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Alice Kyteler and the Kilkenny Witch Trials
Alice Kyteler's witchcraft trial shocked 14th century Ireland. Today, the charges against her are seen largely as nonsense, and more about personal v…
1 year ago
Three More Eponymous Diseases: Arthropod Bites
These diseases - West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - are named for the places where outbreaks happened. But they're als…
1 year ago
SYMHC Classics: S.S. Arctic
This 2014 episode covers the collision of the S.S. Arctic with another ship in a fog in 1854. The resulting panic led to the deaths of most of the pa…
1 year ago
Behind the Scenes Minis: The Grisly Shipwreck
Holly talks about the many survivor accounts of the Medusa shipwreck, which were questioned regarding bias and intent. There's also a follow-up on wh…
1 year ago
Géricault and the Raft of the Medusa (Part 2)
In the aftermath of the shipwreck, France was scandalized by what had happened as the details emerged. And artist Théodore Géricault became obsessed …
1 year ago
Medusa Shipwreck (Part 1)
The first episode of this two-parter covers the French mission to Senegal that the frigate Medusa led in 1816. Soon, the mission fell disastrously ap…
1 year ago
SYMHC Classics: Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars
This 2013 episode covers the years after the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War when the oyster supply became so scarce that people turned to oy…
1 year, 1 month ago
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 conte…
1 year, 1 month ago
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 …
1 year, 1 month ago
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 …
1 year, 1 month ago