Stuff You Missed in History Class

Tracy and Holly discuss diabetes, insulin, and the moral complexities that are often part of scientific research.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time we talked about how diabetes has been described through history, including treatment before the development of insulin. Today, we’re telling the insulin part of the story, which was at times fraught and contentious. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To lead into discussing the discovery of insulin, today we have a history of diabetes and its treatment in the centuries before insulin was developed, including the starvation diets that were used in the years just before the discovery. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2015 episode delves into how peanut butter got its name in the 18th century, but it's been around in some form for hundreds and hundreds of years. Its modern history features changes to the recipe and even a little litigation with the FDA.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss the ways in which the sexes were perceived during the time of Anna Morandi Manzolini and the aspects of Kemmler's story that made Holly very angry during research.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After committing a brutal murder, William Kemmler was the first man to be put to death in the electric chair, at a time when a great deal of conflict and controversy swirled around the death penalty. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 18th-century Bologna, one of the most skilled and renowned anatomists and wax model makers was a woman named Anna Morandi Manzolini. Working first with her husband then on her own, Anna contributed to the medical and scientific fields immeasurably. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we revisit a 2013 episode about the Boston Massacre. That sounds like the slaughter of many innocents, but the reality is smaller and not nearly so one-sided. But there's a reason why we call it a massacre. And that reason is propaganda.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the relationship between the Hemingway brothers and the challenges of claiming one's own island. Holly also shares her experiences spending an afternoon at the Atlanta History Center.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly was joined in the studio by historian Dr. Calinda Lee to talk about her work with the Atlanta History Center, and specifically the new exhibit "Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.