Stuff You Missed in History Class

Beatrice Kenner’s inventions were focused largely on making life easier and less annoying for herself and the people around her, including period products. Mildred Smith’s invention was about family, and it grew from her disability after she developed multiple sclerosis.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

The invention Eadweard Muybridge is known for is his zoopraxiscope, an early movie technology. But he also innovated in photography, had some other inventions, and was the defendant in a murder trial.

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

This 2019 episode covers Mary Winston Jackson, best known as the first black woman to become an engineer at NASA. But she also worked to clear the way for other underrepresented people at NASA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 July 2025

Tracy talks about current events and how they relate to the show and education. She and Holly also talk about the people who work in national parks and historical sites. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

This edition of Unearthed! continues, this time covering the mixed items we call potpourri, shipwrecks, edibles and potables, books and letters, and exhumations.

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

This installment of Unearthed! starts with lots of updates! And then some art-related unearthings, and a few things at the end that fall under the category of adult content.

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2025

This 2017 episode covers a very short time between Edward VI and Mary I when Lady Jane was, at least nominally, Queen of England and Ireland. Whether she had any right to the title is still the subject of dispute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2025

Holly and Tracy discuss the challenge of enlarging sewing patterns from small diagrams. They also talk about one of Butterick's most popular patterns of all time -- the 1952 walk-away dress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025

Hi, Stuff You Missed in History Class listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, American History Hotline. American History Hotline: Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to [email protected].   Listen to American History Hotline on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Ellen Curtis Demorest and Ebeneezer Butterick are the two names most often invoked as the start of multi-sized patterns printed for home sewists. Once they proved it was a viable business, a lot of other offerings appeared.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Commercially available sewing patterns have been a cornerstone of home stitching for a century. But well before they existed, there were people trying to share sewing patterns.

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2025

This 2020 episode examines how the U.S. got to the point of having one resource, specifically for poisoning, that’s so reliable and available that it gets printed on the labels of consumer products.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2025

Tracy and Holly talk about their favorite pens, and Tracy describes a unique radio she had as a child.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it.

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2025

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint?

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2025

 This 2022 episode starts with the story of John Bibb, credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2025

Holly discusses the inscription on the Beachamps' headstone and the court of public opinion. Tracy shares information about Wilfred Owen's brother Harold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 July 2025

Hello, Stuff You Missed in History Class Fans! We want to share a new show you might like, United States of Kennedy.  About the show: United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story. Listen here and subscribe to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2025

Wilfred Owen is considered one of the most important English-language poets of World War I. His work  also part of a shift in how many British poets were writing about war.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder.

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

This 2014 episode covers transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. She became famous, in part, for participating in the Stonewall riots, and she spent her life campaigning bravely, stridently and vocally for the rights of gay and transgender people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2025

Rosina Bulwer-Lytton week generates discussion of her relationship with Edward, including many people who sided with him over the years despite allegations of abuse and infidelity. Tracy and Holly also discuss the couple’s daughter’s death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

Once Rosina Bulwer-Lytton and her husband Edward separated, his life seemed to become more and more successful while she struggled with finances. The estranged couple then spent years battling very publicly until Edward had Rosina committed.

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

After a difficult childhood, Rosina Bulwer-Lytton landed in a marriage that quickly turned chaotic and stressful, and then became abusive. Part one covers the period of her life up to their separation.

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025

This 2017 episode covers Theodosia Burr Alston, Aaron Burr's incredibly smart and well educated daughter. She vanished without a trace as an adult, and her ultimate fate is still a matter of debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2025

Tracy and Holly share experiences of having their hearts monitored using EKG technology. They also talk about whether or not Albert Bierstadt had any natural talent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2025

Albert Bierstadt’s story runs counter to the romanticized idea of a passionate starving artist. He was strategic in his career, selecting imagery that he knew would appeal to U.S. audiences, and monetizing his art outside of selling paintings.

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025

The first electrocardiograph was invented in 1895. That device looked a lot different from today’s machines, and there are some other contenders for the title of “first.”

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

This 2020 episode covers one of the transitional events between the Black Death and the Renaissance. Wat Tyler’s Rebellion was also known as the Uprising of 1381 or the Great Rising.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2025

Holly and Tracy talk about Tracy growing up in a mostly Protestant community with little exposure to Catholicism. They also talk about the Gorsuch family's ties to John Wilkes Booth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2025

The Christiana Incident offers a snapshot of the U.S. when the country was sorting into states where slavery was upheld and states that had abolished it, and what racist tension looked like at border states in the mid-1850s.

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2025

Pope Leo XIII sought to find a way forward for the Catholic church at a time when the world was rapidly changing and the church was often at odds with those changes.

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2025

This 2022 episode covers Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. supreme court decision that overturned laws banning contraception – at least, for married couples. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2025

Tracy talks about her experiences with the Blue Ridge Parkway growing up, including her mixed feelings about it. Holly talks about the theft of the Mona Lisa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2025

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the longest roadway in the U.S. that was planned as a single unit. Its origin is connected to government efforts to provide relief from the Great Depression, and conservation of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2025

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is a scenic road tied to the “See America First” movement of the early 20th century. The acquisition of land for the project was difficult, and displaced many families from their homes.

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2025

This 2016 continuation of our coverage of the Palmer Raids covers a series of raids on perceived threats to national security by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Thousands of people were rounded up, many without cause or warrant, and kept in horrifying conditions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2025

Tracy outlines all the way RFK Jr.'s claims regarding disease history make no sense. Holly talks about the section of her career that was spent working in a university library.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2025

The Library of Congress has a lot of responsibilities. It’s massive in both physical scale and in scale of services. So how did it start, and how did it evolve to be the largest library in the world?

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2025

Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Crohn’s disease are autoimmune diseases that share a lot of commonalities. This episode covers when and how they were first recognized and described.  Research: Aceves-Avila, Francisco Javier et al. “The Antiquity of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Reappraisal.” The Journal of Rheumatology 2001; 28:4. Arnaud, Laurent et al. “The History of Lupus Throughout the Ages.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Volume 87, Issue 6, December 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962220307726 Barber, Megan R W et al. “Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus.” Nature reviews. Rheumatology vol. 17,9 (2021): 515-532. doi:10.1038/s41584-021-00668-1 Bornstein, Joseph E. and Randolph M. Steinhagen. “History of Crohn’s Disease.” From Crohn’s Disease: Basic Principles. Springer. 2015. Crohn & Colitis Foundation. “IBD before the Foundation.” https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/about/our-beginning Entezami, Pouya et al. “Historical perspective on the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.” Hand clinics vol. 27,1 (2011): 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.hcl.2010.09. Geller, Stephen A. and Fernando P F de Camposc. “Crohn disease.” Autopsy Case Rep [Internet]. 2015; 5(2):5-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/acr.2015.001 Hyndman, I.J. (2017), Rheumatoid arthritis: past, present and future approaches to treating the disease. Int J Rheum Dis, 20: 417-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-185X.12823 Kirsner, J B. “Historical origins of current IBD concepts.” World journal of gastroenterology vol. 7,2 (2001): 175-84. doi:10.3748/wjg.v7.i2.175 Laberge, Monique, and Philip E. Koth. "Rheumatoid Arthritis." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2020, pp. 4474-4480. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986601640/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8b8ee977. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025. Laurent Arnaud - I6 The history of lupus throughout the ages: Lupus Science & Medicine 2020;7:. https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2020-eurolupus.6 org. “The History of Lupus.” https://www.lupus.org/resources/the-history-of-lupus Mandal, Dr. Ananya. “Rheumatoid Arthritis History.” News Medical. 7/7/2023. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-History.aspx Medical News Today. “The History of Rheumatoid Arthritis.” 5/2/2023. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/rheumatoid-arthritis-history Michniacki, Thomas. “Crohn’s Disease: An Evolutionary History.” University of Michigan Library. 2006-05 http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/96969 Potter, Brian. “The History of the Disease Called Lupus.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences , JANUARY 1993, Vol. 48, No. 1 (JANUARY 1993). Via JSTOR. http://www.jstor.com/stable/24622869 Sathiavageesan, Subrahmanian, and Suganya Rathnam. “The LE Cell-A Forgotten Entity.” Indian journal of nephrology vol. 31,1 (2021): 71-72. doi:10.4103/ijn.IJN_249_19 Scofield, R Hal, and James Oates. “The place of William Osler in the description of systemic lupus erythematosus.” The American journal of the medical sciences vol. 338,5 (2009): 409-12. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181acbd71 "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus." National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Pamphlets, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 2001, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A79512544/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=534bac78. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025. Thomas, Donald E. et al. “The first use of “lupus” as a disease.” Lupus. 2025, Vol. 34(1) 3–9. Tish Davidson, and Rebecca J. Frey. "Crohn's Disease." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2020, pp. 1423-1427. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986600509/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=2687d598. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025. Van Hootegem, Phillippe. “Is Crohn’s A Rightly Used Eponym?” J Crohns Colitis. 2020 Jul 9;14(6):867-871. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjz183. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2025

Part one of this 2016 classic covers the social unrest in the U.S. after WWI. There was a fear that Communist revolutionaries would try to take over the country. Adding fuel to the fear were two bomb plots in 1919.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2025

Holly shares her experience visiting the Meiji Jingu shrine. Tracy mentions that she never found out why the Triple Nickles used the spelling they did, and her use of the Wayback Machine for show research. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2025

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, also called the Triple Nickles, were the first Black paratroopers in the U.S. military, and their story is connected to the desegregation of the military after World War II.

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2025

Emperor Meiji of Japan’s reign began in 1867, and it marks a time of significant change in the country’s history. After the emperor and his consort died in the early 20th century, the Meiji Jingu shrine was built to memorialize them.

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2025

This 2020 episode covers the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was founded in 1943. Some of these women athletes believed they were starting on a career in professional baseball.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2025

Tracy and Holly share tetanus shot stories and discuss getting boosters. They then discuss the egos of European explorers in Africa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2025

Sidi Mubarak Bombay was sort of a combined guide, translator and nurse, and often the supervisor of the African laborers on expeditions through eastern and equatorial Africa in the 19th century.

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2025

Tetanus has probably been around for most of human history, or even longer. But it’s preventable today thanks to vaccines.

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

This 2020 episode covers Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, an accomplished astronomer. She grew up in a society that didn’t really prioritize education for girls, and she was determined and creative about getting around that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2025

Holly talks about the dynamics of Altina Schinasi's family. Tracy shares a dispute over nursing uniform procedures on the Boston Floating Hospital that played out in a trade journal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2025