Footnoting History

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Many Accounts of the Execution of Anne Boleyn

May 18, 2024 04:01 - 22 minutes - 50.5 MB

(Host: Kristin) Historians rely a lot on primary source evidence to interpret the past. But what do you do when multiple sources tell a different story of what happened? Learn about the many accounts of the execution of Anne Boleyn and consider what they tell us about a major moment in English history with Kristin in this week’s episode of Footnoting History!

Alfred Packer, Notorious Cannibal?

May 04, 2024 04:01 - 21 minutes - 49.2 MB

(Host: Josh) Alfred, or sometimes Alferd Packer, is one of the most infamous villains in Colorado history. As the story goes, Packer, a trail guide, led his party into disaster and then killed them one by one before consuming their bodies in order to survive. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and then escaped. Once reprehended Packer changed his story once again. And now more recent evidence has emerged that seems to have exonerated him. We’ll try to sort of this out on this week’s episod...

Owney: Star Pup of the US Railway Mail Service

April 20, 2024 04:00 - 16 minutes - 38.9 MB

(Host: Christine) In the late 1800s, a dog called Owney became a star as he won over the hearts of postal workers across the United States and sometimes, even, beyond. This episode is all about Owney, his adventures, the souvenirs he collected, and his revered place in postal history.

Medieval Coroners

April 06, 2024 04:11 - 11 minutes - 26.6 MB

(Host: Samantha) If you've watched any significant number of crime dramas you've almost certainly come across a coroner who was probably presented as an experienced medical examiner who, if the hero is lucky, has unearthed a key piece of evidence to solve the case. But did you know that coroners have been investigating death since the end of the twelfth century? Learn more right now on Footnoting History.

Dressing Marie Antoinette

March 23, 2024 04:01 - 26 minutes - 61.3 MB

(Host: Kristin) Clothes and hair are among the most famous things about Marie Antoinette. But who were the designers behind the drama and what happened to them after the Revolution? And how did anyone actually wear – or afford – their creations? Find out this week on Footnoting History!

Tadeusz Kościuszko, Part II: Life and Legend

March 09, 2024 05:23 - 19 minutes - 45.7 MB

(Host: Lucy) How much is it impossible to know about an icon? This episode investigates Tadeusz Kościuszko’s place in historical memory. From the early 19th century onwards, myths coalesced around him and his role in the Polish struggle for independence. Paradoxically, his contemporary fame can make it harder for historians to find facts. As a disabled war veteran who fought for racial and religious equality, moreover, Kościuszko is a figure more complex than the heroic narratives that have...

Tadeusz Kościuszko, Part I: International Icon, Revolutionary Hero

February 24, 2024 05:01 - 23 minutes - 54 MB

(Host: Lucy) Tadeusz Kościuszko was a leader in the Age of Revolutions, lending strategic expertise to the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and trying on no fewer than three occasions to secure lasting independence for his native Poland. He also managed to personally offend Napoleon. This podcast gets into lost love, international politics, peasants with pitchforks, the anti-slavery movement, and why Kościuszko crossed the Atlantic so many times.

Harry Washington

February 10, 2024 05:01 - 22 minutes - 52.5 MB

(Host: Josh) When someone says "Washington" and "revolution" in the same sentence, George immediately comes to mind. But there's another Washington that we should know, one that George Washington enslaved. Harry Washington escaped from his enslavement, fought for the British in during the American Revolution, and eventually fought in his own revolution in Sierra Leone. Let's take another look at the American Revolution in this episode of Footnoting History.

Murder and the Mignonette

January 27, 2024 05:01 - 27 minutes - 63.8 MB

(Host: Christine) In 1884, a yacht called Mignonette left England for Australia but never reached its destination. After it was lost, those aboard were adrift at sea for weeks, resorting to desperate measures for survival. Here, Christine covers the ill-fated voyage, the murder trial it sparked, and how the story lives on in pop culture.

History for the Holidays III

December 09, 2023 05:01 - 20 minutes - 47.5 MB

(Hosts: Christine, Kristin, Josh) A tradition continues! Celebrate with us through this episode about the history surrounding a selection of end-of-the-year holidays.

The Many Adventures of Pope Innocent III

November 25, 2023 05:00 - 33 minutes - 77.3 MB

(Christine and Josh) One of the most powerful popes of the Middle Ages, Innocent III made sure to have his hand in everything from religious wars like the Crusades to political squabbles with kings. Here, Josh and Christine take a look at some of the most interesting points in the life of the controversial pontiff.

Kościuszko Squadron

November 11, 2023 05:01 - 17 minutes - 39.7 MB

(Host: Lucy) What ties together a Revolutionary War hero, a Hollywood film director, and twentieth-century Poland’s quest for political independence? The Kościuszko Squadron was an international flying squad, whose airmen included former prisoners of war, idealistic Americans, and international adventurers. The Polish-Soviet War is a conflict that, having taken place in the shadow of the First World War, is largely overlooked in the US today. But at the time, the conflict and the Kościuszk...

History for Halloween X

October 28, 2023 04:01 - 21 minutes - 49.2 MB

(Hosts: Christine, Kristin, Lucy) It's hard to believe but here we are celebrating a decade of creepy stories from history for our favorite scary holiday!

The Witchcraft Trial of Alice Kyteler

October 14, 2023 04:01 - 26 minutes - 61.6 MB

(Kristin) In 1324, a woman named Alice Kyteler was accused of witchcraft in Kilkenny, Ireland. Her story is mysterious and fascinating and considered a landmark case in the history of European witch trials. Find out what happened – or didn’t – this week on Footnoting History!

Leo Frank and the Murder of Mary Phagan

September 30, 2023 04:00 - 26 minutes - 61 MB

(Christine) In 1913, Leo Frank was arrested for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia. Two years later, he, too, was dead. In this episode, Christine explores the complicated case and its perhaps unexpected musical theatre legacy.

The Cold Truth: A History of Refrigeration

September 16, 2023 04:00 - 24 minutes - 55.4 MB

(Kristin) Ever stopped to think about how amazing it is that you have this box, in your home, that keeps food cold? Reliable, at-home refrigeration is pretty new to history – and utterly transformative of how we live. Learn about how this technology came to be so commonplace – and how it changed the world, this week on Footnoting History!

Titus Oates, a Popish Plot, and the Mysterious Murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey

September 02, 2023 04:00 - 19 minutes - 45.3 MB

(Samantha) In the summer of 1678 a defrocked preacher named Titus Oates claimed to have knowledge of a Catholic plot to kill King Charles II and to replace him with his crypto-Catholic brother. At first the story gained no traction, reported as it was by a man of dubious reputation, but when Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey (the man who had first investigated Oates’ story) was found dead people started listening. This week we’ll lay it all out for you: who was Titus Oats? What’s the deal with Godfre...

A Royal Son: Geoffrey, duke of Brittany

August 19, 2023 10:06 - 22 minutes - 50.6 MB

(Christine) Of the four sons of King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine who lived to adulthood, only one was never called king. In this episode we look at the life of Geoffrey, duke of Brittany, including why he has a reputation for being conniving and the fates of the children he left behind.

True Crime on Stage in Shakespeare’s England

August 05, 2023 04:00 - 17 minutes - 41.1 MB

(Lucy and Rachel) In the often-chaotic society of sixteenth-century England, many people enthusiastically consumed true crime narratives in songs, news, and theater plays. Then as now, true crime narratives often centered on community crime-solving as a way of dealing with sensational and upsetting violence. Whether in the form of domestic tragedies or elaborate revenge dramas, true crime played to packed houses in the theaters of Elizabethan London. Amid religious and political upheaval, th...

Wyatt Earp and a Heavyweight Fix

July 22, 2023 19:00 - 25 minutes - 57.4 MB

(Josh) In 1896, retired from his life in the so-called "Wild West," Wyatt Earp was asked to referee a boxing match. But not just any boxing match - a bout that would determine the new heavyweight champion. Two legendary boxers, Bob Fitzsimmons and Tom Sharkey, duked it out in San Francisco. The legendary lawman Earp allegedly fixed the fight. On this episode of Footnoting History, come along from a walk through the seedy underbelly of illegal prizefighting and learn how Earp found himself at...

William Mumler and Spirit Photography in the 19th century

July 08, 2023 04:37 - 29 minutes - 67.3 MB

(Kristin) The 19th-century was on the cutting edge of some new technology and a new religious movement, and they intersected in some interesting – and surprising – ways. Find out how spirit photography became A Thing and how William Mumler “captured” the ghost of Abraham Lincoln in this week’s episode of Footnoting History.

Marlene Dietrich’s Scandalous Trousers

May 20, 2023 04:01 - 27 minutes - 62.3 MB

(Lucy) Defying Nazis and gender norms, Marlene Dietrich was far more than an Oscar-nominated actress… though she was that too. From Weimar Berlin’s cabaret scene to golden-age Hollywood and beyond, Dietrich carved a distinctive path for herself, and crafted an iconic star image. While that star image relied in large part on a cloud of golden hair and long, elegant legs, Dietrich was also often gender-non-conforming, on and off the stage and screen. This podcast episode looks at her internati...

SPECIAL EDITION: The Stone of Destiny and the Crowning of Kings

May 06, 2023 04:01 - 15 minutes - 34.5 MB

(Samantha) During his coronation ceremony Charles III will sit on a chair built by Edward I over 725 years ago to house the Stone of Destiny (also called the Stone of Scone), that he had recently stolen from the Scots. Tune in today to learn more about the Stone of Destiny, where it comes from, and why it mattered so much that a bunch of students from Glasgow bothered to steal it in 1950.

The Public Arch

April 22, 2023 04:01 - 24 minutes - 55.9 MB

(Josh) While one of the safest cities in the United States today, El Paso, Texas was one of America's most dangerous cities in the 1880s. Run by gunslingers, gambling brokers, and brothel madams, the city often descended into significant bouts of violence. One such episode occurred when the most renowned madams in the city, Alice Abbott, invaded the home of her chief rival, Etta Clark. The dispute ended with Alice Abbot shot and Etta Clark arrested for attempted murder. Eventually, Clark's b...

The Newsies Strike of 1899

April 08, 2023 04:40 - 22 minutes - 51.9 MB

(Christine) In the summer of 1899, young New York newspaper sellers took a stand against publishing magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. In this episode, Christine looks at the causes, events, and outcome of the strike, as well as how it inspired a Disney cult classic film almost a century later.

The Weeks Murder Trial

March 25, 2023 04:00 - 27 minutes - 62.6 MB

(Kristin) In 1800, Levi Weeks was accused of the murder of Elma Sands in New York City and throwing her body down a well. His defense team included Henry Livingston, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton. His is the first murder trial in the United States to have a recorded transcript … but there are still many unanswered questions as to what happened the night of December 22, 1799. Join Kristin as she looks at the most sensational trial of the new 19th century this week on Footnoting History!

Margaret Eaton and the Petticoat Affair

March 11, 2023 05:00 - 26 minutes - 59.9 MB

(Christine) In January of 1829, a widow named Margaret O'Neale Timberlake married John Eaton, a United States Senator with his star on the rise. Inspired by the suggestion of a Footnoting History listener, Christine uses this episode to dive into the details of her life, including the marriage that caused tempers to flare in President Andrew Jackson’s Cabinet and the lesser-discussed drama of her later years.

1288: A Moment in Norwich

February 25, 2023 05:00 - 16 minutes - 36.6 MB

(Samantha) Often it is hard to get any sense of what life was like in the past. This week, Sam will take you into the Norwich Leet Roll of 1288. This local court record that listed fines for everyday transgressions provides unique insights to the lived experience in a medieval city. Join her to consider the social realities that it exposes.

Footnoting History’s Favorite Historical Footnotes

February 11, 2023 05:00 - 35 minutes - 80.9 MB

(Christine, Kristin, Josh, Lucy, Samantha) It's our birthday! Footnoting History first launched in February of 2013. To celebrate turning ten, all of our current hosts (yes, all!) picked out their favorite historical footnotes to share. This episode contains anecdotes from a variety of centuries covering things like music, fruit, medieval royalty, and presidential inaugurations. We hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do.

Rebecca Gratz: Philanthropist, Educator… Romantic Heroine?

January 28, 2023 05:00 - 17 minutes - 39.7 MB

(Lucy) Rebecca Gratz helped to shape the vibrant cultural life of Philadelphia after the Revolutionary War. A second-generation immigrant, she supported artists and public institutions, and pioneered co-ed religious and cultural education for American Jewish children. She lived a remarkable life, and lived long enough to be photographed. She is also sometimes credited with being the real-life prototype for one of the nineteenth century’s most popular heroines, Sir Walter Scott’s Rebecca.

The Papal Fleet

January 14, 2023 05:00 - 23 minutes - 54.4 MB

(Josh) It’s POPE NAVY time! When Church leaders gathered at the Council of Vienne in 1311, King Henry II of Cyprus promised Pope Clement V a fleet of ships which would have the purpose of enforcing trade embargoes the papacy had enacted. These trade embargoes aimed to prevent Latin Christians from engaging in trade with Muslims and certain non-Latin Christians. While not built until later in the fourteenth century, the papal fleet appeared in many crusade proposals in the first few decades o...

History for the Holidays II

December 03, 2022 05:00 - 19 minutes - 45 MB

(Christine, Josh, Kristin) The so-called holiday season that ends every year is filled with fascinating history. For our second year in a row, we are bringing you some holiday-themed history to help you say goodbye to 2022 in style.

The Greatest Knight: William Marshal, Part II

November 19, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 72.3 MB

(Christine, Kristin) Continuing our look at the career of one of medieval England's most famous knights, Christine and Kristin turn their eyes to William Marshal's older years, including his marriage, his continued association with kings, and that time he was named regent of the kingdom.

The Greatest Knight: William Marshal, Part I

November 05, 2022 04:00 - 29 minutes - 67.7 MB

(Christine, Kristin) What did a man have to do in the Middle Ages to have many call him 'the greatest knight'? Join Christine and Kristin for their dive into the life of William Marshal, from his beginning as a younger son with few prospects to his place in a royal household.

History for Halloween IX

October 22, 2022 04:01 - 24 minutes - 56.2 MB

(Christine, Lucy, Kristin) From haunted houses to hysterical historical happenings, our team is here again with snippets of creepy stories from the past to celebrate Halloween.

Who Murdered Licoricia of Winchester?

October 08, 2022 04:01 - 30 minutes - 68.8 MB

(Kristin) It’s an unsolved mystery: Licoricia of Winchester, once the wealthiest woman in England, was found stabbed to death, with her maid, in 1277. Licoricia was a businessperson, whose clients included the king of England. She was a wife and a mother. She was also Jewish. The life, times, and circumstances of this extraordinary woman reveal a lot about the history of women and Jews in medieval England, and her death remains a puzzle to historians.

The Milne Family Part II

September 24, 2022 04:01 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MB

(Christine) Picking up where we left off in Part I, Christine looks at World War II through as experienced by the Milnes (both on the home front and in the military), explains how post-war life saw a dramatic change in the family's dynamics, and follows Christopher as he becomes a family man with his own career and interesting insights into topics like war, disability, and the book industry.

The Milne Family Part I

September 10, 2022 04:01 - 25 minutes - 58.3 MB

(Christine) In January, Christine brought you the story of that silly old bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Now, she’s back (thanks to listener requests!) with an in-depth look at the family that brought him to life: A.A. Milne, his wife, Daphne, and their son, Christopher.

The Oneida Community, Part II

August 27, 2022 04:00 - 25 minutes - 59.2 MB

(Josh) The Industrial Revolution of the 1830s provoked a considerable amount of anxiety in the United States. While some turned their attention to combatting the scourge of alcohol, others ran away from the new society created by industrialization. Looking for connection and a return to simpler times, many Americans joined groups that offered the perfect society. One such community, in Oneida, New York promised such a society, but as we'll continue to discover this week, they found a bit mor...

The Oneida Community, Part I

August 13, 2022 04:00 - 26 minutes - 61 MB

(Josh) The Industrial Revolution of the 1830s provoked a considerable amount of anxiety in the United States. While some turned their attention to combatting the scourge of alcohol, others ran away from the new society created by industrialization. Looking for connection and a return to simpler times, many Americans joined groups that offered the perfect society. One such community, in Oneida, New York promised such a society, but as we'll discover, they found a bit more than they may have b...

Jeffrey Hudson: England’s Forgotten Swashbuckler

July 30, 2022 04:00 - 24 minutes - 57.1 MB

(Lucy) Dancer, court favorite, and popular celebrity in late 17th-century England, Jeffrey Hudson was distinguished not chiefly by his achievements, but by his size. Born with dwarfism, Hudson was known as “Lord Minimus.” His diminutive stature and social ableism meant that his court career was dependent in some ways on his novelty. A favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, Jeffrey Hudson was painted by Van Dyck, and frequently figured in court entertainments. This podcast looks at his life, and ...

Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis

July 16, 2022 04:00 - 21 minutes - 48.5 MB

(Samantha) Maria Sibylla Merian was born in 1647 – a time when women were not expected to thrive as artists or scientists but she defied all odds to become both and in the process she illuminated the process of metamorphosis.

Listener Q&A

July 02, 2022 04:01 - 46 minutes - 105 MB

(Christine and Kristin) You asked, we answered! Join Footnoting History's producers for our first-ever episode entirely dedicated to answering your questions about everything and anything related to history and our show.

Godiva’s Not-So-Naked Ride

May 21, 2022 04:00 - 21 minutes - 49.9 MB

(Samantha) Today, the name Godiva evokes two things: fine chocolates, and a gorgeous blonde nude astride a horse. But in her own time Godgifu was best known as the wife of the earl of Mercia and as the generous benefactor of religious houses in Coventry and Lincolnshire. This episode will take you through what we know about this woman and will hint at the origins and growth of her legend through the middle ages and beyond.

Anna May Wong: International Star, Forgotten Icon

May 07, 2022 04:00 - 22 minutes - 52.5 MB

(Lucy) Ambitious, resilient, and internationally famous, Anna May Wong was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1930s. She had her first starring role in Hollywood before she was 20. She had also left Hollywood twice by the time she was 30, frustrated by the racism she faced as a Chinese-American woman. Throughout her career, she had to fight racism and censorship rules to get leading roles. But she also made international headlines for her performances on stage and screen. Though comparat...

The Gold Cure

April 23, 2022 04:00 - 26 minutes - 59.7 MB

(Josh) To know American History is to know the history of substance abuse. Whether alcohol, tobacco, or narcotics, Americans have sought the comfort of substances to ease the pains of the world and to "lubricate" life. And as long as there have been addicts in the United States, there have been others who claim to know the way out of addiction. At the end of the nineteenth century, Dr. Leslie Keeley claimed to have invented a cure to solve the addiction crisis he saw in the US. In order to d...

The Brothers York, Part II

April 09, 2022 04:00 - 23 minutes - 54.2 MB

(Christine) When we last left the Brothers York, Edmund was dead for several years, while Edward had become King Edward IV of England, Richard was his staunch ally, and George was imprisoned after periods of rebellion and dramatic behavior. In this episode, Christine picks up the narrative and discusses George’s fate, the end of Edward IV’s reign, the rise and fall of Richard III, and the end of the Wars of the Roses.

The Brothers York, Part I

March 26, 2022 04:00 - 21 minutes - 49.4 MB

(Christine) Richard, Duke of York, and his wife Cecily Neville had four famous sons: Edward, Edmund, George, and Richard. In this episode and the next, Christine will take a look at the lives of the four brothers whose lives were consumed by a fight for the crown known as the Wars of the Roses, and sometimes succeeded in winning it.

Sarojini Naidu: Beyond the Golden Threshold

March 12, 2022 05:00 - 16 minutes - 38.6 MB

(Lucy) Poet and activist, scholar and politician, Sarojini Naidu inhabited many roles. The daughter of privilege, she enjoyed an elite education... and defied her family in marrying for love. Before women students could receive degrees, she studied at universities in both India and England, including at Girton College, Cambridge. A gifted poet, she was known as the "Nightingale of India," and wrote about topics including her own experience of chronic illness. She was involved in activism and...

Blue Jeans and the American Dream: The Story of Levi Strauss

February 26, 2022 05:00 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MB

(Samantha) When his father died in 1846, Levi Strauss was left with few opportunities as a Jewish youth in his native Bavaria and so he left with his mother and sisters for New York where he joined his brothers’ modest dry good business. A few years later he moved to San Francisco to run the west coast branch of the family firm. Levi went on to build up a successful business and to become a well-respected, millionaire philanthropist while popularizing a new form of clothing: blue jeans.

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