Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2009 episode from previous hosts Katie and Sarah covers Harry Houdini, once known as the world's greatest magician. Houdini's reputation still resonates with modern fans of illusion and magic. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss WWII submarine warfare as it related to Helen Duncan’s story. Tracy also shares her experience visiting the Mütter Museum when it was hosting an exhibit titled “Imperfecta.”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1639, doctor Edward May published a 40-page text about a serpent he found in the heart of a 21-year-old man during a post-mortem examination. We don’t know exactly what it was, but there are plenty of theories.

Research:

• Bush, Sargent Jr. “Bosom Serpents before Hawthorne: The Origins of a Symbol.” American Literature , May, 1971, Vol. 43, No. 2 (May, 1971). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2924236
• Church, William Selby. “The Rise of Physiology in England: The Harveian Oration Delivered Before the Royal College of Physicians, October 18th, 1895.” Adlard. 1896.
• Denham, D.A. “A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, gentleman, of the age of 21 years.” Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 71, Issue 5, 1977, Page 455, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(77)90066-9
• Eades, Bentley Gerald. “The Jacobean and Caroline Stage Vol-ii.” The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1941.
• Healy, Simon. “KYNASTON, Sir Francis (1587-c.1649), of Oteley, Ellesmere, Salop; later of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster and Covent Garden, Mdx.” he History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629, ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/kynaston-sir-francis-1587-1649
• May, Edward. “A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, Gentleman, of the age of 21 yeares.” London : George Miller. 1639. https://archive.org/details/b3033973x
• Morris, Thomas. “The man with a snake in his heart.” http://www.thomas-morris.uk/man-snake-heart/
• Pender, Stephen. “Examples and Experience: On the Uncertainty of Medicine.” The British Journal for the History of Science , Mar., 2006, Vol. 39, No. 1. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4028546
• Pennant, Thomas. “The History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holywell.” B. and J. White. 1796.
• Perella, Chrissie. “Teratology: ‘Monster’ as a medical term.” Historical Medical Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. https://histmed.collegeofphysicians.org/for-students/teratology-monster-as-a-medical-term/
• Richardson, Ruth. “Pennant's serpent.” The Lancet. Vol. 357, Issue 9260. 3/24/2001. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)71674-3/fulltext
• Ross, Alexander. “Arcana microcosmi.” London : T. Newcomb. 1652. https://archive.org/details/b30329140/
• Slights, William W.E. “The Narrative Heart of the Renaissance.” Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme. Winter/Hiver 2002. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43445471
• The Public Domain Review. “A Monster in the Heart: Edward May’s A Most Certaine and True Relation (1639).” https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/heart-serpent
• Woolley, Benjamin. “The herbalist : Nicholas Culpeper and the Fight for Medical Freedom.” HarperCollins, 2004.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Duncan is sometimes described as Scotland’s last witch, or the last person imprisoned for witchcraft in Britain, or the last person to be tried under the UK’s 1735 Witchcraft Act. None of those are quite accurate.

Research:

• Undiscovered Scotland. “Helen Duncan.” https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/d/helenduncan.html
• “Scotland’s Last Witch.” Modern Scotland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/oddities_modern.shtml
• “Britain's 'last witch': Campaign to pardon Helen Duncan.” 6/15/2012. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-18456106
• Atkins, Harry. “Helen Duncan: Britain’s Last Witch.” History Hit. 6/10/2022. https://www.historyhit.com/helen-duncan-britains-last-witch/
• Brown, Laura. “Helen Duncan.” The Scots Magazine. https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/series/a-z-of-great-scots-helen-duncan/
• Price, Harry. “The Cheese-Cloth Worshippers by Harry Price.” Leaves from a Psychist's Case-Book (Victor Gollancz, 1933).
• Meier, Allison C. “Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried for Witchcraft.” JSTOR Daily. 9/13/2018. https://daily.jstor.org/ectoplasm-and-the-last-british-woman-tried-for-witchcraft/
• Team Mighty. “A British Woman Was Convicted Under a Witchcraft Law During WWII.” The Archive. 9/7/2021. https://explorethearchive.com/helen-duncan
• McPherson, Hamish. “The truth about the UK's last witch Helen Duncan.” The National. 5/8/2018. https://www.thenational.scot/news/16209915.truth-uks-last-witch-helen-duncan/
• Schnuer, Jenna. "SPIRITED AWAY: After a devastating Royal Navy loss, military authorities felt duty bound to keep a careful eye on a famed Scottish mystic." World War II, vol. 34, no. 1, June 2019, pp. 64+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A581176173/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c973ec6a. Accessed 2 Sept. 2022.
• Gaskill, Malcolm. "Britain's Last Witch." History Today, vol. 51, no. 5, May 2001, p. 6. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A74483221/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=5c15ccbd. Accessed 2 Sept. 2022.
• Gaskill, Malcolm. "Duncan [née MacFarlane], (Victoria) Helen McCrae (1897–1956), medium." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Date of access 7 Sep. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/66217
• Collins, B. Abdy. “Spiritualism and the Law.” The Modern Law Review , July 1945, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul., 1945). https://www.jstor.org/stable/1090340
• Old Bailey Trial Series. “The Trial of Mrs. Duncan.” C. E. Bechhofer Roberts, General Editor. 1945.
• UK Parliament. “Witchcraft.” https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/religion/overview/witchcraft/
• UK Parliament. “Which Witch(Craft Act) Is Which?” 10/28/2020. https://archives.blog.parliament.uk/2020/10/28/which-witchcraft-act-is-which/
• Vagrancy Act of 1824 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1824/83/pdfs/ukpga_18240083_en.pdf
• Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1951/33/pdfs/ukpga_19510033_en.pdf
• Earls, Averill and Marissa Rhodes. State Secrets: Helen Duncan’s Famous Witchcraft Trial.’ Dig: A History Podcast. 7/3/2022. https://digpodcast.org/2022/07/03/cheesecloth-spiritualism-and-state-secrets-helen-duncans-famous-witchcraft-trial/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2019 episode covers England’s largest and deadliest set of witch trials. They were largely influenced by one man, Matthew Hopkins, who was known as the Witchfinder General.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about how racism stripped Paul Robeson of his career, and Robeson’s support of the communist Soviet Union. They also discuss whether Schrepfer may have accidentally poisoned himself.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johann George Schrepfer’s life story is clouded by his embellished and falsified tales of his necromancy and spiritualism. And both his followers and detractors also gave biased and incorrect accounts of their interactions with him.

Research:

• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Seven Years’ War". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Seven-Years-War
• Andriopoulos, Stefan. “Kant’s Magic Lantern: Historical Epistemology and Media Archaeology.” Representations, vol. 115, no. 1, 2011, pp. 42–70. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2011.115.1.42
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "necromancy". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/topic/necromancy
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Freemasonry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freemasonry
• Geffarth, Renko. “The Masonic Necromancer: Shifting Identities In The Lives Of Johann Georg Schrepfer.” Brill. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004162570.i-326.49
• Museum - Naturalienkabinett Waldenburg. "Laterna magica" last modified 2021-11-26. https://global.museum-digital.org/object/1876368
• Wustmann, Gustav, "Schrepfer, Johann Georg" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 32 (1891), pp. 490-491 [online version]; URL: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd120914042
• Museum - Naturalienkabinett Waldenburg. "Geisterkasten" last modified 2021-11-26. https://global.museum-digital.org/object/1876367
• Rossel, Deac. “The Magic Lantern.” Ich Sehe was, was du nicht siehst! Sehmaschinen und Bilderwelten. 2002. https://www.academia.edu/345943

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Peekskill Riots surrounded a concert by singer and activist Paul Robeson. His stances on political and civil rights issues and his communist affiliations catalyzed protests that were fueled with an undercurrent of racism and antisemitism.

Research:

• American Civil Liberties Union. “Violence in Peekskill: A Report on the Violations of Civil Liberties at Two Paul Robeson Concerts near Peekskill, NY.” 1949.
• By LANSING WARREN Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. "Paris 'Peace Congress' Assails U. S. and Atlantic Pact, Upholds Soviet: MEETING AT 'PEACE CONGRESS' IN PARIS CONGRESS IN PARIS ASSAILS U. S. POLICY." New York Times (1923-), Apr 21 1949, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 31 Aug. 2022 .
• Congress, House, Committee on Un-American Activities, Investigation of the Unauthorized Use of U.S. Passports, 84th Congress, Part 3, June 12, 1956; in Thirty Years of Treason: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1938–1968, Eric Bentley, ed. (New York: Viking Press, 1971), 770.
• Courtney, Steve. “Peekskill's days of infamy: The Robeson riots of 1949.” The Reporter Dispatch, September 5, 1982. http://www.bencourtney.com/peekskillriots/
• Democracy “VIDEO: Pete Seeger Recalls the 1949 Peekskill Riot Where He And Paul Robeson Were Attacked.” 1/31/2014. https://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/31/video_pete_seeger_recalls_the_1949
• Dorinson, Joseph. “Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson: Athletes and Activists at Armageddon.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies , Winter 1999, Vol. 66, No. 1, Paul Robeson. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27774174
• Horne, Field. "Peekskill riots." Encyclopedia of New York State, edited by Peter R. Eisenstadt and Laura-Eve Moss, Syracuse UP, 2005, p. 1190. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A194197875/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=25d15b16. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
• Horne, Gerald. “Paul Robeson: The Artist as Revolutionary.” Pluto Press. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jxj.9
• Hudson River Maritime Museum. “Paul Robeson and the Peekskill Riots.” 1/18/2021. https://www.hrmm.org/history-blog/paul-robeson-and-the-peekskill-riots
• Huggins, Nathan Irvin. "Paul Robeson." The Nation, vol. 248, no. 11, 20 Mar. 1989, pp. 383+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A7424117/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=6617e02c. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
• Karp, Jonathan D. “Performing Black-Jewish Symbiosis: The ‘Hassidic Chant’ of Paul Robeson.” American Jewish History, Volume 91, Number 1, March 2003. https://doi.org/10.1353/ajh.2004.0032
• "Remembering Peekskill." Jacobin Magazine, 22 June 2017, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675159334/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=459a974b. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
• Robeson, Paul. “The Negro people and the Soviet Union.” 1950. https://palmm.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/ucf%3A4785
• Salkin, Jeffrey K. “Inside The 1949 Westchester KKK Attack Where Rioters Chanted ‘We’re Hitler’s Boys’” Forward. 8/26/2019. https://forward.com/culture/113279/peekskill-riots-1949-westchester-kkk-fascist-attack-jewish-black-attendees/
• Shea, Rich. “Paul Robeson Football Star.” Rutgers Today. 3/13/2019. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/paul-robeson-football-star
• Smith, Ronald A. “The Paul Robeson—Jackie Robinson Saga and a Political Collision.” Journal of Sport History , Summer 1979, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1979). Via JSTOR. : https://www.jstor.org/stable/43608951
• Walwik, Joseph. “Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies Vol. 66, No. 1, Paul Robeson (1898-1976)—A Centennial Symposium (Winter 1999).” Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27774178

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2016 episode covers a skeleton found in a tree near Birmingham, England in 1943. More than 70 years later, it's still unknown who the deceased was and how the body ended up in an elm tree.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the difficult nature of Chapin's personality. They also talk about the ways that the rivalry between Pulitzer and Hearst played out, and the way one of Chapin's employees got quiet revenge. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.