Stuff You Missed in History Class

The second half of the Axman story involves his famous letter to the New Orleans Times-Picayune warning that he would descend on the city, but [Read more]

In 1918 and 1919, a rash of attacks had all of New Orleans on edge. While the Axman has turned up in modern storytelling, no [Read more]

Thanks to the pillow book of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, we have a first-person account of court life in Heian Japan. It’s part diary, part commonplace [Read more]

The name “Boston Massacre” sounds as though it was the slaughter of a bunch of innocents in colonial Boston. The reality is much smaller – [Read more]

Our focus today is on a woman who was actually covered in the podcast several years ago. But she’s a figure so mythic and with [Read more]

If you’ve only seen the Hessians referenced in movies or TV, you probably don’t have a clear picture of who these very capable soldiers actually [Read more]

Smallpox has been around longer than recorded history. It killed royalty, shifted the tides of battles, and was so terrifying that many religions have gods, [Read more]

Despite all the publicity surrounding the shooting of John F. Kennedy, the identity of one witness has remained elusive for decades. Beverly Oliver has claimed [Read more]

He was an art patron. He loved science. He spoke many languages. He was also known for a dark temper and instability, and his poor [Read more]

There are many amazing, heroic stories of people who risked everything to protect Jews and other people at risk before and during the holocaust. A [Read more]