
The Bawdy House Riots of 1668
In early modern London, there was a tradition of sorts where apprentices would amass on holidays and physically destroy brothels. One of the largest such riot took place during Easter week in 1668, an...
1 Feb 201628min

Queen Victoria: The Lady Hastings Scandal
Queen Victoria reigned for more than six decades, but her early years as ruler were peppered with a number of disastrous missteps. By participating in a horrible rumor campaign about her mother's lady...
27 Jan 201628min

The Honey War
The Honey War wasn't really about honey. It was a dispute over state lines. There are some bee trees in the mix, as well as some truly sub-par surveying work. It's a story full of silliness, pride and...
25 Jan 201630min

Courrières Mine Disaster of 1906
One of the worst mining tragedies in history, the explosion that sent fire through the Courrières mine tunnels claimed more than a thousand lives. It also created awareness of dangerous issues in mine...
20 Jan 201628min

The Schoolhouse Blizzard
In 1888, a blizzard so sudden and severe hit the American Midwest and claimed the lives of hundreds, some of whom died just outside the safety of shelter. Weather prediction of the fast-moving storm s...
18 Jan 201631min

Dame Nellie Melba, Part 2
The second part of our episode on the Australian diva focuses on her career in the early 1900s, her charity work and her belief that singers had to work -- and work hard -- to be constantly perfecting...
13 Jan 201631min

Dame Nellie Melba, Part 1
Born Helen Porter Mitchell in Melbourne, Australia in 1861, Nellie Melba would rise to fame as a singer. Her life was everything you'd expect from a diva: foods named for her, command performances and...
11 Jan 201621min

Author Interview: Fashion History With April Calahan
April has two books out about fashion history, one featuring historical fashion plates, and another on the pochoir technique used to create fashion illustrations in the early 20th century. Learn more...
6 Jan 201643min





















