Footnoting History

(Host: Ben)

Beginning in the early 20th century, African American intellectuals and organizers such as W.E.B. Dubois and Marcus Garvey held surprising views of solidarity towards the increasingly powerful Imperial Japanese government. Their views evolved in the years leading up to and during the Second World War, however perceptions of a sympathetic ally from both sides of the Pacific disseminated into many rural African American farming communities in the decades leading up to the Modern Civil Rights Movement. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we discuss this lesser known and very complicated relationship in recent history.

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy)

A bestselling novel you’ve probably never heard of created pop culture waves and sparked a mid-Victorian tourist industry. Westward Ho! is full of daring adventures, exciting sea battles, lush landscapes, and romance, but – unlike the novels of Stevenson and Dickens – is mostly forgotten today. Its author, Charles Kingsley, was an Anglican clergyman, amateur historian, and zealous social reformer. Westward Ho! illustrates his passionate engagement with the issues of his time, from evolution and empire to religious practice. This episode explores these Victorian debates as well as the novel’s mythos of Elizabeth seafarers and the Devon coastline. 

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Jessica)

Red lipstick is one of the oldest cosmetics on earth. From its oldest archaeological documentation in Bronze Age Ira n, to women in the military being issued 'Montezuma Red' lipstick to spite Hitler. This episode of Footnoting History explores the history and impact of this famous cosmetic. 

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ted)

In the fall of 1775, the British and American forces were stuck in a prolonged stalemate around Boston, Massachusetts. Then, a young bookseller with a passion for fortifications and artillery, came to General Washington with a bold idea. Join me on Footnoting History as we learn about Henry Knox’s ambitious plan to save the fledgling American Revolution.

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha)

Have ever had jury duty? Do you dread it or would you like to see what it’s like? The jury – or, rather, the right to a trial by jury – is a cornerstone of the Anglo-American tradition, but where did it come from? Tune into this episode of Footnoting History to learn more.

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Jessica)

The human cost of World War I was extreme; enlisting meant you and the other men in your village went off to serve together. This also meant that in a single battle, one community might lose all of its young men. And yet there were a few villages where everyone came home; these 'Thankful Villages' became both a blessing and a curse. 

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ben)

In the mid-4th century CE, the powerful Aksumite civilization officially adopted Christianity as its state religion. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we look at this often-forgotten chapter of African history and explore the kingdom’s broader trade relationship with the Greco-Roman world.

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Kristin)

In 1676, the Marquise de Brinvilliers stood trial in Paris for poisoning. It was a shocking revelation – and result – and, as it turned out, only the beginning of a much larger scandal known as the Affair of the Poisons. Learn about the scandal that rocked Paris on this episode of Footnoting History!       

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine) 

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha)

Taverns are frequently imagined as bleak, rowdy places occupied exclusively by men but for the occasional buxom serving wench. The popular image, however, does not match the depiction of drinking establishments in medieval sources. Learn more about how medieval drinking establishments should be envisioned in this special revisiting episode of Footnoting History.

For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com