Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2016 continuation of our coverage of the Palmer Raids covers a series of raids on perceived threats to national security by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Thousands of people were rounded up, many without cause or warrant, and kept in horrifying conditions.

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Tracy outlines all the way RFK Jr.'s claims regarding disease history make no sense. Holly talks about the section of her career that was spent working in a university library.

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The Library of Congress has a lot of responsibilities. It’s massive in both physical scale and in scale of services. So how did it start, and how did it evolve to be the largest library in the world?

Research:

• Cole, John Y. “America’s Greatest Library: An Illustrated History of the Library of Congress.” Library of Congress, Washington, DC, in Association with D. Giles Limited, London. 2017.
• “Dr. Carla Hayden delivers opening statement at Library of Congress hearing.” Committee on House Administration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3LrEsNycZ4
• “Library of Congress Classification.” Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html
• “The Library of Congress Is Your Library.” Library of Congress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63Ze_bpATac
• “National Digital Library Program.” Library of Congress. https://webarchive-beta.loc.gov/general/20150701231729/https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dli2/html/lcndlp.html
• “Preservation Science.” Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/scientists/
• Reid, Paula. “Senior Justice Department officials tapped by Trump to run Library of Congress are denied access.” CNN. May 12, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/politics/library-of-congress-trump-justice-blanche
• “Sale of Books to the Library of Congress (1815).” Monticello.org. https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/sale-books-library-congress-1815/
• Tully-McManus, Katherine. “GOP leaders draw the line at Trump’s Library of Congress takeover.” Politico. May 14, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/14/library-of-congress-trump-takeover-carla-hayden-00349275
• Walsh, Dylan. “Carla D. Hayden wants to spread the wonders of the library into everyone’s lives.” University of Chicago News. June 8, 2023. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/carla-d-hayden-wants-spread-wonders-library-everyones-lives

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Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Crohn’s disease are autoimmune diseases that share a lot of commonalities. This episode covers when and how they were first recognized and described. 

Research:

• Aceves-Avila, Francisco Javier et al. “The Antiquity of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Reappraisal.” The Journal of Rheumatology 2001; 28:4.
• Arnaud, Laurent et al. “The History of Lupus Throughout the Ages.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Volume 87, Issue 6, December 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962220307726
• Barber, Megan R W et al. “Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus.” Nature reviews. Rheumatology vol. 17,9 (2021): 515-532. doi:10.1038/s41584-021-00668-1 Bornstein, Joseph E. and Randolph M. Steinhagen. “History of Crohn’s Disease.” From Crohn’s Disease: Basic Principles. Springer. 2015.
• Crohn & Colitis Foundation. “IBD before the Foundation.” https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/about/our-beginning
• Entezami, Pouya et al. “Historical perspective on the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.” Hand clinics vol. 27,1 (2011): 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.hcl.2010.09.
• Geller, Stephen A. and Fernando P F de Camposc. “Crohn disease.” Autopsy Case Rep [Internet]. 2015; 5(2):5-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/acr.2015.001
• Hyndman, I.J. (2017), Rheumatoid arthritis: past, present and future approaches to treating the disease. Int J Rheum Dis, 20: 417-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-185X.12823
• Kirsner, J B. “Historical origins of current IBD concepts.” World journal of gastroenterology vol. 7,2 (2001): 175-84. doi:10.3748/wjg.v7.i2.175
• Laberge, Monique, and Philip E. Koth. "Rheumatoid Arthritis." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2020, pp. 4474-4480. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986601640/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8b8ee977. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
• Laurent Arnaud - I6 The history of lupus throughout the ages: Lupus Science & Medicine 2020;7:. https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2020-eurolupus.6
• org. “The History of Lupus.” https://www.lupus.org/resources/the-history-of-lupus
• Mandal, Dr. Ananya. “Rheumatoid Arthritis History.” News Medical. 7/7/2023. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-History.aspx
• Medical News Today. “The History of Rheumatoid Arthritis.” 5/2/2023. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/rheumatoid-arthritis-history
• Michniacki, Thomas. “Crohn’s Disease: An Evolutionary History.” University of Michigan Library. 2006-05 http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/96969
• Potter, Brian. “The History of the Disease Called Lupus.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences , JANUARY 1993, Vol. 48, No. 1 (JANUARY 1993). Via JSTOR. http://www.jstor.com/stable/24622869
• Sathiavageesan, Subrahmanian, and Suganya Rathnam. “The LE Cell-A Forgotten Entity.” Indian journal of nephrology vol. 31,1 (2021): 71-72. doi:10.4103/ijn.IJN_249_19
• Scofield, R Hal, and James Oates. “The place of William Osler in the description of systemic lupus erythematosus.” The American journal of the medical sciences vol. 338,5 (2009): 409-12. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181acbd71
• "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus." National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Pamphlets, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 2001, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A79512544/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=534bac78. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
• Thomas, Donald E. et al. “The first use of “lupus” as a disease.” Lupus. 2025, Vol. 34(1) 3–9.
• Tish Davidson, and Rebecca J. Frey. "Crohn's Disease." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2020, pp. 1423-1427. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986600509/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=2687d598. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
• Van Hootegem, Phillippe. “Is Crohn’s A Rightly Used Eponym?” J Crohns Colitis. 2020 Jul 9;14(6):867-871. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjz183.

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Part one of this 2016 classic covers the social unrest in the U.S. after WWI. There was a fear that Communist revolutionaries would try to take over the country. Adding fuel to the fear were two bomb plots in 1919.

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Holly shares her experience visiting the Meiji Jingu shrine. Tracy mentions that she never found out why the Triple Nickles used the spelling they did, and her use of the Wayback Machine for show research. 

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The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, also called the Triple Nickles, were the first Black paratroopers in the U.S. military, and their story is connected to the desegregation of the military after World War II.

Research:

• 555th Parachute Infantry. “Malvin L. Brown.” http://triplenickle.com/malvinbrown.htm
• Aney, Warren. “Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion.” Oregon Encyclopedia. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/555th_parachute_infantry_triple_nickle_batallion/
• Associated Press. “Air Force Starts Probe Into Troop Bombing.” The Miami Herald. 9/18/1948. https://www.newspapers.com/image/617847549/
• Associated Press. “Army Lists Dead in Bomb Blast.” The Tampa Times. 9/18/1948. https://www.newspapers.com/image/326171714/
• Biggs, Bradley. “The Triple Nickles: America’s First All-Black Paratroop Unit.” Hamden, Conn. Archon Books. 1986.
• Bradsher, Greg and Sylvia Naylor. “Firefly Project and the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (‘Smoke Jumpers’).” National Archives. 2/10/2015. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2015/02/10/the-555th-smoke-jumpers/
• Cieslak, Thomas. “Equal in All Ways to All Paratroopers - The Origin of the ‘Triple Nickles’.” U.S. Army. 5/27/2019. https://www.army.mil/article/222374/equal_in_all_ways_to_all_paratroopers_the_origin_of_the_triple_Nickles
• Crumley, Todd and Aaron Arthur. “The Triple Nickles and Operation Firefly.” National Archives. 2/5/2020. https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2020/02/05/the-triple-Nickles-and-operation-firefly/
• Curran, Jonathan. “The 555TH Parachute Infantry Company ‘Triple Nickles.’” U.S. Army National Museum. https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/triple-Nickles/
• Ferguson, Paul-Thomas. “African American Service and Racial Integration in the U.S. Military.” U.S. Army. 2/23/2021. Via archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20240327034226/https://www.army.mil/article/243604/african_american_service_and_racial_integration_in_the_u_s_military
• Forest Service Aviation & Fire Management. “History of Smokejumping.” August 1, 1980
• Gidlund, Carl. “African-American Smokejumpers Help Celebrate Smokey’s 50th.” Fire management notes / U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1993. https://archive.org/details/CAT77680365067/
• Morris, Walter. “Base Plate.” Triplenickle.com. http://triplenickle.com/waltermorris.htm
• Queen, Jennifer. “The Triple Nickles: A 75-Year Legacy.” USD Forest Service. 2/28/2020. Via archive.org. https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/triple-Nickles-75-year-legacy
• The Forest History Society. “U.S. Forest Service Smokejumpers.” Via Archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20170316132550/https://foresthistory.org/ASPNET/Policy/Fire/Smokejumpers/Smokejumpers.aspx
• USDA Forest Service. “Operation Firefly & the 555th.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/fire/smokejumpers/missoula/history/operation-firefly
• Weeks, Linton. “How Black Smokejumpers Helped Save The American West.” NPR History Dept. 1/22/2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/01/22/376973981/how-black-smokejumpers-helped-save-the-american-west
• Williams, Robert F. “The "Triple Nickles": Jim Crow Was an Elite Black Airborne Battalion's Toughest Foe.” History News Network. 9/6/2020. https://www.hnn.us/article/the-triple-Nickles-jim-crow-was-an-elite-black-air

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Emperor Meiji of Japan’s reign began in 1867, and it marks a time of significant change in the country’s history. After the emperor and his consort died in the early 20th century, the Meiji Jingu shrine was built to memorialize them.

Research:

• Atsushi, Kawai. “Prefectures, Power, and Centralization: Japan’s Abolition of the Feudal Domains.” Nippon.com. Aug. 27, 2021. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g01159/
• Bernard, Rosemary. “Shinto and Ecology: Practice and Orientations to Nature.” Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. https://fore.yale.edu/World-Religions/Shinto/Overview-Essay
• Cali, Joseph and John Dougill. “Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan’s Ancient Religion.” University of Hawaii Press. 2015.
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Charter Oath". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Charter-Oath
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Meiji". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Meiji
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Treaty of Shimonoseki". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Shimonoseki
• Furukawa, Hisao. “Meiji Japan'sEncounterwith Modernization” Southeast Asian Studies. Vol, 33, No. 3. December 1995. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/tak/33/3/33_KJ00000131881/_pdf
• Huffman, James. “Land Tax Reform Law of 1873.” About Japan. https://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/land_tax_reform_law_of_1873#sthash.qp6fLxcO.dpbs
• Huffman, James. “The Meiji Restoration Era, 1868-1889.” Japan Society. June 11, 2021. https://japansociety.org/news/the-meiji-restoration-era-1868-1889/
• Meiji Jingu site: https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/
• “The Meiji Restoration and Modernization.” Asia for Educators. Columbia University Weatherhead East Asia Institute. https://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1750_meiji.htm
• “Discover Meiji Jingu: A Shrine Dedicated to the Spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.” Google Arts and Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/discover-meiji-jingu-a-shrine-dedicated-to-the-spirits-of-emperor-meiji-and-empress-shoken/OQVBs7hVH09QJw
• Meyer, Ulf. “The Spirit of the Trees.” World Architects. Feb. 3, 2021. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/products/the-spirit-of-the-trees#:~:text=The%20Meiji%20Shrine%20is%20the%20most%20prominent,in%20Japan's%20capital%20for%20this%20hatsum%C5%8Dde%20worship.&text=The%20famous%20architect%20Ito%20Chuta%20designed%20the,Japan's%20shrine%20a%20touch%20of%20national%20identity.
• “Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 6, 1910.” United States Department of State. Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1910/d705
• “Russo-Japanese War: Topics in Chronicling America.” Library of Congress. https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-russo-japanese-war
• Steele, Abbey, et al. “Constraining the Samurai: Rebellion and Taxation in Early Modern Japan.” International Studies Quarterly. 2017. 61, 352–370. https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/pegroup/files/constraining_the_samurai_9.15.pdf
• “The United States and the Opening to Japan, 1853.” U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/opening-to-japan
• Wojtan, Linda S. “Rice: It's More Than Food In Japan.” Stanford Program on International and Cross-cultural Education. November 1993. https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/rice_its_more_than_food_in_japan#rice

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This 2020 episode covers the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was founded in 1943. Some of these women athletes believed they were starting on a career in professional baseball.

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Tracy and Holly share tetanus shot stories and discuss getting boosters. They then discuss the egos of European explorers in Africa. 

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