Stuff You Missed In History Class

In 1928, a young woman from North Carolina named Alma Petty Gatlin went on trial for the murder of her father. A preacher Alma had confessed to informed authorities, setting off a sensational case that examined confessional privilege. Research: “Girl Sobs as Jury Grants Her Liberty.” The Charlotte Observer. Feb. 23, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/image/616612305/?terms=%22Smith%20T.%20Petty%22&match=1 “Woman on Trial for Patricide.” Gettysburg Times. Feb. 14, 1928. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19280214&id=_ZwlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gfYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=956,5137180 “Little Progress Made in Petty Probe.” The Charlotte Observer. Sept. 6, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/616813195/?terms=alma%20petty&match=1 “Reidsville Girl Arrested for Murder of Father!” The Bee. Sept. 3, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/46801069/ “Bride Accused of Slaying Father.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Oct. 2, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/140410715/?terms=alma%20petty&match=1 “Confid

This 2016 episode discusses the Doolittle Raid, an attack on Japan launched by the U.S. in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. But the leader of the mission was a legend long before his daring efforts in WWII.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy shares how the recent wave of spy balloon news inspired this week's episode, and the hosts talk about the technology of war balloons. They also talk about G.K. Chesterton, his anti-eugenics writing, and his anti-Semitism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

G.K. Chesterton was a prolific writer across many genres, including fiction, poetry, journalism, literary criticism, biography, social criticism, theology, and Christian apologetics. He was also a vocal critic of eugenics. Research: "Chesterton, G.K." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, Merriam-Webster, 1995. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/RN1480001897/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=d75f28d6. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023. Schwartz, Adam. "Conceiving a culture of life in a century of bones: G. K. Chesterton and Malcolm Muggeridge as social critics." Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, vol. 11, no. 2, spring 2008, pp. 50+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A370214476/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f9d4a07a. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023. Eden, Dawn. "Thursday's Father; The cosmos in the mind of G.K. Chesterton." The Weekly Standard, vol. 15, no. 47, 30 Aug. 2010. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A236124464/GPS?u=mlin_n_

We’ve gotten requests to talk about the balloon bombs that Japan used to target North America during World War II. But these were not the only balloons in use during the war, or the first balloons used for military purposes. Research: Barnett, Glenn. “Another Way to Bomb Germany.” Warfare History Network. June 2021. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/another-way-to-bomb-germany/ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "airship". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/technology/airship. Accessed 15 February 2023. Czekanski, Tom. “Museum Acquires Item Related to the First African American Unit in Normandy.” National World War II Museum. 2/1/2020. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/museum-acquires-item-related-first-african-american-unit-normandy Drapeau, Raoul E. “Operation Outward: Britain’s World War II offensive balloons.” IEEE Power and Energy Magazine. September/October 2011. https://site.ieee.org/ny-monitor/files/2011/09/OPERATION-OUTWARD.pdf Juillerat, Le

In 2017, the show covered the fears, prejudices and societal issues that drove the eugenics movement in the U.S., which focused on identifying, sequestering and even sterilizing people who were deemed to be "unfit."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the way that the eugenics movement pops up almost any time there's research into late 19th and early 20th century figures. They also discuss the nature of chicken and dumplings in their experience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eliza Fenning worked as a cook in a London household until she found herself in the middle of a poisoning accusation. Her controversial trial brought the bias of the 19th-century British criminal justice system into focus.  Research: “Circumstantial Evidence.” The Abilene Gazette. June 23, 1876. https://www.newspapers.com/image/367010505/?terms=eliza%20fenning&match=1 Hempel, Sarah. “The Inheritor’s Powder.”  W. W. Norton & Company. 2013. Hempel, Sarah. “Eliza Fenning: the case of the poisoned dumplings.” The Telegraph. June 17, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130620172222/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10117903/Eliza-Fenning-the-case-of-the-poisoned-dumplings.html Clarke, Kate. “Trial of Eliza Fenning.” Mango Books. May 2021. “Circumstantial evidence : The extraordinary case of Eliza Fenning, who was executed in 1815, for attempting to poison the family of Orlibar Turner, by mixing arsenic in yeast dumplings. With a statement of facts, since developed tending to prove her innocence of the cr

Ellen Swallow Richards was a big part of the establishment of home economics as a field.  But well before that, she broke a lot of ground and was often way ahead of her time. Research: Bettex, Morgan. “A life filled with firsts.” MIT News. 1/26/2011. https://news.mit.edu/2011/timeline-richards-0126 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ellen Swallow Richards". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Swallow-Richards. Accessed 8 February 2023. Chapman, Sasha. “The Woman Who Gave Us the Science of Normal Life.” Nautilus. 3/28/2017. https://nautil.us/the-woman-who-gave-us-the-science-of-normal-life-236534/ Daniels, Elizabeth A. “The Disappointing First Thrust of Euthenics.” Vassar Encyclopedia. https://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/interviews-and-reflections/the-disappointing-first-thrust-of-euthenics/ Durant, Elizabeth. “Ellencyclopedia.” MIT Technology Review. 8/15/2007. https://www.technologyreview.com/2007/08/15/36578/ellencyclopedia/ Dyball, Robert and Liesel Carl

In 2016, Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. joined Tracy to discuss the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which gave rebelling states 100 days to return to the Union or have their enslaved population freed during the U.S. Civil War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the ways enslaved people found to push back against their enslavement. They then examine the animal welfare aspect of Old Rip’s story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Old Rip was a reptile with quite a legend. Some people believed that he survived a 31-year entombment in a courthouse cornerstone, and he became celebrity, even gaining an audience with President Calvin Coolidge. But was it all a hoax? Research: “Toad Alive After 31 Years Sealed in Texas Cornerstone.” New York Times. Feb, 20, 1928. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/02/20/91477181.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Coolidge Sees Famous Horned Toad of Texas.” The Greenville News. May 4, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/image/188233123/?terms=toad&match=1 “Texas Horned Frog Upsets Scientists.” Times Record News. Feb. 21, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/image/774886762/ “Horned Lizard Facts.” Texas Parks and Wildlife. https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/horned_lizard/facts/#:~:text=Its%20horny%20appearance%20and%20coloration,(actually%2C%20its%20eyelid). “RipFest.” https://www.eastlandchamber.com/ripfest/ “Texas Court Frees Entombed Toad.” New York Tim

As a child, Susie King Taylor forged passes so her grandmother could go places in Savanna she otherwise couldn’t. As an adult, she penned the only Civil War memoir known to have been written by a Black woman who was actively involved in the military. Research: Hancock, Kelly. “Lunch & Learn Talk by Kelly Hancock: Susie King Taylor’s Civil War.” The American Civil War Museum. 11/15/2016. Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613s3tg_Zlk "Susie King Taylor." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 13, Gale, 1996. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606001325/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=0670abcd. Accessed 31 Jan. 2023. "Susie King Taylor." Notable Black American Women, Gale, 1992. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1623000434/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=62d16da2. Accessed 31 Jan. 2023. McCurry, Stephanie. "'In the company' with Susie King Taylor." America's Civil War, vol. 27, no. 2, May 2014, pp. 26+. Gale In Context: U.S.

Hey, Stuff You Missed In History Class listeners! The newest hit docuseries of another star-studded podcast, The Last Soviet is live. Go check out the beginning of this thrilling journey with Lance Bass, NSync Superstar, and Russian-trained astronaut!”   About The Last Soviet: Lance Bass, NSync Superstar, and Russian-trained astronaut takes you on a wild ride into space. He tells the story of the last Soviet cosmonaut who is trapped on the world’s only space station, as the country he knows and loves collapses beneath him. On this journey through Earth’s atmosphere in the form of a podcast, Lance introduces you to the woman who won a reality show cosmonaut contest, a ham radio operator in Australia who became a lifeline for the Soviet Space Station, a hustler from Chicago who tried to sell coca-cola to the Russians and the editor of Playboy who took part in a revolution.   It’s one man’s dream to go to space, his dedication to the country he thought he knew and 313 days spent orbiting the Earth. 313 days that

This 2016 episode covers when three escapees from enslavement showed up at a Union position during the U.S. Civil War. The decision of how to handle the situation fell to Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, and his actions led to a situation for which the government was simply not prepared.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2016 episode covers the aftermath of after a series of earthquakes on the eastern side of the Icelandic island of Heimaey in 1973. As the eruption developed over time, it became more dangerous, and a variety of measures were undertaken to stop the flow of lava.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about Tootsie Rolls used in the military, and Holly's German chocolate cake obsession. They also discuss their relationships with the book "The Velveteen Rabbit" and their childhood fears.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scarlet fever is treatable with antibiotics, but in the middle of the 19th century, it was the leading cause of death in children in some parts of the world. Today, there are several ongoing mysteries about the disease. Research: Branswell, Helen. “Scarlet fever, a disease of yore, is making a comeback in parts of the world.” 11/27/2017. https://www.statnews.com/2017/11/27/scarlet-fever-cases/ Lamagni, Theresa et al. “Resurgence of scarlet fever in England, 2014–16: a population-based surveillance study.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Vol. 18, Issue 2. February 2018. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(17)30693-X/fulltext?elsca1=tlpr Ferretti, Joseph and Werner Köhler. “History of Streptococcal Research.” From “Streptococcus pyogenes : Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations.” Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA, editors. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK333430/ Doherty Institute. “Scarlet fever is

Both of these eponymous foods feature chocolate, but they also both feature some issues with timelines and attribution that need to be unraveled.  Research: Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell. “The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History.” History Press. Charleston, S.C. 2009. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/bakerchocolateco00samm/page/80/mode/2up “Celebrating Not-So-German Chocolate Cake.” NPR. All Things Considered. June 23, 2007. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11331541 Asher Edwards advertisement. Goldsboro Messenger. Nov. 18, 1878. https://www.newspapers.com/image/62317791/?terms=%22German%27s%20Chocolate%20Cake%22&match=1 Pat’s Steak House advertisement. The Welsh Citizen. October 12, 1951. https://www.newspapers.com/image/855431677/?terms=%22German%27s%20Chocolate%20Cake%22&match=1 “This is the Youngland Look for Fall.” Lincoln Journal Star. July 19, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/312770953/?terms=%22German%27s%20Chocolate%20Cake%22&match=1 “A Tested Rec

This 2018 episode covers Constance Markievicz, who came from a wealthy Protestant family before making a somewhat surprising transition to become a leader in the Irish Nationalist movement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.