Stuff You Missed in History Class19 Juli 2023

Unearthed! Summer 2023, Part 2

Part two of the summer 2023 unearthed finds includes the potpourri/hodgepodge category, as well as medical stuff, climate, repatriations, books and letters, religious artwork, weapons and tools, and birds.

Research:

“Archaeologists unearth 4,000-year-old ‘Stonehenge of the Netherlands’.” The Guardian. 6/21/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/archaeologists-unearth-stonehenge-netherlands
Alberge, Dalya. “’ Startling’ new evidence reveals gladiators fought in Roman Britain.” The Guardian. 3/4/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain
Anderson, Abigail et al. “The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts.” PLOS One. 6/28/2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287101
“Norse Greenlanders found to have imported timber from North America.” Phys.org. 4/18/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-norse-greenlanders-imported-timber-north.html
“Olmec Sculpture Will Return to Mexico.” 4/4/2023. https://www.archaeology.org/news/11325-230404-mexico-repatriation-olmec
ArtNet News. “A Roman-Era Vase, Once Considered a Cremation Vessel, Turns Out to Be an Early Form of Sports Memorabilia for a Gladiator Fan.” 4/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/colchester-vase-sports-memorabilia-2270088
Artnet News. “A Woman Bought Four Ceramic Plates at a Salvation Army for $8. They Turned Out to Be Original Picassos and Worth Over $40,000.” 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvation-army-picasso-plates-2303661
Associated Press. “A Hebrew Bible that is 1,100 years old sells for $38 million at an auction.” 5/18/2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176805209/a-hebrew-bible-that-is-1-100-years-old-sells-for-38-million-at-an-auction
Associated Press. “Italy returns ancient stele, illegally exported, to Turkey.” 4/28/2023. https://apnews.com/article/italy-turkey-archaeology-stele-ancient-greece-6fd526892963aa5b0e240289c4d222f7
Benzine, Vittoria. “An 8-Year-Old Schoolgirl Found a Rare Stone-Age Dagger on a Playground in Norway.” Artnet. 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/an-8-year-old-schoolgirl-found-a-rare-stone-age-dagger-on-a-playground-in-norway-2302958
Blondel, Francois et al. “Mummy Labels: A Witness to the Use and Processing of Wood in Roman Egypt.” International Journal of Wood Culture. https://brill.com/view/journals/ijwc/3/1-3/article-p192_10.xml
Borreggine, Marisa, Sea-level rise in Southwest Greenland as a contributor to Viking abandonment, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209615120.
Brockell, Gillian. “MLK’s Famous Criticism of Malcolm X was a ‘Fraud’, Author Finds.” 5/10/2023. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/10/mlk-malcolm-x-playboy-alex-haley/
Chow, Vivienne. “Nigeria Has Transferred Ownership of the Benin Bronzes to Its Royal Leader, Creating a ‘Better Environment’ for Future Restitution.” Artnet. 4/27/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/benin-bronze-oba-ownership-2291586
Chun, Alex. “Bought for $6,000, Grime-Covered Windows Are Actually Tiffany—and Worth Up to $250,000 Each.” Smithsonian. 5/17/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiffany-glass-windows-philadelphia-180982193/
Dafoe, Taylor. “An Ancient Roman Bust Purchased for $35 at a Texas Thrift Store Is Now Being Repatriated to Germany.” Artnet. 4/18/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-roman-bust-texas-goodwill-repatriation-germany-2287242
Dafoe, Taylor. “Austria Will Return Two Small Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Officials Hope the Move Will Encourage Britain to Follow Suit.” Artnet. 5/3/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/austria-reptriates-two-small-parthenon-marbles-to-greece-2294596
Dafoe, Taylor. “Japan Has Repatriated a Nazi-Looted Baroque Painting to Poland After Authorities Yanked It From a Tokyo Auction Block.” 6/2/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/japan-repatriated-looted-baroque-painting-poland-2313856
Dafoe, Taylor. “Stolen Ancient Tomb Carvings Sat in Storage at the Met Museum for Decades. Now, They’ve Been Returned to China.” Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-ancient-tomb-carvings-storage-met-repatriated-2299182
Dzirutwe, Macdonald. “Return of Benin Bronzes delayed after Nigerian president's decree.” Reuters. 5/10/2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/return-benin-bronzes-delayed-after-nigerian-presidents-decree-2023-05-10/
Fine Books & Collections. “Thomas Cromwell’s Holbein Portrait Book of Hours Discovered.” 6/8/2023. https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/thomas-cromwells-holbein-portrait-book-hours-discovered
Foody, Kathleen. “Michigan researchers find 1914 shipwrecks in Lake Superior.” Associated Press. 4/12/2023. https://apnews.com/article/lake-superior-shipwrecks-1914-2e0b4a2a8b5c2ebae589c964cadfe7c9
Global Times. “2,000-year-old traditional rice dumpling Zongzi unearthed in C.China’s Henan, being oldest excavated.” 6/24/2023. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1293063.shtml
“Medieval cannon turns up in garden rockery – and it could blow up bidding at auction.” 6/13/2023. https://hansonsauctioneers.co.uk/medieval-cannon-turns-up-in-garden-rockery-and-it-could-blow-up-bidding-at-auction/
Heritage Daily. “Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Ruins of Ancient Vulci.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/04/etruscan-tomb-discovered-in-ruins-of-ancient-vulci/146815
Higgins, Charlotte. “Lavish ancient Roman winery found at ruins of Villa of the Quintilii near Rome.” The Guardian. 4/17/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/17/ancient-roman-winery-found-ruins-villa-of-quintilii-rome
Hokkaido University. “Chicken breeding in Japan dates back to fourth century BCE.” Phys.org. 4/20/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-chicken-japan-dates-fourth-century.html
Jarus, Owen. “1st-century Buddha statue from ancient Egypt indicates Buddhists lived there in Roman times.” Live Science. 5/2/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/1st-century-buddha-statue-from-ancient-egypt-indicates-buddhists-lived-there-in-roman-times
Kent State University. “Despite the dangers, early humans risked life-threatening flintknapping injuries.” Phys.org. 5/25/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-dangers-early-humans-life-threatening-flintknapping.html
Killgrove, Kristina. “Ancient 'urine flasks' for smelling (and tasting) pee uncovered in trash dump at Caesar's forum in Rome.” LiveScience. 5/1/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/ancient-urine-flasks-for-smelling-and-tasting-pee-uncovered-in-trash-dump-at-caesars-forum-in-rome
Kuta, Sarah. “Ancient DNA Reveals Who Wore This 20,000-Year-Old Pendant.” Smithsonian Magazine. 5/8/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-pendant-new-research-180982129/
Kuta, Sarah. “Divers Are About to Pull a 3,000-Year-Old Shipwreck From the Depths.” 6/16/2013. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/handsewn-shipwreck-recovered-180982389/
Kuta, Sarah. “Lost for 50 Years, Mysterious Australian Shipwreck Has Finally Been Found.” Smithsonian. 5/31/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blythe-star-shipwreck-found-180982269/
Kuta, Sarah. “Searchers Find WWII Ship That Sank With More Than 1,000 Allied POWs Aboard.” Smithsonian. 4/26/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/searchers-find-ss-montevideo-maru-180982053/
Langley, Michelle. “Who owned this Stone Age jewellery? New forensic tools offer an unprecedented answer.” Phys.org. 5/6/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-stone-age-jewellery-forensic-tools.html
Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “A BBC True Crime Podcast Is Asking Museums for Help Locating a Murder Victim’s Remains to Solve a Cold Case.” Artnet. 5/4/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/true-crime-podcasters-invite-museums-solve-cold-case-2295029
Luzer, Daniel. “German researchers figure out how lager first developed in Bavaria.” EurekAlert. 4/27/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987496
Manhattan District Attorney. “D.A. Bragg Announces Three Antiquities Repatriated to Yemen.” 4/28/2023. https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-three-antiquities-repatriated-to-yemen/
Martin, Samantha. “New insight into the mystery of ancient Gaza wine.”EurekAlert. 4/26/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987388
McCaffrey, Kate. “A Book Fit for Two Queens.” The Morgan Library & Musuem. 5/28/2021. https://www.themorgan.org/blog/book-fit-two-queens
Metcalfe, Tom. “1,000-year-old wall in Peru was built to protect against El Niño floods, research suggests.” LiveScience. 6/26/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1000-year-old-wall-in-peru-was-built-to-protect-against-el-nino-floods-research-suggests
Metcalfe, Tom. “2,300-year-old Buddhist elephant statue from India is one of the oldest known.” LiveScience. 6/6/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2300-year-old-buddhist-elephant-statue-from-india-is-one-of-the-oldest-known
Metcalfe, Tom. “Ancient Romans sacrificed birds to the goddess Isis, burnt bones in Pompeii reveal.” LiveScience. 5/16/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/ancient-romans-sacrificed-birds-to-the-goddess-isis-burnt-bones-in-pompeii-reveal
Metcalfe, Tom. “Top-secret special-ops submarine from World War II discovered after 20-year search.” LiveScience. 6/13/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/top-secret-special-ops-submarine-from-world-war-ii-discovered-after-20-year-search
Mexico News Daily. “Rare statue of Mayan god K’awiil discovered on Maya Train route.” 4/28/2023. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/rare-statue-mayan-god-kawiil-found-maya-train/
Moon, Katherine L. et al. “Comparative genomics of Balto, a famous historic dog, captures lost diversity of 1920s sled dogs.” Science. 4/28/2023. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5887?adobe_mc=MCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1682688995
Nalewicki, Jennifer. “12,000-year-old flutes carved of bone are some of the oldest in the world and sound like birds of prey.” Live Science. June 9, 2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/12000-year-old-flutes-carved-of-bone-are-some-of-the-oldest-in-the-world-and-sound-like-birds-of-prey
National Park Service. “National Park archeologists find remains of an underwater hospital and cemetery at Dry Tortugas.” 5/1/2023. https://www.nps.gov/drto/learn/news/underwater-hospital-and-cemetery.htm
Niazi, Asaad and Guillaume Decamme. “Iraq's ancient treasures sand-blasted by climate change.” 4/16/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-iraq-ancient-treasures-sand-blasted-climate.html
Niccum, Jon. “Puzzling rings may be finger loops from prehistoric weapon systems, research finds.” Phys.org. 5/24/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-puzzling-finger-loops-prehistoric-weapon.html
Nowakowski, Teresa. “Archaeologists Find 3,000-Year-Old Sword So Well Preserved It ‘Almost Still Shines’.” Smithsonian. 6/21/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bronze-age-sword-germany-180982399/
Nowakowski, Teresa. “Germany Returns Sacred Wooden Masks to Colombia.” 6/23/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/germany-sacred-masks-colombia-180982419/
Nowakowski, Teresa. “Small Dog Wearing Red Bow Found Hidden in Picasso Painting.” Smithsonian. 5/18/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/picasso-small-dog-discovered-180982198/
Nowakowski, Teresa. “Van Gogh Painting Gets a New Name Thanks to an Eagle-Eyed Chef.” Smithsonian. 5/11/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/van-gogh-red-cabbages-onions-garlic-180982155/
Parker, Christopher. “Buckingham Palace Refuses to Repatriate Remains of Ethiopian Prince.” Smithsonian. 5/25/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/prince-dejatch-alemayehu-ethiopia-england-repatriation-180982239/
Parker, Christopher. “Eight-Year-Old Norwegian Girl Discovers Neolithic Dagger at School Playground.” Smithsonian. 5/11/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-schoolgirl-in-norway-found-a-3700-year-old-dagger-buried-at-her-schoo-180982163/
Paterson, Alistair et al. “The Unlucky Voyage: Batavia’s (1629) Landscape of Survival on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia.” Historical Archaeology. 5/4/2023. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41636-023-00396-1
Platt, Tevah. “Digesta: An overlooked source of Ice Age carbs.” University of Michigan. 4/24/2023. https://news.umich.edu/digesta-an-overlooked-source-of-ice-age-carbs/
Py-Lieberman, Beth. “The Smithsonian’s Historic Carousel Undergoes Restoration.” Smithsonian. 5/5/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/smithsonian-historic-carousel-undergoes-restoration-14274606/
“Spain to begin exhumation of 128 Civil War victims from burial complex, el Pais reports.” 6/11/2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-begin-exhumation-128-civil-war-victims-burial-complex-media-2023-06-11/
Shahar, Noga. “Genetic link between two modern varieties of red and white grapes and grape varieties cultivated over 1100 years ago.” EurekAlert. 5/3/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/988090
Skowronek, Tobias B. et al. “German brass for Benin Bronzes: Geochemical analysis insights into the early Atlantic trade.” PLOS One. 4/5/2013. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0283415
Solon, Zach. “Ancient Native American canoe brought to surface from beneath Lake Waccamaw.” WECT. 4/12/2023. https://www.wect.com/2023/04/12/ancient-native-american-canoe-brought-surface-beneath-lake-waccamaw/?fbclid=IwAR0dMNcSQQPDCdKMbM-VHU6HIxEraYZLX0yqGkWHeOlEhvtz0Bpq4DwYnl0
Sullivan, Will. “Humans May Have Eaten Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 4/5/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-may-have-eaten-giant-snails-170000-years-ago-180981929/
Swiss National Science Foundation. “Mummies provide the key to reconstruct the climate of the ancient Mediterranean.” Phys.org. 4/4/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-mummies-key-reconstruct-climate-ancient.html
Szotek, Andrzej. “New discoveries in Old Dongola. Protection for Tungul: new, unique wall paintings discovered in Old Dongola, Sudan.” University of Warsaw. 4/5/2023. https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2023/04/05/new-discoveries-in-old-dongola-protection-for-tungul-new-unique-wall-paintings-discovered-in-old-dongola-sudan/
The History Blog. “1,000-year-old Native American canoe raised.” 4/19/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67045
The History Blog. “1st c. surgeon buried with his tools found in Hungary.” 4/27/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67108
The History Blog. “Intact Etruscan tomb with last meal found in Vulci.” 4/8/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66946
The History Blog. “Ming Dynasty shipwrecks laden with porcelain, wood found in South China Sea.” 5/24/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67334
The History Blog. “Neolithic ritual axe with tiger engraving found in China.” Via JSTOR. 4/5/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66918
“The National Museum of Denmark to Donate Rare Feather Cape to Brazil.” 6/27/2023. https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/the-national-museum-of-denmark-to-donate-rare-feather-cape-to-brazil?publisherId=13560791&releaseId=13700505&lang=en
University of Cambridge. “Unique 'bawdy bard' act discovered, revealing 15th-century roots of British comedy.” Phys.org. 5/30/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-unique-bawdy-bard-revealing-15th-century.html
Whiddington, Richard. “Archaeologists Digging in the Deserts of Oman Have Discovered a Mysterious Monument They’re Calling ‘Arabian Stonehenge’.” Artnet. 5/5/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-digging-in-the-deserts-of-oman-have-discovered-a-mysterious-monument-theyre-calling-arabian-stonehenge-2291997
Zdziebłowski, Szymon. “Armenia/ Large amounts of flour residue discovered in 3,000 years old building.” Science in Poland. 5/21/2023. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C96541%2Carmenia-large-amounts-flour-residue-discovered-3000-years-old-building.html

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Math and Falsehoods

Holly shares a story about Augustin Fresnel's early career. Tracy discusses an article criticizing the Smithsonian and points out its incorrect contents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Sep 26min

Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton

Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton is known as one of the earliest Mexican-American authors published in English, and her life story is tied closely to the Mexican-American war and the establishment of California as a state. Research: Amero, Richard W. “The Mexican-American War in Baja California.” The Journal of San Diego History. Winter 1984, Volume 30, Number 1. https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1984/january/war/ Annenberg Learner. “Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton (c. 1832-1895).” https://www.learner.org/series/american-passages-a-literary-survey/masculine-heroes/maria-amparo-ruiz-de-burton-c-1832-1895/ Brink, Jean R. “María Amparo Ruiz de Burton.” EBSCO Knowledge Advantage. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/maria-amparo-ruiz-de-burton Contreras, Alicia . "María Amparo Ruiz de Burton". In Oxford Bibliographies in American Literature. 3 Sep. 2025. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199827251/obo-9780199827251-0191.xml. Contreras, Alicia. "'I'll publish your cowardice all over California': Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton's the squatter and the don in the age of Howells." American Literary Realism, vol. 49, no. 3, spring 2017, pp. 210+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A491311790/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=97ad48d9. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. Crawford, Kathleen. “María Amparo Ruiz Burton.” The Journal of San Diego History. Summer 1984, Volume 30, Number 3. https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1984/july/burton/ Diaz, Ella Maria. "Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton: Critical and Pedagogical Perspectives." Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, vol. 22, no. 2, June 2005, pp. 202+. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A141999447/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=1c4826f6. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. Dietrich, Lucas. “A Sensational Job: Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, J.B. Lippincott Co., and Commission Printing.” Bibliographical Society of America. Via YouTube. 4/19/2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb6sfXdUyR8 Hedrick, Joan D. "Who Would Have Thought It?" The Women's Review of Books, vol. 13, no. 7, Apr. 1996, p. 6. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19140252/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c31ab587. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. Meylor, Megan. “California Nerves.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, FALL 2020, Vol. 62, No. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27117136 Quarstein, John V. “Worden and the Californios.” U.S. Naval Institute. October 2023. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2023/october/worden-and-californios Raab, Josef. “The Imagined Inter-American Community of María Amparo Ruiz de Burton.” Amerikastudien / American Studies, 2008, Vol. 53, No. 1. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41158358 Sánchez, Rosaura and Beatriz Pita, editors. “Conflicts of Interest: The Letters of María Amparo Ruiz de Burton.” Arte Publico Press. University of Houston. 2001. Spitzzeri, Paul R. “Article Ten of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848.” Homestead Museum Blog. 5/31/2019. https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2019/05/31/article-ten-of-the-treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo-1848/ “María Amparo Ruiz, a woman of that century.” Issue 30. 3/8/2017. https://tendenciaelartedeviajar.com/en/2017/03/history/maria-amparo-ruiz-a-woman-of-that-century/ University of Texas Press. “María Amparo Ruiz de Burton and the Conquered Californios: An Interview With Meagan Meylor.” 11/15/2021. https://utpress.utexas.edu/blog/2021/11/15/maria-amparo-ruiz-de-burton-and-the-conquered-californios-an-interview-with-meagan-meylor/ Women & The American Story. “Life Story: María Ruiz de Burton (1832–1895).” The New York Historical Society. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/maria-ruiz-de-burton/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Sep 41min

Augustin Jean Fresnel

Augustin Fresnel didn’t live a long life, but he contributed significantly to the understanding of light and to the safety of coastlines. Neither of those had anything to do with his career. Research: Anderson, F.L. “Huygens' Principle geometric derivation and elimination of the wake and backward wave.” Sci Rep11, 20257 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99049-7 Aglialoro, Todd. “Jansenism.” Catholic.com. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/jansenism Garcia-Atutxa, Igor, et al. “The epistemological impact of Augustin-Jean Fresnel and his wave theory of light in the 19th century.” History of Science and Technology. Vol. 14, No. 1. 2024. https://www.hst-journal.com/index.php/hst/article/view/616 Clingan, Ian C.. "lighthouse". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/technology/lighthouse Crew, Henry. “The wave theory of light; memoirs of Huygens, Young and Fresnel.” New York. Cincinnati American Book Company. 1900. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/wavetheoryofligh00crewrich/page/n3/mode/2up Davidson, Michael W. “Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827).” Molecular Expressions. Florida State University. https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/timeline/people/fresnel.html The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Augustin-Jean Fresnel". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Jul. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustin-Jean-Fresnel The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "François Arago". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francois-Arago “The Genius of Augustin-Jean Fresnel and his Lens.” Ponce Lighthouse & Museum. July 19, 2023. https://www.ponceinlet.org/the-genius-of-augustin-jean-fresnel-and-his-lens/ Herivel, John. "Christiaan Huygens". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Jul. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christiaan-Huygens. “July 1816: Fresnel’s Evidence for the Wave Theory of Light.” Advancing Physics. American Physical Society. https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/201607/physicshistory.cfm Linden, Teri Clark. “A Short Bright Flash: Augustin Fresnel and the Birth of the Modern Lighthouse.” W.W. Norton. 2013. “May 1801: Thomas Young and the Nature of Light.” Advancing Physics. American Physical Society. https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/200805/physicshistory.cfm “Napoleon’s Russian campaign: From the Niemen to Moscow.” Napoleon Foundation. https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/timelines/napoleons-russian-campaign-from-the-niemen-to-moscow/ Rehman, Ayaz Ur, and Muhammad Sabieh Anwar. “Light Is a Transverse Wave.” LUMS Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering. August 21, 2018. https://physlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/LightTransverse-v2.pdf Silliman, Robert H. “Fresnel and the Emergence of Physics as a Discipline.” Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences , 1974, Vol. 4 (1974), pp. 137- University of California Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27757329.pdf Tag, Thomas. “Lens Use Prior to Fresnel.” United States Lighthouse Society. https://uslhs.org/node/1481 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Sep 36min

SYMHC Classics: Max von Pettenkofer

This 2020 episode talks about how Pettenkofer's ideas about cholera's spread weren’t exactly right, but they still had really beneficial impacts on the way we live.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Sep 31min

Behind the Scenes Minis: All Things Clean

Tracy talks about her background writing copy for sanitation and cleaning products. She and Holly also discuss how the implementation of the Wells' recommendations could have prevented a lot of illness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Sep 29min

William Firth Wells and Mildred Weeks Wells

Husband-and-wife team William Firth Wells and Mildred Weeks Wells conducted research that had the potential to make a big difference in the safety of indoor air. But it didn’t really have a significant impact on public health. Research: Associated Press. “Super-Oyster Is On its Way to Dinner Table Bigger and Better Bivalve Sports Pedigree.” 3/13/1927. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84020064/1927-03-13/ed-1/?sp=14 “Brought Back to Texas.” The Houston Semi-Weekly Post. 12/26/1889. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1196039760/ Decatur Daily Review. “Scientists Fight Flu Germs with Violet Ray.” 7/30/1936. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94335504/ Evening Star. “Scientific Trap-shooter.” 6/26/1937. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045462/1937-06-26/ed-1/?sp=7&q=William+Firth+Wells&r=0.668,0.557,0.438,0.158,0 Fair, Gordon M. and William Weeks Wells. “Method and Apparatus for Preventing Infection.” U.S. Patent 2,198,867. https://ppubs.uspto.gov/api/pdf/downloadPdf/2198867 Hall, Dominic. “New Center for the History of Medicine Artifact - Wells Air Centrifuge.” Harvard Countway Library. https://countway.harvard.edu/news/new-center-history-medicine-artifact-wells-air-centrifuge “Incubator Is Now Oyster Nurse.” Washington Times. 10/1/1925. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84026749/1925-10-01/ed-1/?sp=12 Lewis, Carol Sutton. “Mildred Weeks Wells’s Work on Airborne Transmission Could Have Saved Many Lives—If the Scientific Establishment Listened.” Lost Women of Science Podcast. Scientific American. 5/22/2025. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-public-health-researcher-and-her-engineer-husband-found-how-diseases-can/ Library and Archives Team. “William Firth Wells and Mildred Weeks Wells.” Washington College. https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/miller-library/archives-special-collections/archives-blog/Wells%20papers.php Molenti, Megan. “The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill.” Wired. 5/13/2021. https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/ Perkins JE, Bahlke AM, Silverman HF. Effect of Ultra-violet Irradiation of Classrooms on Spread of Measles in Large Rural Central Schools Preliminary Report. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1947 May;37(5):529-37. PMID: 18016521; PMCID: PMC1623610. Randall, Katherine and Ewing, E. Thomas and Marr, Linsey and Jimenez, Jose and Bourouiba, Lydia, How Did We Get Here: What Are Droplets and Aerosols and How Far Do They Go? A Historical Perspective on the Transmission of Respiratory Infectious Diseases (April 15, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3829873 Riley, Richard L. “What Nobody Needs to Know About Airborne Infection.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Volume 163, Issue 1. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/ajrccm.163.1.hh11-00 Simon, Clea. “Did a socially awkward scientist set back airborne disease control?” The Harvard Gazette. 3/7/2025. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/03/did-a-socially-awkward-scientist-set-back-airborne-disease-control/ “Texas State News.” McKinney Weekly Democrat-Gazette. 4/17/1890. https://www.newspapers.com/image/65385350/ WELLS MW, HOLLA WA. VENTILATION IN THE FLOW OF MEASLES AND CHICKENPOX THROUGH A COMMUNITY: Progress Report, Jan. 1, 1946 to June 15, 1949, Airborne Infection Study, Westchester County Department of Health. JAMA. 1950;142(17):1337–1344. doi:10.1001/jama.1950.02910350007004 WELLS MW. VENTILATION IN THE SPREAD OF CHICKENPOX AND MEASLES WITHIN SCHOOL ROOMS. JAMA. 1945;129(3):197–200. doi:10.1001/jama.1945.02860370019006 WELLS WF, WELLS MW. AIR-BORNE INFECTION. JAMA. 1936;107(21):1698–1703. doi:10.1001/jama.1936.02770470016004 WELLS WF, WELLS MW. AIR-BORNE INFECTION: SANITARY CONTROL. JAMA. 1936;107(22):1805–1809. doi:10.1001/jama.1936.02770480037010 Wells, W F, and M W Wells. “Measurement of Sanitary Ventilation.” American journal of public health and the nation's health vol. 28,3 (1938): 343-50. doi:10.2105/ajph.28.3.343 Wells, William Firth and Gordon Maskew Fair. Viability of B. coli Exposed to Ultra-Violet Radiation in Air.Science82,280-281(1935).DOI:10.1126/science.82.2125.280.b Wells, William Firth and Mildred Weeks Wells. Measurement of Sanitary Ventilation American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health 28, 343_350, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.28.3.343 Zimmer, Carl. “Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe.” Dutton. 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Sep 46min

A History of Soap

All over the world, for all of human history – and probably going back to our earliest hominid ancestors – people have found ways to try to keep themselves clean. But how did soap come about? Research: “Soap, N. (1), Etymology.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1115187665. American Cleaning Institute. “Soaps & Detergents History.” https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/why-clean/soaps-detergents-history Beckmann, John. “History of Inventions, Discoveries and Origins.” William Johnston, translator. Bosart, L.W. “The Early History of the Soap Industry.” The American Oil Chemists' Society. Journal of Oil & Fat Industries 1924-10: Vol 1 Iss 2. Cassidy, Cody. “Who Discovered Soap? What to Know About the Origins of the Life-Saving Substance.” Time. 5/5/2020. https://time.com/5831828/soap-origins/ Ciftyurek, Muge, and Kasim Ince. "Selahattin Okten Soap Factory in Antakya and an Evaluation on Soap Factory Plan Typology/Antakya'da Bulunan Selahattin Okten Sabunhanesi ve Sabunhane Plan Tipolojisi Uzerine Bir Degerlendirme." Art-Sanat, no. 19, Jan. 2023, pp. 133+. Gale Academic OneFile, dx.doi.org/10.26650/artsanat.2023.19.1106544. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Costa, Albert B. “Michel-Eugène Chevreul.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-Eugene-Chevreul Curtis, Valerie A. “Dirt, disgust and disease: a natural history of hygiene.” Journal of epidemiology and community health vol. 61,8 (2007): 660-4. doi:10.1136/jech.2007.062380 Dijkstra, Albert J. “How Chevreul (1786-1889) based his conclusions on his analytical results.” OCL. Vol. 16, No. 1. January-February 2009. Gibbs, F.W. “The History and Manufacture of Soap.” Annals of Science. 1939. Koeppel, Dan. “The History of Soap.” 4/15/2020. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/history-of-soap/ List, Gary, and Michael Jackson. “Giants of the Past: The Battle Over Hydrogenation (1903-1920).” https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=210614 Maniatis, George C. “Guild Organized Soap Manufacturing Industry in Constantinople: Tenth-Twelfth Centuries.” Byzantion, 2010, Vol. 80 (2010). https://www.jstor.org/stable/44173107 National Museum of American History. “Bathing (Body Soaps and Cleansers).” https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/health-hygiene-and-beauty/bathing-body-soaps-and-cleansers New Mexico Historic Sites. “Making Soap from the Leaves of the Soaptree Yucca.” https://nmhistoricsites.org/assets/files/selden/Virtual%20Classroom_Soaptree%20Yucca%20Soap%20Making.pdf “The history of soapmaking.” 8/30/2019. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-science-technology-and-medicine/history-science/the-history-soapmaking Pliny the Elder. “The Natural History of Pliny. Translated, With Copious Notes and Illustrations.” Vol. 5. John Bostock, translator. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60688/60688-h/60688-h.htm Pointer, Sally. “An Experimental Exploration of the Earliest Soapmaking.” EXARC Journal. 2024/3. 8/22/2024. https://exarc.net/issue-2024-3/at/experimental-exploration-earliest-soapmaking Ridner, Judith. “The dirty history of soap.” The Conversation. 5/12/2020. https://theconversation.com/the-dirty-history-of-soap-136434 Routh, Hirak Behari et al. “Soaps: From the Phoenicians to the 20th Century - A Historical Review.” Clinics in Dermatology. Vol. No. 3. 1996. Smith, Cyril Stanley, and John G. Hawthorne. “Mappae Clavicula: A Little Key to the World of Medieval Techniques.” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 64, no. 4, 1974, pp. 1–128. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1006317. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Timilsena, Yakindra Prasad et al. “Perspectives on Saponins: Food Functionality and Applications.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 24,17 13538. 31 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/ijms241713538 “Craftsmanship of Aleppo Ghar soap.” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/craftsmanship-of-aleppo-ghar-soap-02132 “Tradition of Nabulsi soap making in Palestine.” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tradition-of-nabulsi-soap-making-in-palestine-02112 “Soaps.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/soaps.shtml van Dijk, Kees. “Soap is the onset of civilization.” From Cleanliness and Culture. Kees van Dijk and Jean Gelman Taylor, eds. Brill. 2011. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbnm4n9.4 Wei, Huang. “The Sordid, Sudsy Rise of Soap in China.” Sixth Tone. 8/11/2020. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006041 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Sep 39min

SYMHC Classics: John Dalton

This 2021 episode covers John Dalton, famous for his work in atomic theory. But he wrote one of the first thorough descriptions of what he called “anomalous vision” – he realized he wasn’t perceiving color the same way as other people. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Sep 34min

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