Webster, Worcester and the Dictionary Wars, Part 2

Charles Farrar Browne is often called the first standup comedian. He was, in the 1860s, wildly famous, but his early death, and the soaring career of one of his friends, have contributed to Browne fading from the spotlight in history. Research: “Born 1834; Married 1835. Artemus Ward’s Alleged Widow Claims His Estate.” The Savannah Morning News. April 15, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/852548808/?match=1&terms=artemus%20ward Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Artemus Ward". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Artemus-Ward Dahl, Curtis. “Artemus Ward: Comic Panoramist.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 4, 1959, pp. 476–85. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/362502 Hingston, Edward P. “The Genial Showman, Reminiscences of the Life of Artemus Ward.” London: Chatto and Windus. 1881. https://archive.org/details/genialshowmanrem00hingiala/page/n5/mode/2up Hofferth, Micah. “Charles Farrar Browne, the Sometimes-racist Father of Standup Comedy.” Vulture. Feb. 28, 2012. https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/charles-farrar-browne-the-sometimes-racist-father-of-standup-comedy.html “Mark Twain on Artemus Ward.” The Albany Evening Journal. Nov. 29, 1871. https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/roughingit/lecture/awlectaj.html Reed, John Q. “Artemus Ward’s First Lecture.” American Literature, vol. 32, no. 3, 1960, pp. 317–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2922080 Seitz, Don C. “Artemus Ward.” Harper & Brothers. 1919. Accessed online: https://archive.org/stream/artemuswardchar00seituoft/artemuswardchar00seituoft_djvu.txt “Ward, Artemus (1834-1867).” The Vault at Pfaff’s, Lehigh University. https://pfaffs.web.lehigh.edu/node/54123 Ward, Artemus. “The Complete Works of Artemus Ward.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6946/6946-h/6946-h.htm#bio      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Marras 202435min

This 2017 episode covers Katharina von Bora, Marguerite d’Angoulême and Jeanne d’Albret, who all left their mark on the Reformation, but all in different ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Marras 202433min

Holly talks about realizing how Hans Sloane’s early life likely normalized the idea of colonization for him, and also Museum Mike the cat. Tracy talks about the structure of Nate DiMeo's book as it compares to his podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Marras 202415min

Tracy talks with Nate DiMeo about podcasting, varying approaches to talking about history, and his new book, "The Memory Palace." You can find the book "The Memory Palace" wherever books are sold; it's out on November 19. The podcast The Memory Palace is available at https://thememorypalace.us/    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Marras 202447min

Sir Hans Sloane’s legacy is a bit mixed. He is the reason there’s a British Museum, but there are a lot of problematic aspects to the way he gathered his collection. Research: Blair, Molly. “350 years of the Chelsea Physic Garden: A brief history.” Gardens Illustrated. https://www.gardensillustrated.com/features/chelsea-physic-garden-350 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir Hans Sloane, Baronet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Hans-Sloane-Baronet Delbourgo, James. “Collecting the World: Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum.” Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2017.  “Health in the 17th Royal Museums Greenwich. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/health-17th-century “Introducing Sir Hans Sloane.” The Sloane Letters Project. https://sloaneletters.com/about-sir-hans-sloane/ Lemonius, Michele. “‘Deviously Ingenious’: British Colonialism in Jamaica.” Peace Research, vol. 49, no. 2, 2017, pp. 79–103. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44779908 “London, January 13.” The Derby Mercury. Jan. 12, 1753. https://www.newspapers.com/image/394230860/?match=1&terms=Sir%20Hans%20Sloane Pavid, Katie. “Hans Sloane: Physician, collector and botanist.” National History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/hans-sloane-physician-collector-botanist.html “Sir Hans Sloane.” Sir Hans Sloane Centre. https://sirhanssloanecentre.co.uk/who-is-hans-sloane/ “Sir Hans Sloane.” The British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/sir-hans-sloane Stearns, Raymond Phinneas. “James Petiver Promoter of Natural Science, c.1663-1718.” Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. October 1952. https://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44807240.pdf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Marras 202436min

This 2018 episode covers the craze in the 1800s when orchids became a status symbol and the cornerstone of a high-dollar industry. Collecting the plants involved adventure and excitement -- and a high death rate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Marras 202427min

Holly talks about the bias against Lyon in his bank robbing trial. Tracy talks about the way other podcasts that cover history are made, and the dynamics of the Manson family.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Marras 202424min

Tracy speaks with Toby Ball, creator and host of the podcast Rip Current, which explores the story of the two assassination attempts against President Gerald Ford that were carried out less than three weeks apart in 1975. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Marras 202447min