Christory: History Where You Least Expect It

Get out your tutus faithful listeners - Christory is en pointe! Julliard hasn’t called yet, and Christory’s got ballet and history on the brain. You don’t have to be a bunhead to enjoy this podcast. Before we have a rap battle about whether ballet is a sport or an art, aren’t you curious where it all came from and what pointe shoes actually feel like? The 250th anniversary of the USA theme continues with a surprise appearance by Christopher Columbus. Always expect the unexpected here at Christory.

To mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Christory has thoughts about memorization and conspiracy theories around aviation tragedies. This episode manifested in the chilling Museum for the Memory of the Ustica in Bologna, Italy. Historians shape both what society remembers and how it remembers it—without us, public memory inevitably decays. AI chatbots could not do it, but Christory has connected back to this season’s American Revolution theme using her bona fide human noodle.

Christory has a bucket of tomatoes aimed at The Odyssey. The myth is a epic poem to be admired. On the (Achilles) heels of our happy birthday USA podcast, Jefferson adored the poem. Be like Tommy J and pick up a copy and read it for yourself. The film is so off-base it isn’t even in the stadium, but you can walk Odysseus’ imagined footsteps on the Ulysses Coast in Italy. They have used this moniker since 2003 as a carrot to attract tourists. Can we find him there? Will the “real” Odysseus please stand up?

A very merry unbirthday to you, USA! Get your Mad Hatter on, and go through the looking glass to see the realities of life in the old country. 10 “God bless America” moments brought to you by a grumpy expat in Italy. Christory is happy to eat all the lettuce, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Who eats lettuce at a party anyway? Get your leftover Fudgie the Whale cake out of the freezer, and enjoy some pointed ethnography.

We hit a massive milestone! We are celebrating the 25th episode of Christory with the energy of this season’s Happy 250th USA vibes. Who would you put on the list of 25 American Revolution MVPs? The US Postal Service dropped their 25 picks and, as usual, Christory’s got something to say. Most importantly, thank YOU listeners. Like Notorious B.I.G. said, the sky’s the limit. Here’s to the next 25 and the off-the-wall history that paves the way for so many unforgettable stories. 

What was Christory doing in the 1990's? She was listening to the Golden Age of Hip Hop of Hot 97 and up to her eyeballs in a news cycle she can’t forget. Explore 9 of the most shocking and memorable news stories to come out of the 90's. Dare to ask why we are so nostalgic for the decade? Was it really all that and a bag of chips? History doesn’t have to be distant or exotic to be the bomb. Now get off the internet, I have to use the phone!

Do you love history, but the Semiquincentennial’s political drama has more beef than the 90s East Coast-West Coast hip hop battle and that’s got you down? This season is for you. We are rollin’ in like neutral Switzerland starting with the French Rev which is the wild cousin of the much tamer American Rev. Marie Antoinette, who never said anything about cake, lives rent free in our minds for good reason. Have you ever asked what’s up with that?

The Papal Jubilee is finally rounding home plate. We’ll have to wait outside the club for the next shot at redemption in 2033. In the meantime, Christory knows well that barbarians have a nice long history at the Roman gate. If you think you know everything about the mac daddy of Rome’s falls, think again. Reconsider 476 CE the way you didn’t learn about it in high school.

Heading to Naples for the pizza? Well, don’t forget All Souls Day and bring some to your dear departed because nothing says lovin’ like pizza. Where my taphophiles at because Chistory is riding the runaway Jubilee train to the cemetery through Samhain and rocking the liminal space of transitioning to the dark half of the year like a Gaelic boss. 

The Conjuring has Christory moving from endless summer to Summerween. We’ve got questions about demons and the papacy has answers. According to some exorcists, demons get especially irritated during holy years, so get your PSL and let’s hit the streets of Rome and see what this jubilee means for some historical demonic sites around town.