Stuff You Missed in History Class

Melitta Bentz invented the coffee filter in 1908 and changed coffee culture forever. Through the decades and after reckoning with its relationship with the Third Reich, the company she founded in her Dresden apartment endures today. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part two of this 2020 episode looks at some of the specifics of the COINTELPROs that targeted black liberation organizations and the New Left, as well as how these programs were finally exposed to the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly shares a story of accidentally taking ephedrine. Tracy shares her delight at a pronunciation of the word catastrophe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 1, 1755, a massive earthquake took place on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lisbon, Portugal. The destruction in Portugal led to one of the first coordinated government responses to a natural disaster. Research: Pereira, Alvaro S. “The Opportunity of a Disaster: The Economic Impact of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.” The Journal of Economic History , Jun. 2009. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40263964 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The use of stimulants during WWII is no secret, but in the last decade, there has been a lot of discussion and analysis of it. Just how significant was drug use in Nazi Germany, and how did the Allies compare? Research: Scientific AmericanPlanta medicaThe Journal of Interdisciplinary HistoryJSTORSocial History of MedicineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part 1 of this 2020 two-parter covers background on the FBI and on the origins of its counterintelligence programs, as well as one specific operation, called COINTELPRO-White Hate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy shares her desire to see the rest of the letter that was quoted in this week's episodes on Anthony Burns. Talk also turns to the fact that many of the things that are surprising people today are, in fact, precedented. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our second episode on the life of Anthony Burns begins with his detention in Boston, which outraged Massachusetts abolitionists. Even after Burns was returned to Virginia to be enslaved once again, his supporters in Boston continued to work for his freedom. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Anthony Burns is one that resonates in our current times. Part one covers his early enslaved life, his escape from enslavement, and his arrest under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2019 episode takes a closer look the famous diary of Samuel Pepys, and also at who Pepys was beyond his famous chronicle of life in 17th-century London. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks about her selection of "Fumifugium" as a show topic. Holly shares a mischievous story about Helen Preece. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite Pierre de Coubertin's vision of the Olympics being for male athletes only, women did participate in the games starting in 1900. But the road to equal participation was long and filled with disappointments. Research: La Vie Jamais Racontée: Alice Milliat, a French Heroine and Sporting Suffragette.” Pitch Publishing. 2024. Journal of Sport HistoryJSTORA Review of Olympic Yachting – 1900 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Fumifugium" was a treatise on air pollution written in 1661. In addition to warning about the dangers of coal smoke, John Evelyn wrote this work to improve the reputation of King Charles II. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks about amusing old illustrations of babies in utero. Holly shares anecdotes about George Stephenson's life that rarely make it into discussions of his life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2019 episode shares how Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous by boiling pee. But he was really thought the secret to the philosopher’s stone might be found in urine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Stephenson started life in extremely humble circumstances, but his ingenuity and pursuit of education led him to an impressive legacy. He invented a miner’s lamp, but is most well known for his work on locomotives and railways. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nutritional rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and people figured out two ways to treat it before we even knew what vitamin D was. Research: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2021 episode covers three prank stories, including a joke that became a living legend, a large-scale prank that created havoc, and a televised hoax that reminds us all of the importance of critical thinking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly talks about the various inspirations for her love of embroidery. Tracy shares her experiences with movies and her cat while embroidering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second part of the discussion of embroidery history covers blackwork and Opus Anglicanum, then embroidery samplers and beetle-wing embroidery. Research: Encyclopedia BritannicaBayeux TapestryHistorical ResearchEncyclopedia BritannicaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.