Stuff You Missed In History Class

Holly and Tracy talk about why Robert-Houdin has been lauded as the father of modern magic. They also discuss dangerous aspects of his work, and the lack of nuance in stories about his Algerian performances.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the 1844 Paris expo, Robert-Houdin turned his efforts to creating his own stage show. He created automata tricks that still delight today, and quickly became a very famous magician. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Eugene-Robert-Houdin “How to Do the Classic Cups & Balls Trick.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXNCMdKs-Y&t=124s “ROBERT-HOUDIN TRIPLE MYSTERY CLOCK.” JACQUES NÈVE HORLOGER D'ART. https://www.horloger.net/purchase-sales/mystery-clocks/74-robert-houdin-triple-mystery-clock/ Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène. “Memoirs of Robert-Houdin : ambassador, author, and conjurer.” Geo. G. Evans. Philadelphia. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42916/42916-h/42916-h.htm Evans, Henry Ridgely (2010) "Robert-Houdin. Conjuror, Author, and Ambassador.," The Open Court: Vol. 1903 : Iss. 12 , Article 3. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1903/iss12/3 “Houdin and the Arabs.” Sci

Robert-Houdin was the magician that Houdini named himself after, his story is hard to pin down, because even his own memoir is written to be entertaining, not accurate. Part one covers his early life, marriages, and beginnings in magic.  Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Eugene-Robert-Houdin “How to Do the Classic Cups & Balls Trick.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXNCMdKs-Y&t=124s “ROBERT-HOUDIN TRIPLE MYSTERY CLOCK.” JACQUES NÈVE HORLOGER D'ART. https://www.horloger.net/purchase-sales/mystery-clocks/74-robert-houdin-triple-mystery-clock/ Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène. “Memoirs of Robert-Houdin : ambassador, author, and conjurer.” Geo. G. Evans. Philadelphia. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42916/42916-h/42916-h.htm Evans, Henry Ridgely (2010) "Robert-Houdin. Conjuror, Author, and Ambassador.," The Open Court: Vol. 1903 : Iss. 12 , Article 3. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.e

This 2012 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina covers P.T. Barnum the circus man, museum entrepreneur, and freak show runner. Barnum attracted people to his American Museum through shrewd advertising, and he wasn't afraid of a hoax.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about how the Mancini sisters episode shifted focus as Tracy was researching it, and divorce not being an option in France during their lifetimes. They also talk about the inconsistent details of accounts of the Cocoanut Grove fire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tragedy at Boston’s Cocoanut Grove in 1942 is still the deadliest nightclub fire in history. The cause of the fire is still unknown; in its wake, advancements were made in fire safety and medical treatments for burn victims. Research: Boston Public Library. “Great Fires of Boston: November 28, 1942.” 12/20/2021. https://guides.bpl.org/bostonfires/cocoanutgrove National Fire Protection Association. “The Cocoanut Grove Fire.” https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-in-living-and-entertainment-spaces/Nightclubs-assembly-occupancies/The-Cocoanut-Grove-fire LeBlanc, Steve and Bob Salsberg. “Worst US nightclub fire influences safety codes, burn care.” 11/28/2017. https://apnews.com/article/cd1e3a85b05e4d65bbd85fdf130f142e Illinois Library. “Major American Fires: Cocoanut Grove Fire.” 8/19/2022. https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=348303&p=2346975 Boston Fire Historical Society. “The Story of the Cocoanut Grove Fire.” https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fi

Hortense and Marie Mancini tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way. Their lives were full of adventure and daring, but they were also both stuck in abusive marriages.   Research: "Jules Mazarin." Historic World Leaders, edited by Anne Commire, Gale, 1994. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1616000407/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=68d5e2f8. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022. "When lesbian passions stirred at court." Times [London, England], 7 Feb. 2019, p. 3. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A572957931/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8ab9535e. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Mancini sisters". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Dec. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mancini-sisters. Accessed 12 October 2022. Esslemont, Chloe. “Keeping up with the Mazarinettes.” Art UK. 1/17/2019. https://artuk.org/discover/stories/keeping-up-with-the-mazarinettes

This 2019 episode covers a woman who was the Spanish empire's most widely published poet of her time. Her work has survived until today, but not her own thoughts about much of her life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about animated shows, camping, and the items that didn't make it into the most recent Unearthed! episode. They then discuss the legacy of Pauline Johnson, and criticisms of her work that perceive it as inauthentic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Pauline Johnson, also known as Tekahionwake, made a career writing poetry and prose and performing it onstage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Research:  "Pauline Johnson." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 23, Gale, 2003. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631008167/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=90bf3cec. Accessed 5 Oct. 2022. Chiefswood. https://chiefswoodnhs.ca/ Gary, Charlotte. “Flint & Feather: The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake.” Harper Flamingo Canada. 2002. Gerson, Carole. “Postcolonialism Meets Book History: Pauline Johnson and Imperial London.” From Home-Work: Postcolonialism, Pedagogy, and Canadian Literature. University of Ottawa Press. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ckpc18.27 Gerson, Carole. “Rereading Pauline Johnson.” Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes, Volume 46, Number 2, Spring 2012. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/515012 Jones, Manina and Neal Ferris. “Flint, Feather,

The second part of our autumn list of things that were unearthed in the recent past includes potpourri, repatriations, shipwrecks, medical finds, Viking items, and books and letters. Research:  Abbott, Dennis. “Archaeologists unearth skeleton dating from Battle of Waterloo” Brussels Times. 7/13/2022. https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/254695/archaeologists-unearth-skeleton-dating-from-battle-of-waterloo Amaral, Brian. “A R.I. wreck that may be Captain Cook’s Endeavour is being eaten by ‘shipworms’.” Boston Globe. 8/11/2022. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/11/metro/ri-wreck-that-may-be-captain-cooks-endeavour-is-being-eaten-by-shipworms/ Andalou Agency. “164-square-meter Heracles mosaic found in Turkey's Alanya.” 7/26/2022. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/164-square-meter-heracles-mosaic-found-in-turkeys-alanya “Van Gogh self-portrait found hidden behind another painting.” 7/14/2022. https://apnews.com/article/hidden-van-gogh-self-portrait-b703b4391c4ec0ba5bcf381ae44a6c3b Banfield-Nwachi, Mabel

This 2011 episode covers the discriminatory laws English Catholics faced under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, which led a group of Catholics to attempt regicide. But the plot was discovered days before the event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the multiple homes called the Redpath Mansion and how that confuses the story in press sometimes. They also discuss the ebb and flow of the kinds of research projects that show up in Unearthed! episodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fall is here and so is the latest two-part edition of Unearthed! Part one includes updates, oldest things, books and letters, and a late entry into our Halloween stuff.  Research: Abbott, Dennis. “Archaeologists unearth skeleton dating from Battle of Waterloo” Brussels Times. 7/13/2022. https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/254695/archaeologists-unearth-skeleton-dating-from-battle-of-waterloo Amaral, Brian. “A R.I. wreck that may be Captain Cook’s Endeavour is being eaten by ‘shipworms’.” Boston Globe. 8/11/2022. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/11/metro/ri-wreck-that-may-be-captain-cooks-endeavour-is-being-eaten-by-shipworms/ Andalou Agency. “164-square-meter Heracles mosaic found in Turkey's Alanya.” 7/26/2022. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/164-square-meter-heracles-mosaic-found-in-turkeys-alanya “Van Gogh self-portrait found hidden behind another painting.” 7/14/2022. https://apnews.com/article/hidden-van-gogh-self-portrait-b703b4391c4ec0ba5bcf381ae44a6c3b Banfield-Nwachi, Mabel. “Rare origin

On June 13, 1901, Ada Maria Redpath, and her son Jocelyn Clifford were found shot to death in their home. What exactly happened between the two of them is something we will likely never understand. Research: Adams, Annmarie, et al. “‘She must not stir out of a darkened room’ 1:  The Redpath Mansion Mystery.” Material Culture Review 72. Fall 2010. https://www.academia.edu/26130347/Articles_She_must_not_stir_out_of_a_darkened_room_1_The_Redpath_Mansion_Mystery Enos, Elysha. “History buffs still fascinated with the Redpath Mansion murders, 115 years later.” CBC News. June 13, 2016. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/this-day-in-montreal-redpath-murders-1.3632064 “Son Clifford Did It.” The Ottawa Citizen. June 15, 1901. https://www.newspapers.com/image/456123782/?terms=Redpath&match=1 “The Victoria Rifles of Canada.” Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/official-military-history-lineages/lineages/infantry-regiments/victoria

This 2015 episode features two troubling tales from the 1920s. First, newlyweds that vanished on what would have been a historic boating trip. Second, a family murdered by someone who may have been hiding in their house for weeks or months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the many products that have been made with licensed (and sometimes unlicensed) Ouija board imagery. They also discuss the scientific experiments covered in Wednesday's episode in greater detail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In addition to being the focus of corporate machinations, the Ouija board has also been invoked in many legal cases and has been featured in pop culture throughout the 20th century. But how does it work, psychologically speaking? Research: “Items Personal and Social.” Denton Journal. January 31, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/7111598/?terms=ouija&match=1 “’Ouija’ Board Her Advisor.” Baltimore Sun. March 26, 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371127794/?terms=ouija&match=1 “Editor ‘Answers.’” Baltimore Evening Sun. August 23, 1911. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365492915/?terms=ouija&match=1 French, Chris. “The Unseen Force That Drives Ouija Boards and Fake Bomb Detectors.” The Guardian. April 27, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/27/ouija-boards-dowsing-rods-bomb-detectors “Ouija Killer Sentenced.” Spokesman-Review. July 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/567588953/?terms=%22dorothea%20irene%20turley%22&match=1 Clark, A. Campbell. “Automatic Writing. V.”

The rise of the Ouija board in North America involves corporate intrigue, family betrayal, a lot of litigation, and very little spiritualism. Today’s episode covers how “talking boards” went from divination tool to big business. Research:  “Items Personal and Social.” Denton Journal. January 31, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/7111598/?terms=ouija&match=1 “’Ouija’ Board Her Advisor.” Baltimore Sun. March 26, 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371127794/?terms=ouija&match=1 “Editor ‘Answers.’” Baltimore Evening Sun. August 23, 1911. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365492915/?terms=ouija&match=1 French, Chris. “The Unseen Force That Drives Ouija Boards and Fake Bomb Detectors.” The Guardian. April 27, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/27/ouija-boards-dowsing-rods-bomb-detectors “Ouija Killer Sentenced.” Spokesman-Review. July 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/567588953/?terms=%22dorothea%20irene%20turley%22&match=1 Clark, A. Campbell. “Automatic Writing. V.”

This 2014 episode covers the 1930 vanishing of Joseph Force Crater. His missing person cases has fueled decades of speculation about what exactly happened to the New York State Supreme Court justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.