The Past and The Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

Chance has given us some great toys. Explore the accident that led to Silly Putty, the chance repurposing that led to Silly Putty, a few men who stumbled upon them, and two women who figured out what the substances should really be used for. This episode sponsored by RUBBER!

Train stations are busy places and two notable men had very remarkable (and dramatic)encounters in stations during the 1860s. Thomas Edison met a mentor, and Robert Lincoln met a Shakespearean actor named Booth. Also features a You Have 30 Seconds segment on the Beale Papers and more!

Marina Raskova set world flying records, survived an epic plane crash, and was a trailblazer for generations of female pilots in Russia. With her help, The Night Witches became the most feared fliers of World War 2. Adelaide Herrmann was The Queen of Magic. Both with her husband Alexander and on her own, she amazed audiences with a special kind of magic. Featuring the voices of Greg and Abigail Maupin. All music, writing, production by Mick Sullivan,

Professor TSC Lowe (who was not a professor at all) had visions for a transatlantic balloon flight. He never succeeded in that but he did wind up as the Chief Aeronaut of the Balloon Corps during the American Civil War. His vision laid the ground work for Ferdinand Von Zeppelin’s later accomplishments. John Cleves Symmes Jr. popularized a theory known as the Hollow Earth Theory. He believed that the earth was hollow and contained other habitable worlds. Was he right? He was worse than right. He was wrong. All music, as usual, by Mick Sullivan. The writing and voices too.

The 1939 World's Fair brought a special visitor from England: an original copy of Magna Carta, but with World War II in full swing, America couldn't send it back. So the had to babysit the priceless document, which got more complicated than they expected. ALSO Marie Curie's books will not be safe to touch for another 1500 years, so librarians in Paris have to keep people safe from the documents. Learn about Marie, her discoveries, and plenty more in this episode!

Origin stories, comic mis-starts, and medal-winning moments are highlighted in this episode featuring two unlikely international star athletes. Canada's Bobbie Rosenfeld overcame, among other things, small pox and very large pants to run her way into history - not just as an athlete, but a wonderful teammate. Muhammad Ali drank garlic water and chased the bus in his own pursuit of greatness. Spoiler alert: it worked.

This episode tells the stories of Sibyl Ludington and Charley Willis. Sybil's well-known story is amazing, yet it lacks a lot of primary sources, and we use that as a way to introduce thinking about the past with a critical eye. No matter what Sibyl's story has inspired millions. Charley Willis was a cowboy, once enslaved in Texas, and who was impacted by the events of June 19th, or Juneteenth. After a lifetime on the trail, he left the world with one of the most well-known cowboy songs of all.