Lithium Jubilee is a podcast about Victorian Era minutiae. Much like the era, we aim to be equal parts fancy and ridiculous. Join us!
Episode 67 of Lithium Jubilee takes a look at the questionable decision-making skills of large crowds. Jon considers the consequences of banning a group’s only form of amusement in his discussion of the Lager Beer Riots. Erin ponders if the sky was, in fact, the limit due to the sheer number of riots caused by disappointing hot air balloon demonstrations. You know what they say: Big dresses, big emotions!
Today’s episode, Jon and Erin are lucky enough to be joined by tuberculosis expert, Kavita! She answers our most pressing questions: How does tuberculosis work? Is it the sexiest way to die? If so, how long are you DTF before you die? What treatments work? Will caves fix it? How about eating the heart of the family member who gave it to you? Take a couple of deep breaths, keep that sputum to yourself, and enjoy!
Minisode 17: Happy Halloween Jubilants! We know Halloween isn’t as fun this this year, so we carved a mini for you to enjoy! Jon’s got a couple of ideas for how to spend a more intimate holiday evening, while Erin’s costumes ideas are going straight from your ears to your vision board. Make sure you’ve got a surplus of salt and dead leaves so you can truly celebrate Halloween the Lithium Jubilee way!
The last full week of September is celebrated by the World Federation of the Deaf as International Week of the Deaf. We, belatedly, offer the stories of two aggressively Victorian gentlemen who didn’t need to hear to fight. Erin sets the stage for a biopic about badass, bare-knuckle pugilist James "Deaf" Burke. Jon explains why John Flournoy’s blows, delivered via academic journals and letters to the editor, never seemed to land. There’s nothing a mouth can say that these hands (or fists) can’t!
We made it to September! Lithium Jubilee celebrates this incredibly low bar by finding some fun September Victorian era events. (Spoiler Alert: The events are not fun.) Jon coaxes us to join him in the Mountain Meadows, all to lay hundreds of bodies at our feet. Erin introduces you to Emma Nutt and the cruel, sadistic practices related to her job as a...telephone operator? We’ve got surprises in store! Not good surprises, but surprises.
As Jon and Erin hole up in their respective shelters, perusing their Encyclopedia Victoriana, they couldn’t shake the feeling of deja vu. Then they realized, it was the news! Erin tries to make sense of America’s secular government holidays. Really, WTF Virginia? Jon shares his pandemic preferences, up to and including the hottest bacteriologist of the Victorian era (possibly of all time). Hunker down and remember, if the Victorians got through it, you can too!
Every so often, a political candidate comes in and dazzles the electorate. Then...they lose. Today’s episode shines a light on two of history’s lesser known Also-Rans. Jon elects Belva Lockwood, one of the first female candidates for president of the United States. Erin writes in Feargus O’Connor, an Irish Chartist whose party only lasted one election cycle. Special guest Dr. Pete tries to explain how the parliament works.
It’s St. Patrick’s day! Jon and Erin explore two of the least depressing facets of Victorian Ireland: Folklore and American celebrations! Erin breaks down some of the sillier myths documented in W.B. Yeats’ “Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.” Jon fills us in on how some of the States paid tribute to the Emerald Isle. Don’t piss off any of the good people and remember, death is no escape from Lithium Jubilee!
Card Carrying Spinster Erin and “All the confirmed, none of the bachelor” Jon sift deeper into the shipwreck of singledom in their ongoing coverage of LEAP YEAR: hunting season. Erin relates to us some uncomfortably specific spinster lore, while Jon manages to find a couple of gents who let love guide them to shore. Jump in your diving suit, grab a couple pairs of gloves (mermaids have hands too), and come explore with us!
Minisode 15: 2020’s first mini is a doozy! Jon shares with us some of his favorite articles from Lithium Jubilee’s tabloid of choice: the Illustrated Police News.
In case you haven’t noticed, we are back and aiming to WIN! Win what? NO IDEA! What we do know, just like what the Victorians knew, is sensation sells! We’re covering two of the most scandalous rags around. Jon takes an octopus-infested dive into the depths of the Illustrated Police News while Erin dips her toe into the vast swamp of Penny Dreadfuls. A warning to libraries and archivists everywhere: You’re about to get a stampede of Jubilants chasing down these popular publications!
Today’s episode is not entirely saint-based as the title suggests, but it celebrates two of the most devastating natural events the world has known: volcanic eruptions and unmarried women.
We’re back! Or are we? Today’s episode delves into the seen, the unseen and the could’ve been. Join us as we shrug off this dimension and then giggle and place the dimension right back where it was because it’s not that kind of show.
Minisode 14: A minisode to get back in the groove.
Minisode 13: Did you think we forgot about you Jubilants??? Never! We’ve crawled out of our respective hovels with just enough energy to review some quotes from our inventors you most likely haven’t seen on an inspirational poster. Yet. We’re back babies!
Minisode 12: Let's talk about Topsy.
Our battle of the ages really kicks off as we do our first deep dive into the main contenders. This week, the The Serbian Shocker, Nikola Tesla. Jon guides us through the swamp of legend, to the man as he truly was: vehemently opposed to peaches. Was the death ray real? What's the true tea on him and Edison? What was the deal with him and those pigeons? Join us and find out!
Minisode 11: Is this thing still on? Anyway we're back! Just a quick little minisode to assure you all that we aren't dead. Next week, Tesla!
In a way, it's all been leading up to this. Edison. Tesla. Erin. Jon. Our fight* over the iconic feud** begins now. *Fun discussion **They actually had a great deal of respect for each other
Like the Halloween film franchise, the third entry in our Feud series features none of the characters from the first two. This week we discuss the jewel encrusted drama of Les Grandes Horizontales and a Confederate rivalry that may have cost the South the war.
Part two of our feud extravaganza has arrived! In which Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse really get into it and we take a look at the feminine side of the Hatfield & McCoy feud.
Minisode 10: To keep you in suspense (and to conform to our inability to efficiently use time), we’ve dropped a minisode smack dab in the middle of our Feud! Lithium Jubilee wants you to walk the walk (no wag feathers here!) and talk the talk (if you haven’t been smothering the parrot all day) with a primer on Victorian slang! Don’t be a sweet lips and get ready to use that big old organ tucked under your fly rink!
Our latest episode is a return to form for a couple of reasons. A) We’re back to our “classic” format, and B) Ryan Murphy is dictating our lives. This time we’re drawing inspiration from Feud! We get into the iconic Southern rivalry between the Hatfields & McCoys and lay the groundwork for the acting rivalry between Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse!
Did you forget how cool Sarah Remond was? Erin did, though she might be the baddest of asses we’ve ever covered. Was Charlotte Cushman’s commune the REAL Utopia of 19th century perfection? Jon’s carrying that torch as high as his tree branch arms can. Let’s gather round the end of our 50th, get lost in its botanical garden and by the time you look up again, we’ll all be using hot air balloons and blue whales for travel!
We here at Lithium Jubilee have decided to push off new (well, “new” Victorian content) yet again! This time, to take a long, hard, gaze at ourselves. Did it just get 10 degrees sexier in here? Celsius, I mean, Celsius. Jon and Erin recap their first 25 ALL. EPISODE. LONG. NSFW? You decide!
Minisode 9.5: In part two of our latest minisode, we go to the darker side of astrology and analyze H. H. Holmes' birth chart. We also discuss whether or not the stars have an effect on one's personal appearance, as some seemed to think. Up next, Episode 50! For real! We swear!
Minisode 9: Listen. Life happens. Our schedule doesn't always work out the way we want it to. If only there were a celestial guidebook we could use to figure out our lives. Oh wait, there is! It's an astrological minisode for your aural pleasure.
Just like the Victorians, Jon and Erin (and even Producer Pete [redacted]) look to the supernatural for direction. This episode’s guide is our beloved Tara with her absolutely stunning Queen Victoria Tarot cards. Join Lithium Jubilee as we gaze hesitantly into the future in preparation for our 50th episode AND BEYOND (we hope)!
Lithium Jubilee continues to show our love to Ryan Murphy sans rubber suit with our second American Horror Show themed episode. Instead we’ll be discussing another iconic article of clothing: the straitjacket! Erin gives us the lowdown on treatments deemed “therapeutic” in 19th century psychiatric hospitals while Jon reports on the Victorian era’s ultimate undercover journalist, Nellie Bly. You want us to calm down about American Horror Story? You need to CALM UP!
In honor of the new season of American Horror Story, Lithium Jubilee is taking a deep dive into a few of the characters who have appeared in the series. Jon gives you the who’s who of Marie Delphine LaLaurie and Erin gives you the what’s what of Edward Mordrake. Wah-Whee-Wah!
We've busted out the celery vase and dusted the haunted sofa for our very first live episode! Join us (vicariously) for an evening of punch and parlor games!
We're throwing a party! Well...we did. But we recorded this before that. Anyway, we get into all the trials and tribulations that go into throwing a proper 19th century shindig!
In an era so restrained, it's not surprising a handful or two choose to move their flesh toward the whip. Erin gets roped into the romance of Arthur Munby and Hannah Cullwick, like the Victorian version of the movie Secretary only not. Jon finds out what’s under those furs and explains why we say Sadomasochism and not “Those whose humors are released upon receiving or initiating punitive measures...” If you willfully submit your ears, we will give them exactly what they deserve.
It's a brand new episode in which we dive headfirst into the thoroughly researched oeuvre of The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing! Whether it's in the coal mines or at the punk show, we'll see you in the pit!
In this episode, we are joined by a very special guest! The delightful and knowledgeable Kim Brittingham stops by the Jubilee to tell us about some Victorian history that happened right in our own back yard!
Let’s get retro-futuristic! Join us as we discuss what people in the past thought the future (that is now our past) would be like.
It’s Lithium Jubilee’s 40th episode! We won’t be celebrating with rubies (as the anniversary suggests) but we will be celebrating with PRIDE! Jon regales us with tales of the Victorian Queen of Queer, Charlotte Cushman! Erin teaches you some new vocabulary and the secret history of the man who coined it, Károly Mária Kertbeny.
Episode 39 finds Lithium Jubilee’s animal suite coming to a purring halt. Don’t worry, the Victorians proved motivation is NOT species specific. Training comes in all forms, whether it be from public shaming (even when wildly inappropriate) like the poor pig faced ladies, or appropriating the wild, like the work of Lord Walter Rothschild. Grab a couple carrots but keep the razors where they belong and enjoy!
Minisode 8: It’s been stressful lately, whether the eustress of a wedding or the distress of watching your country’s leadership be replaced by a pit of hissing, venomous snakes. Lithium Jubilee knows it’s just as hard to maintain your demeanor as it is for your country to maintain democracy. Here’s more tips on being the best version of yourself you can be, because remember, self control is the only control you ever really have.
Minisode 7: Hello Jubilants! We are making our triumphant return with a little catch-up minisode where we talk about what we’ve been up to and get giddy about Victorian homes.
Minisode 6: Let's take a moment to all laugh together at some 19th century jokes in our new minisode!
We had so much fun talking about dogs last week that we decided to do it again! Stories of good boys and girls abound in our newest episode, no heckin' bamboozles here!
Episode 37 of Lithium Jubilee returns to form in a celebration of the best things in life: puppy dogs and pretty girls! Jon introduces you to Queen Victoria’s menagerie, including the dogs who heeled by her side through her entire reign. Erin gives a general overview of the Victorian’s answer to the pinup: the Gibson girl (oh and what a view it is!) Who’s a good Jubilant? You are!
It’s the final week of April Imitations and boy howdy is it a ripper! Jon and Erin are joined by the hosts of Wake Up Sheep People, Jason and Steve! Forget tin foil hats, these gents wear tin foil 3 piece suits! We’re talking about two of the lesser known Victorian sex cults: the Kingdom of Matthias and the Agapemone. Remember this episode the next time a C-list actress tries to talk you into a bacchanalia after a self improvement seminar.
We're sitting far too close to the mic as we go full NPR in our latest episode. Hear stories of those in and around the mining industry, as well as Jon attempting to perfect his Terry Gross impression over and over again.
Minisode 5: To assure you we are alive and well inside this opera house turned prison the Pinkertons are holding us in, we smuggled out this minisode. We laugh at some jokes, tell some stories, but mostly just tell Bruce what a good boy he is.
Welcome to the Vollop, a monoweekly Victorian history tribute podcast by Lithium Jubilee! Part 2/Episode 34 celebrates The Dollop, the very best history podcast a person or precocious dolphin could ask for! This week Lithium Jon, podcaster, cat-petter, rock and roll enthusiast, reads a story to his friend Erineth Jubilee who has no idea what the story is going to be about.
Because we love a theme that can give some structure to our lives for a whole month, we're spending April paying homage to some of our favorite podcasts! Up first is the amazing My Favorite Murder. Join as we revel in the world of Victorian true crime.
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