Stuff You Missed in History Class

Coley's Toxins and the Origins of Immunotherapy

William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy. Research: Ahuja, Sana and S

Philippe Pinel

Pinel’s work is considered the precursor to psychiatry. In the late 18th century, he overhauled the asylum system of Paris with his groundbreaking ideas about mental heal

SYMHC Classics: Flexner Report

This 2020 episode covers the Flexner Report, which is often credited with changing the medical field and shaping what medical education looks like today. But this documen

Behind the Scenes Minis: Paddles and The British Museum

Tracy and Holly talk about corporal punishment in schools and student loans. Tracy relays her experience at the British Museum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i

Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal was the ruler of the Assyrian empire in the 7th century BCE. His 38-year reign was marked by both scholarship and a terrifying brutality. Research: "Baby

Six Impossible Episodes: Back-to-Court

This episode takes a quick look at six U.S. Supreme Court cases that all have to do with the rights of children in public primary and secondary schools. Abington School

SYMHC Classics: Olympe de Gouges

This 2021 episode covers Olympe de Gouges, known primarily for her 1791 pamphlet “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen.” But her writing and political activ

Behind the Scenes Minis: Percy Theories

Holly shares additional details of Percy Fawcett's life, including theories about his interest in spiritualism leading him to some odd conclusions. See omnystudio.com/li

Percy Fawcett, Manuscript 512, and a Lost City in the Amazon, Pt. 2

The second part of Percy Fawcett's story delves into his fascination with a document known as Manuscript 512 and how it impacted his life. His obsession led to his disapp

Percy Fawcett, Manuscript 512, and a Lost City in the Amazon, Pt. 1

Fawcett’s life has invited controversy and speculation, because he was a man who did a mix of great and shady things. Part one covers his early life, marriage, military s

SYMHC Classics: Swill Milk

This 2021 episode covers a period of time when the milk supply in New York was anything but appetizing and wholesome – it was often deadly. But efforts to address the pro

Behind the Scenes Minis: Mary, Beulah, Baby Alive

Tracy shares a story of looking for an article in the wrong historical journal. Holly reads a section of the U.S. flag code, and waxes rhapsodic about toys. See omnystud

Beulah Louise Henry

Beulah was such a prolific inventor in the early 20th century that the press nicknamed her Lady Edison. She was an outlier as an unmarried woman who got her foot in the d

Mary Mallon & Typhoid Revisited

Mary Mallon became known as Typhoid Mary in the early 20th century. She has often been vilified in in modern references, though her story is actually quite complex.  Re

SYMHC Classics: Astronaut Origins of Food Safety

This 2022 episode examines the development of a systematic approach to food safety, which didn’t happen until the 20th century. And it's tied directly to NASA trying to m

Behind the Scenes Minis: Morocco and Bavaria

Tracy and Holly talk about their time visiting Chefchaouen during their Morocco trip. Holly shares her belief that secret societies don't work very well.  See omnystudio

Adam Weishaupt and the Bavarian Illuminati

The reality of the Bavarian Illuminati is much less dramatic than conspiracy theories would indicate. It wasn’t a mystical organization, but a protest organization formed

Sayyida al-Hurra, Moroccan Queen

A lot of European accounts of Sayyida al-Hurra’s life characterize her as a pirate, but that really isn't accurate. She was a a leader of a city-state and a queen of a su

SYMHC Classics: Jethro Tull

This 2021 episode covers Jethro Tull. Today, most people only know that as the name of a band, but Tull was an 18th-century gentleman farmer often credited with inventing

Behind the Scenes Minis: Smashing Linoleum

Tracy talks about papers about history written by economists. Holy talks about linoleum having a bad reputation because of the designs of the 1970s and '80s. See omnystu