Episodes
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Credit Cards
Credit cards are integral to the way we bank and shop today, but many of the technologies involved in their daily use were invented in the last 65 years. How did we get from written notes to track money owed for purchases to tap-and-go spending? Research: “15 U.S.C. United States Code, 2011...
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Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany experienced a lot of loss from the time she was very young. As she aged and became more and more central to political events of her day, she remained dedicated to protecting the autonomy of the duchy of Brittany. Research: Britannica Editors. "Anne of Brittany". Encyclopedia...
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SYMHC Classics: Princess Who Swallowed a Glass Piano
This 2013 episode covers Princess Alexandra Amelie of Bavaria who was frail and she exhibited unusual behavior. She told her parents that she had swallowed a glass piano as a child, and was afraid that she would shatter.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Onion Footprints
Tracy talks about how she came to love onions after disliking them as a child. Holly discusses her fear of heights, and questions evidence in Ludwig II's death.
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Bernhard von Gudden: Ludwig II’s Psychiatrist
Bernhard von Gudden was renowned as a reformer of asylums in Germany. But that legacy has been eclipsed by his part in getting King Ludwig II of Bavaria deposed. Research: Bhattacharyya, Kalyan B. “Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden and the Mad King of Bavaria.” Annals of Indian Academy of…
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Onion Futures Act
In the 1950s, two men tried to corner the market on onions on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and manipulate futures contracts. Then Congress took up legislation to expressly forbid contracts for the sale of onion futures. Research: Butz, Earl L. “VINCENT W KOSUGA, SAM S. SIEGEL, AND NATIONAL...
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SYMHC Classics: Helen Duncan
This 2022 episode covers Helen Duncan, sometimes described inaccurately as Scotland’s last witch, or the last person imprisoned for witchcraft in Britain, or the last person to be tried under the UK’s 1735 Witchcraft Act.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: I Keep No Monkey
Tracy shares her surprise at discovering some of the details of Montague Summers's life. Holly talks about bickering within the Society for Psychical Research.
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Bealings Bells
Major Edward Moor reported strange bell ringing at his home in Great Bealings in 1834. Was it a poltergeist, a hoax, or something else? Research: Briggs, Stacia, and Siofra Connor. “Weird Suffolk: Poltergeist activity at Great Bealings.” East Anglia Daily Times. Feb. 1, 2019....
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Montague Summers
Montague Summers wrote numerous books on witches, werewolves, vampires, black magic, and ghosts, and he edited and published numerous works and claimed to be a clergyman. But who was he, really? Research: "(Alphonsus) (Joseph-Mary Augustus) Montague Summers." Merriam Webster's Biographical...
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SYMHC Classics: William Palmer
This 2021 episode covers William Palmer, who was convicted in 1855 as a poisoner though there wasn't any hard evidence.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Delayed News
Tracy talks about the frequency of news from research institutions getting reported years after the fact. She also clears up a misunderstanding Holly had about a painting that was discussed this week.
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Unearthed! in October 2026, Part 2
Part two of the autumn 2026 edition of Unearthed! kicks off with the catch-all potpourri category, then covers edibles and potables, shipwrecks, art, and Halloween-appropriate topics. Research: Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “Henry VIII’s dissolution enforcer stashed Catholic manuscript – its lost...
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Unearthed! in October 2026, Part 1
Part one of this autumn edition of Unearthed! covers updates, medical finds, animals, and lots books and letters. Research: Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “Henry VIII’s dissolution enforcer stashed Catholic manuscript – its lost pages have just been rediscovered.” EurekAlert. 9/16/2026....
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SYMHC Classics: Original Six Impossible Episodes
This 2015 kickoff to the Six Impossible Episodes series features Stagecoach Mary, Edward Mordrake, Robert the Haunted Doll, the London Beer Flood, the Lost Army of Cambyses and La Maupin.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Pistols and Candy Corn
Holly shares an odd detail about the red barn murder case. She and Tracy also discuss the way Forrest Mars may have affected the way his father's life is described.
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Eponymous Foods: Full Bars
This installment of the eponymous foods series covers candy bars, including Snickers, Mars Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and some side mentions of other candies. Research: “Behind the Bar.” Snickers. https://www.snickers.com/our-story Brenner, Joel Glenn. “Life on Mars: The Mars family saga…
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Red Barn Murder
In the spring of 1828, a news story broke in Suffolk, England about the horrific murder of Maria Marten. Her paramour was the only suspect, but he evaded authorities for some time before he was captured and put on trial. Research: Curtis, J. “AN AUTHENTIC AND FAITHFUL HISTORY OF THE MYSTERIOUS...
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SYMHC Classics: Giordano Bruno
This 2022 episode covers Giordano Bruno, a mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, occultist, and according to the Catholic church of 16th-century Italy, a heretic. He met a bad end because of his views, but he started out as a friar.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Martian Skulls
Tracy ponders how Sara Weiss knew some of the things she knew and whether her husband characterized her as less informed than she was. Holly talks about a possible relative of Theophilus Brome.
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Two Screaming Skulls
Screaming skull lore is something that is unique to Britain, though specific skull lore varies. The first episode has roots in the English Civil war, and the second is tied to colonialism in the Caribbean and the slave trade. Research: Berry, Helen. “Exclusion Crisis: Challenging James II’s Right...
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Sara Weiss’s Journeys to the Planet Mars
Sara Weiss wrote a lengthy account of life and afterlife on Mars, a place she said she visited through psychic travels starting in 1892. Research: Calanchi, A. (2024). “Renewed in health”: Meeting Giordano Bruno on planet Mars. Between, 14(27), 93-109. https://doi.org/10.13125/2039-6597/5444...
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SYMHC Classics: Charles Colchester
This 2021 episode covers Colchester, who claimed to be psychic and may have warned President Abraham Lincoln that he was going to be assassinated.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Lager, Ale, Emo Girl
Tracy talks about how the beer riots may sound silly, but were underpinned by serious issues. Holly talks about the Elizabeth Fry’s daughters polishing their mother’s image when publishing her diaries.
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Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry is lauded as an early 19th century prison reformer. But she had no formal background or training in prison or social work. Research: BREED, ANNA. “ELIZABETH FRY.” Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), vol. 13, no. 3, 1882, pp. 21–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27906270 Britannica...
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Two Beer Riots
The Munich Beer Riot of 1844 was a reaction to the price of beer set by the Bavarian government. The Lager Beer Riot took place in Chicago in 1855, and was a response to municipal policies put in place by mayor Levi Boone that targeted the city’s Catholic and immigrant populations. Research:...
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SYMHC Classics: Nuclear Close Calls
This episode from 2017 covers several moments in history when the world came perilously close to a full-scale nuclear war, due to false alarms or miscommunication.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Busses and Overpasses
Holly and Tracy unpack the accusation that Robert Moses purposely built overpass bridges too low for busses to drive under them as a way to keep Black New Yorkers away from Jones Beach.
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Robert Moses and the Shaping of New York, Part 2
The second part of our two-parter on Robert Moses looks at the vast amount of power he amassed in New York’s government, and the many controversies that surrounded the second half of his career. Research: “15% OF THE FAIR STILL UNFINISHED; 15 Pavilions and 3 Shows in Amusement Area Delayed.” New...
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Robert Moses and the Shaping of New York, Part 1
Robert Moses is responsible for so much of the infrastructure of New York, including parks, bridges, highways and more. And he remains a divisive figure. The first part of this two-parter covers his rise in New York government. Research: “15% OF THE FAIR STILL UNFINISHED; 15 Pavilions and 3 Shows...
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SYMHC Classics: Eradication of Smallpox
This 2021 episode covers smallpox, a viral disease that has existed for millennia. But it’s now one of only two diseases that’s been eradicated through human activity, and a global plan was enacted to do it.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Progressive Medicine
Holly talks about the lack information about Pinel’s family, and how much she’d like to see Oscar Wilde use social media. Tracy discusses the way the Cooley episode narrowed down the scope of her originally planned topic.
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Coley's Toxins and the Origins of Immunotherapy
William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy. Research: Ahuja, Sana and Sufian Zaheer. “The evolution of cancer immunotherapy: a comprehensive review of its history and current perspectives.” Korean…
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Philippe Pinel
Pinel’s work is considered the precursor to psychiatry. In the late 18th century, he overhauled the asylum system of Paris with his groundbreaking ideas about mental health. Research: Bicêtre Hospital. https://hopital-bicetre.aphp.fr/lhopital Boullerne, A.I., et al. “The origins and early history...
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SYMHC Classics: Flexner Report
This 2020 episode covers the Flexner Report, which is often credited with changing the medical field and shaping what medical education looks like today. But this document negatively impacted medicine in the Black community.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Paddles and The British Museum
Tracy and Holly talk about corporal punishment in schools and student loans. Tracy relays her experience at the British Museum.
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Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal was the ruler of the Assyrian empire in the 7th century BCE. His 38-year reign was marked by both scholarship and a terrifying brutality. Research: "Babylon." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2025....
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Six Impossible Episodes: Back-to-Court
This episode takes a quick look at six U.S. Supreme Court cases that all have to do with the rights of children in public primary and secondary schools. Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/374/203 Bowman, Kristine. “West Virginia...
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SYMHC Classics: Olympe de Gouges
This 2021 episode covers Olympe de Gouges, known primarily for her 1791 pamphlet “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen.” But her writing and political activity went far beyond that one pamphlet.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Percy Theories
Holly shares additional details of Percy Fawcett's life, including theories about his interest in spiritualism leading him to some odd conclusions.
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Percy Fawcett, Manuscript 512, and a Lost City in the Amazon, Pt. 2
The second part of Percy Fawcett's story delves into his fascination with a document known as Manuscript 512 and how it impacted his life. His obsession led to his disappearance; there has been endless speculation about what exactly happened. Research: Biello, David. “Ancient Amazon Actually…
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Percy Fawcett, Manuscript 512, and a Lost City in the Amazon, Pt. 1
Fawcett’s life has invited controversy and speculation, because he was a man who did a mix of great and shady things. Part one covers his early life, marriage, military service, and early visits to South America. Research: Biello, David. “Ancient Amazon Actually Highly Urbanized.” Scientific...
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SYMHC Classics: Swill Milk
This 2021 episode covers a period of time when the milk supply in New York was anything but appetizing and wholesome – it was often deadly. But efforts to address the problem were blocked by corrupt officials.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Mary, Beulah, Baby Alive
Tracy shares a story of looking for an article in the wrong historical journal. Holly reads a section of the U.S. flag code, and waxes rhapsodic about toys.
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Beulah Louise Henry
Beulah was such a prolific inventor in the early 20th century that the press nicknamed her Lady Edison. She was an outlier as an unmarried woman who got her foot in the door as an inventor by pounding the pavement in 1920s New York. Research: Bengtson, Harlan H. “Beulah Louise Henry.” EBSCO.…
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Mary Mallon & Typhoid Revisited
Mary Mallon became known as Typhoid Mary in the early 20th century. She has often been vilified in in modern references, though her story is actually quite complex. Research: "Mary Mallon." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 21, Gale, 2001. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,...
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SYMHC Classics: Astronaut Origins of Food Safety
This 2022 episode examines the development of a systematic approach to food safety, which 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.
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Behind the Scenes Minis: Morocco and Bavaria
Tracy and Holly talk about their time visiting Chefchaouen during their Morocco trip. Holly shares her belief that secret societies don't work very well.
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Adam Weishaupt and the Bavarian Illuminati
The reality of the Bavarian Illuminati is much less dramatic than conspiracy theories would indicate. It wasn’t a mystical organization, but a protest organization formed by a rather conceited man who was frustrated with the Catholic church. Research: Britannica Editors. "illuminati".…
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Sayyida al-Hurra, Moroccan Queen
A lot of European accounts of Sayyida al-Hurra’s life characterize her as a pirate, but that really isn't accurate. She was a a leader of a city-state and a queen of a sultanate. Research: Ali, Adam. “The Pirate Queen of the Mediterranean: The Story of Al-Sayyida al-Hurra.” Medievalists.net....