The Missing Chapter Podcast

In 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a black woman gets on a bus, sits down, and is eventually told by the bus driver to give up her seat for a white person. She calmly refuses to surrender her seat but then was forcefully removed from the bus and eventually arrested.  It was her act of civil disobedience that sparked legal action which led to the end of Alabama's segregated bus laws and empowered a widespread civil rights movement to gain momentum.  That brave young woman is none other than Rosa Parks, right?  Well, sort of... 9 months prior to the Rosa Parks bus ride, in the same city, on the same bus system, with the same laws, and with the same type of forced exodus and arrest, a 15-year old girl did the same thing.  So who is this young, brave teenager?  And why don’t we know more about her, especially when compared with Rosa Parks who did the same thing almost a year after this girl?  Find out today, on this episode of the Missing Chapter.

We have seen the destructive force of water, the devastation of our natural environment from oil spills, but let’s imagine, just for a second, what kind of disaster would take place if we took the force of a wave with the devastating elements of oil...what would that be like?  Well, we actually don’t have to imagine it, we can read about it because it actually happened...except the destructive agent involved wasn’t water or oil...it was molasses!

Don McLean memorialized February 3rd, 1959 in his epic, 8-minute history-lesson as “the day the music died.”  The classic 1972 single is referencing the plane crash that killed musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (better known by his performing name, the Big Bopper), and Ritchie Valens, along with the plane’s pilot, Roger Petersen.  One member of Holly’s band who did not make the flight went on to become a trailblazer in the country music genre, as one of the original “outlaws” of the music scene.

Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was mortally shot by a young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip.  When Princip pulled the trigger, he would unknowingly convict 20 million soldiers and civilians, many of them young men like himself, to their deaths.  World War I  was called "the war to end all wars", triggered by this lone assassination, would give way to some of history's most costly battles, heroic endeavors, and long lasting technological inventions.  One event though, stands out as a unique and truly remarkable story of humanity at its most inspiring, vulnerable, and hopeful levels.  This is the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914.  

Unfortunately, disasters have plagued human history since the dawn of human transportation.  Some were caused by human error, some have been mistaken by our enemies as threats and some are just simple mishaps.  But when we think of maritime disasters, I’m sure our minds immediately drift to the Titanic, and rightly so.  However, there is an unknown sea vessel mishap that has gone down as the worst maritime disaster in US history, and it’s not the Titanic.  Just days following the end of the Civil War, a wooden steamboat in the cold waters of the Mississippi River explodes, leaving Union and Confederate soldiers with a decision...continue the civil war sentiment or appeal to the goodness of their hearts and save each other from the worst maritime disaster in US History...the sinking of the SS Sultana.

U.S. General Edward King, commander of all American armed forces on Bataan Peninsula in 1942, told his men, “We have no further means of organized resistance, we are low on ammunition, have virtually no medical supplies, and our food is all but gone. The situation has become hopeless.  You did not surrender; I ordered you to surrender.”  78,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers were put at the mercy of their Japanese Imperial captors, including former Notre Dame fullback, Mario “Motts” Tonelli.  5-years prior, Tonelli’s 70-yard rush in the USC game had helped preserve a win for the Fighting Irish and Tonelli’s spot in the history books.  Now, he was part of the grueling 60+ mile Bataan Death March, and trying to navigate the hellish conditions his captors were subjecting him to.  Holding on to the thoughts and memories of his family and his home, Tonelli would rely on every ounce of his experience and training as a collegiate athlete, to not win a football game, but to survive.  Part II, Run to Daylight, next on the Missing Chapter….

When it comes to college football, no other program in the country conjures up the history and the mystique that the University of Notre Dame does.  Outlined against a blue-grey October sky, the Golden Dome in South Bend has preserved the legacies of football royalty.  In November 1937, arch rival Southern Cal and Notre Dame were tied at 6 in the waning moments of the 4th quarter when a young, backup fullback wearing #58, took the handoff on a reverse and ran 70 yards to the USC 13-yard line.  Two plays later, that same fullback would score standing up, and secure the win for the Irish.  However, unbeknownst to him, his 70-yard run that gave his football team a victory, would save his life...5 years later.

At the inception of the Missing Chapter Podcast, little did we know or anticipate that these forgotten stories would have such a reach.  In the first 15 episodes, we have had 3 guest speakers, been played in 38 states, as well as 20 different countries worldwide, and have discussed a wide variety of history topics all while drinking an assortment of different blends of local coffees. We have introduced a few of our new Podcast Shorts and today we introduce our Podcast Chats.  We’re so grateful to our listeners and all of your feedback on our social media platforms that we want to include you in the conversation.  So join us today, over your favorite brew of coffee, as we answer some of your questions, talk about some of the great insight you’ve provided us, as well as make some additional points from our first 15 episodes.  Let’s keep the conversation going, in our first ever podcast chat.

History has always highlighted the political and cultural impact that the Greeks have had on our modern-day world.  From the development of law and government, to their style of architecture, and creation of the Olympic Games, many pieces of Greek history have found their way into our daily lives.  But there’s one piece of Greek history that begs to be told and has run through our communities without us even knowing it.  The origins of the Marathon.  Hear more about what happened at the end of the first Marathon as well as why the Marathon was run altogether in today's MC Short, "A Reason To Run."

Almost every tragedy in history has a hero - whose unwavering bravery and courage, in the face of disaster, helped save lives and provide hope.  When famed ocean liner, Titanic, hit an iceberg on the night of April 15, 1912 and began its descent into a watery grave, it took with it 1,523 souls.  But because of the heroics and sacrifice of some on board, there were others who made their way to safety, survived, and went on to live their lives.  Twenty-five year old, Jack Phillips, was among those who traded their life, so that others might live that fateful night. Phillips' call to service had prepared him for this and his "call" that night saved 705 people.