Americans today enjoy access to a mind-boggling variety of foods. That is partly due to the work of David Fairchild, who pioneered efforts to discover and important tens of thousands of new plants to the United States as a plant explorer. This is his story.

There are several biographies of David Fairchild, such as those by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Amanda Harris, and Daniel Stone. But I highly recommend reading Fairchild's autobiographical works, which include:

The World Was My Garden (1938)

Exploring for Plants (1930)

The World Grows Round My Door (1947)

Amid the War of 1812, Charles Barnard and four companions were marooned in the Falkland Islands. Charles would be there for over 500 days, and it would be over four years until he returned home to New York. It is a tale of betrayal and survival. It is also the subject of Eric Jay Dolin's new book, Left for Dead. Eric joins me today to discuss Charles's ordeal and how he managed to survive.

You can find Eric's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Shipwreck-Tragedy-Survival/dp/B0CSGW5NL9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FEYSKYPSJDTX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.o2WQsxH2K7WvULVb6tiZF79dD5pLREFiu8Wx1m4e4ZZYe7fahgljT_lDy2Gdug8rDt5t37E1vwQo-OP2mtqsL1QmYeN-Tpmu6ONXtIz_uEq7s5JxS67-aeTBgZLQ1101.wotwqHWeZCH-HKtaQwnSPrTOkKQHBkrGpYOJHK1swcI&dib_tag=se&keywords=left+for+dead+dolin&qid=1714584517&sprefix=%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-1

You can find Eric's many other books here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Eric+Jay+Dolin&i=audible&ref=dp_byline_sr_audible_1

Edgar Allan Poe is a founder of gothic literature. His stories possess a timeless ability to thrill and terrify, from poetic allegories to detective mysteries, Poe covered it all. Join Logan Istre and Dr. J. Gerald Kennedy in a discussion of the dark life that produced even darker tales.

The Inglenook is available on all podcast platforms (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, etc).

Find Dr. Kennedy's books here: https://www.amazon.com/Books-J-Gerald-Kennedy/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJ.+Gerald

Inglenook Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Inglenook

The Oregon Trail led thousands of pioneers overland across mountains and plains to the Pacific Coast, risking their lives and fortunes in the search for a better life. One such traveler was Jonathan Periam, farmer and journalist, who wrote down his experiences shortly before his death. This episode represents part one of three from Periam's account, "The Argonaut's Trail."

Language used in this episode is from the historical source and does not reflect my own verbiage.

Like and subscribe for more of history's greatest stories. The Inglenook is available on all podcast platforms.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Inglenook

"The Argonaut's Trail" was originally published in serialized form in the farm journal Prairie Farmer in 1911 and is now in the public domain. Reconstructing Periam's life has been a feature of my research in agricultural history.

The Quakers are one of the most interesting and under-appreciated religious traditions in American history. From their radical reformation of Christian doctrine, to the founding of Pennsylvania and their odd place in an expanding America, Friends have played an unforgettable part. Join host Logan Istre and guest Dr. Thomas Hamm of Earlham College, the leading expert on American Quaker history, for this Quaker Odyssey.

Dr. Hamm's Books:

1. Quaker Writings: An Anthology, 1650-1920 (Penguin Classics, 2011)

2. God’s Government Begun: The Society for Universal Inquiry and Reform, 1842-1846 (Indiana University Press, 1995)

3. The Quakers in America (Columbia University Press, 2003) Earlham College: A History, 1847-1997 (Indiana University Press, 1997)

4. The Transformation of American Quakerism: Orthodox Friends, 1800-1907 (Indiana University Press, 1988)

Theme Tune: "Lost Native," by Nat Keefe. Used with artist's permission.

In his lifetime, Henry George was one of the world's bestselling authors. Just as remarkable was the fact that his fame was based on his work as a political economist. Though he proposed some of the most original explanations for poverty and solutions for it, George is mostly forgotten today. Still, his story and his ideas are worth knowing.

Join host Logan Istre around the Inglenook on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all podcast platforms.

In addition to an extensive reading of George's texts and my own scholarship, I have relied on the following works to construct this account:

Henry George, Jr., Henry George (1900).

Charles A. Barker, Henry George (1955; 1991).

Edward T. O'Donnell, Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality (2015).

Christopher W. England, Land and Liberty: Henry George and the Crafting of Modern Liberalism (2023).

Alexandra W. Lough, "The Last Tax," (PhD dissertation, Brandeis, 2013).

Since the earliest days of exploration and mapmaking, there have emerged islands and sea rocks that, upon later investigation, seem never to have existed. Join us as we explore the phenomenon of "phantom islands" in the early days of European sea exploration and cartography.

Full video originally aired on YouTube.

Beaver was king of the early colonial fur trade in America. But it came at a cost. This is the story of the clash of cultures and empires that resulted from conflict over the unsuspecting mammal.

The Inglenook is available wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to like, favorite, and comment.

The Sultana Disaster was the worst maritime tragedy in American history, and the worst global maritime disaster of the nineteenth century. And yet, almost no one has head of it. Tune in for the full story of greed, hubris, and profound heartbreak in the spring of 1865.

The Inglenook can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Patreon: patreon.com/inglenook

Music by Cooper Cannell and U. S. Army Band, as available on YouTube Audio Library. Video format originally aired on YouTube.

The April of 1865 was a month like no other. Coming at the end of the nation's worst war, the month was filled with tears of joy and sorrow, freedom, assassinations, and a disaster unparalleled in our nation's history.

The Inglenook is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Music by Cooper Cannell and available from YouTube Audio Library. The original video released on YouTube.

Patreon: patreon.com/inglenook