All Episodes

Ep. 61: When I was probably 14 years old, some close friends of mine found a litter of kittens in the woods. They had been feeding the mother who, though technically feral, was tame enough to stop in for a daily meal. Roxy, that’s what they named her, would come by to eat and then stalk back into the woods behind the empty lot next door. They began to think of her as their cat, their pet, and they became curious about where she kept disappearing to. She always seemed to head

Ep. 60: March 28, 1841, Boston, Massachusetts, Dorthea Dix clutches a bible in one hand and a travel worn briefcase in the other. She glances up at the intimidating brick facade of the East Cambridge Jail as she approaches. A former teacher, now retired thanks to some timely inheritance money, Dorthea has agreed to teach Sunday School to the female convicts housed within. This is a jail so she’s expecting, of course, to find criminals serving sentences for breaking the law. W

Ep. 59: Hawaii sits 2,400 miles away from the United States mainland, its nearest major landmass. 2,400 miles, making it the most isolated population center on Earth. With beautiful beaches, lush vegetation, and comfortable year round temperatures, Hawaii is the quintessential island paradise. Just hearing the word paradise is enough to evoke visions of palm trees, hula dancers, and hibiscus flowers. Its earliest inhabitants had discovered a true utopia when they pulled their

Ep. 58: From crusty French baguettes to Mexican corn tortillas, Indian naan to Greek pitas, bread is one of the most universal foods. Every country in the world enjoys some form of bread. But bread is so much more than a tasty international food staple. Its significance throughout history is profound. Often thought of as a gift from the gods across cultures, it’s a measure of one’s value as a human, one’s ability to eat, to survive. This importance can be seen in a myriad of

Ep. 57: Marilyn Monroe is an iconic figure across time and space. Few celebrities have captured the public’s attention spanning as many generations as Marilyn. Mention her name to a 90 year old or a 9 year old and they will likely both be familiar, immediately evoking images of platinum blonde curls, beauty marks, and that white dress, flapping in the updraft of a New York City subway grate. But did you know, despite this familiarity, despite being almost universally known, n

Ep. 56: The word cannibal probably first brings to mind an island of savage tribesmen ripping men limb from limb to roast and consume in some sort of barbaric tribal ritual. Maybe your mind goes instead to the depraved serial killer sort of Cannibal, the Hanibal Lecters. Or legions of undead Zombies, arms outstretched, jaws unhinged, desperate to sink their rotting teeth into the living. Whatever comes to mind, it’s dark. Cannibalism, or more specifically, anthropophagy, the

Ep. 55: Easter is the foundation of the Christian religion. It commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and whether or not you believe this story is the difference between being a Christian and not being a Christian. It’s the single defining event of that religion. So Easter is a very religious holiday. But it also has a historical side. Today, I want to dig into the historical side of Easter. What do we actually know about crucifixion, a form of executio

Ep. 54: The summer of 1940 was a terrifying time to be British. After years of dragging their feet, hoping to avoid another costly war so soon after World War I, Britain was now facing the consequences of procrastination. France, their only ally, had just fallen to Germany whose Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, seemed intent on world domination. He would not stop with France and everyone knew it. Britain was a sitting duck, and now they were utterly alone. Something had to be don

Ep. 53: When you think of Ireland, what comes to mind? Probably the color green, shamrocks leprechauns, Guinness, bagpipes? All of these things are commonly associated with Ireland because of one holiday - St. Patrick’s Day. But what if I told you that Saint Patrick’s official color was actually blue? That bagpipes are actually Scottish, not Irish and that, in Ireland, it was illegal to sell beer on St. Patrick’s day until 1961. What if I told you that Saint Patrick, the man

Ep. 52: In 1845, something strange started happening in Ireland. Potato plants were suddenly dying. Their leaves and stems turned black and shriveled up as if scorched. Terrified farmers began digging up potatoes from the ground, their hearts pounding in their chests, knowing full well the devastation that would ensue if the crops failed. They sighed with relief as they pulled the soil caked lumpers from the Earth. They were fine. The potatoes were fine. For a day or two. The

Ep. 51: Tucked away under a layer of dust lies a stack of handwritten papers, a century old. They are disheveled, out of order, their thin corners curling up with age. Some might call them trash. But to Sue Burns, this seemingly worthless bundle of dust is a treasure - an entire life, just waiting to be told. Sifting through the now disintegrating pages, Sue pauses, running her finger across one line in particular. The words faded and smeared with age, it reads “it is but a c

Ep. 50: The year is 1864, Elizabeth Van Lew sits in her 3 story southern mansion in the prestigious Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. She glances out the window in the direction of the Confederate White House just blocks away and taps her fingers nervously upon the table. Just then, a door clicks open and a woman slips in, her dark skin shimmering with beads of sweat. She’s had to exercise restraint to keep from running the the one mile distance between the Whit

Ep. 49: Buffalo Soldiers were African American men who served in the US military, specifically in the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. But really they did so much more than that. We’ll come back to that. Let me go back even farther real quick though. So, prior to 1866 Black men could only serve in the military during times of war, to defend the country. They couldn’t voluntarily join the military during times of peace. During the Rev

Ep. 48: Saint Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday celebrated every year on February 14th, mostly just in North America, the UK, France, and Australia. It’s a day for red roses and heart shaped boxes of chocolates, love letters, and romantic candlelit dinner dates. School children exchange little paper valentines with cartoon characters and cringy puns, carefully selected for each classmate so as not to send the wrong message. It’s fun and lighthearted, a warm and welcome re

Ep. 47: In New Orleans, Louisiana, just on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, you’ll find Jackson square. It’s an imposing landmark. The all white facade and majestic turrets of St. Louis Cathedral tower over a beautifully manicured circular garden, the fairytale-like grandeur of it masking the centuries old site of public executions and military parades. In the center of the square is a statue of President Andrew Jackson on horseback, hero of the Battle of New Orleans and

Ep. 46: My husband is a drummer. He’s in a band called Zack Mexico, if you want to check them out, by all means. But for years, every September I made the 3 and a half hour drive west to Raleigh, North Carolina to attend the Hopscotch Music Festival downtown. Zack Mexico was often part of the festival, or sometimes we just went for fun. I think I probably went 5 or 6 years in a row until I had kids and then, well you know how that goes. Anyway, every year, we stayed at what w

Ep. 45: You step out of a bright yellow taxi cab onto a busy sidewalk. Someone a few cars back honks their horn impatiently as you hurriedly pay the driver and make your way down the street, shaded by the height of towering skyscrapers that block out the sunlight, casting countless pedestrians and an endless stream of cars in eternal dimness punctuated only by the overly bright artificial lights of signs and billboards. You join the din of people hurrying this way and that, w

Ep. 44: Just north of Atlanta, Georgia lies Lake Lanier. It’s the largest lake in Georgia with clear, calm water that glistens as it gently laps against tree lined banks. It’s serene, peaceful, picturesque, a natural beauty nestled in the lush forests of the deep south. But did you know, there’s nothing natural about Lake Lanier? Nothing peaceful either. Did you know that just below the water, nestled forgotten at the bottom of the lake lies the ruins of Oscarville, Georgia,

Ep. 43: On a small wooden panel measuring just 30 inches by 21 inches, is the image of a woman. She’s not particularly beautiful. She’s pretty plain and dull. She gazes out at something to her left, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, her right hand resting on top of her left, her body slightly turned as if she’s in motion, twisting around to look at someone who has just called her name. She wears a thin veil over dark hair. There’s nothing spectacular ab

Ep. 42: As the clocks ticked down to midnight on December 31st, 1999, as each final second of the last millennium slipped away, people all over the world collectively held their breath. If all the hype was to be believed, if the Y2K threats were real, their New Years merrymaking - the fireworks, the champagne, the confetti - might all come crashing down amidst terror and chaos, the apocalypse. Would the power go out? Would planes fall out of the sky? Would there be some giant