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. 1998. Durica, Paul. “‘A Montstrous Doctrine’ - Chicago’s Lager Beer Riot.” Mash Tun. https://mashtunjournal.org/texts/lagerriot Einhorn, Robin. “Lager Beer Riot.” Encyclopedia of Chicago. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/703.html Engels, Frederick. “Beer Riots in Bavaria.” The Northern Star, No. 341, May 25, 1844, p. 6. Grossman, Ron. “Chicago’s Lager Beer Riot proved immigrants’ power.” Chicago Tribune. 9/25/2015. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/09/25/chicagos-lager-beer-riot-proved-immigrants-power/ "Ludwig I, King of Bavaria." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 34, Gale, 2014. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631010137/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=df1b49ec. Accessed 2 Sept. 2026 Magelssen, Scott. “The 1855 Lager Beer Riot Dodgeball Reenactment and Beer Tasting.” Theatre Journal, DECEMBER 2015, Vol. 67, No. 4, Possible Worlds (DECEMBER2015). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24582647 New York Herald, European Edition. “1889: Beer Crisis in Bavaria.” 9/19/1889. Reprinted In the New York Times 9/18/2014. https://archive.nytimes.com/iht-retrospective.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/1889-beer-crisis-in-bavaria/ Renner, Richard Wilson. “In Perfect Ferment: Chicago, the Know-Nothings, and the Riot for Lager.” Chicago History V, no. 3 (1976): 161-170. WBEZ Chicago. Morning Shift. “Fest looks at the history of the Lager Beer Riot.” 4/24/2015. https://www.wbez.org/morning-shift/2015/04/24/fest-looks-at-the-history-of-the-lager-beer-riot. Weiss, Jana. “A Lager Beer Revolution: The History of Beer and German American Immigration.” Life & Letters. University of Texas at Austin. Originally published in Not Even Past. 9/19/2023. https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2023/09/a-lager-beer-revolution-the-history-of-beer-and-german-american-immigration/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/28/26 • 38:45
This episode from 2017 covers several moments in history when the world came perilously close to a full-scale nuclear war, due to false alarms or miscommunication.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/26/26 • 25:37
Holly and Tracy unpack the accusation that Robert Moses purposely built overpass bridges too low for busses to drive under them as a way to keep Black New Yorkers away from Jones Beach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/25/26 • 22:33
The second part of our two-parter on Robert Moses looks at the vast amount of power he amassed in New York’s government, and the many controversies that surrounded the second half of his career. Research: “15% OF THE FAIR STILL UNFINISHED; 15 Pavilions and 3 Shows in Amusement Area Delayed.” New York Times. April 22, 1964. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/22/archives/15-of-the-fair-still-unfinished-15-pavilions-and-3-shows-in.html Ballon, Hilary, Phd. and Kenneth T. Jackson, eds. “Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York.” W.W. Norton & Co. 2008. Balme, Bob. “His Pen Blisters, His Voice Stings – Robert Moses, at 71, Churns Ahead.” Buffalo News. December 5, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/868298578/?match=4&terms=Robert%20Moses&search-id=e5e8b520-6c56-44d0-96ef-7303b5705343&search-rank=6 Brewer, Sam Pope. “MOSES SLUM ROLE STIRRED DISPUTE; His 'Dead Duck' Remark on Title I Projects Aroused Urban Renewal Backers.” New York Times. Feb. 28, 1960. https://www.nytimes.com/1960/02/28/archives/moses-slum-role-stirred-dispute-his-dead-duck-remark-on-title-i.html Britannica Editors. "Robert Moses". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jul. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Moses Caro, Robert A. “The Power Broker.” Knopf. 1974. Caro, Robert A. “The Power Broker – I: How Robert Moses Transformed New York.” The New Yorker. July 15, 1974. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1974/07/22/the-power-broker-i-the-best-bill-drafter-in-albany?_sp=012e2621-7c64-4868-8288-8d1d8c093dfc.1788137489337 Chronopoulos, T. (2014). “Robert Moses and the Visual Dimension of Physical Disorder: Efforts to Demonstrate Urban Blight in the Age of Slum Clearance.” Journal of Planning History, 13(3), 207-233. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1538513213487149 Crawford, F. C. “New York State Reorganization.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 20, no. 1, 1926, pp. 76–79. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1945100 Ellis, Robert P. “Robert Moses.” Ebsco. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/robert-moses#lifes-work “EX-COSTELLO AIDE BARRED BY MAYOR ON SLUM PROJECTS.” The New York Times. July 3, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/03/archives/excostello-aide-barred-by-mayor-on-slum-projects-pokrass.html “GOVERNOR BY MERIT.” New York Times. Nov. 7, 1934. https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/07/archives/governor-by-merit.html Grutzner, Charles. “MOSES SAYS TITLE I IS A 'DEAD DUCK'; DECRIES CHARGES; 'Ruinous' Attacks Kill All but Union Slum-Clearing Jobs for Future, He Asserts MAYOR STANDING FIRM He Repeats His Opposition to Any Project That Uses Kessler as Architect.” New York Times. July 4, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/04/archives/moses-says-title-i-is-a-dead-duck-decries-charges-ruinous-attacks.html Gutman, Marta. “Race, Place, and Play: Robert Moses and the WPA Swimming Pools in New York City.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, vol. 67, no. 4, 2008, pp. 532–61. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2008.67.4.532 “History of City–Owned Beaches.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/beaches/city-owned-beaches “History of Parks' Swimming Pools.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/pools “Jones Beach State Park - 80 Years of Service : 1929 – 2009.” https://jonesbeach.com/index.php?id=165%3A80-years&format=pdf&option=com_content&Itemid=100054 JONES BEACH STATE PARK.” Long Island Exchange. https://web.archive.org/web/20130121130008/http://www.longislandexchange.com/jones-beach.html Kaufman, Herbert. “Robert Moses: Charismatic Bureaucrat.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 90, no. 3, 1975, pp. 521–38. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2148299 Kaufman, Michael T. “Moses Rips Into ‘Venomous’ Biography.” New York Times. Aug. 27, 1974. https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/27/archives/moses-rips-into-venomous-biography-vindictive-canards-rejects.html Lambert, Bruce. “One Man's Dream, Blissful Jones Beach Is Like No Other Place.” New York Times. Sept. 28, 1997. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/28/nyregion/one-man-s-dream-blissful-jones-beach-is-like-no-other-place.html “Moses Must Go!” Met Council on Housing. May 14, 2012. https://www.metcouncilonhousing.org/moses-must-go/ Moses, Robert. “Public Works: A Dangerous Trade.” New York. McGraw-Hill. 1970. https://archive.org/details/publicworksdange00mose/page/n7/mode/2up Moses, Robert. “Slums and City Planning.” The Atlantic. January 1945. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/01/slums-and-city-planning/306544/ Paquette, Carol. “Showcasing the Career of Robert Moses.” New York Times. Oct. 1, 1995. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/01/nyregion/showcasing-the-career-of-robert-moses.html Phillips, Wayne. “Title I and Slum Clearance: A Decade of Controversy; Partnership of City and U. S. Has Built 8,000 Apartments -- Disputes Involve Moses and Aims of Program.” New York Times. June 29, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/06/29/archives/title-i-and-slum-clearance-a-decade-of-controversy-partnership-of.html “POKRASS BAN IS ASKED; Senator Bids Housing Aides Act on Costello Associate.” New York Times. July 9, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/09/archives/pokrass-ban-is-asked-senator-bids-housing-aides-act-on-costello.html Rogers, Elizabeth Barlow. “Robert Caro and Robert Moses Redux.” SiteLINES: A Journal of Place. Vol. 3, No. 1 (Fall 2007), pp. 16-18. Foundation for Landscape Studies. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/24889293 Smith, Red. “Robert Moses, the Empire Builder.” New York Times. Aug. 5, 1981. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/05/sports/red-smith-robert-moses-the-empire-builder.html Sokolsky, George. “Robert Moses Is a Selfless Man.” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. June 18, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/524545077/?match=1&terms=Robert%20Moses&search-id=e5e8b520-6c56-44d0-96ef-7303b5705343&search-rank=2 “Texts of Statements by Moses and Rockefeller; Statement by Mr. Moses Letter to the Governor Letter to Mr. Moses Statement by Governor 'New Phase' of Park Work Letters Exchanged.” New York Times. Dec. 1, 1962. https://www.nytimes.com/1962/12/01/archives/texts-of-statements-by-moses-and-rockefeller-statement-by-mr-moses.html “Title I, Very Much Alive.” New York Times. July 8, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/08/archives/title-i-very-much-alive.html Wallock, L. (1991). The Myth of the Master Builder: Robert Moses, New York, and the Dynamics of Metropolitan Development Since World War II: Robert Moses, New York, and the Dynamics of Metropolitan Development Since World War II. Journal of Urban History, 17(4), 339-362. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/009614429101700401 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/23/26 • 42:12
Robert Moses is responsible for so much of the infrastructure of New York, including parks, bridges, highways and more. And he remains a divisive figure. The first part of this two-parter covers his rise in New York government. Research: “15% OF THE FAIR STILL UNFINISHED; 15 Pavilions and 3 Shows in Amusement Area Delayed.” New York Times. April 22, 1964. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/22/archives/15-of-the-fair-still-unfinished-15-pavilions-and-3-shows-in.html Ballon, Hilary, Phd. and Kenneth T. Jackson, eds. “Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York.” W.W. Norton & Co. 2008. Balme, Bob. “His Pen Blisters, His Voice Stings – Robert Moses, at 71, Churns Ahead.” Buffalo News. December 5, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/868298578/?match=4&terms=Robert%20Moses&search-id=e5e8b520-6c56-44d0-96ef-7303b5705343&search-rank=6 Brewer, Sam Pope. “MOSES SLUM ROLE STIRRED DISPUTE; His 'Dead Duck' Remark on Title I Projects Aroused Urban Renewal Backers.” New York Times. Feb. 28, 1960. https://www.nytimes.com/1960/02/28/archives/moses-slum-role-stirred-dispute-his-dead-duck-remark-on-title-i.html Britannica Editors. "Robert Moses". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jul. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Moses Caro, Robert A. “The Power Broker.” Knopf. 1974. Caro, Robert A. “The Power Broker – I: How Robert Moses Transformed New York.” The New Yorker. July 15, 1974. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1974/07/22/the-power-broker-i-the-best-bill-drafter-in-albany?_sp=012e2621-7c64-4868-8288-8d1d8c093dfc.1788137489337 Chronopoulos, T. (2014). “Robert Moses and the Visual Dimension of Physical Disorder: Efforts to Demonstrate Urban Blight in the Age of Slum Clearance.” Journal of Planning History, 13(3), 207-233. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1538513213487149 Crawford, F. C. “New York State Reorganization.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 20, no. 1, 1926, pp. 76–79. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1945100 Ellis, Robert P. “Robert Moses.” Ebsco. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/robert-moses#lifes-work “EX-COSTELLO AIDE BARRED BY MAYOR ON SLUM PROJECTS.” The New York Times. July 3, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/03/archives/excostello-aide-barred-by-mayor-on-slum-projects-pokrass.html “GOVERNOR BY MERIT.” New York Times. Nov. 7, 1934. https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/07/archives/governor-by-merit.html Grutzner, Charles. “MOSES SAYS TITLE I IS A 'DEAD DUCK'; DECRIES CHARGES; 'Ruinous' Attacks Kill All but Union Slum-Clearing Jobs for Future, He Asserts MAYOR STANDING FIRM He Repeats His Opposition to Any Project That Uses Kessler as Architect.” New York Times. July 4, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/04/archives/moses-says-title-i-is-a-dead-duck-decries-charges-ruinous-attacks.html Gutman, Marta. “Race, Place, and Play: Robert Moses and the WPA Swimming Pools in New York City.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, vol. 67, no. 4, 2008, pp. 532–61. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2008.67.4.532 “History of City–Owned Beaches.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/beaches/city-owned-beaches “History of Parks' Swimming Pools.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/pools “Jones Beach State Park - 80 Years of Service : 1929 – 2009.” https://jonesbeach.com/index.php?id=165%3A80-years&format=pdf&option=com_content&Itemid=100054 JONES BEACH STATE PARK.” Long Island Exchange. https://web.archive.org/web/20130121130008/http://www.longislandexchange.com/jones-beach.html Kaufman, Herbert. “Robert Moses: Charismatic Bureaucrat.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 90, no. 3, 1975, pp. 521–38. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2148299 Kaufman, Michael T. “Moses Rips Into ‘Venomous’ Biography.” New York Times. Aug. 27, 1974. https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/27/archives/moses-rips-into-venomous-biography-vindictive-canards-rejects.html Lambert, Bruce. “One Man's Dream, Blissful Jones Beach Is Like No Other Place.” New York Times. Sept. 28, 1997. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/28/nyregion/one-man-s-dream-blissful-jones-beach-is-like-no-other-place.html “Moses Must Go!” Met Council on Housing. May 14, 2012. https://www.metcouncilonhousing.org/moses-must-go/ Moses, Robert. “Public Works: A Dangerous Trade.” New York. McGraw-Hill. 1970. https://archive.org/details/publicworksdange00mose/page/n7/mode/2up Moses, Robert. “Slums and City Planning.” The Atlantic. January 1945. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/01/slums-and-city-planning/306544/ Paquette, Carol. “Showcasing the Career of Robert Moses.” New York Times. Oct. 1, 1995. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/01/nyregion/showcasing-the-career-of-robert-moses.html Phillips, Wayne. “Title I and Slum Clearance: A Decade of Controversy; Partnership of City and U. S. Has Built 8,000 Apartments -- Disputes Involve Moses and Aims of Program.” New York Times. June 29, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/06/29/archives/title-i-and-slum-clearance-a-decade-of-controversy-partnership-of.html “POKRASS BAN IS ASKED; Senator Bids Housing Aides Act on Costello Associate.” New York Times. July 9, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/09/archives/pokrass-ban-is-asked-senator-bids-housing-aides-act-on-costello.html Rogers, Elizabeth Barlow. “Robert Caro and Robert Moses Redux.” SiteLINES: A Journal of Place. Vol. 3, No. 1 (Fall 2007), pp. 16-18. Foundation for Landscape Studies. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/24889293 Smith, Red. “Robert Moses, the Empire Builder.” New York Times. Aug. 5, 1981. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/05/sports/red-smith-robert-moses-the-empire-builder.html Sokolsky, George. “Robert Moses Is a Selfless Man.” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. June 18, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/524545077/?match=1&terms=Robert%20Moses&search-id=e5e8b520-6c56-44d0-96ef-7303b5705343&search-rank=2 “Texts of Statements by Moses and Rockefeller; Statement by Mr. Moses Letter to the Governor Letter to Mr. Moses Statement by Governor 'New Phase' of Park Work Letters Exchanged.” New York Times. Dec. 1, 1962. https://www.nytimes.com/1962/12/01/archives/texts-of-statements-by-moses-and-rockefeller-statement-by-mr-moses.html “Title I, Very Much Alive.” New York Times. July 8, 1959. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/08/archives/title-i-very-much-alive.html Wallock, L. (1991). The Myth of the Master Builder: Robert Moses, New York, and the Dynamics of Metropolitan Development Since World War II: Robert Moses, New York, and the Dynamics of Metropolitan Development Since World War II. Journal of Urban History, 17(4), 339-362. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/009614429101700401 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/21/26 • 41:59
This 2021 episode covers smallpox, a viral disease that has existed for millennia. But it’s now one of only two diseases that’s been eradicated through human activity, and a global plan was enacted to do it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/19/26 • 43:25
Holly talks about the lack information about Pinel’s family, and how much she’d like to see Oscar Wilde use social media. Tracy discusses the way the Cooley episode narrowed down the scope of her originally planned topic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/18/26 • 22:12
William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy. Research: Ahuja, Sana and Sufian Zaheer. “The evolution of cancer immunotherapy: a comprehensive review of its history and current perspectives.” Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology 2024; 20(2): 51-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14216/kjco.24009 Atkins, Douglas. “Helen Coley Nauts: Advocate for Immunotherapy.” National Library of Medicine. 4/19/2016. https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/04/19/helen-coley-nauts-advocate-for-immunotherapy/ Cancer Research Institute. “The History of Cancer Immunotherapy.” Coley, William B. “Therapeutic Value of the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus of Erysipelas and Bacillus Prodigiosus in the Treatment of Inoperable Malignant Tumors. With a Report of 160 Cases.” American Journal of the Medical Sciences. September 1896. College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy.” History of Vaccines. https://historyofvaccines.org/vaccines-101/future-immunization/cancer-vaccines-and-immunotherapy/ Colley, William B. “The Treatment of Inoperable Sarcoma by Bacterial Toxins (the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus erysipelas and the Bacillus prodigiosus).” Reprinted from the “ Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine,” November, 1909. London. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, LTD. 1909. https://archive.org/details/b22425949/mode/1up Decker WK, da Silva RF, Sanabria MH, Angelo LS, Guimarães F, Burt BM, Kheradmand F and Paust S (2017) Cancer Immunotherapy: Historical Perspective of a Clinical Revolution and Emerging Preclinical Animal Models. Front. Immunol. 8:829. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00829 Devaraja, K. et al. “Coley’s Toxin to First Approved Therapeutic Vaccine—A Brief Historical Account in the Progression of Immunobiology-Based Cancer Treatment.” Biomedicines 2024, 12, 2746. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12122746 Dobosz, Paula and Tomasz Dzieciatkowski.” The Intriguing History of Cancer Immunotherapy. Frontiers in Immunology. 12/17/2019. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02965 Hall, Stephen S. “A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System.” Henry Holt and Company. Excerpted at New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hall-commotion.html Harutyunyan, Mariam. “How William Coley Became The Father of Cancer Immunotherapy.” OncoDaily Magazine. 7/31/2026. https://oncodaily.com/magazine/william-coley-549446 Hiroaki Ikeda, Cancer immunotherapy in progress—an overview of the past 130 years, International Immunology, Volume 37, Issue 5, May 2025, Pages 253–260, https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxaf002 Journal of the American Medical Association. “Erysipelas Toxins in the Treatment of Malignant Tumors.” 10/27/1894. Journal of the American Medical Association. “The Failure of the Erysipelas Toxins.” Vol 23 Iss 24. 12/15/1894. Kokolus, Katie. “The History of Immunotherapy: Toxins, Targets & T Cells.” LabRoots. 10/18/2021. https://www.labroots.com/trending/cancer/21449/history-immunotherapy-toxins-targets-cells?srsltid=AfmBOooP1eoVP2LbWKR5m-HLu1PSBFhOyPH1jSJWWcxvyK6EA4-hBu47 Levine, David B. “The Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled: William Bradley Coley, third Surgeon-in-Chief 1925-1933.” HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery vol. 4,1 (2008): 1-9. doi:10.1007/s11420-007-9063-2 McCarthy, Edward F. “The Toxins of William B. Coley and the Treatment of Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcomas.” The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal. Vol. 26. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “MSK Immunotherapy — Timeline of Progress.” https://www.mskcc.org/timeline/immunotherapy-msk National Library of Medicine. “Harnessing the Power of You: The History of Immunotherapy.” https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/the-history-of-immunotherapy/index.html Nauts, Helen Coley. “Coley’s Toxins – The First Century.” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. June 2004. Nawrat, Allie. “Charting the history of immunotherapy, cancer treatment’s fourth pillar.” Pharmaceutical Technology. 7/28/2020. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/charting-the-history-of-immunotherapy-cancer-treatments-fourth-pillar/?cf-view&cf-closed Oiseth SJ, Aziz MS. “Cancer immunotherapy: a brief review of the history, possibilities, and challenges ahead.” J Cancer Metastasis Treat. 2017;3:250-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2017.41 Tontonoz, Matthew. “What Ever Happened to Coley’s Toxins?.” Cancer Research Institute. 4/2/2015. https://www.cancerresearch.org/blog/what-ever-happened-to-coleys-toxins See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/16/26 • 38:28
Pinel’s work is considered the precursor to psychiatry. In the late 18th century, he overhauled the asylum system of Paris with his groundbreaking ideas about mental health. Research: Bicêtre Hospital. https://hopital-bicetre.aphp.fr/lhopital Boullerne, A.I., et al. “The origins and early history of neurochemistry and its societies.” Journal of Neurochemistry. 152: 8-28. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.14839 Chambers, William. “Chambers' Edinburgh journal.” Vol. 11-132. 1849. London. William Orr. https://archive.org/details/chambersedinburg1112cham/page/n179/mode/2up Charland, Louis C. 2018. “Lost in Myth, Lost in Translation: Philippe Pinel’s 1809 Medico-Philosophical Treatise on Mental Alienation.” International Journal of Mental Health 47 (3): 245–49. doi:10.1080/00207411.2018.1483053. Gallaher, John G. and Paul Stewart. “Fall of Robespierre.” EBSCO. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/fall-robespierre Hewitt, Jessie. “Gender and the Founding ‘Fathers’ of French Psychiatry.” Institutionalizing Gender: Madness, the Family, and Psychiatric Power in Nineteenth-Century France, Cornell University Press, 2020, pp. 19–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv136c5pw.5 Huneman, Philippe. “Writing the Case—Pinel as Psychiatrist.” Republics of Letters: A Journal for the Study of Knowledge, Politics, and the Arts 3, no. 2 ( January 15, 2014): http://arcade.stanford.edu/rofl/writing-case -pinel-psychiatrist. KAVKA, JEROME. “PINEL’S CONCEPTION OF THE PSYCHOPATHIC STATE: An Historical Critique.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 23, no. 5, 1949, pp. 461–68. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44442272 Kendler, Kenneth S. “Philippe Pinel and the foundations of modern psychiatric nosology.” Psychological medicine vol. 50,16 (2020): 2667-2672. doi:10.1017/S0033291720004183 Lakritz, Kenneth, MD. “Michel Foucault’s Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason.” Psychiatric Times. Vol. 26, no. 6. June 4, 2009. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/michel-foucaults-madness-and-civilization-history-insanity-age-reason Paradowski, Robert J., PhD. “Philippe Pinel.” EBSCO. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/philippe-pinel Pearce, J.M.S. “The beginnings of humane psychiatry: Pinel and the Tukes.” Hektoen International. June 4, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/06/04/the-beginnings-of-humane-psychiatry-pinel-and-the-tukes/ Pinel, Philippe. Tr. by Gordon Hickish, David Healy, Louis C. Charland. “MEDICO-PHILOSOPHICAL TREATISE ON MENTAL ALIENATION.” Wiley-Blackwell. 2008. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/9780470712238.fmatter Pinel, Philippe. “A Treatise on Insanity … “ Sheffield. W. Todd. 1806. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4snWNO1lETAC/page/n7/mode/2up Pinel, Philippe. “A Treatise on Insanity.” New York : Published under the auspices of the Library of the New York Academy of Medicine by Hafner Pub. Co. 1962. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/treatiseoninsani0000pine/page/n1/mode/2up Weiner, D B. “Philippe Pinel's "Memoir on Madness" of December 11, 1794: a fundamental text of modern psychiatry.” The American journal of psychiatry. vol. 149,6 (1992): 725-32. doi:10.1176/ajp.149.6.725 Weissmann, Gerald. “Citizen Pinel and the Madman at Bellevue.” The FASEB Journal. May 1, 2008. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.08-0501ufm WILLIAMS, ELIZABETH A. “Stomach and Psyche: Eating, Digestion, and Mental Illness in the Medicine of Philippe Pinel.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 84, no. 3, 2010, pp. 358–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44448968 WOODS, EVELYN A., and ERIC T. CARLSON. “THE PSYCHIATRY OF PHILIPPE PINEL.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 35, no. 1, 1961, pp. 14–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44446761 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/14/26 • 39:13
This 2020 episode covers the Flexner Report, which is often credited with changing the medical field and shaping what medical education looks like today. But this document negatively impacted medicine in the Black community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/12/26 • 39:30
Tracy and Holly talk about corporal punishment in schools and student loans. Tracy relays her experience at the British Museum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/11/26 • 31:02
Ashurbanipal was the ruler of the Assyrian empire in the 7th century BCE. His 38-year reign was marked by both scholarship and a terrifying brutality. Research: "Babylon." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2025. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FBabylon%2F11618&ebboatid=9265928. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026. Ashurbanipal Library Project. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/asbp/index.html " Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, Gale, 1998. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631000306/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f497ef8d. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026. Bonatz, Dominik. “Ashurbanipal's Headhunt: An Anthropological Perspective.” Iraq , 2004, Vol. 66, Nineveh. Papers of the 49th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Part One (2004). https://www.jstor.org/stable/4200564 “Ashurbanipal.” https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/ashurbanipal Fincke, Jeanette C. “The British Museum's Ashurbanipal Library Project.” Iraq , 2004, Vol. 66, Nineveh. Papers of the 49th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Part One (2004). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4200559 Hughes, Tristan. “Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria.” The Ancients podcast. 8/20/2025. https://shows.acast.com/the-ancients/episodes/ashurbanipal-the-last-great-king-of-assyria Osborne, James. “He tried to conquer knowledge itself – instead this ancient Mesopotamian king resorted to rule with terror.” History Extra. 8/14/2025. https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-history/he-tried-to-conquer-knowledge-itself/ Taylor, Jonathan. 'About the project', Ashurbanipal Library Project, The Ashurbanipal Library Project, Department of the Middle East, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, 2022 http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/asbp/Abouttheproject/ The British Museum. “Who was Ashurbanipal?” https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/who-was-ashurbanipal Urbanus, Jason. “Royal Bibliophile.” Archaeology. Jul/Aug2024, Vol. 77 Issue 4, p40-41. Wilkes, Jonny. “Ashurbanipal 'the Great', the Lion of Assyria.” History Extra. https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-history/who-was-ashurbanipal-lion-assyria-facts/ Wiseman, Donald John. "Ashurbanipal". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ashurbanipal. Accessed 17 August 2026 Wisnom, Selena. “The Library of Ashurbanipal.” History Today. 4/4/2025. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/library-ashurbanipal See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/9/26 • 37:30
This episode takes a quick look at six U.S. Supreme Court cases that all have to do with the rights of children in public primary and secondary schools. Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/374/203 Bowman, Kristine. “West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943).” Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/west-virginia-state-board-of-education-v-barnette/ Cornell Law School. “Engel v. Vitale (1962).) https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/engel_v._vitale_(1962) Dynia, Philip A. “Rights of Students.” Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. 8/11/2023, updated 5/27/2026. https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/rights-of-students/ Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/370/421/ Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/484/260/ Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651 (1977). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/430/651/ Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651 (1977). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/430/651/ National Education Association. “Corporal Punishment in Schools Still Legal in Many States.” https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/corporal-punishment-schools-still-legal-many-states Oyez. “West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.” https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/319us624 Pfeffer, Leo. “THE NEW YORK REGENTS’ PRAYER CASE (ENGEL V. VITALE).” Journal of Church and State, vol. 4, no. 2, 1962, pp. 150–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/stable/23913195. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969) https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/393/503/ West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943) https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/319/624/#tab-opinion-1937809 Zinn Education Project. “June 14, 1943: Supreme Court Finds Compulsory Flag Salutes Unconstitutional.” https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/compulsory-flag-salutes-unconstitutional/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/7/26 • 41:15
This 2021 episode covers Olympe de Gouges, known primarily for her 1791 pamphlet “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen.” But her writing and political activity went far beyond that one pamphlet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/5/26 • 36:49
Holly shares additional details of Percy Fawcett's life, including theories about his interest in spiritualism leading him to some odd conclusions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/4/26 • 16:43
The second part of Percy Fawcett's story delves into his fascination with a document known as Manuscript 512 and how it impacted his life. His obsession led to his disappearance; there has been endless speculation about what exactly happened. Research: Biello, David. “Ancient Amazon Actually Highly Urbanized.” Scientific American. August 28, 2008. “The Brazilian Indigenous People.” Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/peoples/brazilian Britannica Editors. "Mato Grosso". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Jan. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/place/Mato-Grosso Canal-Soler, Jordi. “The man who died searching for the Lost City of Z.” National geographic. June 13, 2024. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/percy-fawcett-search-lost-city-of-z Fawcett, Lt-Col P.H. “Exploration Fawcett.” Hutchinson & Co. London. 1953. “Fawcett’s Bones Believed Found; Explorer Lost in Brazil Jungle in ’25.” New York Times. April 4, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/04/04/82103136.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Fawcett Mystery Unsolved.” New York Times. Nov. 5, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/11/05/81775504.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Grann, David. “The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon.” Doubleday. 2009. “Hidden City Is the Goal.” Los Angeles Times. Jan 12, 1925. https://www.newspapers.com/image/380427463/ Hutchison, Percy. “Hunting for Lost Explorers in the Jungles of Brazil.” New York Times. Jan. 26, 1930. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/26/96041140.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Moutinho, Sofia. “A Foundation of Trust.” Science. Nov. 6, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/unearth-their-past-amazonian-people-turn-language-white-men-understand “'Lost' report exposes Brazilian Indian genocide.” Survival International. April 25, 2013. https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9191 “On Colonel Fawcett’s Train in Unknown Brazil by Air and River.” Illustrated London News. Sep 10, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143308620/?match=2&terms=%22Vincenzo%20Petrullo%22&search-id=72603589-1171-4291-b93b-9c5eeffb7d90&search-rank=1 “Percy Fawcett.” Spike Island. https://www.spikeislandcork.ie/percy-fawcett/ “Lieutenant Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett DSO, (MiD).” Tiegnmouth & Shaldon Remembers WW1. Teign Heritage. https://www.teignheritageworldwar.org.uk/index.php/lieutenant-colonel-percy-harrison-fawcett Pezzati, Alessandro. "The Lost Explorer." Expedition Magazine59, no. 2. September, 2017. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-lost-explorer/ Potts, Mary Anne. “Finding Machu Picchu: A Look at Explorer Hiram Bingham, A Real-Life Indiana Jones.” National Geographic. May 26, 2010. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/machu-picchu-hiram-bingham “Remembering Col. Fawcett in WWI.” Torquay Museum. Nov. 4, 2021. https://torquaymuseum.org/news/view/remembering-col-fawcett-in-wwi Ribeiro, Taisa Alves and André Luiz Alves Moreno. “Towards an Archaeology of the Written Culture of Chapada Diamantina-BA: The Case of Manuscript 512.” Garimpus: Journal of Languages, Education and Culture in Chapada Diamantina. Vol. 2, no. 1. 2021. https://www.revistas.uneb.br/garimpus/article/view/8740 “Son of Lost Explorer Says Bones Are Not Fawcett's.” New York Times. Nov. 4, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/11/04/96221387.html?pageNumber=66 Squires, Cole. “TRANSCRIPTION/TRANSLATION NOTES (Manuscript 512).” Harvard. https://people.math.harvard.edu/~knill/teaching/mathe320_2021/exhibits/manuscript512/translation.pdf “Sustainable Mato Grosso.” Amazon Fund. https://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/projeto/Sustainable-Mato-Grosso/ “Swindon Woman Awaits News of Colonel Fawcett.” Swindon Advertiser. April 13, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1209686028/?match=2&terms=%22percy%20fawcett%22&search-id=667a33c0-fac9-457e-bcf9-349a1d9b7e9f&search-rank=2 “Why do they hide?” Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3104-why-do-they-hide See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9/2/26 • 37:11
Fawcett’s life has invited controversy and speculation, because he was a man who did a mix of great and shady things. Part one covers his early life, marriage, military service, and early visits to South America. Research: Biello, David. “Ancient Amazon Actually Highly Urbanized.” Scientific American. August 28, 2008. “The Brazilian Indigenous People.” Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/peoples/brazilian Britannica Editors. "Mato Grosso". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Jan. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/place/Mato-Grosso Canal-Soler, Jordi. “The man who died searching for the Lost City of Z.” National geographic. June 13, 2024. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/percy-fawcett-search-lost-city-of-z Fawcett, Lt-Col P.H. “Exploration Fawcett.” Hutchinson & Co. London. 1953. “Fawcett’s Bones Believed Found; Explorer Lost in Brazil Jungle in ’25.” New York Times. April 4, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/04/04/82103136.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Fawcett Mystery Unsolved.” New York Times. Nov. 5, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/11/05/81775504.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Grann, David. “The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon.” Doubleday. 2009. “Hidden City Is the Goal.” Los Angeles Times. Jan 12, 1925. https://www.newspapers.com/image/380427463/ Hutchison, Percy. “Hunting for Lost Explorers in the Jungles of Brazil.” New York Times. Jan. 26, 1930. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/26/96041140.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Moutinho, Sofia. “A Foundation of Trust.” Science. Nov. 6, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/unearth-their-past-amazonian-people-turn-language-white-men-understand “'Lost' report exposes Brazilian Indian genocide.” Survival International. April 25, 2013. https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9191 “On Colonel Fawcett’s Train in Unknown Brazil by Air and River.” Illustrated London News. Sep 10, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143308620/?match=2&terms=%22Vincenzo%20Petrullo%22&search-id=72603589-1171-4291-b93b-9c5eeffb7d90&search-rank=1 “Percy Fawcett.” Spike Island. https://www.spikeislandcork.ie/percy-fawcett/ “Lieutenant Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett DSO, (MiD).” Tiegnmouth & Shaldon Remembers WW1. Teign Heritage. https://www.teignheritageworldwar.org.uk/index.php/lieutenant-colonel-percy-harrison-fawcett Pezzati, Alessandro. "The Lost Explorer." Expedition Magazine59, no. 2. September, 2017. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-lost-explorer/ Potts, Mary Anne. “Finding Machu Picchu: A Look at Explorer Hiram Bingham, A Real-Life Indiana Jones.” National Geographic. May 26, 2010. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/machu-picchu-hiram-bingham “Remembering Col. Fawcett in WWI.” Torquay Museum. Nov. 4, 2021. https://torquaymuseum.org/news/view/remembering-col-fawcett-in-wwi Ribeiro, Taisa Alves and André Luiz Alves Moreno. “Towards an Archaeology of the Written Culture of Chapada Diamantina-BA: The Case of Manuscript 512.” Garimpus: Journal of Languages, Education and Culture in Chapada Diamantina. Vol. 2, no. 1. 2021. https://www.revistas.uneb.br/garimpus/article/view/8740 “Son of Lost Explorer Says Bones Are Not Fawcett's.” New York Times. Nov. 4, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/11/04/96221387.html?pageNumber=66 Squires, Cole. “TRANSCRIPTION/TRANSLATION NOTES (Manuscript 512).” Harvard. https://people.math.harvard.edu/~knill/teaching/mathe320_2021/exhibits/manuscript512/translation.pdf “Sustainable Mato Grosso.” Amazon Fund. https://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/projeto/Sustainable-Mato-Grosso/ “Swindon Woman Awaits News of Colonel Fawcett.” Swindon Advertiser. April 13, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1209686028/?match=2&terms=%22percy%20fawcett%22&search-id=667a33c0-fac9-457e-bcf9-349a1d9b7e9f&search-rank=2 “Why do they hide?” Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3104-why-do-they-hide See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8/31/26 • 34:06
This 2021 episode covers a period of time when the milk supply in New York was anything but appetizing and wholesome – it was often deadly. But efforts to address the problem were blocked by corrupt officials.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8/29/26 • 39:22
Tracy shares a story of looking for an article in the wrong historical journal. Holly reads a section of the U.S. flag code, and waxes rhapsodic about toys.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8/28/26 • 33:26