Stuff you Missed in History Class
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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A Visit to Clybourne Park
The Pulitzer-winning play “Clybourne Park” took inspiration from Lorraine Hansberry’s ...
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.
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The Prince of Humbug: P.T. Barnum
P.T. Barnum is best known as a circus man, but ...
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. Barnum attracted people to his American Museum through shrewd advertising, or “humbug.” He also wasn’t afraid of a hoax.
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Operation Mincemeat, Part 1
Once the Allies invaded North Africa, the Nazis began planning. ...
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. Luckily, the British had an idea -- and all they needed was a dead body.
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Freya of Arabia
After a childhood spent roaming Europe, Freya Stark began saving ...
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. Listen in to learn more about Freya of Arabia.
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The Battle of Sekigahara
After the Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, regents and bureaucrats ...
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. Tokugawa emerged victorious. But what happened next?
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Who was the real Professor Moriarty? Part 2
When Adam Worth stole a portrait of the Duchess of ...
When Adam Worth stole a portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, he fell in love with the painting. But a botched theft in Belgium landed him in prison, where the story of his life reached Arthur Conan Doyle and inspired the character of Professor Moriarty.
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Horace Wells and the Gas War
Dentist Horace Wells set up shop in Hartford in 1836, ...
Dentist Horace Wells set up shop in Hartford in 1836, before the discovery of anasthesia. At an exhibition in 1844 he became certain that nitrous oxide could revolutionize medicine. He tried to demonstrate his findings... but things didn’t go as planned.
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Who was the real Professor Moriarty? Part 1
Professor Moriarty was based on a real man: Adam Worth. ...
Professor Moriarty was based on a real man: Adam Worth. After being falsely reported as dead during the Civil War, Worth began a life of crime. When Worth moved to London he began his Moriarty phase, but his peculiar criminal quirks led to his near ruin.
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Four Flights of Female Aviators
Amelia Earhart is the most well-known female aviator, but there ...
Amelia Earhart is the most well-known female aviator, but there were several notable female aviation pioneers. Raymonde de Laroche was the first woman to earn a pilot's license, and Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier.
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Who was the Great Imposter?
Ferdinand Demara took on several bogus personas throughout his imposter ...
Ferdinand Demara took on several bogus personas throughout his imposter career -- everything from a professor to a monk. Demara stole the identities of regular people, and often performed their job duties. Tune in to learn more about the Great Imposter.
