Ballsy History

The Northwest plains have weather that is not for the faint of heart. Even this past year a prolonged arctic outbreak struck the area and the Farmer's Almanac predicted a snow train coming down from Canada. The Children's Blizzard is also known as the Schoolhouse Blizzard or the Schoolchildren's Blizzard. In the 1940s, a group of seniors organized the Greater Nebraska Blizzard Club to collect and organize survivors' stories to try and record the sense of sheer terror of that day.

Learn about what different cultures do when their children's teeth fall out; and the origins of the tooth fairy, a fairly modern character—certainly younger than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. After our episode on Vikings, we were intrigued by the fact that they made necklaces out of their childrens' lost teeth and wore them for protection when they traveled—and pillaged. And we wondered, what was going on in other parts of the world? Did other people do anything to commemorate this notable part of growing up?

By the middle ages, brewing and selling ale provided women a way to work and achieve "good profits, social power, and some measure of independence from men"—especially compared to other trades, which did not. Yet after the Black Plague, societal changes led to men dominating in the field of brewing—which still continues today. But some think women were forced out of brewing because men began to accuse female brewers of being witches and using their cauldrons to brew up magic potions instead of ale.

The 6888th was a self-contained unit. The Army wasn't yet integrated for men, let alone women—and segregated by both race and gender, the members of the Six Triple Eight not only made history, they quickly achieved what seemed insurmountable, and in doing so, improved the morale of U.S. troops. Out of the 855 members of the battalion, three perished overseas and were laid to rest in France. The Six Triple Eight holds the distinction of being the largest group of Black servicewomen to serve overseas during WWII, yet only recently have these women begun to receive their long-overdue recognition.

“Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” was nationally broadcast from 1968 to 1976, and again from 1979 to 2001; although the show existed in different iterations prior. During the thirty minute program children were encouraged to be their true selves, use their imaginations, and show kindness to their neighbors. However, the show broke plenty of ground in childrens' television programming. Within the first week the show was alluding to the Vietnam war; and the character, Officer Clemons, was one of the first regular roles for a Black person on television. At a time when there was uproar about desegregating swimming pools, Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemons washed off their feet together in a shared pool— a subtle, but important statement. Over the years, grief, divorce, racism, and death were all handled on the show. Margaret McFarland had a significant influence on how content was presented onair; in fact, she reviewed the scripts until her death, suggesting improvements on the material. “She will make just one suggestion, and it raises the whole level,” Rogers told The Pittsburgh Press. “She was an enormous influence on me.”

If you Google “worst jobs” you're going to see things like crime scene clean up and sewer diver, but compared to medieval bell ringer? At least sewer divers can be hosed down. Bell ringers had to be hosed off – like, every surface. Enjoy this episode, "The Brescia Church Explosion of 1769." In honor of April Fool's Day, we are taking part in "Operation Switcheroo 2021." Learn more about *"Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast"** on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. All of their episodes can be found at Anchor.fm/Doomsday or wherever podcasts are found. Since the Great Comic Switcheroo of 1997, newspaper and online comic writers have perpetrated April Fools pranks on their readers by drawing each others comics, drawing the same comic as each other, or having their characters take over the other strip. Operation Switcheroo is podcasts swapping feeds for a day. Special thanks to "Your Brain on Facts" podcast for orchestrating all the fun. You can find them at http://yourbrainonfacts.com/ or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Vampires lurk throughout popular culture, appearing on television in “True Blood” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as well as Twilight books, and even the character “The Count” on Sesame Street. But long before Buffy was protecting humankind, a public hysteria gripped several New England states in the late 19th century. Roughly two hundred years after the Salem witch trials, locals were on high alert as they believed vampires were in their midst. In fact, roughly 80 of these disturbed vampire graves are documented, but it is believed there are hundreds more. What caused people to come to the conclusion that their dead relatives were returning to suck the life out of them? Let's find out. Guest podcast hightlight: "Thoughts from a Page" Special Guest: Cindy Burnett.

Tea came to Ireland in the early 1800s and was immediately classified as a luxury product, having arrived from far away India on a clipper ship. Right from the beginning, upper class, wealthy people began holding tea parties, and once it became—pardon the pun—steeped into the culture, the other classes did as well. Some people say that tea is Ireland's other “national drink” (after stout) and with the average person downing 1,300 cups annually, it is an important part of the culture.

Perhaps no other Montmartre venue has inspired as much interest as the Moulin Rouge, the most luxurious and exuberant nightclub in Paris when it opened, featuring: a dance hall, cabaret, risque sideshows, clowns, fortune-tellers,and cancan dancers. The garden, marked by an oversized plaster elephant turned-opium-den, trained monkeys, donkey rides, and, of course, the moulin rouge, or “red windmill.” The Moulin Rouge created space where anything was possible: women and men together drinking and socializing openly, lovers meeting and carrying on, and revelers letting loose, concealed by masks at parades and costume balls. The notorious cabaret is a symbol of fun and fancy, ever since La Belle Époque, when it first opened in the heart of the City of Love.

Most European cities have channeled their waters into paved canals, wiping out much of the history along the way—but not London, which is one of the only places where you can safely do something like mudlarking. The variety of artifacts found can be significant finds, but they also, often, represent items museums don't often have much of, the cheaply-made, everyday objects such as children's toys like a medieval toy horse and knight, a Roman hair pin, or Venetian glass chevron beads. The Thames is one of the largest archaeological sites in the world, and pretty much the entire history of Britain can be told from items found there.

Josephine Baker's career was centered in Europe because of the racism she faced in the US. She became the most successful entertainer in her beloved France, transforming over time from an exotic dancer into a film star and opera singer. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 silent film Siren of the Tropics; and, at the height of her career, it is believed she was the wealthiest black woman alive. Far more than just an entertainer, during WWII Josephine was active in the French Resistance. Known as the “creole goddess,” she used her celebrity to gain access to high-ranking Axis officials and told her resistance colleagues who thought her actions were sometimes too bold, “Oh, nobody will think I'm a spy.” Back in the US several times after the war, she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also spoke alongside Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1963 March on Washington.

If you think that a group of warriors living in the late 8th to the late 11th centuries would stink to high heaven because of all the rowing and decapitating, you'd be wrong. Vikings were actually very hygienic—bathing weekly and changing their clothes frequently. Culturally, they faced pressure to look put together that manifested through frequent wardrobe changes. Still, one of their habits might just make your teeth hurt.

If the list of female scientists you can think of starts and ends with Marie Curie, it's not just you. It's more likely “The Matilda Effect.” Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, Matilda recognizes that, on a personal level, undermining a person's achievements affects their future performance. But on a societal level, discounting and underestimating the contributions of women prevents them from succeeding. And what about all those lost stories of women? We'll be sharing a few that deserve a chance to grab their glory with you today.

Today on our show we'll learn about Mabel Stark, one of the first female animal trainers. She was active for over sixty years and survived eighteen maulings during her career. In fact, it is notable that she lived through so many attacks considering the depth of her wounds—and the fact that penicillin was not commonly available until the late 1930s. During the 1920's she moved from circus to circus and husband to husband, avoiding the jaws of the Big Cats and possibly fate itself. But her love of big cats proved to be her ultimate undoing.

Today on our show we'll learn about Cesare Lombroso's biological theories of crime and the ways "the father of criminology" was the first person to make crime and criminals a specific area of study. Now, more than one hundred years after his death, there has been an upswing in studying the biological causes of criminal behavior once again. People will never tire of trying to determine the roots of a criminal's actions.

Charlotta was a staunch advocate for civil liberties, women's rights, and immigration. Because of her civil rights work, her life was threatened numerous times. Additionally, the FBI placed her under surveillance, leading to files several binders thick—and they labelled her a communist. She had a long career as editor and publisher of the West Coast's oldest Black newspaper, The California Eagle, and used her platform to push for hospitals to hire black nurses and to fight against racist housing covenants. Her work and life helped create a path for many others to follow.

The first recorded incident of insects used in a criminal investigation was in 13th-century China when a farmer was found murdered and all the suspects were told to place their sickles on the ground. One had blood on it that was invisible to the naked eye, but that was enough—it attracted blow flies which resulted in confession by the murderer. Forensic entomology is the study of insects in criminal investigations and it helps provide a longer term window into when a person died than body temperature and rigor mortis. In fact, insect colonizers can be used to estimate the time interval between death and corpse discovery, movement of the body, the manner and cause of death, and possible association to suspects at the death scene. Not bad for a bunch of tiny bugs.

Spiritualism began during the 1840s in Hydesville, NY and adherents believe spirits of the dead can and do want to communicate with the living. By 1897, Spiritualism had more than 8 million followers, including: Queen Victoria, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Victorian seances were presided over by mediums who could dictate the spirits' message by means of rapping or knocking. Talking Boards, also known as witch, spirit, oracle or channeling boards were sometimes used. As talking boards became more mainstream and needed no medium, they soon found their way into many American homes.

In 2014, builders converting the Redland House Hotel dismantled a bed during renovations and were ready to leave it out for trash pick up when it was suggested maybe the wooden four poster ought to go up for auction. So they left it in the car park ready for collection by the auctioneers—and everyone was completely oblivious about its true value. What nobody predicted at the time was this was actually the earliest royal bed in the country and one of the most significant artifacts of early Tudor history. How on Earth did such a significant piece of history wind up not only lost, but nearly destroyed?

If you've ever sat in a darkened movie theater chances are you've also balanced a bag of popcorn on your lap while indulging in fistfulls of the salty snack people love so much. Ornate movie palaces with crystal chandeliers, marble-lined hallways, billiards rooms, and even drop-off daycare centers drew wealthier customers and were initially intolerant of messy and disruptive snacks. In fact, this—the original clandestine movie snack—didn't make it out into the open until once movies became “talkies” with the film's sound covering the noises of people eating. But, let's roll time back even further and learn about maize being cultivated 8,000 years ago and how this evolved into such a tasty treat.

In the early years of the 20th century, radioactivity was discovered, astronomers began to define the true scale and nature of the universe, and another mystery sprung out of scientific circles: the origin of a newly detected form of energy from outer space, known as cosmic rays. Their discovery was like opening a door to the mysteries of creation, while posing questions that, if they could be answered, might explain nearly everything—or reveal God's plans, depending on your spiritual beliefs. William Leonard Laurence was the first full-time American science journalist, and these rays lead a story about the first scientific proof of the existence of God. Quite a controversy!

How did these “doctors” hired by the government, roaming from town-to-town into plague-stricken areas, counting the dead, and administering dubious treatments manage not to disappear into the fog of history like link-boys or knocker-ups? Plague doctors lived in the netherworld between medicine and undertaking, larceny and bookkeeping, and life and death.

Breakfast cereal, an American invention, began life as an aid to digestion with religious overtones (kind of), became a sugary morning standby and today can be found in rows of boxes ranging from health food and sugar bombs. Historians mostly agree breakfast became a daily, first-thing-in-the-morning way to start the day once workers moved to cities and had set schedules. By the Industrial Revolution, there was already a tradition of foods—like bread, cheese, ale, porridges, or leftovers—being cooked or eaten in the morning. We'll learn how that humble bowl of morning goodness, breakfast cereal, came to be a staple even though it began with a lawsuit. How did a food that originated as part of a spa cure knock beefsteak and boiled chicken from the morning menu for Americans in cities, on farms, and in small towns?

Sarah Winchester unhappily found herself the sole remaining family member after her daughter and then her husband died. Unsure of what to do, she—like many people of the late 1800s—turned to spiritualists to help. Help came in the form of a warning: that she needed to move to the West Coast, build a house large enough to accommodate the spirits of the people killed by Winchester rifles, and not stop the work or she'd die too. The Winchester Mystery House is rich with tales we'll be sharing as we explore the story of this most haunted house from the ground up.

At the beginning of the twentieth century there was a boom as people worldwide tried to figure out how to fly. People's imaginations had been captured as hydrogen balloons became all the rage in Paris and Britain; and an even larger airship combining a balloon and an internal combustion engine was flown by a Brazillian around the Eiffel tower. Everyone wondered, “Who would be the first to figure out how to build a craft for a sustained, powered flight?” In the United States, Samuel Pierpont Langley desperately wanted to be that man.