Walt Whitman, Poet of Democracy

John Jacob Astor came to the U.S. from Germany not long after the colonies gained their independence as a nation. He made his first fortune in the fur trade, and then diversified his income and built ...

14 Des 202245min

Today’s six impossible episode subjects are all by listener request! Topics include the Iron Mountain baby, Leslie’s Retreat, Lady Hao, Ella Williams, and more. And these are examples of how short tal...

12 Des 202238min

In this 2011 episode, previous hosts Sarah and Deblina recount some of history's most famous fires, Including the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Fire of London, the Great Fire of Meireki, and the Great San ...

10 Des 202227min

Tracy and Holly discuss food safety in their own lives, and particularly their comfort levels with various risks. They also discuss the different pronunciations of the name Louis, and Wain's progressi...

9 Des 202225min

Louis Wain’s cat-centric art was extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and some of his later work became an inspiration for the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. Research: Bee...

7 Des 202247min

The development of a systematic approach to food safety didn’t happen until the 20th century. And it's tied directly to NASA trying to make sure astronauts didn’t get food poisoning in space. Research...

5 Des 202237min

This early 2017 episode covers Ed Roberts, a disability rights activist known as the father of the Independent Living movement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Des 202228min

Tracy and Holly talk about Charles Drew’s marriage and the impact of the early HIV/AIDS crisis on blood donation. They also discuss all the aspects of the Chatterley story that didn’t make it into the...

2 Des 202222min