Not Past It

How a Nazi battle on June 22, 1941 led to one of the biggest movie musicals of all time. Can you guess how we get there? This episode originally aired on June 23, 2021.

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To commemorate both Pride and Banned Books Month, we're exploring how books have been banned and challenged here in the US — and how determined authors inspire the next generation of writers. We’re joined by Lil Miss Hot Mess, the author of “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” and board member of Drag Story Hour.

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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis played the best game of his career while tripping on acid. On June 12, 1970, Ellis pitched a no-hitter. Simone tells the story of his trip and what it can teach us about psychedelic drugs and performance anxiety.

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In celebration of Pride Month, Simone and producer Remoy Philip pound the NYC pavement in search of important locales from Black and brown LGBTQ+ history—some hidden in plain sight. This episode originally aired in June 2022.

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This week on Not Past It, we have big news. And we are processing it the only way we know how: with trivia about the past, of course! Podcasting superstars, close friends, and bitter rivals Saidu Tejan Thomas and Emmanuel Dzotsi join us for a trivia battle to mark an important new era in Not Past It history. Follow @simonepolanen for updates on the future of Not Past It.

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This week, we’re bringing you an oldie but a goodie! The story of Marie Grosholtz better known as Madame Tussaud, the enigmatic woman behind a global wax museum franchise. Before the replicas of Taylor Swift and RuPaul, Madame Tussaud befriended royals and dodged guillotines during the French Revolution. Through her wax figures and eye for fame, she helped create the celebrity machine that still powers our culture all these years later. Plus, we talk to actor and star Danny Trejo about what it’s like to get immortalized in wax.

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On May 12, 1932, ninety-one years ago this week, an infamous kidnapping came to its tragic conclusion. This kidnapping, which came to be known as “the Crime of the Century,” marked a loss of innocence for young people at the time, but would go on to shape the hopes, fears, and careers of generations of children. We’re joined by actor, writer, and former child actor Rivkah Reyes (School of Rock).

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On May 3, 1997, an epic showdown began in New York City. Garry Kasparov, the Michael Jordan of the chess world, went toe to toe against a terrifying opponent...a computer. Before Chat GPT, before DALL-E …there was Deep Blue. IBM’s chess playing supercomputer that threatened to topple human intellect. Today, we’re revisiting the seriously dramatic battle between man and microchip, and what it tells us about the promises and perils of AI. 

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On April 24, 1996, the WNBA was created by the National Basketball Association. But the story of the WNBA is actually the story of TWO women’s basketball leagues -- and their battle over players, TV rights, and the value of women’s labor.

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What happens when writers, producers, and actors recreate history for the silver screen? For our 100th episode, we wanted to find out. So we called up actress and activist Q’orianka Kilcher, who has portrayed a bunch of historical figures— like Pocahontas and Princess Ka’iulani of Hawai’i. On the show, Q’orianka tells us what it takes to play a real-life person and how portraying moments from history changes her relationship to it.

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