Stuff You Missed in History Class

Today we have a series of prank stories that aren’t quite substantial enough to be their own episodes. We’ve got a joke that became a [Read more]

Levy was recognized as an extraordinary literary talent of the 1880s. But after her tragic early death, she receded into the background of history.  Learn [Read more]

This 2013 episode covers the taxidermist Potter, who had preserved and mounted 98 birds by the time he was 19. In 1880, his work had [Read more]

Holly and Tracy discuss Perkin’s idealism, and how many things in their lives are impacted by his work. Then they discuss “Who killed Cock Robin?’ [Read more]

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 [Read more]

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 [Read more]

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 [Read more]

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 [Read more]

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 [Read more]

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 [Read more]