Stuff You Missed In History Class

This episode covers President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s decision to move the date of Thanksgiving with the hope of helping businesses that were trying to recover from the Great Depression – and the controversy that caused.  Research: Associated Press. “’Omnipotence of Hitler.’” Decatur Daily Review. 8/17/1939. Associated Press. “Roosevelt to Move Thanksgiving; Retailers For It, Plymouth is Not.” New York Times. 8/15/1939. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/08/15/93946606.html Franklin D. Roosevelt, Proclamation 2373—Thanksgiving Day Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/210189 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Proclamation 2571—Thanksgiving Day Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/210254 Franklin D. Roosvelt Library and Museum. “The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings.” http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/thanksg.html George Washington’s Mount Vernon. “Than

Charles Farrar Browne is often called the first standup comedian. He was, in the 1860s, wildly famous, but his early death, and the soaring career of one of his friends, have contributed to Browne fading from the spotlight in history. Research: “Born 1834; Married 1835. Artemus Ward’s Alleged Widow Claims His Estate.” The Savannah Morning News. April 15, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/852548808/?match=1&terms=artemus%20ward Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Artemus Ward". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Artemus-Ward Dahl, Curtis. “Artemus Ward: Comic Panoramist.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 4, 1959, pp. 476–85. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/362502 Hingston, Edward P. “The Genial Showman, Reminiscences of the Life of Artemus Ward.” London: Chatto and Windus. 1881. https://archive.org/details/genialshowmanrem00hingiala/page/n5/mode/2up Hofferth, Micah. “Charles Farrar Browne, the Sometimes-racist Father of Standup Comedy.” Vulture. F

This 2017 episode covers Katharina von Bora, Marguerite d’Angoulême and Jeanne d’Albret, who all left their mark on the Reformation, but all in different ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly talks about realizing how Hans Sloane’s early life likely normalized the idea of colonization for him, and also Museum Mike the cat. Tracy talks about the structure of Nate DiMeo's book as it compares to his podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks with Nate DiMeo about podcasting, varying approaches to talking about history, and his new book, "The Memory Palace." You can find the book "The Memory Palace" wherever books are sold; it's out on November 19. The podcast The Memory Palace is available at https://thememorypalace.us/    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Hans Sloane’s legacy is a bit mixed. He is the reason there’s a British Museum, but there are a lot of problematic aspects to the way he gathered his collection. Research: Blair, Molly. “350 years of the Chelsea Physic Garden: A brief history.” Gardens Illustrated. https://www.gardensillustrated.com/features/chelsea-physic-garden-350 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir Hans Sloane, Baronet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Hans-Sloane-Baronet Delbourgo, James. “Collecting the World: Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum.” Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2017.  “Health in the 17th Royal Museums Greenwich. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/health-17th-century “Introducing Sir Hans Sloane.” The Sloane Letters Project. https://sloaneletters.com/about-sir-hans-sloane/ Lemonius, Michele. “‘Deviously Ingenious’: British Colonialism in Jamaica.” Peace Research, vol. 49, no. 2, 2017, pp. 79–103. JSTOR, http://ww

This 2018 episode covers the craze in the 1800s when orchids became a status symbol and the cornerstone of a high-dollar industry. Collecting the plants involved adventure and excitement -- and a high death rate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly talks about the bias against Lyon in his bank robbing trial. Tracy talks about the way other podcasts that cover history are made, and the dynamics of the Manson family.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy speaks with Toby Ball, creator and host of the podcast Rip Current, which explores the story of the two assassination attempts against President Gerald Ford that were carried out less than three weeks apart in 1975. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first recorded bank robbery in the U.S. resulted in the wrong man sitting in jail, a very strange confession, and a serious lawsuit for the administrators of the bank that was robbed. Research: Avery, Ron. “America’s First Bank Robbery.” Carpenters’ Hall. https://www.carpentershall.org/americas-first-bank-robbery “Democratic Mystery Unraveled.” The North American. Nov. 20, 1798. https://www.newspapers.com/image/593171719/?match=1&terms=%22isaac%20davis%22 Hunt, Kristin. “The first major bank heist in America happened 225 years ago in Philly — and the wrong guy went to prison.” Philly Voice. Aug. 31, 2023. https://www.phillyvoice.com/first-bank-robbery-us-philly-carpenters-hall-patrick-lyon/ Lloyd, Thomas. “Robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania in 1798. The Trial in the Supreme Court of the State of Pennsylvania. Reported from the Notes by T. Lloyd. Upon Which the President of That Bank, the Cashier, One of the Directors (Who Was an Alderman) and Another Person Who Was the High Constable of Philadelphia

This 2020 episode covers the life of the man who created Dracula. But even Bram Stoker's own life story - at least as he told it - may have some fictional elements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly shares some of the theories about the Brown Lady photographers that characterizes them as charlatans. Tracy and Holly also share their experiences with possible ghosts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part two of our week of ghosts is all about one spirit – this time, a poltergeist. People have been arguing over this one since the 1660s, including some prominent skeptics and supporters.   Research: Aldridge, Alfred Owen. “Franklin and the Ghostly Drummer of Tedworth.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 4, 1950, pp. 559–67. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1917046 “Ballygally Castle Hotel and it’s Ghost Room.” Ballygally Castle Hotel. https://www.ballygallycastlehotel.com/ballygally-castle-hotel-and-its-ghost-room/ Belanger, Jeff. “World’s Most Haunted Places.” Rosen Publishing Group. 2009. "A blow at modern Sadducism in some philosophical considerations about witchcraft. To which is added, the relation of the fam'd disturbance by the drummer, in the house of Mr. John Mompesson, with some reflections on drollery and atheisme. / By a member of the Royal Society.." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A70179.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital

Part one of our Halloween finale on British Isles ghosts features two very classic ghost tales: the brown lady of Raynham Hall and the ghosts of of Ballygally Castle.  Research: Aldridge, Alfred Owen. “Franklin and the Ghostly Drummer of Tedworth.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 4, 1950, pp. 559–67. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1917046 “Ballygally Castle Hotel and it’s Ghost Room.” Ballygally Castle Hotel. https://www.ballygallycastlehotel.com/ballygally-castle-hotel-and-its-ghost-room/ Belanger, Jeff. “World’s Most Haunted Places.” Rosen Publishing Group. 2009. "A blow at modern Sadducism in some philosophical considerations about witchcraft. To which is added, the relation of the fam'd disturbance by the drummer, in the house of Mr. John Mompesson, with some reflections on drollery and atheisme. / By a member of the Royal Society.." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A70179.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Briggs, St

This 2019 episode covers the story of Zona Heaster Shue's death and subsequent appearances to her mother as an apparition. This story is often referred to as the only case in the U.S. when a ghost’s testimony convicted a murderer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks about a college course on gothic literature and a DDoS attack on archive.org. She and Holly then talk about the incongruities of Horace Walpole's personality and a handful of charming details about his life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part two of our episode on Horace Walpole gets into the gothic literature and gothic castles his life is associated with, including his own eclectic and impressive home, Strawberry Hill. Research:  "Horace Walpole." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 38, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631010882/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=37ba7a42. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024. "Walpole, Horace." American Revolution Reference Library, edited by Barbara Bigelow, et al., vol. 2: Biographies, Vol. 2, UXL, 2000, pp. 459-465. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3411900071/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=9d8ef915. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024. Bladen, “Anne Seymour Damer: the 'Sappho' of sculpture.” ArtUK. 2/7/2020. https://artuk.org/discover/stories/anne-seymour-damer-the-sappho-of-sculpture Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Horace Walpole". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Sep. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Walpol

Horace Walpole is best known for his gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto," but he lived a lot of life before that. The first part of this two-parter covers his early life, his travels with his friend Thomas Gray, and his time in Parliament.  Research: "Horace Walpole." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 38, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631010882/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=37ba7a42. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024. "Walpole, Horace." American Revolution Reference Library, edited by Barbara Bigelow, et al., vol. 2: Biographies, Vol. 2, UXL, 2000, pp. 459-465. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3411900071/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=9d8ef915. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024. Bladen, “Anne Seymour Damer: the 'Sappho' of sculpture.” ArtUK. 2/7/2020. https://artuk.org/discover/stories/anne-seymour-damer-the-sappho-of-sculpture Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Horace Walpole". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Sep. 20

This 2016 episode cover the disproportionate number of executions for sorcery that happened in Vardø during Europe's witch trials, This small fishing community staged 140 trials, and sentenced 91 of the accused witches to death.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy shares her efforts to make sure the information included in our Unearthed! episodes is up to date. Talk also turns to the many works of art that have gone untracked in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.