History Briefs

Ep: 007 After Alfred Nobel invented dynamite large shipments of them were sold around the world to companies and for building infrastructure., which kept him busy opening new factories and laboratories. In 1871, on the Ardeer Peninsula in Scotland, he opened his 6th factory. In this episode get inside the plant and hear some former employees describe the dangers, friendships, and fun they had while working there.  Thank you, Jack Dickson for inspiring this episode. You can watch Jack's videos on YouTube. Nobel Explosives at Ardeer 1871 - 2021 Shifting Sands 150 Years of Nobel Explosives

Ep: 006  Alfred Nobel's life up until he became a young adult is a rag to riches, to rag, to riches story.  That rollercoaster ended when he invented dynamite in 1866 and he became one of the wealthiest men of his time. Why was Nobel almost obsessed to create dynamite?  Hear Alfred's story up to and after his death when the Nobel Prize was created. The Nobel Prize Website

Ep: 005 In 1850, a California Gold Rush boom town, angered by tighting government controls from the new state, and a tax imposed on miners, wrote a formal declaration secceeding from the union and founded The Great Republic of California. The story has been reported numerous times on radio, television, newspaper, and magazine articles, and has even been portrayed on a TV series. But, how much of the story is true? Historical researcher Maria Brower's Amazon page. The Rough and Ready Chamber of Commerce Website Real bad television. The 1958 Rough and Ready episode of Death Valley Days on YouTube.

Ep: 004 In 1883 a devastating tornado hit Rochester, Minnesota united a Franciscan school administrator and an agnostic doctor. The hard work of the sisters who worked as teachers at the school gave William Worrall Mayo no choice but to take over a small 12 bedroom hospital they built. This is their story. You can learn more about the Mayo Clinic on their websites: Mayo Clinic History Timeline Video: A Leap of Faith - The Founding of St. Mary's Hospital Video: My Brother and I: The Founding of Mayo Clinic

Ep: 003  In WWII, After the Doolittle Raid Over Tokyo, The Japanese Planned a Unique Way to Get Even.  The Fu-Go Project More information Can Be Found At japaneseballoonbombs.com

Ep: 002 The Combat Zone, Boston's adult entertainment district, was given its moniker by the Boston Daily Record. "An adult Disneyland" is how it was described by the Wall Street Journal. In this episode you'll learn how an elegant neighborhood near a shopping district called Scollay Square turned into one of the most popular districts of the city, with burlesque shows and vaudeville acts.  While scandalous at the time, they were nothing compared to the strip clubs, adult bookstores, peep shows, and pornographic movie theaters that popped up in the Combat Zone as Scollay Square was coming down.  And it all happened with the support of the leaders of the city of Boston. Anthony Sammarco joins Brad and shares a seedy side of Boston many citizens wish to forget. You can get "The Other Red Line, Washington Street from Scollay Square to the Combat Zone" and many of his other books about the Boston area on his Amazon  Author Page. 

Ep: 01. Nicodemus is the oldest and only remaining all-African American settlement west of the Mississippi River. Angela Bates si the Executive Director of the Nicodemus Historical Society and she joins Brad to discuss the events which led to the migration of former slaves west, and the settling of black farm communities.  Nicodemus Historical Society Website:nicodemushistoricalsociety.orgNicodemus Kansas Homecoming:www.nicodemushomecoming.orgNational Park Service Nicodemus Website:https://www.nps.gov/nico/index.htmBrad Shreve's Website:bradshreve.com