Six Impossible Episodes: Ghost Stories

Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it. Research: Armstrong, Edwin H. “Frequency Modulation and Its Future Uses.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 213, 1941, pp. 153–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1024069 Armstrong, Edwin H. “Personalities in Science.” Scientific American, vol. 154, no. 1, 1936, pp. 3–3. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26144367 “First public radio broadcast.” Guinness World Records. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/381969-first-public-radio-broadcast “FM Inventor Dies in Fall.” The Patriot News. Feb. 2, 1954. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1094174282/?match=1&terms=%22Edwin%20Howard%20Armstrong%22 Lessing, Lawrence P.. "Edwin H. Armstrong". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edwin-H-Armstrong Lessing, Lawrence P. “Man of High Fidelity: Edwin Howard Armstrong.” Bantam. 1969. Lessing, Lawrence P. “The Late Edwin H. Armstrong.” Scientific American, vol. 190, no. 4, 1954, pp. 64–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24944524 “Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Volume 5.” Institute of Radio Engineers. 1917. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=YEASAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s “Radio Broadcast.” Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922-1930. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858044013914&view=1up&seq=277 “Telephoning Without Wires.” The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Oct. 20, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/29125618/?match=1&terms=audion%20%22de%20Forest%22 Tsividis, Yannis. “Edwin Armstrong: Pioneer of the Airwaves.” Columbia Magazine. April 1, 2002. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/edwin-armstrong-pioneer-airwaves Turner, H. M. “Dr. Edwin H. Armstrong, Edison Medalist.” The Scientific Monthly, vol. 56, no. 2, 1943, pp. 185–87. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/17796 “What’s the Difference Between AM and FM Radio?” National Inventors Hall of Fame. Aug, 16, 2023. https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/difference-between-am-fm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Jul 33min

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint? Research: "pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2Fpen%2F59036&ebboatid=9265652. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025. "Pen." UXL Science, UXL, 2008. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2646000736/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=52ede570. Accessed 27 May 2025 “Patent of Mr. Frederick Bartholomew Folsch, of Oxford street, for improvements on instruments, and pens, to facilitate writing.” https://archive.org/details/jstor-30072521/mode/2up Bayley, Stephen. “Obituary: Baron Marcel Bich.” The Independent. 6/1/1994. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-baron-marcel-bich-1419867.html Bourque, Joseph. “The Waterman Pen.” American Heritage. Jul/Aug92, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p30. Brachmann, Steve. “The Evolution of Modern Ballpoint Pen: A Patent History.” IP Watchdog. 12/10/2014. https://ipwatchdog.com/2014/12/10/the-evolution-of-modern-ballpoint-pen-a-patent-history/id=52550/ Cross, Alonzo T. “Stylographic Pen.” U.S. Patent 232804. 10/5/1880. Daniels, Maygene. “The Ingenious Pen: American Writing Implements from the Eighteenth Century to the Twentieth.” The American Archivist , Summer, 1980, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Summer, 1980). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40292316 Di Nardo, Sam. “When was the Fountain Pen Invented: A Brief History.” Dayspring Pens. 1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/when-was-the-fountain-pen-invented-a-brief-history-1 Di Nardo, Sam. “Who Invented the Ballpoint Pen?: A Brief History.” Sayspring Pens. s1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/who-invented-the-ballpoint-pen-history?srsltid=AfmBOopQR061KHIKpgm_a0a0IHiTSiY_V-ahwIFQxU5MYzLLQ5vpHjXv Dowling, Stephen. “The cheap pen that changed writing forever.” BBC. 10/29/2020. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen German Patent and Trademark Office. “László Biró´s 125th birthday.” https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/inventionsthatmadehistory/kugelschreiber/index.html Laszlo, Josef Biro. “Writing Instrument.” U.S. patent 2390636. 12/11/1945. Loud, J.J. “Pen.” U.S. Patent 392046. 10/30/1888. National inventors Hall of Fame. “Laszlo Josef Biro.” https://www.invent.org/inductees/laszlo-josef-biro Riesberg, Van Vechton. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 1171652. 2/15/1916. Rothman, Lily. “Why the Invention of the Ballpoint Pen Was Such a Big Deal.” Time. 10/29/2015. https://time.com/4083274/ballpoint-pen/ The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. “#236 Birome Ballpoint Pen Collection.” https://www.asme.org/about-asme/engineering-history/landmarks/236-birome-ballpoint-pen-collection Waterman, L.E. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 293545. 2/12/1884. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Jul 35min

This 2022 episode starts with the story of John Bibb, credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Jul 33min

Holly discusses the inscription on the Beachamps' headstone and the court of public opinion. Tracy shares information about Wilfred Owen's brother Harold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Jul 25min

Wilfred Owen is considered one of the most important English-language poets of World War I. His work also part of a shift in how many British poets were writing about war. Research: Bonellie, Janet. “A Portrait of Robert Ross.” Canada’s History. 6/12/2019. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/a-portrait-of-robert-ross British Broadcasting Corporation. “Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale.” 2007. Cannon, Jean. “Censorship in Surprising Places: Uncovering the Letters of Wilfred Owen.” Not Even Past. Ransom Center. 4/21/2014. https://notevenpast.org/censorship/ Crossman, AM. “THE HYDRA, Captain AJ Brock and the Treatment of Shell-shocked in Edinburgh.” J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2003; 33:119–123. Earlam, R. “Shell-shock: A history of the changing attitude to war neurosis.” BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 316,7145 (1998): 1683A. doi:10.1136/bmj.316.7145.1683a Hibberd, Dominic. “Wilfred Owen.” Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2002. Imperial War Museums. “British Field Service Postcard, First World War.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205131476 Jones, Edgar. “Shell Shocked.” American Psychological Association. Vol. 43, No. 6. June 2012. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/shell-shocked Jones, Nigel. "Anthem for groomed youth: Wilfred Owen's troubling obsession." Spectator, vol. 336, no. 9880, 6 Jan. 2018, p. 12. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A524739265/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=62e62ece. Accessed 11 June 2025. Lee, Stuart. “The Last Days of Wilfred Owen.” Oxford News Blog. 10/23/2018. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/last-days-wilfred-owen Onion, Amanda. “Poet Wilfred Owen killed in action.” History.com. 1/30/2025. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-4/poet-wilfred-owen-killed-in-action Poetry Foundation. “Wilfred Owen.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen Stallworthy, Jon. "Owen, Wilfred Edward Salter (1893–1918), poet." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 01, 2017. Oxford University Press. Date of access 11 Jun. 2025, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-37828 Van Mierlo, Wim. “Wilfred Owen 100 years on: poet gave voice to a generation of doomed youth.” The Conversation. 11/4/2018. https://theconversation.com/wilfred-owen-100-years-on-poet-gave-voice-to-a-generation-of-doomed-youth-106014 Webb, Thomas E F. “'Dottyville'--Craiglockhart War Hospital and shell-shock treatment in the First World War.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 99,7 (2006): 342-6. doi:10.1177/014107680609900716 "Wilfred Owen." Poetry Criticism, edited by Michelle Lee, vol. 102, Gale, 2010. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CYPYNF967921623/LitRC?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=cb1d6e7f. Accessed 27 May 2025. "Wilfred Owen." World War I Reference Library, edited by Sara Pendergast, et al., vol. 2: Biographies, UXL, 2002, pp. 111-117. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3411700047/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c3bea6b3. Accessed 27 May 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Jul 44min

The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder. Research: Beauchamp, Jereboam O. “The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp (written by himself) who was executed at Frankfort, Ky., for the murder of Col. Solomon P. Sharp, a member of the legislature, and late attorney-general of Ky. To which is added some poetical pieces written by Mrs. Ann Beauchamp, who voluntarily put a period to her existence on the day of the execution of her husband, and was buried in the same grave with him.” H.T. Goodsell. Kentucky. https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sat1109 “Beauchamp’s Trial.” The Frankfort Argus. May 10, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1040984938/?match=1&terms=beauchamp Bruce, Dickson D. “The Kentucky Tragedy: A Story of Conflict and Change in Antebellum America.” Louisiana State University Press. 2006. Coleman, J. Winston, Jr. “THE BEAUCHAMP - SHARP TRAGEDY: An Episode of Kentucky History During the Middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. Frankfurt, KY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9&format=plaintext Coleman, J. Winston. “The Beauchamp-Sharp tragedy; an episode of Kentucky history during the middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9 Cooke, J.W. “THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL SOLOMON P. SHARP PART 1: UPRIGHTNESS AND INVENTIONS; SNARES AND NETS.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 72, No. 1. January 1998. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/72-1-3_The-Life-and-Death-of-Colonel-Solomon-P.-Sharp-part-1-Uprightness-and-Inventions-Snares-and-Net_Cooke-J.W..pdf “Horrible Assassination.” The Frankfort Argus. Nov. 9. 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044971148/?match=1&terms=solomon%20sharp Jillson, Willard Rouse. “THE BEAUCHAMP—SHARP TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 36, no. 114, 1938, pp. 54–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23371707 Kimball, William J. “The ‘Kentucky Tragedy:’ Romance or Politics.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 48. 1974. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/48-1-3_The-Kentucky-Tragedy-Romance-of-Politics_Kimball-William-J..pdf “The Murderer od Col. Sharp.” Republican Banner. Nov. 28, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/603858007/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp “The Mutilated Act.” Lexington Weekly Press. June 20, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1183393429/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp “Romantic 1825 Tragedy.” Kentucky Historical Society. https://history.ky.gov/markers/romantic-1825-tragedy Schoenbachler, Matthew G. “Murder and Madness: The Myth of the Kentucky Tragedy.” University Press of Kentucky. 2009. Gates, W. B. “William Gilmore Simms and the Kentucky Tragedy.” American Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, 1960, pp. 158–66. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2922674 “To the Public.” Woodstock Observer and Windsor and Orange County Gazette. Aug, 29, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/489194545/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Jun 36min

This 2014 episode covers transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. She became famous, in part, for participating in the Stonewall riots, and she spent her life campaigning bravely, stridently and vocally for the rights of gay and transgender people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Jun 28min

Rosina Bulwer-Lytton week generates discussion of her relationship with Edward, including many people who sided with him over the years despite allegations of abuse and infidelity. Tracy and Holly also discuss the couple’s daughter’s death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Jun 18min