Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2022 episode covers the development of penicillin, which started – but definitely did not end – with the chance discovery of some mold in a petri dish.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2026

Tracy shares stories of her time in London. There is also a discussion of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s marriage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2026

After earning her first-class degree in chemistry from Oxford, Dorothy embarked on an impressive career in the new field of X-ray crystallography. She would ultimately earn many, many accolades for her work.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2026

Dorothy Hodgkin's career in X-ray crystallography impacted a lot of science in the 10th century. Part one of her story covers her early life and formative experiences that led her to her field of research.

Transcribed - Published: 6 July 2026

This 2023 episode covers Sarah Bradlee Fulton, sometimes called the Mother of the Boston Tea Party. But available information about her is basically a series of anecdotes, and can’t really be corroborated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 July 2026

Tracy talks about her visit to the Bunker Hill monument. She then describes a very early morning start when she went to visit Oxford on her recent trip to England.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2026

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in London in the early 18th century, and was known in her lifetime for her achievements as a botanical illustrator.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2026

Very soon after it was completed in 1842, the Bunker Hill monument started to be about a lot more than just the battle that took place on June 17, 1775.

Transcribed - Published: 29 June 2026

This 2021 episode talks about several specialists – most with some involvement with the Nazi party – who entered the U.S. and became citizens through Operation Paperclip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2026

Holly talks about the agreement known as the Pact of the Catacombs and recent developments related to it. There's then discussion of Daguerre's Legion of Honor medal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2026

On September 16, 1890, Louis Le Prince vanished. He was never seen or heard from again. While that is the most well-known thing about him, he had a whole life before that which involved some very intriguing things.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2026

The story of the Roman catacombs is vastly different than that of the catacombs of Paris, as Rome’s are much older and were created for very different reasons.

Transcribed - Published: 22 June 2026

This 2021 episode covers Operation Paperclip, which was the U.S. effort to bring German scientists to work in the U.S. after World War II. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2026

Tracy talks about how she first became interested in Casimir Pulaski's story, and how her focus changed during research. She also talks about selecting episode topics and later learning the subject is problematic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2026

Rebecca Smith Pollard published a book of poems to mark the U.S. centennial in 1876, and also a novel with some questionable messages. She also developed a method to teach children to read that was ahead of its time.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2026

Pulaski is often built up into an almost mythic figure who represents patriotism, bravery, freedom, independence, and the U.S. as a melting pot. a nation of immigrants. But there’s also a very different version of his story.

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2026

This 2022 episode covers the 1901 discovery of  Ada Maria Redpath and her son Jocelyn Clifford dead in their home. What exactly happened between the two of them is something we will likely never understand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2026

Holly and Tracy talk about how frequently the U.S. Post Office has stopped criminals, and about E. Virgil Neal using his intellect for shady business dealings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2026

In the early 20th century, Neal's company Force of Life was investigated for fraud. But somehow, Neal managed to get through the scandal and went on to found a cosmetics company that became very successful.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2026

E. Virgil Neal’s career started out with writing successful textbooks, but then took a turn into being a stage hypnotist and then a series of dicey mail-order businesses.

Transcribed - Published: 8 June 2026

This 2022 episode covers Hortense and Marie Mancini, who tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2026

Tracy talks about a book that she didn't use for research on Viola Roseboro'. Holly talks about how wealth inequality has shaped science history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2026

Boyle is frequently described at the first modern chemist, but his work encompassed much more than that. Among other things, he was a founding member of the Royal Society.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2026

Viola Roseboro’ isn’t well-known today, but she played a big behind-the-scenes role in the careers of a lot of American writers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shaping what’s thought of as the American literary canon.

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2026

This 2016 episode covers the May 30, 1948 flood that destroyed Vanport, Oregon. What really makes the story more than a historical footnote is how it ties into the racial makeup of both Portland and Oregon at the time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2026

Tracy talks about a strange statement in a paper she read while working on the Carlos J. Finlay episode. Holly shares her amusement at the pact Hartlib and his friends made.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2026

Samuel Hartlib doesn’t exactly spring to mind when thinking about influential figures of the 17th century. But he served as a sort of conduit for information and connections among them as he sought to promote his ideas regarding theology and education.

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2026

Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban doctor who did a lot of work to understand the spread of Yellow Fever. But Walter Reed got most of the credit.

Transcribed - Published: 25 May 2026

This 2022 episode covers Deborah Sampson, who could count William Bradford and Myles Standish in her family tree. That tree didn’t include Robert Shurtliff; that was the alias Deborah used to enlist in the Continental Army.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2026

Holly shares a quote from Daniela Lippi about the importance of ongoing learning in the restoration profession. There is then discussion of the nerve-racking construction of Disneyland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2026

Disneyland's opening seemed like an impossibility throughout the construction process. Holly interviews filmmaker Leslie Iwerks about her new film "Disneyland Handcrafted," which shares the journey from an empty dirt lot to the theme park we know today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2026

In 1993, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy was damaged by a car bomb. But this story starts in the 16th century with painter Bartolomeo Manfredi, and reaches all the way to the 2000s with an extraordinary restoration project.

Transcribed - Published: 18 May 2026

This 2019 episode covers the Regulator War, aka the War of the Regulation, aka the Regulator Movement. It was a North Carolina event which arose in response to unfair taxes, poor representation and corruption.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2026

Tracy shares why Bhagat Singh Thind rocketed to the top of her topics list. Holly shares a story of bad cat behavior.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2026

The Carrington Event was a massive geomagnetic storm that happened in 1859. It led to expanded understanding of solar phenomena.

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2026

United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind was a 1923 case that hinged on what it meant to be white.

Transcribed - Published: 11 May 2026

This 2023 episode covers the Insular Cases, which are SCOTUS cases regarding rights of people in U.S. territories. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2026

Holly talks about how small the circle of London intellectuals was in John Graunt's time. Then there is discussion of disco balls in bathrooms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2026

There are so many things in our modern world that we presume are fairly recent inventions. But the three things we’re going to talk about in this instance are quite old, but they have close associations with the recent past.

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2026

John Graunt was a shopkeeper in 17th-century London who followed his own curiosity to a rather grand result. His work gave rise to the fields of demography and epidemiology.

Transcribed - Published: 4 May 2026

This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 May 2026

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2026

The Memphis Massacre was a truly horrific wave of destruction and violence, including sexual violence, against the Black community of Memphis just a year after the end of the U.S. Civil War.

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2026

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.

Transcribed - Published: 27 April 2026

This 2019 episode covers the color blue, the most popular color in many parts of the world. But many ancient languages didn’t have a word for blue, and some languages still don’t.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2026

Tracy shares struggles that she encountered pulling together this edition of Unearthed. She and Holly have a tangential discussion about AI.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2026

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! includes animals, artwork, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, potpourri. Research: Abdallah, Hannah. “Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines.” EurekAlert. 3/4/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117763 Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111595 Anderson, Sonja. “Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D’Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired ‘The Three Musketeers’?” Smithsonian. 3/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/ Anderson, Sonja. “Historians Thought This Rare Renaissance Portrait by One of the First Famous Female Artists Was Lost to History—Until It Surfaced in North Carolina.” 2/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-rare-renaissance-portrait-by-one-of-the-first-famous-female-artists-was-lost-to-history-until-it-surfaced-in-north-carolina-180988120/ Anderson, Sonja. “Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-ancient-roman-blade-sharpeners-emerge-from-a-riverbank-in-england-revealing-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-whetstone-factory-180988016/ Anderson, Sonja. “The Italian Government Just Paid Nearly $35 Million for a Rare Caravaggio Portrait—One of the Most Expensive Artworks It’s Ever Acquired.” Smithsonian. 3/16/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/ Arnold, Paul. “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts.” Phys.org. 2/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html Arnold, Paul. “Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scents-afterlife-embalming-recipes-sniffing.html#google_vignette Bacon, Jordan. “English history’s biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings.” EurekAlert. 3/20/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120082 Bastola, Kunjal. “A Groundskeeper Noticed a Sinkhole on a Golf Course. It Turned Out to Be a Wine Cellar Full of Empty Bottles, Untouched for More Than 100 Years.” Smithsonian. 3/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-groundskeeper-noticed-a-sinkhole-on-a-golf-course-it-turned-out-to-be-a-wine-cellar-full-of-empty-bottles-untouched-for-more-than-100-years-180988379/ Bastola, Kunjal. “A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It.” Smithsonian. 1/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-little-boys-library-book-was-due-in-1989-thirty-six-years-later-he-realized-his-parents-had-never-returned-it-180988046/ Baum, Stephanie. “Ancient parrot DNA reveals sophisticated, long-distance animal trade network pre-dating the Inca Empire.” 3/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-parrot-dna-reveals-sophisticated.html Baum, Stephanie. “From the Late Bronze Age to today, the Old Irish Goat carries 3,000 years of Irish history.” 2/26/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-late-bronze-age-today-irish.html Benzine, Vittoria. “What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense.” Artnet. 3/31/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-ritual-incense-study-2760240 Brooks, James. “Danish warship sunk by Nelson’s British fleet discovered after 225 years.” Associated Press. 4/2/2026. https://apnews.com/article/denmark-archaeologists-warship-nelson-copenhagen-dannebroge-lynetteholm-4519533d9e774a490f6020e893634e09 Carvajal, Guillermo. “Archaeologists achieve a historic milestone by dating French cave paintings with carbon-14 for the first time.” 3/10/2025. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/archaeologists-achieve-a-historic-milestone-by-dating-french-cave-paintings-with-carbon-14-for-the-first-time/ Clayworth, Liv. “Bird poop powered the rise of the Chincha Kingdom, archaeologists find.” EurekAlert. 2/11/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115214 “Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France.” Phys.org. 3/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-archimedes-palimpsest-blois.html Ehrlich, Claudia. “Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years.” EurekAlert. 2/23/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117179 Ferrer, Isabel. “Is d’Artagnan lying beneath a church in Maastricht? DNA will determine if remains found are those of the famous musketeer.” El Pais. 3/25/2025. https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-25/is-dartagnan-lying-beneath-a-church-in-maastricht-dna-will-determine-if-remains-found-are-that-of-the-famous-musketeer.html?outputType=amp Gebauer, Kathryn. “Groundbreaking discovery reveals Africa’s oldest cremation pyre and complex ritual practices.” EurekAlert. 1/1/2016. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111191 Harley, Sadie. “Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants.” Phys.org. 1/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-iron-age-dental-plaque-reveals.html He, Ye. “Singapore’s first ancient shipwreck reveals record cargo of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain.” EurekAlert. 2/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116512 Johansen, Rikke Tørnsø. “Archaeologists reveal a medieval super ship: "It's the World’s largest cog".” Vikingeskibs Museet. 12/22/2025. https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/news/archaeologists-reveal-a-medieval-super-ship-its-the-worlds-largest-cog Kasal, Krystal. “Hannibal's famous war elephants: Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hannibal-famous-war-elephants-bone.html Kasal, Krystal. “Oldest known sewn hide and other artifacts from Oregon caves shed light on early clothing in harsh climates.” Phys.org. 2/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-oldest-sewn-artifacts-oregon-caves.html Killgrove, Kristina. “Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell.” 1/29/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-used-human-feces-as-medicine-1-900-years-ago-and-used-thyme-to-mask-the-smell Killgrove, Kristina. “Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary.” LiveScience. 3/3/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-age-woman-was-buried-like-a-man-revealing-flexible-gender-roles-7-000-years-ago-in-hungary Koc University. “Earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and single-needle knitting discovered in Bronze Age Anatolia.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-earliest-evidence-indigo-dyed-textiles.html Kuta, Sarah. “Did Neanderthals Use Birch Bark Tar as an Antibiotic to Treat Wounds and Infections?” Smithsonian. 3/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-use-birch-bark-tar-as-an-antibiotic-to-treat-wounds-and-infections-180988393/ Kuta, Sarah. “Ostrich Eggshells Suggest Our Ancestors May Have Understood Basic Geometry 60,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 3/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-intricately-decorated-ostrich-eggshells-suggest-our-ancestors-may-have-understood-basic-geometry-60000-years-ago-180988315/ Kuta, Sarah. “Ötzi the Iceman May Have Carried a Cancer-Causing Strain of HPV, a Common Virus Still Plaguing Humans Today.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/otzi-the-iceman-may-have-carried-a-cancer-causing-strain-of-hpv-a-common-virus-still-plaguing-humans-today-180988024/ Kuta, Sarah. “Shipwreck Timbers Appeared on a Beach After a Storm. They Had Been Buried Beneath the Sand Since the 17th Century.” Smithsonian. 3/2/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-timbers-appeared-on-a-beach-after-a-storm-they-had-been-buried-beneath-the-sand-since-the-17th-century-180988260/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Salvador Dalí’s Largest Work Snapped Up by Florida Museum.” Artnet. 3/27/2026. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvador-dali-largest-work-bonhams-sale-2749246 Lock, Lisa. “Ancient DNA finds 15,800-year-old dogs in Anatolia, buried like humans.” Phys.org. 3/28/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-dna-year-dogs-anatolia.html Lock, Lisa. “Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-men-genghis-khan.html Lucibella, Michael. “Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe.” EurekAlert. 1/26/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113140 Luscombe, Richard. “Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic.” The Guardian. 1/31/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/31/plague-of-justinian-pandemic net. “Did King Harold Sail to Hastings? New Study Sparks Debate Among Historians.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/did-king-harold-sail-to-hastings-new-study-sparks-debate-among-historians/ net. “Viking-Age Woman Buried with Her Dog in Norway.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/viking-age-woman-buried-with-her-dog-in-norway/ Newcastle University Press Office. “5,300-year-old ‘bow drill’ rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools.” 2/9/2026. https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/02/ancientegyptiandrillbit/ Noraz, R., Chauvey, L., Wagner, S. et al. Ancient DNA reveals 4000 years of grapevine diversity, viticulture and clonal propagation in France. Nat Commun 17, 2494 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70166-z Nordin, Gunilla. “World’s oldest arrow poison – 60,000-year-old traces reveal early advanced hunting techniques.” 1/7/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111624 Parco Archaeologico de Ercolano. “Archaeology: New precious decorations discovered at Villa Sora in the Herculaneum Park.” 2/5/2026. https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/archaeology-new-precious-decorations-discovered-at-villa-sora-in-the-herculaneum-park/?lang=en Paul, Andrew. “Hiker finds 3,000-year-old bull sculpture in Spain.” Popular Science. 3/17/2026. https://www.popsci.com/science/hiker-finds-bronze-age-bull-spain/ Potter, Lisa. “A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113056 “Digital scans unveil new love notes and sketches on ancient Pompeii wall.” 1/19/2026. https://www.reuters.com/science/digital-scans-unveil-new-love-notes-sketches-ancient-pompeii-wall-2026-01-19/ Richard L. Rosencrance et al. ,Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations. Sci. Adv. 12, eaec2916(2026).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aec2916 Ruse, Amy. “Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art.” EurekAlert. 3/30/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121955 Ruse, Amy. “World’s oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112900 Siehoff, Jonas. “Hygienic conditions in Pompeii's early baths were poor.” 1/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112403 Taçon, P. S. C., A.Jalandoni, S. K.May, J.Nganjmirra, and C.Mungulda. 2026. “The Devil Is in the Detail: Tasmanian Devil and Tasmanian Tiger Paintings From Awunbarna and Injalak Hill, Northern Territory, Australia.” Archaeology in Oceania. https://doi.org/10.1002/arco.70024 The History Blog. “$40 estate sale find by early African-American silversmith sells for $24,000.” 2/4/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75294 The History Blog. “43,000 ostraca found at one site shed light on social history of Egypt.” 5/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75609 The History Blog. “British Museum acquires Tudor Heart.” 2/10/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75343 The History Blog. “Exceptional Roman cargo shipwreck found in Lake Neuchâtel.” 3/29/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75705 The History Blog. “Extraordinary find: 10th c. bronze wheel cross matches mold found 43 years ago.” 1/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75220 The History Blog. “Previously unknown Hans Baldung Grien portrait emerges after 500 years in the sitter’s family.” 1/17/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75161 The History Blog. “Roman wooden writing tablets from Belgium deciphered.” 1/22/2206. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75207 Thomas, Laura. “A century-old Stonehenge mystery may finally be solved.” Science Daily. 1/27/2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127010208.htm Thorsberg, Christian. “The National Gallery of Art Acquires 17th-Century Masterpiece by Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi.” Smithsonian. 2/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-acquired-17th-century-masterpiece-by-baroque-painter-artemisia-gentileschi-180988147/ Thorsberg, Christian. “This Luxury Steamer Disappeared on a Stormy Night in 1872. Nearly 150 Years Later to the Day, It Was Found at the Bottom of Lake Michigan.” Smithsonian. 2/18/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-luxury-steamer-disappeared-on-a-stormy-night-in-1872-nearly-150-years-to-the-day-it-was-found-in-the-bottom-of-lake-michigan-180988204/ Unibo Magazine. “Humanity’s oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs.” https://magazine.unibo.it/en/articles/humanitys-oldest-geometries-engraved-on-ostrich-eggs University of Tübingen. “Earliest hand-held wooden tools found in Greece date back 430,000 years.” Phys.org. 1/1/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-earliest-held-wooden-tools-greece.html Villotte, S., T.Szeniczey, S.Kacki, and A.Anders. 2026. “Fixed and Fluid: The Two Faces of Gender Roles—A Combined Study of Activity Patterns and Burial Practices in the European Neolithic.” American Journal of Biological Anthropology189, no. 2: e70217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70217. Whiddington, Richard. “3,300-Year-Old Papyrus Reveals How Ancient Egyptians Fixed Drawing Mistakes.” ArtNet. 3/9/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-egyptian-papyrus-white-out-fluid-2752125 Whiddington, Richard. “Long-Lost Archimedes Text Resurfaces in French Museum.” Artnet. 3/11/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-page-of-archimedes-palimpsest-found-2753005 Whiddington, Richard. “Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin’s Shipwreck.” ArtNet. 3/19/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/parthenon-fragment-lord-elgin-shipwreck-2755894 Zeilsgtra, Andrew. “Breathing in the past: How museums can use biomolecular archaeology to bring ancient scents to life.” EurekAlert. 2/5/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114918 Zinin, Andrew. “600-year-old pinot noir grape found in medieval French toilet.” Phys.org. 3/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-pinot-noir-grape-medieval.html#google_vignette See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2026

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! features updates, medical things, books and letters, oldest known things, and smells.

Transcribed - Published: 20 April 2026

This 2022 episode covers how Courbet was iconic even in his own lifetime. He flew in the face of artistic convention, ushered in a new movement of Realism in France, and became embroiled in the country’s political turmoil.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2026

Tracy shares her intentions to cover Peter Kropotkin years ago, and also unpacks some of the positive and negative aspects of his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2026