The Olympics, a 16-day sporting event with opening and closing ceremonies, involve massive costs, such as the $49.96 billion spent on Sochi 2014. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), a non-governmental organization, oversees the Games, which feature athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. The modern Olympics, revived in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin, have evolved significantly, including more women's events and diverse sports, while some original competitions like live pigeon shooting and club swinging have disappeared.

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This week the girls discuss the history of toilet paper using the book   Wiped by Ronald H. Blumer as a source.  Imagine visiting a 2,000-year-old Roman communal toilet and wondering how people managed to clean up after themselves. This curiosity uncovers a fascinating history of human hygiene practices. Ancient Greeks used stones and sponges, while medieval Europeans often reused cloth. It wasn't until the 19th century that toilet paper became widely available. Through the ages, the subject of defecation has been surrounded by stigma, influencing how different cultures approached cleanliness and sanitation. 

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Pole dancing has roots in European Maypole rituals and Indian Mallakhamb, evolving into performance art in 18th-century American circuses. Modern pole dancing gained popularity as a fitness discipline in the early 2000s, led by figures like Fawnia Mondey and Sheila Kelley. By 2009, the International Pole Sports Federation formalized the sport with established rules and competitions.

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The discovery of radium in 1898 by Pierre and Marie Curie, along with their assistant G. Bemont, sparked both fascination and commercial exploitation. Marketed as "Liquid Sunshine," radium fetched exorbitant prices and was touted as a cure-all, from cancer treatment to youth restoration. Its luminescent properties also led to its use in self-luminous paint for watches and dials, notably by young women in factories during World War I. Despite assurances of safety, these "Radium Girls" suffered severe health consequences, sparking legal battles that established important precedents in labor rights and workplace safety regulations in the late 1920s and 1930s.

Resources: https://www.britannica.com/science/radium’

Radium Girls by Kate Moor

Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity.org

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This week the girls cover the story of Margaret Lovatt from St. Thomas island.  In the 1960's she teamed up with a neuroscientist to teach dolphins human language. They built a lab funded by NASA and the Navy, complete with a "Dolphinarium" flooded with water.  Lovatt spent days with Peter the dolphin, trying to get him to say "Hello Margaret," which turned out to be quite a challenge—Shocking! Their quirky journey is captured in the documentary "The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins."

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Nestled within the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs blossomed in 1879 as a haven of healing springs, attracting comfort-seekers from far and wide. Guided by Governor Powell Clayton's vision, Eureka Springs flourished.   The Crescent Hotel opened in 1886 as a lavish retreat perched atop Crescent Mountain. Over time, the hotel transitioned into the Crescent College for Women, only to later fall into the hands of Norman Baker, a fraudulent figure who exploited its reputation for his notorious cancer clinic, enduring periods of decline and destruction. Despite setbacks, Marty and Elise Roenigk's restoration efforts in the late 1990s preserved the Crescent's historic allure while updating it with modern amenities, solidifying its position as a symbol of hospitality and fascination in Eureka Springs.

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