Stuff You Missed In History Class

Today’s episode is the next installment of our Six Impossible Episodes series, and our second one on nursery rhymes. This one explores the historical context of Jack and Jill, London Bridge, Cock Robin and others.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Perkin, the creation of the first synthetic dye was the beginning of a career that combined chemistry and business to great success. And he got to see the world of industry change in response to his innovation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2014 episode covers how pigments and dyes have historically come from all manner of animals, vegetables and minerals. From ochre to cochineal red to the rarest of purples, color has been an important part of human life for centuries. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks about the coincidences she encountered while researching this week's episodes. Talk then turns to how complicated Ida Tarbell's story is. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tarbell saw her family and community clash with Standard Oil when she was growing up. This second part covers her work for McClure’s Magazine and the most important journalistic work of her life – “The History of the Standard Oil Company.”  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ida Tarbell was one of the first investigative journalists, and the biggest work of her life involved exposing exploitive and illegal business practices at Standard Oil. Part one covers her early life, which led her to that story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Prince Pedro of Portugal was married off in the 1300s, he only had eyes for his new wife's lady in waiting. This 2017 episode about the relationship between Inês and Pedro has everything: romance, deception, murder, and a corpse crowned as queen. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss the possible inspiration for Maggie Lena Walker's name, and then discuss favorite recipes as inspired by a listener mail. They also speculate on Pepper's personality, and how he opened up education to a wide audience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the ghost illusion he created for theaters dominates his life story, Pepper's life story has a number of twists and turns. It’s got several professional disagreements, world travel, and even an attempt to control the weather.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maggie Lena Walker was the first Black woman in the U.S. to charter a bank – she was also the first Black woman in the U.S. to serve as a bank’s president. But the bank was only one of her many endeavors which focused on improving the lives of the entire Black community. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers the life of Mary-Elizabeth Bowser, who was released from enslavement by Elizabeth Van Lew, then went on to become an agent in Van Lew's "Richmond Ring" of Civil War spies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss the inherent problems with looking at the story of the princes in the tower, particularly many people having the same name. Then they discuss the frustration of discovering the Montaukett Nation's legal status with the state of New York. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olivia Ward Bush-Banks was a Harlem Renaissance writer who also supported writers and artists, hosted salons, and taught drama courses. She was well-known during her lifetime, but her name recognition has faded over time.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Thomas More’s version of what happened to the sons of Edward IV has long dominated popular understanding of it. But the conflict between the House of York and the House of Lancaster has many layers, and any account is colored by the alliances of who gave it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2017 episode examines how, after a traumatic event, strange things began happening around Esther Cox. In the 1870s, Amherst, Nova Scotia was abuzz with theories as to whether the phenomena were the work of a poltergeist, strange electrical charges, or a hoax. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about their experiences with haunted houses, then discuss watching "The Exorcist," and the dynamics in play in Roland Doe's story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 1973 horror film “The Exorcist” was inspired by a 1949 alleged possession case in a suburb of Washington, D.C. Roland Doe’s story is more tame than the fiction version, and looking at it is really an examination of psychology and lore.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interest in being scared on purpose -- for fun -- led to the development of haunts as entertainment over the last several hundred years. But the 20th century saw explosive growth in haunted house culture, and a tragedy in the 1980s led to new safety regulations for haunted attractions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers the story of Marie Tussaud and her famous wax figures. So who exactly was she, and how did she create one of the world's most popular museums? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss a surprise change to the research process for Unearthed! episodes. They also talk about analysis of post-mortem stomach contents, and discuss memories of a deceased, beloved actor. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.