History Fix

Mary Shelley was just 18 years old when the idea for Frankenstein struck her on a rainy night in Geneva, Switzerland. Cooped up on vacation with nonstop rain, famous poet Lord Byron had challenged the group of literary geniuses to come up with a ghost story. Mary struggled. She could think of nothing. Then one night, as she struggled to sleep, she was hit with what she referred to as a "waking dream." What followed would come to define the science fiction genre, both inspiring and horrifying ...

This is part 2 of last week's episode on Christopher Columbus. This week, you'll learn about Columbus' disastrous third voyage to the Americas when he finally pays the price for governing like a power hungry tyrant. And yet consequences, of course, will be few, and he'll return once again for his fourth and final voyage. We'll also delve into the shockwaves sent out by Columbus' actions, how his decisions have negatively affected us to this day, and why it's time to shift our view of him once...

Few humans in history have sent out more shockwaves than Christopher Columbus. His four voyages to the Americas changed our whole existence, culturally, spiritually, ethnically, economically, politically, geographically, morally possibly more than any single person ever has. When Columbus' ships first dropped anchor off the islands of the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, as the anchor struck the sandy bottom of the crystal blue Caribbean waters, it issued in a new era, the modern era. Columbus ha...

Before Henry VIII, before Louis XVI, there was a dynasty in Italy so corrupt, so scandalous, gluttonous, hedonistic, that the others don’t even compare. But this was not a royal family. These were not kings, they were popes, cardinals, bishops. These were holy men, men of the church. Men whose unholy actions may very well have helped spark the dissatisfaction that led to the protestant reformation. These men were part of the house of Borgia, one of the most infamous families in Italy by the t...

The bloody history of childbirth is riddled with death and despair. It's a burden that was carried almost entirely by women, behind closed doors, something men took no part in. And, because of that, we know very little about it today. What we do know is that it was an extremely dangerous affair. Mortality was so high, many women wrote a will as soon as they found out they were pregnant. The 18th century saw the beginning of the "medicalization" of childbirth when inexperienced forcep bearing ...

On March 25th, 1911, a fire erupted on the 8th floor of the Asch building in New York City. The 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of this building housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory which employed around 500 people, mostly young immigrant women, to sew women's blouses under sweatshop conditions. The owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, believed the building to be fireproof and refused to take any fire safety measures. They also locked the exit doors, fearful that the women would steal from them i...

Michael Rockefeller was the great grandson of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world. He was also the son of Nelson Rockefeller, New York governor, Vice President of the United States, and a well known art collector. Michael had big shoes to fill. To do that, he followed in his father's art collecting footsteps, traveling to the Asmat region on the west coast of New Guinea to collect wood carvings for his father's Museum of Primitive Art in Manhattan...

Perched between the ocean and the sound in Nags Head, completely dominating the narrow sliver of land that makes up part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, is a monumental sand dune, a mountain of lush golden sand. This dune system, known as Jockey’s Ridge, is somewhere around 4,000 years old and can reach heights of over 100 feet. It’s majestic, it’s miraculous, the tallest living sand dune on the east coast, a unique ecosystem home to a myriad of coastal creatures, a landmark and navigation t...

Polio has been around since ancient times but it was a very quiet disease for most of history, affecting few people and raising little alarm. It wasn’t until the 20th century that polio began to appear among the masses, terrifying epidemics, a mysterious disease that seemed to target children out of nowhere, paralyzing them, killing them. No one knew how it spread. No one knew how to treat it. No one knew how to stop it. They quarantined. They avoided swimming pools and water fountains. They ...

Check out Outer Lore! In January of 1812 a schooner named The Patriot disappeared off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks. This dangerous stretch of coastline has claimed some 3,000 ships, earning it the nickname "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Aboard the Patriot was Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of infamous US vice president Aaron Burr, on her way to visit her father in New York. The disappearance of The Patriot and its famous passenger remain a mystery to this day. The discovery of a p...

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge stormed into Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh victorious after 5 years of civil war. The people rejoiced. They thought the victors were there to liberate them, to restore peace and order after years of fighting. That couldn't have been farther from the truth. Over the next 4 years, the Khmer Rouge communist regime would force people into the countryside to work in rice fields night and day, where many died of starvation and disease. They killed the weak, the slow...

This episode explores the famed poison, Aqua Tofana, that desperate housewives used to murder their husbands in 17th century Italy. I'll delve into the legend of Giulia Tofana, the apparent namesake behind the poison who was supposedly responsible for the deaths of 600 men in the mid 1600s and do my best to separate fact from fiction to uncover what in the world was going on in Italy and, more importantly, why. Sources: mikedashhistory.com "Aqua Tofana: slow poisoning and husband ki...

Coffee may seem like an innocent breakfast beverage to accompany your bacon and eggs, a mid afternoon office pick me up. But did you know, coffee is so much more than that? Did you know that coffee helped spark human enlightenment, the scientific revolution, the industrial revolution, capitalism, helped build the world as we know it? Let’s fix that. Sources:Gastropod "Grounds for Revolution: The Stimulating Story of How Coffee Shaped the World"National Coffee Association "The History of ...

George Washington - most of you know him as America’s first president, Revolutionary War hero, founding father, face of the one dollar bill, chopped down a cherry tree, wooden teeth, real man’s man if you know what I mean. I think that’s all most people know or think they know about him. But the cherry tree thing, that never happened. The wooden teeth? They weren’t made of wood. I don’t think many people actually know George Washington’s story - who he was, what he did, what his life was like...

This episode is all about inventions, techniques, and resources that have been lost or forgotten throughout the ages. From ancient construction techniques to puzzling inventions like the Antikythera mechanism, Greek Fire, and the Archimedes Heat Ray, I'll try to unravel the mysteries of the past and get to the bottom of how advanced technology becomes lost to the ages. Sources: Listverse "10 Ancient Technologies We Cannot Recreate Today"Smithsonian Magazine "Why the Pantheon Hasn't...

Join the Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope were American paleontologists during the second half of the 19th century. Although they started as friends, they soon turned bitter enemies, competing against one another for 20 years to find and name the most fossils. This duel, often dubbed the “bone wars” led to espionage, sabotage, scandal, backstabbing, name calling, bribery, theft, and the throwing of literal rocks. It also led to a lot of mistak...

I recently stumbled across a photograph of Confederate president Jefferson Davis with his family. He is sitting on the porch of his Mississippi home bouncing his granddaughter on his knee while a Black woman stands behind him in a servants uniform. I was somewhat shocked to learn that this photo was taken in 1885... 20 years after the Civil War. Davis had been the president of the Confederacy. He had waged war on the United States, a war that cost the lives of 700,000 Americans. He had commit...

This week, as promised, I welcomed special guest Lori Davis, host of Her Half of History podcast. Join Lori and me as we chat about the unknown history of laundry. Find out just what has made laundry a complete nightmare throughout pretty much all of history and why few people today are even aware of this millennia old struggle. For more, check out the Her Half of History podcast episode about laundry, "Wash on Monday" and connect with Lori on Instagram @herhalfofhistory Sources:M...

Ranavalona I, Queen of Madagascar has a bad reputation, to say the least. Few biographical sources exist about her but they all make their opinions well known in the titles alone: "Ranavalona I: Reign of Terror,” “Female Caligula: Ranavalona the Mad Queen of Madagascar,” “The Terror of Queen Ranavalona I in Madagascar.” But, I see reason to question this reputation. Was Ranavalona really a bloodthirsty tyrant or was she simply a powerful woman determined to put a stop to European imperialism ...

Join me as I explore the Nazca lines of Peru, one of the most enduring historical mysteries. We'll talk about the Nazca people including all of the juicy details... like pooping in people's mouths? Yeah. We'll also explore some of the prevailing theories as to why the Nazca put so much effort into etching these gigantic lines, shapes, and pictures into the desert floor, everything from solar calendars to ancient aliens. Sources: worldhistory.org "Nazca Civilization"British Museum "W...

PLEASE SHARE! This is the tell all story of how fluoroquinolone antibiotics led to disabling and potentially permanent side effects for my previously healthy 32 year old husband. Since taking Cipro in March of 2021, Joey has suffered from non-stop chronic pain, weakness, and joint and muscle injuries that do not heal. This particular class of antibiotics is dangerously overprescribed despite coming with an FDA black box warning that they should only be used as a last resort. Doctors do ...

This week, I'll delve into the surprising history of antibiotics. You'll learn how penicillin was discovered by accident and how its development was helped along by a moldy cantaloupe from a Peoria, Illinois farmers market. I'll also uncover how it went on to act as a secret weapon, helping the allied forces to victory during World War II. Plus I'm going to get real personal to share the tell all story of why my husband is physically disabled and suffering from chronic pain at the age of 35 f...

This week I tell the stories of 9 feral children found surviving alone in the wilderness. Some even appear to have been cared for by wild animals - wolves, bears, dogs, and monkeys. Most walked on all fours, ate raw meat, and could only communicate in grunts, growls, and "wild cries." Some would never gain the ability to speak, burying their backstories in mystery to this day. Feral children have always fascinated us. Legends and myths are full of them - Romulus and Remus, Valentine and Orson...

Mental health has been one of the greatest mysteries throughout human history. An illness with an invisible cause, no surgery will fix it, no tonic, no bandage. Is it supernatural? Evil spirits? Demonic possession? Our lack of understanding about the human mind and stigmatization of mental health issues has led to untold horrors throughout time. And while, yes, we’ve come a long way, is it possible the journey has only just begun? Let’s fix that. Join me this week to uncover how mental health...

Uncover the history of Hawaii from its earliest habitation to its illegal overthrow by the US government in 1893. Join me as I discover exactly how the United States sank its claws into this island paradise, erased its native culture, and violently forced its queen to relinquish her throne without the approval of the US government. By the end, I think I'll have you convinced that Hawaii is not technically part of the United States, nor has it ever been. Don't believe me? Press play! Sour...

Join me as I uncover the unknown history of bread and how it has shaped our entire world. From its earliest existence 14,400 years ago, bread has played a major role in the formation of human civilizations. This week, we'll follow the path of bread from ancient Egypt, to ancient Rome, to medieval Europe, revolutionary France, and early America to discover how this universal food staple has become a symbol of success, accomplishment, and self-worth, making and breaking empires throughout histo...

Few celebrities have captured the public’s attention like Marilyn Monroe. Mention of her immediately evokes images of platinum blonde curls, beauty marks, and that white dress, flapping in the updraft of a New York City subway grate. But despite being almost universally known, no one knows the real Marilyn Monroe because she never existed. She was less of a person and more of a product, created, invented for public consumption and packaged with a pretty bow, unforgettable, while the real pers...

Join me as I uncover the history of cannibalism starting with the butchered bones of ancient hominids dating as far back as 780,000 years all the way to the present day. I'll explore examples of ritual cannibalism and delve into four horrifying stories of survival cannibalism. Finally, I'll examine the freaky psychology behind pathological cannibalism. What drives a human to eat another human being? And is it wrong? I think you'll find that this taboo isn't quite that black and white. Let's f...

Easter is the foundation of the Christian religion. It commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and whether or not you believe this story is the difference between being a Christian and not being a Christian. It’s the single defining event of that religion. So Easter is a very religious holiday. But it also has a historical side. In this episode, I dig into the historical side of Easter. What do we actually know about crucifixion, a form of execution so horrific it’s the ...

This week, I tell the inspiring stories of 6 women who served in the top secret British espionage and sabotage organization, the SOE, during World War II. In the late 1930s, Hitler's Nazi Germany quickly expanded throughout Europe, grabbing up country after country in its quest for world domination. When France finally fell to the Nazis in 1940, Britain was utterly alone in Europe, a sitting duck. Something had to be done. That something was the SOE and they soon found that women, who w...

This week, I discuss the history of Saint Patrick's Day including who Saint Patrick was, what he did, and how the modern holiday actually got its start with Irish immigrants living in America and not Ireland. This one is packed full of bombshells you won't want to miss! Sources: History.com "History of Saint Patrick's Day"History.com "How St. Patrick's Day Took on New Life in America"History.com "7 Saint Patrick's Day Legends and Myths Debunked"Time Magazine "The True History ...

In this episode, I discuss the centuries long toxic relationship between Ireland and England that led up to the devastation of the potato famine in 1845. During the 7 year period of "The Great Hunger," one million Irish people died and two million left Ireland. But while the blight that caused the potatoes to rot may be considered a natural disaster, there was nothing natural about the circumstances leading up to the famine and the choices made during it. Sources: Trinity College Du...

In this episode of History Fix I speak with Sue Burns about her book "A Common Life: A Voice From the Progressive Era." When Sue's great great grandmother's 100 year old diary was discovered disintegrating in an attic, she went to great lengths to help her mother preserve it. Then she took it even further, researching the historical context in which Mary Anne Mosher Briggs lived and transforming her life story into a book. Join me for a peek into Mary's life to discover how even the most "com...

In this episode of History Fix, I bring you the story of Mary Richards and Elizabeth Van Lew, two women who worked together to feed Confederate secrets to Union forces during the American Civil War. These daring women put it all on the line, demonstrating exceptional bravery and above average intellect to do what they thought was right. At a time when women were seen as docile, ignorant, and non-threatening, Mary and Elizabeth fooled them all, helping to bring down the Confederacy from ...

In this episode of History Fix I discuss the history behind the Buffalo Soldiers mentioned in Bob Marley's hit 1983 song by the same name. Recruited just after the Civil War, these all Black army regiments were sent out west to claim land already inhabited by Indigenous Americans during the decades long "Plains Wars." Despite being forced by desperation to do this dirty job for a country that had previously enslaved them, these men fought so valiantly, even the Native Americans they fought ag...

In this episode of History Fix, I unpack the history of Valentine's Day. Join me to discover more about the holiday's bizarre Roman roots (there are naked, drunk priests!), how no one really knows who Saint Valentine was or what he did, and who sent the first valentine and when. You'll also learn about Esther Howland, the 18th century Massachusetts woman who started a multi-million dollar business in her 3rd floor bedroom crafting hand made valentines. www.somethingpeaceful.comSources:&...

This week on History Fix, I have a chat with New Orleans tour guide Tanya de Fazen to uncover the true story of the infamous "Queen of Voodoo" Marie Laveau. Get a look inside the culturally colorful and unique history that has made New Orleans a one of a kind city. Learn why Marie Laveau is closer to a saint than a witch and how her story got so twisted. Connect with Tanya:Tanya's FacebookTanya's Haunted Pub CrawlTanya's Wicked Women TourSources: Encyclopedia Britannica "Marie Lave...

In this episode of History Fix, I reveal the dark history of the eugenics movement and how it led to the forced sterilization of over 60,000 Americans. I'll also reveal how American sterilization policies influenced similar policies enacted in Hitler's Nazi Germany that led to the forced sterilization of 400,000 Germans, the "euthanasia" of 250,000 disabled people, and eventually the murders of 6 million Jewish people during the holocaust. This one's heavy, but you won't want to skip it!&nbsp...

In this episode of History Fix, I discover how rats have impacted history. I'll go way back to uncover how the brown rat came to occupy every continent (except Antarctica) as well as how rats have impacted human health throughout history - their ties to the Bubonic plague and how they are used in medical and scientific testing today. Join me to learn more about rats than you ever thought you wanted to know! www.historyfixpodcast.comSources: Smithsonian Institute "Year of the Rat"Was...

In this episode of History Fix, I tell the stories of four historically Black towns that are now underwater: Oscarville, Georgia, Kowaliga (Benson), Alabama, Vanport, Oregon, and Seneca Village in New York City. We'll take a look at how and why these fledgling towns were destroyed and the ripple effect it's had on Black Americans even today. www.historyfixpodcast.comSources: Travel Noire "5 Black American Towns Hidden Under Lakes and Ultimately From History Books"11alive "Relative o...

This episode is all about the Mona Lisa. Who was Mona Lisa and how did her portrait become the most famous work of art, ever? How does everyone know her face but nothing at all about the woman herself? Join me to uncover the history behind the famous painting - the subject, the artist, and how it came to be so very famous. www.historyfixpodcast.comSources:Short History of Podcast "The Mona Lisa"Encyclopedia Britannica "The Mona Lisa and its Influence"Antica Torre "Meet the Real Mon...

As the clocks ticked down to midnight on December 31st, 1999, as each final second of the last millennium slipped away, people all over the world collectively held their breath. If all the hype was to be believed, if the Y2K threats were real, their New Years merrymaking - the fireworks, the champagne, the confetti - might all come crashing down amidst terror and chaos, the apocalypse. Would the power go out? Would planes fall out of the sky? Would there be some giant explosion? What was goin...

In this episode, I explore the history of Christmas traditions including Santa Claus, stockings, and Christmas trees. I'll also uncover the pagan roots behind Christmas and examine how it has evolved from a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ to a secular day of excessive spending. Chances are you've been celebrating Christmas your entire life, carrying out these strange rituals, without ever really knowing why. Better late than never! www.historyfixpodcast.comSources:&nbs...

In this episode, I share how heroic sled dogs and their mushers achieved the impossible in 1925 to deliver a life saving serum to the children of Nome, Alaska. I'll recount their harrowing journey along the Iditerod Trail in subfreezing whiteout conditions and explore why one dog, Balto, seemed to get all the credit while the real hero of Nome, Togo, was almost forgotten by history. www.historyfixpodcast.comSources: Smithsonian National Postal Museum "The Great Nome Gold...

In this episode of History Fix, I explore the concept of "Mayanism" - the centuries old notion that the Maya were a mystical, lost civilization with abilities, knowledge, and powers that modern humans no longer possess. And how these beliefs were started by European conquistadors who couldn’t fathom that the Maya were possibly capable of their impressive accomplishments without some kind of supernatural interference, beliefs based in racist ideas that white Europeans were undeniably sup...

In this episode, I explore the disappearance of famous British crime novelist, Agatha Christie. I'll relay the events leading up to her mysterious disappearance in 1926 and give you a play by play of the investigation, including where and how she was found. I'll also consider possible motives and try to make sense of why the "Queen of Crime" became the subject of her own real life murder mystery. www.historyfixpodcast.comSources: A Short History of "Agatha Christie"The Independent ...

When I think of rum, I think of pirates. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, right? And when I think of pirates, I think of treasure chests full of gold, silver, precious gems, buried treasure. The rum seems recreational, dastardly, debaucherous, trivial. The treasure, now that’s serious. That’s the job. There’s no messing around with the treasure. But, did know, for many in the business of maritime trade and, yes even piracy, the rum was the treasure? Did you know that rum, while likely started by...

I remember the pilgrim hats, the buckles on the shoes, the feather headdresses and beads, the fun, cutesy crafts we did in school. The smell of construction paper and tempera paint as we stamped out handprint turkeys, glued on brightly colored feathers. You dress like a pilgrim. You be an Indian. We’ll all sit down and have a feast together. I remember learning about the first Thanksgiving in school. I remember teachers talking about a day of peace. A day that colonists and natives came toget...

Agnes Sorel was beyond beautiful. When the King of France, Charles VII first laid eyes on her in 1444, he was struck dumb by her stunning good looks. With golden hair, large blue eyes, and a striking figure, Charles absolutely had to have her. He was already married, of course, to the queen, Marie of Anjou, with whom he had 14 children. But, depressed and melancholy, beat down by the sorry state of his floundering country, most agreed that Agnes was good for Charles. She soon claimed the titl...

“A diamond is forever,” has gone down in history as one of the greatest advertising slogans of all time. It has appeared in every single De Beers diamond ad since 1948 and was ranked the number one slogan of the century by AdAge marketing journal in 1999. But, did you know, the company that hired Frances’ ad agency to come up with this slogan, De Beers, used it to trick the entire world into thinking diamonds are worth way more than they actually are? And that this made up illusion of v...

In 1949, 13 year old Pamela Smedley boarded a ship with 27 other girls from a Catholic orphanage in Britain. The nuns told them they were going on a day trip. The girls were excited, happy to be out in the world, on an adventure. According to Pamela, quote “We thought it would be like going to Scarborough for the day because we were so innocent and naive.” But they weren’t going to Scarborough. They were going to Australia, for good. Four extremely difficult decades would pass before Pamela w...

Halloween is weird y’all. I mean, I love it, don’t get me wrong, but it is weird. The costumes, carving faces into pumpkins and putting candles in them, trick or treating - walking around to stranger’s houses at night, costumed stranger’s houses asking for candy, putting the candy into a bucket shaped like a pumpkin with a face. It’s bizarre, really. What a bizarre holiday. And it’s spooky too, right? It’s scary. I feel like it’s scarier than ever - monsters and demons and evil clowns, murder...

Hello dear listeners, this is Shea LaFountaine, popping in on a Wednesday with a mini fix for you. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with Sara Swann-Barnard who is a prolific historical fiction author. She has written so many books, several of them set in the worlds that I have delved into in recent episodes. She’s really just a delightful person and a fellow history fan and I had so much fun chatting with her about historical fiction, Henry VIII, Vlad Dracula, cowboys an...

Burial has always been a sacred thing, undertaken with utmost reverence and respect for the dead. Graveyards and cemeteries, while yes often creepy, are peaceful, quiet places. The wind rustles the leaves of a tree, a dove coos mournfully, a tearful widow silently places flowers on her late husband’s grave. We typically think of graves as final resting places for the dead - the end of their stories here on Earth. But did you know, that wasn’t always the case? 200 years ago, many newly buried ...

“Skeleton of a Giant Found,” “Reported Discovery of a Huge Skeleton,” “Monstrous Skulls and Bones,” “A Race of Indian Giants,” “Giant Skeleton Unearthed at Buzzards Bay,” “Skeleton Found of a Man Over 9 Feet High With An Enormous Skull,” “New Mexico Discovery: 12 Foot Giant Found,” These are newspaper headlines and they’re not from the National Enquirer or any other disreputable tabloid like that, they’re all from the New York Times. These are just a few examples of hundreds of similar newspa...

Picture a vampire. Yeah, you’re picturing Dracula. That’s Dracula. I mean unless you’re a Twilight fan, then maybe you’re picturing Robert Pattinson’s fine self. But no, chances are you’re picturing the title character from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” about a vampire named Count Dracula who moves from Transylvania to England in search of new victims of his undead curse. This character, who basically invented the genre of vampires in fiction, was loosely based on, at least named after, ...

This is my full, uncut interview with Ben Stimpson, a psychotherapist, pagan author, and student of classical, medieval, and religious studies at the University of Waterloo. Connect with Ben:"Essence" podcastbenstimpson.comYouTube @BenStimpsonAuthorSupport the show! Buy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineShoot me a message!

This is my full, uncut interview with Emma Louise Dyson, an Earth medicine practitioner and practicing witch in the UK. Connect with Emma:Facebook group "The Wild Child Crystal Collective" TikTok @thewildanduntamedwaySupport the show! Buy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineShoot me a message!

Think of a witch. You’re likely picturing an old woman, gnarled and stooped with a hooked nose and stringy unkempt hair. Maybe she’s wearing a black robe, a pointy hat. Maybe she’s flying on a broomstick. Does she have a black cat? A cauldron where she mixes up deadly potions? An ancient book of spells she uses to curse people? This witch you’re picturing is evil. She cavorts with the devil and uses black magic to hurt people. She’s no hero. She’s a villian. Now ask yourself, where did this c...

In 1586 Sir Francis Drake arrived off the coast of present day North Carolina with a massive fleet, ships heavy with Spanish gold and riches he’d stolen privateering in the Caribbean, South America, Florida. He came to check in on the Roanoke colony - a group of 108 Englishmen who had set up a fort on the North end of Roanoke Island, part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. He came bearing these stolen gifts to give to the colony he thought was surely flourishing by now. He found them in bad sha...

John White stares at the sun bleached skull. Empty eye sockets stare back. This was surely one of Grenville’s men. But 15 stayed behind to hold Fort Raleigh. Where were the rest of them? “Governor White,” one of the men speaks up, “we should go.” White nods, but go where? He’s still rattled from the news he was given back at the ship, still trying to make sense of it. As they’d clamored into the boat to head to shore, the ship’s pilot, Simon Fernando, had leaned over the railing. “Leave the m...

In 1587, John White arrived on Roanoke Island, part of the Outer Banks of present day North Carolina. He was part of an expedition sent by Queen Elizabeth I of England to establish a permanent colony in the Americas. White was to be the governor of this new colony. But this wasn’t his first time on Roanoke Island. He had been part of an earlier expedition in 1585. An expedition that did not end well. And, spoiler alert, this new attempt would meet an even more disastrous end when as many as 1...

She could play the piano by ear at the age of 3 and was accepted into the prestigious Julliard school of music at age 8. By 19 she was headlining at Café Society, the first racially integrated club in New York City. She went on to become a successful Hollywood film star, fierce Civil Rights activist, and the first Black woman to host her own television show. She counted Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Dizzy Gillespie as close friends, dominating the jazz scene as a piano virtuoso who put h...

“Okay, Houston we’ve had a problem here. This is Houston, say it again please. Uh, Houston we’ve had a problem.” That 7 seconds of audio has been immortalized throughout time, history, and culture. Even if that was your first time hearing the original audio, you’ve definitely heard the quote “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” That’s astronaut Jim Lovell, commander of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission to the moon in 1970. But did you know the context of that quote? What the actual problem is? Did you know...

The winter of 1609 to 1610 is referred to as the “Starving Time” in Jamestown, Virginia - England’s first permanent settlement in the Americas. A perfect storm of events - poor harvest, disease, violent relations with indigenous neighbors, an influx of new settlers without any new provisions, and an actual hurricane led to the starvation and death of around 80% of Jamestown settlers that winter. Survivors resorted to eating unconventional meals in order to survive - horses, dogs, cats, rats, ...

Chief Powatan stands shrouded in flickering shade amongst the forests of coastal Virginia, his arm raised, wooden club poised to strike the man who lay cowering beneath him. This man, with his pale skin and fair hair, is one of them. The ones trying to claim their ancestral lands. The ones who steal their precious food and burn their villages to the ground. This man must die. Suddenly, a streak of golden skin, a flash of black hair, and his beloved Pocahontas now lies beneath the club. She st...

It’s 1719, Daniel Defoe flips through the freshly printed pages of his latest novel. It took him just six months to write but he has a good feeling about this one. He runs his finger along the title page, “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” printed in bold black ink. He feels good about this story, a story that landed on his lap, really. And his hunch would prove correct. The new novel would sell through 4 editions before the end of the year and over the next centu...

In 1522 Catalina Suarez finally arrived in New Spain, excited to see her beloved husband after 3 years apart. Soon after her long awaited arrival, however, her excitement was deflated. She immediately learned her husband, Hern​​án Cortés, had been having an affair with his enslaved indigenous translator Doña Marina, who was often called La Malinche. And worse, the two had a child together. No matter, Catalina was determined to repair the relationship and assume her rightful position as consor...

"When we gazed upon all this splendor at once, we scarcely knew what to think, and we doubted whether all that we beheld was real. A series of large towns stretched themselves along the banks of the lake, out of which still larger ones rose magnificently above the waters. Innumerable crowds of canoes were plying everywhere around us; at regular distances we continually passed over new bridges, and before us lay the great city of Mexico in all its splendor." Those are the words of Bernal Díaz ...

The decade of the 1920s is often referred to as the “Roaring Twenties.” You can probably picture it now: jazz trumpets blare while women in shiny dresses dance the Charleston with their beaus and sip fancy martinis. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s fun, it’s one big party, like New Years Eve every night. Night clubs, cocktails, rock and roll, all of these cultural staples evolved out of the roaring twenties. But take the alcohol away and, I’m not sure they would have roared quite as loudly. Surpris...

Upon his death in 1547, England’s King Henry VIII was interred in a vault beneath the floor of St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. He had chosen this spot, specifically because it was where his beloved 3rd wife, Jane Seymour had been buried a decade earlier. It’s sweet right? Together in life and death, like star crossed lovers, buried side by side. But did you know, Henry never intended to remain buried next to Jane and actually had much grander plans for his remains? Let’s fix that.&nbsp...

It’s May 1536. Anne Boleyn has just been beheaded at the tower of London. The crowd falls silent. Onlookers are shocked. Some didn’t believe it would really happen. There’s some hesitant cheering, some applauding. The queens ladies in waiting scream, wail, fall to the ground. One rushes forward and gathers Anne’s head in a white cloth. Others drag her body from the stage. Somewhere a cannon fires. Anne is carted away. She’ll be buried in a shallow, unmarked grave. Meanwhile, as the cannonfire...

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Henry VIII went down in history, not so much for what he accomplished as king of England but for one tantalizing fact - he had six wives. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr - these six women are often defined by their association with Henry VIII, she was wife number 2, she was number 5, she was number 6, their very humanity reduced to a number. Not Catherine, not Anne, not Jan...

The year is 79 AD. A bustling Roman port city sits nestled at the base of a mountain. Ships bob in the harbor, their nets heavy with fish and crabs to sell at the markets. Already the vendors have gathered, offering fresh pomegranates, pots of honey, spiced wine. In the forum a group huddles excitedly around a sign, recently erected, announcing the date of the next gladiator battle. Children run by, chasing a cat, giggling. They duck into an alley past a man who has just emerged through the l...

Musket fire, soldiers yelling, chaos. It’s the summer of 1782 and Robert Shurtleff lies groaning on the ground, clutching a gash in his forehead. He’s been shot at least twice. He can feel a musket ball lodged in his thigh, another in his shoulder. The skirmish is over but that brings no relief to Shurtleff. A fellow infantryman rushes over in search of survivors. “Hospital,” he says. “No,” Shurtleff growls, “let me die.” But the soldier grabs Shurtleff and tosses him onto the back of a horse...

It’s April 1986. Alarms at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden start going off unexpectedly, warning of high levels of radiation. Operators are confused. The power plant is fully operational. Nothing is amiss. The radiation detectors shouldn’t be going off. Soon, other nuclear power plants in Scandinavia start reporting the same thing. Their alarms are going off too. A dangerous amount of radiation is spreading throughout northern Europe, but where is it coming from? They narrow it dow...

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” or so they say. But, honestly that’s just not true. For all of known history beauty has been defined by society, not the beholder, and the standards have been set unattainably high. Pale and plump, tan and thin, long hair, now short hair, curly hair, straight hair, big hair, no hair, thick eyebrows, thin eyebrows, thick again, thin again, short, now tall, black teeth, no white teeth. Ever changing, swinging like a pendulum, back and forth, and ever hard...

The lost city of Atlantis was said to be an ideal, utopian society, flourishing under the noble leadership of 10 princes who swore an oath to the gods to never let greed, arrogance, or hate interrupt the peace of their righteous civilization. It was technologically advanced beyond our comprehension even today, a prosperous maritime trading post, an inspiring world leader. That is, until human nature - ego - got in the way as it so often does. Atlantis quickly fell from grace, smote by the god...

Genghis Khan, the man, the myth, the legend was undoubtedly a fierce and ruthless warrior. The New York Times called him “the original bad boy of history” and tales of his conquests have inspired shock and awe for much of the last millennium. During his reign as Khan of the vast Mongol empire, as many as 40 million people were killed. That’s roughly 11 percent of the world population at the time. He showed no mercy to his enemies, wiping them out by the millions, sometimes slaughtering every ...

Abolitionist Olaudah Equiano was captured from his home in Africa as an 11 year old boy while his parents were out working one day. He was stuffed below decks of a slave ship, shackled together lying down with hundreds of other captives in what Equiano referred to as “a scene of horror almost inconceivable.” By the late 17th century, Great Britain dominated the slave trade and wealthy plantation owners in the American colonies were lining their pockets, thanks to the labor of 11 million capti...

Kings, and queens, monarchs and emperors often rise to the throne by birthright alone. There’s no campaigning, no election, no popular vote, no competition whatsoever. They are simply born with the right to rule. They just happened to be the first son of a first son of a first son in a family that was once deemed “royal” for whatever reason and it stuck. Does this make them the best candidate to rule an entire country? An empire? Well, no. Many of them were crowned as mere children, babies ev...

Towering 450 feet above the Egyptian desert lies the Great Pyramid of Giza, its rugged, crumbling facade a mere ruin of its former glory. It was once clad in blinding white limestone, fit so tightly together the seams were invisible. A capstone of pure gold crowned the top, reflecting the sun’s light for miles like a beacon of triumph for a flourishing civilization. The textbooks teach us that the Great Pyramid was built around 4,500 years ago as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu. But did you know...

Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest scientific minds of all time. He developed machinery that allowed us to harness the alternating current which is still our main form of electricity to this day. He invented the Tesla coil which is still used in countless modern electronics plus fluorescent light bulbs, neon light, and spark plugs, you know, like, what starts your car. He’s responsible for major breakthroughs and advancements in electric lighting, x-rays, drones, radios, phosphorescence, el...

It’s a summer day in Strasbourg, France. The year is 1518. A woman named Frau Troffea steps into the city square and starts to dance. There’s no music and yet she twists and turns for hours while onlookers watch, confused. Occasionally, she collapses from exhaustion only to get back up and resume her frenzied dancing soon after. This goes on day after day and soon some 400 others have joined her, many of them dancing themselves to death. The “Dancing Plague of 1518” is believed to have been c...

In 1911 Shipbuilder magazine featured an ocean liner under construction in Belfast, Ireland. It was called Titanic and it was the largest moveable object ever built. With new state of the art technology, the magazine claimed Titanic was “practically unsinkable,” a reputation that stuck… until April of 1912 when the RMS Titanic began its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York harbor. Four days later, the ship lay at the bottom of the North Atlantic, its massive hull ripped in two ...

“Downton Abbey” is a popular period drama set in Edwardian England that details the life of the Crawley family, their motley crew of servants and of course Dame Maggie Smith playing the ever witty and sharp tongued granny. Love her. But Downton, with its iconic Gothic facade is a real place. It’s actually called Highclere Castle and, did you know the real story of its inhabitants is truly stranger than fiction? Let’s fix that. Sources: Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast...

“Murder is murder whether committed by the villain skulking in the dark or by uniformed men stepping to the strains of martial music. Murder is murder and somebody must answer.” Those are the words of John G Burnett, a translator for the US Army during the forced removal of indigenous Americans that took place between 1830 and 1850. During this “displacement,” tens of thousands of indigenous people lost their lives along what’s commonly referred to as the “Trail of Tears” in an American genoc...

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. I’m sure you’re familiar with the singsong mnemonic meant for remembering the year Christopher Columbus stumbled upon islands in the Caribbean. This set off a chain reaction of European exploration that transformed two continents. But did you know Viking explorers actually reached North America 500 years before Columbus? Let’s fix that. Sources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379118307261https://www.smithsonianmag.com/s...

Computer science is a field completely dominated by men. Charles Babbage, Alan Turing, Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Jobs, the list goes on and on. But on that list, pretty high up on that list is Ada Lovelace. Although the world overlooked her contributions for an entire century, did you know the very first computer programmer was actually a woman? Let’s fix that. Sources: Biography.comEncyclopedia Britannica Onlinecomputerhistory.orgsciencehistory.orgStuff You Missed in History Class pod...

He was said to embody the devil himself - extraordinarily tall with a wild black beard and hair tied up with lit fuses. His eyes, like embers, burned with a demonic glow and even the fiercest of men cowered at the sight of his flag. History paints Blackbeard as one of the most feared pirates of the seven seas, but did you know there’s no evidence that he actually killed anyone? Let’s fix that. Sources: “The Republic of Pirates” by Colin Woodard"A Short History of…" podcast episode t...

Roughly 5 stories beneath the streets of Paris you’ll find the bones of over 6 million people stacked in neat rows and arranged in grotesquely intricate designs. The Paris Catacombs attract over 500,000 visitors each year, but do you know why such a shockingly morbid site exists? Let’s fix that. Sources: https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history​​https://lister.history.ox.ac.uk/index-page_id=412.htmlhttps://mineralogicalrecord.com/new_biobibliography/hericart-de-thury-louis-e-f/https://...