Stuff You Missed in History Class

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Society & Culture History

What's Stuff You Missed in History Class about?

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

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Charles Chapin’s Complicate...

09.26.2022

Chapin built a life people envied, and had a great deal of power. His entire biography is full of noteworthy achievements and awards. As a newsman, he covered many of the key moments of the late 19th and early 20th ...

Stuff You Missed in History Class episodes:

09.26.2022 Charles Chapin’s Complicated Life, Part 1 Chapin built a life people envied, and had a great deal of power. His entire biography is full of noteworthy achievements and awards. As a newsman, he covered many of the key moments of the late 19th and early 20th ...
09.24.2022 SYMHC Classics: General Slocum Disaster This 2019 episode covers the burning of the P.S. General Slocum in the East River in New York on June 15, 1904. It had been chartered for a group outing that suddenly became a deadly maritime disaster. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
09.23.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Eugene Tracy and Holly talk about hunting for sources for Eugene Jacques Bullard's story, and his unpublished memoir. They also talk about wanting to return to Paris knowing Bullard's story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
09.21.2022 Eugene Jacques Bullard and the Paris Jazz Age (Pt. 2) After World War I ended, Eugene Jacques Bullard returned to Paris. He worked as a jazz drummer and nightclub owner, and as the tensions that led to World War II loomed, as an intelligence agent for France.
09.19.2022 Eugene Jacques Bullard, Combat Pilot (Pt. 1) Bullard is often described as the first Black American fighter pilot – which is true – but he also had a full and fascinating life beyond that. This episode covers his travels before WWI and his military career.
09.17.2022 SYMHC Classics: Jack Johnson This 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina discusses how during Jack Johnson's time, the heavyweight championship was unofficially a whites-only title. Despite discrimination, Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion, but some questioned his legitimacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
09.16.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Lavinia and Imogene Holly and Tracy talk about the gossip surrounding two of Livinia Fontana Zappi's paintings. They also discuss the degree to which people ignored Imogene Rechtin's actual messaging about kissing when criticizing her campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
09.14.2022 Imogene Rechtin’s ‘Kiss Not’ Campaign In the early 1900s, Imogene Rechtin started a crusade to get people to stop kissing socially as a way to stop disease spread. Her argument was sound, but she was largely dismissed as being uptight.
09.12.2022 Lavinia Fontana Zappi Lavinia Fontana was taught painting by her father, and became one of the earliest examples of a woman with an independent career in art that supported her family. She became very well-known for her portraits and her devotional art.
09.10.2022 SYMHC Classics: Polio, The Dread Disease This 2011 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina covers polio, a threat in the early 20th century that often left victims paralyzed or dead. Vaccines caused an immediate drop in polio cases and today have nearly eradicated the disease. ...
09.09.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Mold and Monarchs Tracy and Holly talk about school science fairs and their performance in them. They then discuss the interesting aspect of Field of Cloth of Gold preparations that put people from England and France side by side as they worked. See ...
09.07.2022 Field of Cloth of Gold The Field of Cloth of Gold was a summit and celebration that was held to start what was hoped to be a long-term alliance between France and England. And it required a lot of fancy footwork to keep two monarchs ...
09.05.2022 Penicillin: More than a Moldy Petri Dish The development of penicillin started – but definitely did not end – with the chance discovery of some mold in a petri dish. There is so much more to the story.
09.03.2022 SYMHC Classics: Elizabeth Jennings Graham The subject of this 2018 episode is sometimes called a 19th-century Rosa Parks. When Elizabeth boarded a Manhattan streetcar in 1854, a chain of events began which became an important to the civil rights of New York's Black citizens. See ...
09.02.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Dishwashers and Desmond Holly speculates about how one article about Josephine Cochrane got so many details wrong. Tracy then talks about the details of Canada's currency featuring Viola Desmond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.31.2022 Viola Desmond Desmond was convicted after refusing to leave her seat in a segregated movie theater in Nova Scotia in 1946. But she also established the first beauty salon for Black women her area, and founded a beauty school for Black women.
08.29.2022 Invention of the Dishwasher There is one woman in particular who normally gets the credit for inventing the dish washer. But there were other inventors trying to come up with ways to automatically take care of kitchen clean up both before and after Josephine ...
08.27.2022 SYMHC Classics: Great London Smog This 2014 episode covers why when the Great London Smog descended in December of 1952, nobody initially realized anything unusual was going on. At its largest, it extended 30 kilometers around London, and it killed thousands of people. See omnystudio.com/listener ...
08.26.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Lowry and Midgley Tracy and Holly discuss resources for learning more about the Lumbee and the unique nature of North Carolina's outdoor historical dramas. Additionally, they discuss lead, cartoonist Roz Chast, and Midgley's death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.24.2022 Thomas Midgley Jr.’s Deadly Inventions Midgley was a deeply respected researcher and chemist who received multiple awards. He also developed both leaded gas and freon, two substances banned around the world now because they are very bad for the environment and public health.
08.22.2022 The Lowry War The Lowry Gang fought back against Confederate authorities during the U.S. Civil War and during Reconstruction they came to be viewed as either Robin Hood-esque folk heroes or as dangerous murderers and thieves, depending on who you were asking.
08.20.2022 SYMHC Classics: Alice Hamilton and Occupational Medicine This 2019 episode covers a trailblazer in science and medicine. Hamilton dedicated her life to improving the workplace standards for laborers in an effort to reduce illnesses that came from working with toxic chemicals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.19.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Butterflies and Photos Holly and Tracy discuss the ways they encountered butterflies in their childhoods and how people can help conservation efforts at home. They also talk through some of the stories of Weegee's life that didn't make it into the episode. See ...
08.17.2022 Weegee the Famous Weegee is often cited as having been an influence on artists like Diane Arbus and Andy Warhol. He also influenced the world in how New York was viewed, because of his stark, black and white photos of the city.
08.15.2022 The Developing History of Monarch Butterflies Monarch butterflies are still in the middle of their story – and it’s one that is precarious. Humans are still trying to figure out a lot about them, and aspects of the monarch story have been misrepresented over the years.
08.13.2022 SYMHC Classics: Giorgio Vasari This 2018 episode covers an artist and architect from 16th-century Italy. But what really made him famous was his writing. He penned biographies of famous artists, but he wasn't very exacting about the details. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.12.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Diesel and Ibn Khaldūn Holly and Tracy talk about the gossipy nature of press coverage about men like Rudolph Diesel. The gap between Ibn Khaldūn's life and the time when analysis of his work really began is also discussed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.10.2022 Ibn Khaldūn Ibn Khaldūn was a Muslim writer who covered history, economics and sociology. He lived during a time of chaos and strife, and his life was mired in the political drama and intrigue of the day.
08.08.2022 The Life and Disappearance of Rudolf Diesel We have enough pieces of the story of Rudolf Diesel’s life that remain consistent that we can fairly confidently construct his biography. But the way his life ended will forever be a mystery.
08.06.2022 SYMHC Classics: Tamerlane and the Battle of Ankara This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers Timur the Lame (Tamerlane to Westerners) conquering areas from Persia to Russia throughout the late 1300s, and his last great battle in Ankara against Sultan Bayezid I. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
08.05.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Blood Pressure and Zippers Tracy and Holly talk about blood pressure and Diuril man. Holly then shares a story of how early fastener sales worked and how zippers have become specialized. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08.03.2022 Zippers! The development of the zipper was oddly arduous, with many fastener versions tried out before the zipper we know today and have on our clothes, handbags, and luggage was finally figured out.
08.01.2022 Hypertension: A History Ancient cultures all over the world used the pulse as a diagnostic tool. And eventually, we figured out how to measure blood pressure, and hypertension came to be viewed as a disease.
07.30.2022 SYMHC Classics: Unearthed! USS Indianapolis This 2017 episode covers the U.S.S. Indianapolis, known today for its crew's horrifying wait for rescue after being torpedoed following a secret mission at the end of World War II. But the ship's history goes back much farther than that. ...
07.29.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Gustave and Griswold Holly and Tracy talk about Courbet's arrogance and some gossip about his life. They also discuss the legal loopholes that enable inanimate objects to be named as parties in court cases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07.27.2022 Griswold v. Connecticut Griswold v. Connecticut was the U.S. supreme court decision that overturned laws banning contraception – at least, for married couples. It wasn’t the first SCOTUS decision to mention the concept of privacy, but it was a major one.
07.25.2022 Gustave Courbet Courbet was iconic even in his own lifetime. He flew in the face of artistic convention, turned down awards, and ushered in a new movement of Realism in France. He also became embroiled in the country’s political turmoil.
07.23.2022 SYMHC Classics: 5 Shipwreck Stories This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers the sinking of Black Sam's Wydah, the Medusa's disastrous accident off the African coast, and other historical shipwrecks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07.22.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Unearthed! Wrap-up Tracy and Holly discuss the ways that events in the real-world impact choices of what goes into the show. They also discuss the anonymous purchase of historically significant items, and library collection maintenance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07.20.2022 Unearthed! in July 2022, Part 2 The second installment of things literally or figuratively unearthed that appeared in the news in the the second quarter of 2022 includes some animal stuff, some art stuff, and a bit of potpourri.
07.18.2022 Unearthed! in July 2022, Part 1 It's time for the July 2022 edition of Unearthed! Part one this time includes updates, some jewelry, some auctions, some books and letters, and some shipwrecks.
07.16.2022 SYMHC Classics: The Discovery of 'Planet' Ceres This 2016 episode delves into the search for a planet lurking in the gap between Mars and Jupiter, resulting in the finding of Ceres. This object's story is one of scientific cattiness and our ever-evolving understanding of space. See omnystudio.com/listener ...
07.15.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Busy Emily Tracy and Holly talk about aspects of Emily Hobhouse's work that make them feel conflicted, as well as the most moving parts of her life story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07.13.2022 Emily Hobhouse and the First World War, Pt. 2 Hobhouse's work in South Africa continued after the second Anglo-Boer War was over, and her work as a humanitarian and peace activist continued during and after World War I.
07.11.2022 Emily Hobhouse and the Boer War, Pt. 1 Hobhouse was a pacifist and humanitarian all her life. Part one covers her work exposing terrible conditions at the concentration camps that Britain established in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War.
07.09.2022 SYMHC Classics: The Cuyahoga River's Last Fires This 2017 episode covers the Cuyahoga River catching fire for the last time in 1969. This event is often credited with helping pass the Clean Water Act and inspire the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
07.08.2022 Behind the Scenes Minis: Deborah and Bibb Tracy and Holly discuss Deborah Sampson’s disguise as Robert Shurtlliff and women who were camp followers in the Revolutionary War. They also discuss Major Richard Bibb waiting until his death to emancipate his enslaved workforce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07.06.2022 Lettuce, Slavery, and the Bibb Legacy John Bibb is credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth.
07.04.2022 Deborah Sampson Gannett, aka Private Robert Shurtlliff Deborah Sampson could count William Bradford and Myles Standish in her family tree. That tree didn’t include Robert Shurtlliff; that was the alias Deborah used to enlist in the Continental Army.
07.02.2022 SYMHC Classics: Lucretia Mott This episode revisits the studio version of our live show the 2018 Seneca Falls Convention Days at Women's Rights National Historical Park. Lucretia Mott was small of stature, but made a huge impact as an abolition and women's rights activist, ...

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Stuff You Missed in History Class

What's Stuff You Missed in History Class about?

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Stuff You Missed in History Class episodes:

Charles Chapin’s Complicated Life, Part 1

SYMHC Classics: General Slocum Disaster

Behind the Scenes Minis: Eugene

Eugene Jacques Bullard and the Paris Jazz Age (Pt. 2)

Eugene Jacques Bullard, Combat Pilot (Pt. 1)

SYMHC Classics: Jack Johnson

Behind the Scenes Minis: Lavinia and Imogene

Imogene Rechtin’s ‘Kiss Not’ Campaign

Lavinia Fontana Zappi

SYMHC Classics: Polio, The Dread Disease

Behind the Scenes Minis: Mold and Monarchs

Field of Cloth of Gold

Penicillin: More than a Moldy Petri Dish

SYMHC Classics: Elizabeth Jennings Graham

Behind the Scenes Minis: Dishwashers and Desmond

Viola Desmond

Invention of the Dishwasher

SYMHC Classics: Great London Smog

Behind the Scenes Minis: Lowry and Midgley

Thomas Midgley Jr.’s Deadly Inventions

The Lowry War

SYMHC Classics: Alice Hamilton and Occupational Medicine

Behind the Scenes Minis: Butterflies and Photos

Weegee the Famous

The Developing History of Monarch Butterflies

SYMHC Classics: Giorgio Vasari

Behind the Scenes Minis: Diesel and Ibn Khaldūn

Ibn Khaldūn

The Life and Disappearance of Rudolf Diesel

SYMHC Classics: Tamerlane and the Battle of Ankara

Behind the Scenes Minis: Blood Pressure and Zippers

Zippers!

Hypertension: A History

SYMHC Classics: Unearthed! USS Indianapolis

Behind the Scenes Minis: Gustave and Griswold

Griswold v. Connecticut

Gustave Courbet

SYMHC Classics: 5 Shipwreck Stories

Behind the Scenes Minis: Unearthed! Wrap-up

Unearthed! in July 2022, Part 2

Unearthed! in July 2022, Part 1

SYMHC Classics: The Discovery of 'Planet' Ceres

Behind the Scenes Minis: Busy Emily

Emily Hobhouse and the First World War, Pt. 2

Emily Hobhouse and the Boer War, Pt. 1

SYMHC Classics: The Cuyahoga River's Last Fires

Behind the Scenes Minis: Deborah and Bibb

Lettuce, Slavery, and the Bibb Legacy

Deborah Sampson Gannett, aka Private Robert Shurtlliff

SYMHC Classics: Lucretia Mott

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