Kittie Wilkins, the Horse Queen of Idaho

Guest: Philip Homan, Catalog Librarian and Associate Professor at Idaho State University’s Eli M. Oboler Library

Kittie Wilkins, known as the “Horse Queen of Idaho,” became a millionaire in the late 1800s thanks to being one of the most prolific horse traders in history. Trained as a classical pianist, she was refined—in no way a tomboy—and she capitalized on her femininity in her business dealings. 

The Hidden Canadian Island Where Wild Horses Roam

Guest: Zoe Lucas, President of Sable Island Institute

Home to more feral horses than people, Sable Island is a thin strip of land off the coast of Nova Scotia. Its history is rife with tales about shipwrecks and roaming sea merchants. Turns out, the island is also an important place for scientific observation. We spoke with Zoe Lucas, a Sable Island researcher, about the history and significance of this little-known place.

Kittie Wilkins, the Horse Queen of Idaho

Guest: Philip Homan, Catalog Librarian and Associate Professor at Idaho State University’s Eli M. Oboler Library

Kittie Wilkins, known as the “Horse Queen of Idaho,” became a millionaire in the late 1800s thanks to being one of the most prolific horse traders in history. Trained as a classical pianist, she was refined—in no way a tomboy—and she capitalized on her femininity in her business dealings. 

 

The Hidden Canadian Island Where Wild Horses Roam

Guest: Zoe Lucas, President of Sable Island Institute

Home to more feral horses than people, Sable Island is a thin strip of land off the coast of Nova Scotia. Its history is rife with tales about shipwrecks and roaming sea merchants. Turns out, the island is also an important place for scientific observation. We spoke with Zoe Lucas, a Sable Island researcher, about the history and significance of this little-known place.

From Fear of Elevators to Champion Acrobatic Pilot

Guest: Cecilia Aragon, Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, and author of "Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team"

Cecilia Aragon was so afraid of heights that she couldn't ride in an elevator. She began to feel like her fear was defining her life, and when a co-worker invited her to go flying with him, she said yes. In just six years, she would be flying in acrobatic air shows. She broke barriers to become the first Latina pilot on the US Areobatic Team and the first full professor in her department at the UW. 

Fly Girls

Guest: Keith O’Brien, journalist and author of “Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History”

Amelia Earhart wasn't the only pioneering female pilot in the skies in the '20s and '30s. She was the president of The Ninety-Nines, a group of women who were all licensed pilots. They came from different backgrounds, but they all supported each other in their pursuit of flying. But that doesn't mean that they didn't compete against each other as well in the race for prizes and accolades in air races and record-breaking feats of daring.

From Fear of Elevators to Champion Acrobatic Pilot

Guest: Cecilia Aragon, Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, and author of "Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team"

Cecilia Aragon was so afraid of heights that she couldn't ride in an elevator. She began to feel like her fear was defining her life, so when a co-worker invited her to go flying with him, she said yes. In just six years, she would be flying in acrobatic air shows. She broke barriers to become the first Latina pilot on the US Aerobatic Team and the first full professor in her department at the UW. 

 

Fly Girls

Guest: Keith O’Brien, journalist and author of “Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History”

Amelia Earhart wasn't the only pioneering female pilot in the skies in the '20s and '30s. She was the president of The Ninety-Nines, a group of women who were all licensed pilots. They came from different backgrounds, but they all supported each other in their pursuit of flying. But that doesn't mean that they didn't compete against each other for prizes and accolades in air races and record-breaking feats of daring.

Doctors and Dracula

Guest: Dr. Fiona Subotsky, emeritus consultant child psychiatrist of the National Health Service Trust and author of "Dracula for Doctors: Medical Facts and Gothic Fantasies" 

Gothic literature conjures images of castles and counts, but medical mysteries also contribute to the horror of "Dracula." This psychiatrist sleuths around the mental and physical illnesses that drive the plot in the novel.

 

Bodysnatching Doctors in Early America

Guest: Bess Lovejoy, author of “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses” 

The practice of graverobbing for medical cadavers in the 18th century led to public riots by angry mobs. But there was a real need for bodies to study. We examine the uneasy progress made to regulate the use of cadavers and to also advance science.

Doctors and Dracula

Guest: Dr. Fiona Subotsky, emeritus consultant child psychiatrist of the National Health Service Trust and author of "Dracula for Doctors: Medical Facts and Gothic Fantasies" 

Gothic literature conjures images of castles and counts, but medical mysteries also contribute to the horror of "Dracula." This psychiatrist sleuths around the mental and physical illnesses that drive the plot in the novel.

Bodysnatching Doctors in Early America

Guest: Bess Lovejoy, author of “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses” 

The practice of graverobbing for medical cadavers in the 18th century led to public riots by angry mobs. But there was a real need for bodies to study. We examine the uneasy progress made to regulate the use of cadavers and to also advance science.

How a Couple of Nitpickers Designed the Modern World

Guest: Simon Winchester, author of "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World"

The millions of mechanical and electrical systems we rely on to drive a car, turn on a light, look at a webpage, or cook something all require precision. Simon Winchester spotlights a new way of thinking about precision that dates to the 19th century, with the rise of steam-powered machines.

The Wrong Foot

Guest: Michael Dennis, NOAA and NGS geodesist

For more than a century, America has been using two different measurements for the foot, but we’re finally dropping one, and the US will become 28.3 feet wider. How we got into this situation in the first place.

How a Couple of Nitpickers Designed the Modern World

Guest: Simon Winchester, author of "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World"

The millions of mechanical and electrical systems we rely on to drive a car, turn on a light, look at a webpage, or cook something all require precision. Simon Winchester spotlights a new way of thinking about precision that dates to the 19th century, with the rise of steam-powered machines.

 

The Wrong Foot

Guest: Michael Dennis, NOAA and NGS geodesist

For more than a century, America has been using two different measurements for the foot, but we’re finally dropping one, and the US will become 28.3 feet wider. How we got into this situation in the first place.

Baby Talks

Guest: Jenny Saffran, Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Learning to talk before you can feed yourself or go to the bathroom is a feat we take for granted. How do babies learn language? Answering that question reveals wonders of the human brain. Netflix is featuring her language lab in the series "Babies."

How English Conversation Works

Guest: David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Bangor University, and author of "Let’s Talk: How English Conversation Works"

Conversations are an essential part of our life and communication with everyone around us. But have you ever stopped to wonder how they work?

Baby Talks

Guest: Jenny Saffran, Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Learning to talk before you can feed yourself or go to the bathroom is a feat we take for granted. How do babies learn language? Answering that question reveals wonders of the human brain. Netflix is featuring her language lab in the series "Babies."

 

How English Conversation Works

Guest: David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Bangor University, and author of "Let’s Talk: How English Conversation Works"

Conversations are an essential part of our life and communication with everyone around us. But have you ever stopped to wonder how they work?