Stuff You Missed In History Class

Ada Coleman was head bartender at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London in the early 20th century. She created a cocktail that is still served today, and she's an enduring icon of the bartending industry.  Research: The Ada Coleman Project. https://theadacolemanproject.com/about/ Allison, Keith. “Spies at the Savoy Part One.” Alcohol Professor. Oct. 5, 2016. https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2016/10/05/spies-at-the-savoy-part-one Allison, Keith. “Spies at the Savoy Part Three.” Alcohol Professor. October 14, 2016. https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2016/10/14/spies-at-the-savoy-part-three “American Bar.” Savoy London. https://www.thesavoylondon.com/restaurant/american-bar/#:~:text=The%20American%20Bar%20first%20opened,World's%2050%20Best%20Bars%202017. Bell, Emily. “Ada Coleman: One Of History’s Most Famous Female Mixologists.” Vinepair. March 17, 2016. https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/ada-coleman/ Bryant, Miranda.

Helen McNicoll was a Canadian painter who had a significant influence on the rise of Impressionism in that country. McNicoll, who lost her hearing in childhood, was quite successful as an artist, though her career and life were short.  Research: Anderson, Jocelyn. “William Brymner: Life & Work.” Art Canada Institute. https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/william-brymner/biography/ Atanassova, Katerina. “Helen McNicoll: In Search of Light.” National Gallery of Canada. 5/4/2023. https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/your-collection/helen-mcnicoll-in-search-of-light Babbs, Verity. “Painting Bought for $2,700 Revealed to Be $390,000 Masterpiece.” Artnet. 10/23/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/fake-or-fortune-helen-mcnicoll-painting-2557012 Burton, Samantha. “Helen McNicoll: Life and Work.” Art Canada Institute. https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/helen-mcnicoll/biography/ Canadian Women Artists History Initiative. “MCNICOLL, Helen Galloway.” https://c

This 2016 episode looks at the beginning of Denmark's monarchy and its link to two large rune stones at Jelling. Is it possible that the stones were part of an effort on Harald Blátand's part to revise the history of his parents, Gorm and Thyre?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy talks about the way she usually handles names in episodes, and how Icelandic naming conventions changes that. Holly discusses the way that one leader’s petulance can lead nations into unnecessary conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Isles of Scilly were part of one of the longest wars in human history, but the main reason for the length of the very mild conflict was lagging paperwork. Research: “335-year-old War Ends for Scilly Isles.” Star Tribune. April 18, 1986. https://www.newspapers.com/image/188704902/?match=1 “The breakdown of 1641-2.” UK Parliament. https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/civilwar/overview/the-breakdown/ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Isles of Scilly". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/Isles-of-Scilly-islands-England-United-Kingdom Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Bishops’ Wars". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Jun. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Bishops-Wars Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Long Parliament". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Jun. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Long-Parliament Daniel Lysons, Samuel Lysons, 'The Scilly Isl

Jón Arason was the last Catholic bishop in Iceland before it became a Lutheran country. His story involves a lot of gory details in this story including a pretty gruesome beheading. Research: Buck, Thomas. “An Icelandic Martyr: Jón Arason.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, vol. 46, no. 182, 1957, pp. 213–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30103574. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025. Cunningham, Jack. “Jón Arason, ‘the last Icelander’ and the Coming of the Reformation to Iceland,” Reformation & Renaissance Review, 11:3, 245-273, DOI: 10.1558/rrr.v11i3.245.” Gunnarsson, Gisli. “Question: Is it really true that all Icelanders are descended from Jón Arason, the last Catholic bishop of Iceland, who was executed in 1550?” The Islandic Web of Science. 3/5/2005. https://www.why.is/svar.php?id=4789 Ker, W.P. “JÓN ARASON.” Saga-Book, 1913-1914, Vol. 8 (1913-1914), pp. 149-171. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stabl

This 2018 episode covers Christine de Pizan, who wrote verse, military manuals, and treatises on war, peace and the just governance. She was the official biographer of King Charles V of France and wrote about Joan of Arc in her lifetime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the spiky parts of Tamara de Lempicka's life story. They also discuss how Isaac Pitman benefitted from his association with a bible publisher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have been writing in abbreviated ways as long as writing has existed. In the 19th century, Isaac Pitman developed – and marketed – a system of shorthand that became widely adopted. Research: Baker, Alfred. “The Life of Sir Isaac Pitman.” London. Pitman. 1919. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/centenlifeofsiri00bakeuoft/page/34/mode/2up Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir Isaac Pitman". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isaac-Pitman Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Pitman shorthand". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Apr. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pitman-shorthand Miller, Genesie. “A Brief on Shorthand.” Utah Division of Archives and Records. April 11, 2023. https://archives.utah.gov/2023/04/11/a-brief-on-shorthand/ “Sir Isaac Pitman.” The Vegetarian. 1895. https://archive.org/details/vegetarianmonthl00unse_0/page/122/mode/2up?q=sir+isaac Pitman, Benn. “Sir Isa

Tamara de Lemicka was a trailblazer with an incredible, fresh style that really defined and influenced the development of Art Deco. She lived a life that was focused on originality, both artistically and personally. Research: Bade, Patrick. “Lempicka.” Parkstone International. 2020. Brown, Mark. “Georgia O’Keeffe flower painting sells for record-breaking $44.4m.” The Guardian. Nov. 20, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/nov/20/georgia-okeeffe-painting-world-record-price-art-woman#:~:text=Georgia%20O'Keeffe%20flower%20painting%20sells%20for%20record%2Dbreaking%20%2444.4m,-This%20article%20is&text=A%20painting%20of%20a%20white,the%20Georgia%20O'Keeffe%20piece. De Lempicka-Foxhall, Kizette. “Passion by Design.” Abbeville Press. New York. 2020. 2nd Edition. MacCarthy, Fiona. “Artist of the Fascist superworld: the life of Tamara de Lempicka.” The Guardian. May 14, 2004. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/may/15/art Mori, Gioia,

This 2022 episode covers Peter Roget, a doctor and scientist who really liked putting things into classification systems. His life was very dramatic well before he came up with the book that is his legacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy expands on her frustration with coverage of the Petra find. She then discusses selecting topics for Unearthed! that delight her, and Holly shares a personal unearthing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Continuing the end of year 2024 edition of Unearthed!, this installment includes these categories: potpourri, edibles and potables, and books and letters Research: Giuffrida, Angela. “Painting found by junk dealer in cellar is original Picasso, experts claim.” The Guardian. 10/1/2024. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/oct/01/painting-found-by-junk-dealer-in-cellar-is-original-picasso-experts-claim Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “‘Horrible’ Painting Found by a Junk Dealer Could Be a Picasso Worth $6 Million.” ArtNet. 10/1/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/junk-dealer-picasso-2545786 Kuta, Sarah. “This Shipwreck’s Location Was a Mystery for 129 Years. Then, Two Men Found It Just Minutes Into a Three-Day Search.” Smithsonian. 9/30/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-shipwrecks-location-was-a-mystery-for-129-years-then-two-men-found-it-just-minutes-into-a-three-day-search-180985165/ Peru murals https://archaeology.org/news/2024/10/01/a

This first installment the end of year 2024 edition of Unearthed! starts with updates, so many shipwrecks, and so much art. Research: Giuffrida, Angela. “Painting found by junk dealer in cellar is original Picasso, experts claim.” The Guardian. 10/1/2024. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/oct/01/painting-found-by-junk-dealer-in-cellar-is-original-picasso-experts-claim Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “‘Horrible’ Painting Found by a Junk Dealer Could Be a Picasso Worth $6 Million.” ArtNet. 10/1/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/junk-dealer-picasso-2545786 Kuta, Sarah. “This Shipwreck’s Location Was a Mystery for 129 Years. Then, Two Men Found It Just Minutes Into a Three-Day Search.” Smithsonian. 9/30/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-shipwrecks-location-was-a-mystery-for-129-years-then-two-men-found-it-just-minutes-into-a-three-day-search-180985165/ Peru murals https://archaeology.org/news/2024/10/01/additional-moche-murals-uncover

This 2021 episode covers two women rulers of 11th-century Constantinople. Sometimes Zoë ruled alongside one of her husbands, sometimes she and Theodora ruled together, and in the end, Theodora ruled alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly talks about Mary Lease's racism, and the barriers to accessing the one biography that really examines it. Tracy traces the steps she took into the rabbit hole of Mary McLeod Bethune's birth and family story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator, activist, and civil servant who dedicated her entire life to the pursuit of racial and gender equality. Her impressive legacy includes schools, legislation, and the formation of the Women's Army Corps. Research:  Architect of the Capitol. “Mary McLeod Bethune.” https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/mary-mcleod-bethune-statue Bethune, Mary McLeod. “Dr. Bethune's Last Will & Testament.” Bethune-Cookman University. https://www.cookman.edu/history/last-will-testament.html Bethune, Mary McLeod. “Mary McLeod Bethune: Building a Better World: Essays and Selected Documents.” Indiana University Press. 1999. Brewer, William M. “Mary McLeod Bethune.” Negro History Bulletin , November, 1955, Vol. 19, No. 2 (November, 1955), p. 48, 36. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44212916 "Bethune, Mary Mcleod." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by John Hartwell Moore, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 166-167

Mary Elizabeth Lease was a progressive political activist who fought big business, worked on behalf of the common man, and believed strongly in the importance of third parties in the U.S. political system. But there are also some really problematic parts of her story and ideology. Research: Barnes, Donna A. “Farmers’ Alliance.” Texas State Historical Association. Jan. 1 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/farmers-alliance Bauer, Pat. "Farmers’ Alliance". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Sep. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Farmers-Alliance Bentson, Sarah. “Mary Elizabeth Lease.”       March 1, 2022. “Bryan’s Cross of Gold and the Partisan Battle over Economic Policy.” University of Virginia, Miller Center. https://millercenter.org/bryans-cross-gold-and-partisan-battle-over-economic-policy#:~:text=On%20this%20day%20in%201896,silver%20standard%20for%20U.S.%20currency “Concerning a Mortgage.” New

This 2021 episode covers G.J. Griffith, who today is associated with the Los Angeles park and the observatory. But during his time, Griffith was associated with other things: real estate, social climbing, and a horrifying domestic abuse scandal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about sewing machines in their lives. Tracy talks about how she thought hangover research would be easy, but it turned out to be quite challenging. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.