Stuff You Missed In History Class

Margaret E. Knight was an ingenious woman. She started tinkering with things when she was still just a tiny child, and the first invention that really improved the lives of those around her came about at the age of 12.  Research: “A Lady in a Machine Shop.” Woman’s Journal, December 21, 1872. Accessed online: https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:48852547$409i Bedi, Joyce. “Margaret Knight.” Lemelson Center, Smithsonian. March 22, 2021. https://invention.si.edu/node/28532/p/609-margaret-knight Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Margaret E. Knight". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-E-Knight “Gained Fame as Inventor.” The Boston Globe. Oct. 13, 1914. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430883835/?terms=%22margaret%20e.%20knight%22%20&match=1 “The Inspiring Story of Margaret E. Knight.” National Inventors Hall of Fame. https://www.invent.org/blog/inventors/margaret-e-knight-paper-pag Knight, M.E. “Clasp.” U.S. Patent Office. Oct. 14, 1884. h

This 2019 episode covers James G. Fair, known as the Silver King. But though Fair often appears on lists of the richest men in U.S. history, his image was also tainted by scandal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about there not being a national divorce law in the U.S. and how to pronounce Nevada. Tracy talks about the ways social rules are necessary but can be used in ways that are exclusionary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Books on etiquette don’t necessarily reflect rules everyone is actually following – they’re more like what the author thinks the ideal standard of behavior should be. This episode looks at six such books from history.  Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Giovanni Della Casa". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giovanni-Della-Casa. Accessed 29 February 2024. Dukes, Hunter. “The Age of Impoliteness: Galateo: or, A Treatise on Politeness and Delicacy of Manners (1774 edition).” The Public Domain Review. 2/27/2024. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/galateo/ Della Casa, Giovanni. “Galateo: Or, A Treatise on Politeness and Delicacy of Manners.” Printed for J. Dodsley. 1774. Stanhope, Philip Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield. “Letters to His Son, 1746-47.” Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3351/pg3351-images.html Eyebright, Daisy. “A Manual of Etiquette with Hints of Politeness and Good Breeding.” https://digital.library.upenn.edu/wo

Divorce ranches sprung up in the 1930s when Nevada relaxed its divorce laws. This unique and controversial style of resort was incredibly popular for several decades before becoming obsolete. Research: Brean, Henry. “The rise and fall of Reno's quickie divorce industry.” Reno Gazette Journal. Sept. 18, 2017. https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2017/09/18/rise-and-fall-renos-quickie-divorce-industry/677065001/ Bromley, John. “Two ‘Divorce Ranches’ Still Thriving.” Nevada State Journal. April 27, 1969. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1010901428/?terms=divorce%20ranch&match=1 Miller, Wendy. “Divorce Ranch Owners Take Issue With Magazine Story.” Nevada State Journal. July 8, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1010619253/?terms=divorce%20ranch&match=1 “Editor’s Comment – Not New.” Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. June 5, 1931. https://www.newspapers.com/image/683040112/?terms=nevada%20divorce&match=1 Flat Rate Divorce Ranch Neely’s Latest Venture.” Shamokin News-Dispatch. January 7, 1932. https://www

This 2021 episode covers sixteenth-century barber surgeon Ambroise Paré, who has been called everything from “the gentle surgeon” to “the father of modern surgery.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly talks about the various theories about events in Charles Francis Hall's life. Tracy discusses some of the troubling sources she came across while researching Götz von Berlichingen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 16th century Gottfried von Berlichingen was known as Götz of the Iron Hand because after an injury and amputation, he wore a prosthesis made of sheet iron that was painted to match his skin. Research: Ashmore, Kevin et al. “ArtiFacts: Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen-The "Iron Hand" of the Renaissance.” Clinical orthopaedics and related research vol. 477,9 (2019): 2002-2004. doi:10.1097/CORR.0000000000000917 Beare, Mary. “Reviewed Work: The Autobiography of Götz von Berlichingen by H. S. M. Stuart and Götz von Berlichingen.” The Modern Language Review, Vol. 52, No. 2 (Apr., 1957). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3718111 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Götz von Berlichingen". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gotz-von-Berlichingen-German-knight. Accessed 26 February 2024. Cohn, H.J. (1989). Götz von Berlichingen and the Art of Military Autobiography. In: Mulryne, J.R., Shewring, M. (eds) War, Literature and the Arts in Sixteenth-Century

Charles Francis Hall was inspired by expeditions like Sir John Franklin’s push to find the Northwest Passage, but he repeated the pattern of doom when he made a try for the North Pole – though he was the only one from his expedition to die.  Research: Besselss, Emil, and William Barr. “Polaris: The Chief Scientist's Recollections of the American North Pole Expedition, 1871-73.” University of Calgary Press. 2016. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Charles Francis Hall". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Francis-Hall Dodge, Ernest S. and C.C. Loomis. “HALL, CHARLES FRANCIS.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hall_charles_francis_10E.html Harper, Ken. “Murder at Repulse Bay Part 1.” Nunatsiaq News. Sept. 7, 2007. https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/Murder_at_Repulse_Bay_Part_1/ Harper, Ken. “Murder at Repulse Bay Part 2.” Nunatsiaq News. September 14, 2007. https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/Murder_at_Repulse_Bay_Part_2

This 2017 episode covers the extinction of one New Zealand bird species that's often attributed to a single cat. While feline predation played a significant role in the end of the Stephens Island wren, the story is more complex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss how neither of them like Sloppy Joes, and a cocktail recipe Holly found during research. Tracy shares how very much she adores Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The coelacanth was believed to have gone extinct about 66 million years ago, until one was spotted in South Africa in 1938. Naturalist and museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer played a key part in that event. Research: Ashworth, Willam B. Jr. “Scientist of the Day – Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.” Linda Hall Library. 2/24/2020. https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/marjorie-courtenay-latimer/ Bruton, Mike. “Curator and Crusader: The Life and Work of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.” Pinetown Printers, 2019. Courtenay-Latimer, M. “My Story of the First Coelacanth.” Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences. No. 134. 12/22/1979. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15956893#page/18/mode/1up Courtenay-Latimer, Marjorie. “Reminiscences of the Discovery of the Coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae.” Interdisciplinary Journal of the International Society of Cryptozoology. Vol. 8. 1989. Hatchuel, Martin. “The Coelacanth.” Knysna Museums. https://www.knysnamuseums.co.za/pages/the-coelaca

Sloppy Joe, Hot Brown, and the Reuben are all well-known sandwiches, and they are all named after people. Though the specific person is argued in two of these cases.  Research: “Bechamel.” Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095454669 “Bechamel Sauce.” ChefIn. https://chefin.com.au/dictionary/bechamel-sauce/#:~:text=History%20of%20b%C3%A9chamel%20sauce,(wife%20of%20Henry%20II). Beck, Katherine. “The Controversial Origins Of The Sloppy Joe.” Tasting Table. Jan. 26, 2023. https://www.tastingtable.com/968736/the-controversial-origins-of-the-sloppy-joe/ Blitz, Matt. “The True Story of Ernest Hemingway’s Favorite Bar. Food & Wine. June 22, 2017. https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/bars/ernest-hemingway-favorite-bar-true-story Fix, John. “Papa Wrote Here.” The Miami News. May 12, 1962. https://www.newspapers.com/image/302005791/?terms=sloppy%20joe&match=1 “Hot Brown Sandwich History and Recipe.” What’s Cooking America. https://whatscookingamerica.net/histor

This 2020 episode examines how, though rinderpest was declared eradicated fairly recently, rinderpest's history goes way back. Eradicating the disease took a coordinated, international effort.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy mentions tracking down sources for quotes about Rebecca Crumpler during research. She and Holly also discuss measles vaccine protocols. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. decades ago, outbreaks do still happen here, and in other places it’s much more common. Before vaccines were widely available, it killed an estimated 2.6 million people worldwide each year. Research: "Measles cases rising alarmingly across Europe: WHO." IANS, 24 Jan. 2024, p. NA. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780229341/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=624cac48. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024. "The Medical Influence of Rhazes." Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 2, Gale, 2001. Gale In Context: World History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2643450171/WHIC?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-WHIC&xid=5ed3d18a. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024. Associated Press. “Measles deaths worldwide jumped 40% last year, health agencies say.” 11/16/2023. https://apnews.com/article/measles-epidemic-children-who-cdc-bb62da7Measles%20deaths%20worldwide%20jumped%2040%%20last%20year,%20health%20agencies%20say Berche, Patrick.

Rebecca Crumpler was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. She also wrote one of the first, if not the first, medical texts by a Black person in the United States. Research: Allen, Patrick S. “‘We must attack the system’: The Print Practice of Black ‘Doctresses’.” Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory, Volume 74, Number 4, Winter 2018. https://doi.org/10.1353/arq.2018.0023 Boston African American National Historic Site. “Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-rebecca-lee-crumpler.htm The Boston Globe. “Boston’s Oldest Pupil.” 4/3/1898. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Rebecca Lee Crumpler". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rebecca-Lee-Crumpler. Accessed 7 February 2024. Cazalet, Sylvain. “New England Female Medical College & New England Hospital for Women and Children.” http://www.homeoint.org/cazalet/histo/newengland.htm  “The Colored People’s Mem

This 2017 episode features three unique women, all of whom are notable. They each have a surprising aspect to their stories, and they each have the name Belle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy shares why the story of George Washington Williams makes her so sad. Holly then offers some additional information about John Mytton that wasn't in the Wednesday episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Mytton is often called an eccentric, but that doesn’t really capture his whole story. Despite his wild behavior, he's something of a local hero, and sometimes a joke, but his life is sort of sad in many ways.  Research: Bibby, Miriam. “Mad Jack Mytton.” Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Mad-Jack-Mytton/ Haskin, Frederic J. “John Mytton – Madcap.” Quad-City Times. June 8, 1938. https://www.newspapers.com/image/301169605/?terms=john%20mytton&match=1 “Joh Mytton’s Follies.” Mnchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. March 1, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/800081799/?terms=john%20mytton&match=1 “The Late John Mytton, Esq. of Halston.” The Yorkshire Herald and the York Herald. May 10, 1834. https://www.newspapers.com/image/410154461/?terms=john%20mytton&match=1 Ludington, C. “Happily, inebriety is not the vice of the age”. In: The Politics of Wine in Britain. Palgrave Macmillan, London. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230306226_12 “Madcap’s Progress.” Liverpoo