Happy History

Not-so-secretly a little old lady at heart, Hadley Meares loves herself a rocking chair. But when exactly did this uniquely American invention become a feature of front porches coast to coast? Well, perhaps seat yourself in a rocking chair for this episode. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Please enjoy the story of Faith, a British cat who was awarded a medal for courage during World War II. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Basically anyone alive today knows about sparklers, the gentler firework that is the only one safe to hold in your hand for long period of time. But where did this glorified birthday candle come from? Hadley, as always, has the history. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Humans have not, actually, been forever blowing bubbles, but the history of mankind putting a little soapy wonder into the air goes back further than you might guess. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Hey, remember parties? It might seem like ancient history when we could have carefree gatherings, but in this episode, we’re looking specifically at the parties held during a period of ancient history. Antony and Cleopatra might be famous for being lovers and political figures, but in their day they were also famous for throwing parties so over-the-top that we can only hope to have a chance to attempt their levels of festiveness one day. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Hot on the heels of our previous episode about First Lady friendships, this episode focuses on female pilots: specifically the first two aviatrixes ever, Harriet Quimby and Mathilde Moisant. They were pioneers in the sky, and it’s all the better because they encouraged each other to greater and greater heights. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

A real Wild West pioneer you may not have learned about in grade school history books, Biddy Mason went from being a slave in Georgia to a landowner in downtown Los Angeles. Her story is a triumphant one, but it also demonstrates the need for people to call out racism so that all people have the opportunity to find success like Biddy did. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Apologies for the lateness, but we had some technical difficulties. However, an episode about a female surf pioneer seemed like a good fit for a Friday in June. But also if you plan on being a real-life Gidget and hit the beach this weekend, please be safe. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Does it ever seem like you could improve your overall condition if you could spend an afternoon playing on a swing? If you haven’t, you should, and in today’s episode, Hadley sings the praises of the simple act of swinging — and that’s swinging in the G-rated sense. It turns out humans have been finding happiness on a swing for longer than you might guess. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Especially this week, it may seem hard to imagine left and right, blue and red overcoming their differences and bonding over their similarities. But it did happen and could well happen again! In today’s episode, Hadley talks about the various connections between one first lady and another but most importantly the surprising friendship between Julia Grant and Varina Davis, who happened to be the wives of Ulysses S. Grant and his Civil War rival, Jefferson Davis. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Today, Hadley tells the story of a celebrated solider from World War I who just happens to have been a dog. Sergeant Stubby is the most celebrated of American war dogs, and this “brave stray” proved to be more than just a mascot during his eighteen months on the western front. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

There’s maybe nothing as simple and pure as a flower, and that’s as good a place as any for our debut episode. Hadley explains human history with taking and arranging flowers — to express love, to express grief, to express all kinds of surprising sentiments and also just to make the spaces we live in just a little more beautiful. Follow Hadley on Twitter. Subscribe to Happy History on iTunes, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts or on Stitcher. Listen to Hadley’s other podcast, Underbelly L.A. It’s not quite as sunny, but it’s a fun dive into history nonetheless. Every episode of Happy History is researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Happy History is produced by Drew Mackie and edited by Meika Grimm. The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham. The intro song is “Together We Can” by Hedkandi. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Welcome to Happy History, a new podcast hosted by Hadley Meares that gives you biweekly look at the happier side of history.