Episode 23: Before Chatty Cathy, Edison Gave Us the Ultimate Creepy Doll
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Release Date: 10/02/2018
Episode 34: The Government Program that Imprisoned "Promiscuous" Women
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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. Have you ever heard of the American Plan?
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Episode 33: This Influential Female Author and Anthropologist Blazed a Trail for Women
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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?
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Episode 32: This Strange Civil Disturbance Changed How Americans Study Medicine
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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 grave robbing, came under scrutiny. Have you ever heard of the New York Doctors Riot?
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Episode 31: Before Modern Medicine, These Female Healers Cured What Ailed
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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. They passed down the gifts of folk healing and soul healing through the generations. Have you ever heard of the Ozarks' Granny Women?
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Episode 30: The Mysterious Life and Supposed Murder of Vincent van Gogh
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Vincent van Gogh's expressive paintings hide an aching heart that longed for love and normalcy, the relentless bout of “fits” he suffered, and the mental anguish of a tormented soul. Although many chapters of his life have already been examined under a contemporary light, it’s the ending, with still untold secrets, that could change history. Have you ever heard of the mysteries surrounding Vincent van Gogh?
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Episode 29: All You've Needed to Know and Then Some Since 1818
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Throughout history there have been countless methods for forecasting the weather. In 1818, David Young, a poet and astronomer from Morristown, New Jersey, launched a publication that would help take the guesswork out of this tricky task...and more. Have you ever heard of the Farmers’ Almanac?
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Episode 28: A Doctor Claimed the Springs Could Cure in This Lost Missouri Town
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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 healing waters. Have you ever heard of the lost town of Bethesda?
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Episode 27: The Flying Santas Who Airdrop Christmas Cheer to America’s Lighthouse Keepers
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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? Credit: I’d like to give a huge thanks to the Friends of Flying Santa for their dedication and generosity in keeping this good-will tradition alive. If you’d like to donate to this wonderful cause, please visit their website at . This story on Narratively. Sources: ; Tague, Brian, Friends of Flying Santa; Retrieved November...
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Episode 26: This Double-Crossing General Deceived America and Walked Away
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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 even said, "In all our history, there is no more despicable character.” Have you ever heard of James Wilkinson?
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Bonus Episode: A Thanksgiving Ghost Story
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
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. This is a Thanksgiving ghost story…
info_outlineBefore Chatty Cathy made us flinch, the Wizard of Menlo Park not only perfected the lightbulb, he also gave us a creepy humanoid with a nightmarish shrill. Have you ever heard of Thomas Edison’s talking dolls?
Credit:
For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Israel, the director and general editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University and Patrick Feaster, a three-time Grammy nominee and specialist in the history, culture, and preservation of early sound media, including Edison’s recordings.
Sources:
Origins of Sound Recording: Edison's Path to the Phonograph; Feaster, Patrick; Thomas Edison National Historic Park; Retrieved September 2018.
Edison Talking Doll Recordings, 1888-1890; National Park Service; Retrieved September 2018.
Edison: A Life of Invention; Israel, Paul; John Wiley & Sons; February 11, 2000.
Thomas Edison’s Greatest Inventions; Bellis, Mary; ThoughtCo.; September 24, 2018.
Thomas Edison’s Creepiest Invention: The Talking Doll; Hartzman, Mark; Weird Historian; May 10, 2017.
Listen to the creepy voices of Thomas Edison’s talking dolls; Starr, Michelle; C/NET; May 5, 2015.
Hear Edison Talking Doll Sound Recordings; Thomas Edison National Historic Park; Retrieved September 2018.