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Stuff You Missed In History Class

What was the war of the currents? What made Alexander the Great so great, exactly? Each week Sarah and Deblina delve between the lines of textbooks to discover some of the world's most astonishing stories. Listen in and catch up on the Stuff You Missed in History Class.

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Latest Episodes

  • Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare: Part 1

    Released 09.19.12

    Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy had a lackluster career – at least, that is, until he claimed the U.S.

  • Orson Welles and the War of the Worlds

    Released 09.17.12

    In 1938 Orson Welles produced a series of radio dramas, including one based on “War of the Worlds." The broadcast caused a mass panic, since many believed it was a real news program.

  • Codes! Allied Cryptography in World War II

    Released 09.12.12

    In this episode co-hosted by TechStuff’s Jonathan Strickland, the focus is on the codes and cryptologists of World War II.

  • Alan Turing: Codebreaker

    Released 09.10.12

    Alan Turing conceived of computers decades before anyone was building one. He also acted as a top-secret code breaker during World War II.

  • Codes! Axis Cryptography in World War II

    Released 09.05.12

    In this special episode co-hosted by TechStuff’s Jonathan Strickland, the focus is on the codes, cipher machines, and cryptologists of World War II.

  • The Radium Girls

    Released 09.03.12

    Between in 1917, hundreds of women got jobs applying radium-treated paint to various products. Many experienced severe health problems.

  • How the Mayan Calendar Works, Revisited

    Released 08.29.12

    In this classic episode, former hosts Candace and Jane explain how the Mayan long count calendar works.

  • 5 Historical Storms

    Released 08.27.12

    Catastrophic storms are almost historical characters in their own right, leaving indelible marks on the places they affect.

  • Easter Island (Update)

    Released 08.22.12

    In this episode, we revisit theories about the statues of Easter Island: the Moai. New evidence suggests that fewer than 20 people “walked” the Moai to their positions.

  • Pretty Boy Floyd and the Kansas City Massacre

    Released 08.20.12

    Pretty Boy Floyd started out doing farm work, but in his late teens he ran off to try his hand at crime.

  • Lizzie Borden and her Axe (Update)

    Released 08.15.12

    In 1892, a Massachusetts couple was brutally murdered; the only serious suspect was their daughter, Lizzie Borden.

  • The Bloody Benders

    Released 08.13.12

    The Bender clan settled in Kansas in 1870, building a combined store and inn. They weren't popular. Only the comely Kate Bender drew admirers.

  • How the Titanic Worked

    Released 08.08.12

    2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. In our own memorial to the Titanic’s sinking, we revisit a classic episode from Candace and Jane, in which they explore the ship’s tragic history.

  • A Medici Marriage: Marguerite-Louise d'Orléans

    Released 08.06.12

    Marguerite-Louise d'Orléans was the grandchild of the King of France, cousin of Louis XIV and eventually betrothed to Cosimo III de Medici.

  • The Nazi Games and Jesse Owens

    Released 08.01.12

    Most people associate the 1936 Berlin Olympics with African-American sprinter Jesse Owens. Yet the games were successful in terms of Nazi propaganda: More nations than ever participated, and the Olympic torch was used for the first time.

  • The Match of Death

    Released 07.30.12

    After the Nazis invaded Kiev, a bakery owner asked some Ukrainian soccer players to form a team. Their team was pitted against occupying powers.

  • The Strangest Games: The 1900 Paris Olympics

    Released 07.25.12

    In 1900 Paris Olympics are considered some of the strangest. Some sport historians don’t even consider them true Olympic Games.

  • The First Olympics, Revisited

    Released 07.23.12

    In this episode, we revisit a podcast on the first Olympics. The first Olympics featured familiar events, but also some lethal exhibitions.

  • Listener Mail Roundup: Collector’s Edition

    Released 07.18.12

    In a recent episode on George Arents, we asked listeners what kind of book collections they keep. We heard from people with interests ranging from mixology books to a library dedicated to Disney.

  • The Amelia Earhart Mystery (Update)

    Released 07.16.12

    In this classic episode, former hosts Candace and Katie explore the events surrounding Amelia Earhart’s mysterious disappearance in 1937, and possible theories as to what could have happened.

  • What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke? (Update)

    Released 07.11.12

    Of all the mysteries we've covered, the lost colony at Roanoke is one of the strangest. In this classic episode, former hosts Candace and Josh recount Roanoke's story -- and there's a new development, one that may finally reveal the fate of the colonists.

  • The Prisoner Princess: Sophia Dorothea of Celle

    Released 07.09.12

    Sophia Dorothea of Celle married her cousin, George I of Great Britain. Sophia had an affair with a Swedish count, and her in-laws decided to stop the couple from running away together.

  • The Bombardment of Baltimore

    Released 07.04.12

    After a night of shelling in the War of 1812, Baltimore was unsure if its fort had survived. At dawn, observers saw an American flag over the fort.

  • Ma Barker and the Barker Gang

    Released 07.02.12

    During the Gangster Era, many believed Ma Barker led the Barker Gang. In the late 1800s, Barker had four sons, two of whom joined the infamous Barker gang.

  • Deblina and Sarah's Renaissance Adventure

    Released 06.27.12

    In this episode, Sarah and Deblina visit the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Interviews with musician Luca Callo and TechStuff’s Jonathan Strickland give us an understanding of processes they use to recreate Renaissance characters, music and culture.

  • John James Audubon: American Woodsman (Part 2)

    Released 06.25.12

    After John James Audubon finished his book, he sought out a publisher. While his image turned off Philadelphia's intellectuals, he charmed Great Britain.

  • Who wore the Pink Triangle?

    Released 06.20.12

    2012-06-20-symhc-pink-triangle.mp3 21:59 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/podcasts.howstuffworks.com/hsw/podcasts/symhc/2012-06-20-symhc-pink-triangle.mp3 When Hitler came to power in Germany, gays and lesbians were continually persecuted.

  • John James Audubon: American Woodsman, Part 1

    Released 06.18.12

    Though John James Audubon was the son of a French planter, he cultivated the image of an American frontiersman.

  • The Death of Poe

    Released 06.13.12

    In 1849, Edgar Allan Poe disappeared for five days before he was found semi-conscious outside of a saloon.

  • William Kidd: A Pirate’s Rep for Me

    Released 06.11.12

    William Kidd had settled down by 1695, but privateering was still in his blood. He struck up a plan to attack pirates plaguing English ships and enlisted investors to back his efforts.

  • Nikola Tesla and the War of the Currents (Part 2)

    Released 06.06.12

    By 1887, Nikola Tesla secured seven patents for components of his alternating current system. In 1888, George Westinghouse offered to hire Tesla to develop the AC system, and that’s when the Current War really got underway.

  • Laura Bridgman's Education

    Released 06.04.12

    Laura Bridgman was the first deafblind person to be educated -- a feat accomplished by Samuel Gridley Howe in the 1830s.

  • Nikola Tesla and the War of Currents Part 1

    Released 05.30.12

    In 1857 Nikola Tesla began work on direct current motor issues. In 1884, he approached Thomas Edison with ideas about alternating current, but Edison championed direct current.

  • P.T. Barnum's Biggest Stars

    Released 05.28.12

    P.T. Barnum worked with many performers. Perhaps the most famous was the diminutive General Tom Thumb.

  • Operation Mincemeat, Part 2

    Released 05.23.12

    Operation Mincemeat aimed to relay false information to the Nazis by dropping a corpse where they would find it, along with fake documents.

  • A Visit to Clybourne Park

    Released 05.21.12

    The Pulitzer-winning play “Clybourne Park” took inspiration from Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin the Sun.” In this episode, we talk to Clybourne Park’s Tony-nominated director Pam MacKinnon about the work and historical research that went into the play.

  • The Prince of Humbug: P.T. Barnum

    Released 05.16.12

    P.T. Barnum is best known as a circus man, but he spent most of his career running a curiosity museum and staging freak shows.

  • Operation Mincemeat

    Released 05.14.12

    Once the Allies invaded North Africa, the Nazis began planning. Both sides knew Sicily was the obvious choice for the next Allied invasion, so the Allies needed some subterfuge.

  • Freya of Arabia

    Released 05.09.12

    After a childhood spent roaming Europe, Freya Stark began saving money to take Arabic lessons. Once fluent, she traveled into areas few outsiders had ever been, documenting her travels in best-selling books.

  • The Battle of Sekigahara

    Released 05.07.12

    After the Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, regents and bureaucrats scrambled for power. The rivals Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari rallied supporters to face off in Sekigahara.

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