In the United States, the war against women took a particularly dark and secretive turn in the early 1900s—around the start of World War I. Under a government-sponsored “social hygiene” campaign, to protect newly recruited soldiers, tens of thousands of women were arrested on “suspicion” of having a venereal disease. Sex workers were the prime targets,…
Episodes
Episode 33: This Influential Female Author and Anthropologist Blazed a Trail for Women
This trailblazer became the most successful and significant black woman writer of the first half of the 20th century. In the 1970s, during the second wave of feminism, Alice Walker helped revive interest in this pioneer’s writings, bringing them back to public attention. Have you ever heard of Zora Neale Hurston? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: It was a…
Episode 32: This Strange Civil Disturbance Changed How Americans Study Medicine
In the US, doctors are held in high esteem. But that wasn’t always the case. There was time when the medical field was riddled with controversy and public scrutiny. Tensions between the world of medicine and society reached a boiling point in New York City during April of 1788, when resurrection, the common practice of…
Episode 31: Before Modern Medicine, These Female Healers Cured What Ailed
In the days before modern medicine, the sick, injured, and expecting often relied on community healers to perform the services of doctors and midwives. Women largely fulfilled these roles. Whether their practices were rooted in scripture, nature, or common sense, there’s no denying their quintessential place in the history of medicine. Have you ever heard…
Episode 30: The Mysterious Life and Supposed Murder of Vincent van Gogh
On July 27, 1890, a painter sustained a single gunshot wound to the abdomen and died a few days later. This infamous event has carried through time as a suicide. After his death, the deceased became one of history’s most iconic and celebrated artists. Yet, we are only now learning the truth about his life…
Episode 29: All You’ve Needed to Know and Then Some Since 1818
Throughout history there have been countless methods for forecasting the weather. In 1818, David Young, a poet and an astronomer from Morristown, New Jersey, launched a publication that would help take the guesswork out of this tricky task…and then some. Have you ever heard of the Farmers’ Almanac? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: Peter Geiger, publisher and editor…
Episode 28: A Doctor Claimed the Springs Could Cure in This Lost Missouri Town
Greene County, Missouri was once home to many bustling communities that slowly withered away. One town had quite an intriguing story. There it was said the springs could cure; that a bit of heaven had fallen to earth. A respected doctor even banked his future on the town’s medicinal wonders. Have you ever heard of…
Episode 27: The Flying Santas Who Airdrop Christmas Cheer to America’s Lighthouse Keepers
In the 1920s, one aviation pioneer launched a thank-you project for the families that keep coastal ships safe. He propelled a goodwill tradition that’s lasted longer than he ever imagined. One that has lasted to this day… Have you ever heard of the Flying Santas? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: I’d like to give a huge thanks…
Episode 26: This Double-Crossing General Deceived America and Walked Away
After the Revolutionary War, at a pivotal moment when Washington and Spain were fighting for control of North America, one American war hero deflected from honor and signed a secret allegiance with Spain. President Theodore Roosevelt said, “In all our history, there is no more despicable character.” Have you ever heard of James Wilkinson? DOWNLOAD NOW…
Bonus Episode: A Thanksgiving Ghost Story
For years, on Thanksgiving, one former railroad worker from Pennsylvania told his family a chilling tale. Well, they thought it was a tale—a grandiose and macabre account almost certainly rooted in fiction. Yet, as the story traveled through generations, the family would discover that some ghosts lead to the truth; that some of our darkest…