A podcast in which two sisters geek out about their favorite moments in history.
That's right, folks... Anna's talking about the Russian Tsars again. It's time to learn about Ivan the Terrible, boy king who made his own little kingdom within a kingdom for the sole purpose of bullying the people who were mean to him.
A songwriter, a cartoonist, a Playboy legend?, and a beloved children's author. This week, we learn all about Shel Silverstein. NOTE: Please forgive us for the technical issues in this week's episode. It was... a struggle.
This week, we learn all about one of Anna's favorite authors/historical nemeses. It's complicated. Let's talk about F. Scott Fitzgerald!
It's our 150th episode, and Amanda is a theater kid now! What better time to talk about the Broadway Legend, Stephen Sondheim? Let's learn about Stephen's life and his greatest works. Bear with us while we geek out about some of our favorite musicals.
We wrap up Women's History Month 2025 with an episode all about the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. She was a suffragette, a pacifist, and a founding member of the ACLU. She's Jeannette Rankin!
Let's kick off Women's History Month 2025 by learning all about one of the most influential leaders in the Suffrage Movement, both in the U.S. and worldwide. It's Carrie Chapman Catt!
Our Black History Month episodes continue, as we learn about the first historically Black college in West Virginia. Storer College in Harpers Ferry, WV has a long and complicated history. Let's talk about it!
Happy Black History Month! Today, we learn all about the man who started it all, and he was a coal miner from WV! Let's learn about the great Carter G. Woodson.
It's part 2 of our look into the life of President Jimmy Carter. This week, we talk about his time in office, the work he did afterward, and the legacy he left behind.
It's 2025, and the country has suffered a loss, as Former President Jimmy Carter has passed away. We decided we should take a look back on his life as a farmer, a veteran, a leader, and so much more. He lived a VERY long life, so we had to make this one in 2 parts!
As we wrap up 2024, we look back on our 6 years of podcasting (an anniversary we honor because we're 6 years apart, which is a reason we totally thought of long before recording this episode, and no later). We talk about our favorite episodes, what we want to do in the future, and what this podcast has meant to us. Thank you all so much for listening over the years! We hope to bring you more history for years to come!
This week, we're learning all about Zitkala-Sa, an Indigenous activist and writer who helped to launch one of the biggest investigations into the exploitation of Native Peoples in America.
We wrap up Spooky Season 2024 with the story of the Fox Sisters, three young women who brought about the spread of Spiritualism in the U.S. Psychic mediums who communicated with spirits, or frauds?
It's spooky season 2024! We kick things off with an episode all about the fascinating history and lore surrounding one of Disney's most popular attractions: The Haunted Mansion. Links to support Mutual Aid for Hurricane Relief in Appalachia & Florida: https://chesapeakeclimate.org/hurricane-helene-mutual-aid-resources/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DA_lZzkzTFO/?igsh=MTJiNW9ybzZ3Y2g2bw==
Let's learn about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - a man of many, many, many interests and talents. Like seriously, SO many. A doctor, an author, a spiritualist, and an absolute jock. Also, this is accidentally a Superwholock episode and we apologize to our friends and family for that.
This week, the story of 3 pirates unfolds before us! Join us as we learn all about Anne Bonny, Mary Read, & Calico Jack.
We're back! It's Labor Day in the U.S., so let's learn all about one of the country's largest labor movements: The West Virginia Mine Wars. We're joined this week by Kenzie New-Walker, Director of the WV Mine Wars Museum. We learn all about the history that led up to the conflict, what the miners were fighting for, and how it all still affects us today. Thanks to Kenzie for joining us! Check out the WV Mine Wars Museum at https://wvminewars.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WVMineWarsMuseum X: https://x.com/warswv?mx=2 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wvminewars/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wvminewars
We wrap up Pride Month 2024 with an episode about Drag Icon and star of outrageous films, Divine! Thank you to our friend Maddie for the topic suggestion! Programming Note: We will be away from the podcast until September 2024 as we both move over the next couple of months! We'll see you soon!
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains mentions of suicide. It's pride month 2024! And we're kicking things off with physician and sexologist, Magnus Hirschfeld. He laid the groundwork for us to study sex, gender, and sexuality from a medical perspective. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://shorturl.at/wcPJo https://shorturl.at/WDkkZ https://shorturl.at/amfza
Let's talk about style icon, actress, dancer, and humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn. She inspired an era of fashion, gave us multiple generation-defining roles, and served children all over the world.
We're finally talking about one of our favorite authors, Jane Austen! She was the queen of satire, and terrified of the French Revolution. And we love her!
Ever wondered who was the first celebrity chef? Well, wonder no longer! This week, we're learning all about Alexis Soyer, who worked for the elite, but still fed the hungry.
After recently witnessing a solar eclipse, we decided it was time to learn about another eclipse from the past. Let's learn about Samuel Williams and the Eclipse of 1780!
This week... a rich noble family, a shipwreck, a scammer, and much more! It's the mysterious case of The Tichborne Claimant!
This week, we answer Ireland's call and learn all about Michael Collins, who did his best to keep Ireland together.
We're back with our second episode of Black History Month (in March)! This week, we learn about Mary McLeod Bethune, a teacher who became one of the most powerful people in U.S. government. Thank you all for your patience after we had to delay this episode while Anna was sick!
Happy Black History Month! We're kicking things off by learning all about publisher, teacher, and abolitionist Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Apparently, it's Public TV Icons Month here on RTT! This week, we learn about another PBS legend, and the artist who taught us all to make happy little trees: Bob Ross.
Let's learn about one of our childhood icons, a pioneer of puppetry, and the man who brought us the Muppets: Jim Henson. Warning- we definitely get emotional in this one.
It's 2024, and we're kicking the year off with a special, all about historical events that took place on New Year's Day! This week, we learn about Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, and about the first immigrants arriving at Ellis Island.
It's the last episode of 2023, and we're learning about American folk hero, Johnny Appleseed! We'll talk at you all in the New Year!
Why would a group of people just start dancing, and be unable to stop until praying to a statue? This week, we learn about the strange Dancing Plague of 1518!
Appalachian Spooky Season continues with a WV haunting! This week, we're learning about the spirit who identified her own killer - the Greenbrier Ghost.
It's officially Spooky Season 2023! This year, it's all about Appalachian haunted history. To kick things off, we're learning about a super haunted building, with a storied history: the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Let's learn about one of America's first celebrities, expert of the escape, and ultimate skeptic: Harry Houdini!
He came in with a comet & went out the same way. And in between, he wrote some of the most influential pieces of American literature. This week, we're learning all about Mark Twain!
You thought we were done with the Tudors? HA! It's time to learn all about Henry VIII's older sister, Margaret Tudor. She was a queen, she had the worst husbands, but she did her best to keep the peace.
A woman with a vision, a man who got on her nerves, and Cloudlands! Let's talk about Juliette Gordon Low and the Girl Scouts!
This week, we're going back to the ancient world to learn all about the woman who was pulling all the strings in Rome: Agrippina the Younger. We've got drama, we've got plotting, we've got lots of people with the same 3 names.
This week, we're learning about the Newsboys' Strike of 1899, inspiration for Amanda's favorite musical. We also talk for a long time about Social Studies Fairs.
Our Pride 2023 episodes continue, as we learn all about the absolute icon that is Billie Jean King. She paved the way for women and LGBTQIA+ folks in sports, and also destroyed a misogynist in one of the most famous tennis matches ever played.
Happy Pride Month 2023! This week, we're diving into the group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, and learning all about how marginalized communities can and should work together to make change!
CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussions of abuse, SA, death, suicide, & cult tactics. Feel free to skip if those topics are not for you. This week, we are once again discussing a dark topic: Cult leader Jim Jones & the tragedy at Jonestown. It's a long one, and Anna gets emotional. For real, this one is pretty sad.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussions about death, murder, suicide, and mental health. If those topics are not for you, please skip this one! This week, we're joined by Amanda's partner, Sawyer (of Sawyer Jokes fame) to learn all about the history of one of America's most infamous buildings: The Cecil Hotel. It's super haunted, and home to one of the strangest cases we've discussed so far on the podcast.
It's part 2 of our deep dive into the life of Queen Elizabeth II. This week: the drama of the 90's, many royal firsts, and scandal after scandal.
The time has finally arrived to tackle the subject of the longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Her life was long and fascinating, so it's a 2-parter, and here's part 1! Today, we learn all about Elizabeth's early life & reign, and spend a lot of time talking about her very frustrating marriage.
This week, we're learning all about Dr. James Barry who kind of stole his uncle's identity to get into medical school and then changed the sanitation systems for most of the British Empire. Join us, won't you??
Our Black History Month episodes continue, as we learn all about inventor Granville T. Woods, an electrical engineer who had over 50 patents in his lifetime!
Happy Black History Month! This week, we're learning all about the real-life inspiration for Princess Tiana, Leah Chase. She pioneered a brand new food scene in Louisiana and hosted some of this country's greatest Civil Rights leaders at her restaurant.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of body image, weight, disordered eating, and suicide. This week, we're learning all about an absolutely fascinating royal: Empress Elisabeth of Austria. You might call her the original beauty influencer, considering how long her hair routine took.
In our first episode of 2023, we're learning all about... Bigfoot. Or at least, a film of Bigfoot. Possibly. Maybe. The Patterson-Gimlin Film is largely considered to be one of the best pieces of Bigfoot evidence out there - but what do you think? Is it legit or just one of the most elaborate hoaxes of all time?