Stuff You Missed In History Class

Holly and Tracy talk about the prediction of Houdini's death, and Rose Mackenberg's abundant bravado. They also discuss the long road the movie 'Till" took to get to the screen, and the film's careful handling of Mamie and Emmett's story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The movie "Till" tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley and her son Emmett. Actor Jalyn Hall and director Chinonye Chukwu talked with the podcast about the research and planning that went into bringing this important historical event to life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rose Mackenberg spent decades working to uncover fraud taking place in the name of Spiritualism, first working for Houdini, and then on her own. In her work, she said she received messages from 1,000 dead husbands that never existed. Research: “Says Lawmakers Consult Mediums.” New York Times. Feb. 27, 1926. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/02/27/98846926.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Houdini to Appear.” Evening Star. Feb. 21, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/618515204/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjYxODUxNTIwNCwiaWF0IjoxNjYzNTk5MzU4LCJleHAiOjE2NjM2ODU3NTh9.B3_XUq4J-qd4aqWqqKe1SI5DVkQq6h7mOHCD_T8D-LY Edwards, Gavin. “Overlooked No More: Rose Mackenberg, Houdini’s Secret ‘Ghost-Buster.’” New York Times. Dec. 6, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/obituaries/rose-mackenberg-overlooked.html Williamson, E.W. “Spirit Fakers of City Fatten on War Grief.” Chicago Tribune. Aug. 5, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371848849 Mackenberg, Rose. “H

This 2009 episode from previous hosts Katie and Sarah covers Harry Houdini, once known as the world's greatest magician. Houdini's reputation still resonates with modern fans of illusion and magic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss WWII submarine warfare as it related to Helen Duncan’s story. Tracy also shares her experience visiting the Mütter Museum when it was hosting an exhibit titled “Imperfecta.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1639, doctor Edward May published a 40-page text about a serpent he found in the heart of a 21-year-old man during a post-mortem examination. We don’t know exactly what it was, but there are plenty of theories. Research: Bush, Sargent Jr. “Bosom Serpents before Hawthorne: The Origins of a Symbol.” American Literature , May, 1971, Vol. 43, No. 2 (May, 1971). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2924236 Church, William Selby. “The Rise of Physiology in England: The Harveian Oration Delivered Before the Royal College of Physicians, October 18th, 1895.” Adlard. 1896. Denham, D.A. “A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, gentleman, of the age of 21 years.” Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 71, Issue 5, 1977, Page 455, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(77)90066-9 Eades, Bentley Gerald. “The Jacobean and Caroline Stage Vol-ii.” The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1941. Healy, Simon. “KYNASTON,

Helen Duncan is sometimes described as Scotland’s last witch, or the last person imprisoned for witchcraft in Britain, or the last person to be tried under the UK’s 1735 Witchcraft Act. None of those are quite accurate. Research: Undiscovered Scotland. “Helen Duncan.” https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/d/helenduncan.html “Scotland’s Last Witch.” Modern Scotland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/oddities_modern.shtml “Britain's 'last witch': Campaign to pardon Helen Duncan.” 6/15/2012. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-18456106 Atkins, Harry. “Helen Duncan: Britain’s Last Witch.” History Hit. 6/10/2022. https://www.historyhit.com/helen-duncan-britains-last-witch/ Brown, Laura. “Helen Duncan.” The Scots Magazine. https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/series/a-z-of-great-scots-helen-duncan/ Price, Harry. “The Cheese-Cloth Worshippers by Harry Price.” Leaves from a Psychist's Case-Book (Victor Gollancz, 1933). Meier, Allison C. “Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried fo

This 2019 episode covers England’s largest and deadliest set of witch trials. They were largely influenced by one man, Matthew Hopkins, who was known as the Witchfinder General.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about how racism stripped Paul Robeson of his career, and Robeson’s support of the communist Soviet Union. They also discuss whether Schrepfer may have accidentally poisoned himself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johann George Schrepfer’s life story is clouded by his embellished and falsified tales of his necromancy and spiritualism. And both his followers and detractors also gave biased and incorrect accounts of their interactions with him. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Seven Years’ War". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Seven-Years-War Andriopoulos, Stefan. “Kant’s Magic Lantern: Historical Epistemology and Media Archaeology.” Representations, vol. 115, no. 1, 2011, pp. 42–70. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2011.115.1.42 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "necromancy". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/topic/necromancy Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Freemasonry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freemasonry Geffarth, Renko. “The Masonic Necromancer: Shifting Identities In The Lives Of Johann Georg Schrepfer.” Brill. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004162570.

The Peekskill Riots surrounded a concert by singer and activist Paul Robeson. His stances on political and civil rights issues and his communist affiliations catalyzed protests that were fueled with an undercurrent of racism and antisemitism. Research: American Civil Liberties Union. “Violence in Peekskill: A Report on the Violations of Civil Liberties at Two Paul Robeson Concerts near Peekskill, NY.” 1949. By LANSING WARREN Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. "Paris 'Peace Congress' Assails U. S. and Atlantic Pact, Upholds Soviet: MEETING AT 'PEACE CONGRESS' IN PARIS CONGRESS IN PARIS ASSAILS U. S. POLICY." New York Times (1923-), Apr 21 1949, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 31 Aug. 2022 . Congress, House, Committee on Un-American Activities, Investigation of the Unauthorized Use of U.S. Passports, 84th Congress, Part 3, June 12, 1956; in Thirty Years of Treason: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1938–1968, Eric Bentley, ed. (New York: Viking Press, 1971), 770. Courtney, Steve. “P

This 2016 episode covers a skeleton found in a tree near Birmingham, England in 1943. More than 70 years later, it's still unknown who the deceased was and how the body ended up in an elm tree.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the difficult nature of Chapin's personality. They also talk about the ways that the rivalry between Pulitzer and Hearst played out, and the way one of Chapin's employees got quiet revenge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapin's successful journalism career crumbled as stress chipped away at his mental health, and he committed a terrible crime. But there were still surprises left to his story.  Research:  “Of the Dynamite Explosion in Russell Sage’s Office.” The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarkeville, Tennessee). Dec. 7, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/353237459/?terms=%22russel%20sage%22&match=1 “A Dynamite Bomb.” The Alliance Herald. Dec. 11, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/423611027/?terms=%22russel%20sage%22&match=1 “City Slave Girls.” Saturday Evening Kansas Commoner. Aug. 24, 1888. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/382892220/?clipping_id=30641784&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM4Mjg5MjIyMCwiaWF0IjoxNjYyNDY2MjA3LCJleHAiOjE2NjI1NTI2MDd9.eLdfDQGTjlV-7dafIRsWSWJokfMsSrhH2IM2_6e5T7M “New York World Editor Kills Wife.” Intelligencer Journal. Sept. 17, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/557223275/?terms=%22Charles%20E.%20Chapin%22&match=1

Chapin built a life people envied, and had a great deal of power. His entire biography is full of noteworthy achievements and awards. As a newsman, he covered many of the key moments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Research: “Of the Dynamite Explosion in Russell Sage’s Office.” The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarkeville, Tennessee). Dec. 7, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/353237459/?terms=%22russel%20sage%22&match=1 “A Dynamite Bomb.” The Alliance Herald. Dec. 11, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/423611027/?terms=%22russel%20sage%22&match=1 “City Slave Girls.” Saturday Evening Kansas Commoner. Aug. 24, 1888. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/382892220/?clipping_id=30641784&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM4Mjg5MjIyMCwiaWF0IjoxNjYyNDY2MjA3LCJleHAiOjE2NjI1NTI2MDd9.eLdfDQGTjlV-7dafIRsWSWJokfMsSrhH2IM2_6e5T7M “New York World Editor Kills Wife.” Intelligencer Journal. Sept. 17, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/557223275

This 2019 episode covers the burning of the P.S. General Slocum in the East River in New York on June 15, 1904. It had been chartered for a group outing that suddenly became a deadly maritime disaster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about hunting for sources for Eugene Jacques Bullard's story, and his unpublished memoir. They also talk about wanting to return to Paris knowing Bullard's story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After World War I ended, Eugene Jacques Bullard returned to Paris. He worked as a jazz drummer and nightclub owner, and as the tensions that led to World War II loomed, as an intelligence agent for France.  Research: "Bullard, Eugene." Encyclopedia of World Biography, edited by Lisa Kumar, 2nd ed., vol. 37, Gale, 2017, pp. 62-64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3656400039/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=1958ab1b. Accessed 24 Aug. 2022. Redmon, Jeremy. “The Vanishing Stories of the Bullard Brothers.” Bitter Southerner. https://bittersoutherner.com/the-vanishing-stories-of-the-bullard-brothers Svoboda, Frederic J. "Who was that black man?: a note on Eugene Bullard and 'The Sun Also Rises.'." The Hemingway Review, vol. 17, no. 2, spring 1998, pp. 105+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A20653062/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c34545bb. Accessed 24 Aug. 2022. Hewitt, Nicholas. "Black Montmartre: American jazz and music hall in Paris in the interwar yea

Bullard is often described as the first Black American fighter pilot – which is true – but he also had a full and fascinating life beyond that. This episode covers his travels before WWI and his military career.  Research: "Bullard, Eugene." Encyclopedia of World Biography, edited by Lisa Kumar, 2nd ed., vol. 37, Gale, 2017, pp. 62-64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3656400039/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=1958ab1b. Accessed 24 Aug. 2022. Redmon, Jeremy. “The Vanishing Stories of the Bullard Brothers.” Bitter Southerner. https://bittersoutherner.com/the-vanishing-stories-of-the-bullard-brothers Svoboda, Frederic J. "Who was that black man?: a note on Eugene Bullard and 'The Sun Also Rises.'." The Hemingway Review, vol. 17, no. 2, spring 1998, pp. 105+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A20653062/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c34545bb. Accessed 24 Aug. 2022. Hewitt, Nicholas. "Black Montmartre: American jazz and music hall in Paris in the interw

This 2012 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina discusses how during Jack Johnson's time, the heavyweight championship was unofficially a whites-only title. Despite discrimination, Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion, but some questioned his legitimacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.