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Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

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14 JUL 2025 · Commercially available sewing patterns have been a cornerstone of home stitching for a century. But well before they existed, there were people trying to share sewing patterns. Research:
- Alcega, Joan de. “Libro de geometria, practica y traça.” Madrid.1580. Accessed online:https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_07333/
- Aldarondo, Abner. “A Master Tailor’s Manual.” Folger Shakespeare Library. Jan. 10, 2023. https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/a-master-tailors-manual/
- Bertrand, J.E. “Descriptions des arts et métiers faites ou approuvées.” l'Imprimerie de la Société Typographique. 1780. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=SAWFeeXzMgYC&rdid=book-SAWFeeXzMgYC&rdot=1
- Boullay, Benoit. “Le Tailleur Sincère, Contenant Ce Qu'il Faut Observer Pour Bien Tracer, Couper.” (Reproduction.) Hachette Livre Bnf. 2012.
- Buckley, Cheryl. “On the Margins: Theorizing the History and Significance of Making and Designing Clothes at Home.” Journal of Design History, vol. 11, no. 2, 1998, pp. 157–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1316192
- Crane, Ellen Bicknell. “Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts.” Lewis Publishing Company. 1907. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=nfhSZxL8bTEC&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- Crossland, Samantha R. “Made in Minneapolis, sewn all over the world.” Hennepin History. 2021, Vol. 80, No. 2. https://hennepinhistory.org/from-the-magazine-made-in-minneapolis/
- Demorest, Ellen. “The Question of Labor. Women’s Work and Wages.” New York Times. Nov. 18, 1863. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1863/11/18/78710875.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
- “The Educational Legacy of Simplicity Pattern Company.” Simplicity Patterns. September 2024. https://simplicity.com/blog/the-educational-legacy-of-simplicity-pattern-company
- Emery, Joy Spanabel. “A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution.” Bloomsbury Visual Arts. 2020.
- Freyle, Diego de. “Geometria Y Traça Para El Oficio De Los Sastres.” Sevilla, Spain. 1588. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/1588-geometria-y-traca-para-el-oficio-de-los-sastres/page/n1/mode/2up
- Johnson, Susan. “’Madame’ Demorest—The Woman at the Top of a 19-Century Fashion Empire.” Museum of the City of New York. April 15, 2020. https://www.mcny.org/story/madame-demorest-woman-top-19-century-fashion-empire
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Ebenezer Butterick". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ebenezer-Butterick
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ellen Louise Curtis Demorest." Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/money/Ellen-Louise-Curtis-Demorest
- “Demorest’s Illustrated Monthly and Mme. Demorest’s Mirror of Fashions.” April 1865. https://ia802801.us.archive.org/8/items/demorestsillustr00newy/demorestsillustr00newy_bw.pdf
- “Design Group Americas Voluntarily Files for Chapter 11 Protection, Initiates Sale Process Aimed at Maximizing Value Through Going Concern Transactions.” BusinessWire. July 3, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250703734892/en/Design-Group-Americas-Voluntarily-Files-for-Chapter-11-Protection-Initiates-Sale-Process-Aimed-at-Maximizing-Value-Through-Going-Concern-Transactions
- “Joseph M. Shapiro of Simplicity, 79.” New York Times. July 31, 1968. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/07/31/76959179.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
- “Millinery.” New York Times. Nov. 7, 1853. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20309463/?match=1&terms=%22Mme.%20Demorest%22
- “The 40’s from The War Effort to The New Look - Championing Fashion that Matters.” Simplicity Patterns. September 2024. https://simplicity.com/blog/vogue-patterns-an-evolution-of-american-style
- Queen, James and William Lapsley. “The Tailor’s Instructor.” Philadelphia. 1809. Accessed online: https://dn790007.ca.archive.org/0/items/taylorsinstructo00quee/taylorsinstructo00quee.pdf
- Reyes-Martinez, Marcos A. “The Vara: A Standard of Length With a Not-So-Standard History.” National Institute of Standards and Technology. Oct. 11, 2019. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/vara-standard-length-not-so-standard-history
- Walsh, Margaret. “The Democratization of Fashion: The Emergence of the Women’s Dress Pattern Industry.” The Journal of American History, vol. 66, no. 2, 1979, pp. 299–313. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1900878
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12 JUL 2025 · This 2020 episode examines how the U.S. got to the point of having one resource, specifically for poisoning, that’s so reliable and available that it gets printed on the labels of consumer products.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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11 JUL 2025 · Tracy and Holly talk about their favorite pens, and Tracy describes a unique radio she had as a child.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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9 JUL 2025 · Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it. Research:
- Armstrong, Edwin H. “Frequency Modulation and Its Future Uses.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 213, 1941, pp. 153–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1024069
- Armstrong, Edwin H. “Personalities in Science.” Scientific American, vol. 154, no. 1, 1936, pp. 3–3. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26144367
- “First public radio broadcast.” Guinness World Records. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/381969-first-public-radio-broadcast
- “FM Inventor Dies in Fall.” The Patriot News. Feb. 2, 1954. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1094174282/?match=1&terms=%22Edwin%20Howard%20Armstrong%22
- Lessing, Lawrence P.. "Edwin H. Armstrong". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edwin-H-Armstrong
- Lessing, Lawrence P. “Man of High Fidelity: Edwin Howard Armstrong.” Bantam. 1969.
- Lessing, Lawrence P. “The Late Edwin H. Armstrong.” Scientific American, vol. 190, no. 4, 1954, pp. 64–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24944524
- “Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Volume 5.” Institute of Radio Engineers. 1917. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=YEASAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- “Radio Broadcast.” Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922-1930. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858044013914&view=1up&seq=277
- “Telephoning Without Wires.” The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Oct. 20, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/29125618/?match=1&terms=audion%20%22de%20Forest%22
- Tsividis, Yannis. “Edwin Armstrong: Pioneer of the Airwaves.” Columbia Magazine. April 1, 2002. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/edwin-armstrong-pioneer-airwaves
- Turner, H. M. “Dr. Edwin H. Armstrong, Edison Medalist.” The Scientific Monthly, vol. 56, no. 2, 1943, pp. 185–87. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/17796
- “What’s the Difference Between AM and FM Radio?” National Inventors Hall of Fame. Aug, 16, 2023. https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/difference-between-am-fm
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7 JUL 2025 · Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint? Research:
- "pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2Fpen%2F59036&ebboatid=9265652. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
- "Pen." UXL Science, UXL, 2008. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2646000736/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=52ede570. Accessed 27 May 2025
- “Patent of Mr. Frederick Bartholomew Folsch, of Oxford street, for improvements on instruments, and pens, to facilitate writing.” https://archive.org/details/jstor-30072521/mode/2up
- Bayley, Stephen. “Obituary: Baron Marcel Bich.” The Independent. 6/1/1994. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-baron-marcel-bich-1419867.html
- Bourque, Joseph. “The Waterman Pen.” American Heritage. Jul/Aug92, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p30.
- Brachmann, Steve. “The Evolution of Modern Ballpoint Pen: A Patent History.” IP Watchdog. 12/10/2014. https://ipwatchdog.com/2014/12/10/the-evolution-of-modern-ballpoint-pen-a-patent-history/id=52550/
- Cross, Alonzo T. “Stylographic Pen.” U.S. Patent 232804. 10/5/1880.
- Daniels, Maygene. “The Ingenious Pen: American Writing Implements from the Eighteenth Century to the Twentieth.” The American Archivist , Summer, 1980, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Summer, 1980). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40292316
- Di Nardo, Sam. “When was the Fountain Pen Invented: A Brief History.” Dayspring Pens. 1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/when-was-the-fountain-pen-invented-a-brief-history-1
- Di Nardo, Sam. “Who Invented the Ballpoint Pen?: A Brief History.” Sayspring Pens. s1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/who-invented-the-ballpoint-pen-history?srsltid=AfmBOopQR061KHIKpgm_a0a0IHiTSiY_V-ahwIFQxU5MYzLLQ5vpHjXv
- Dowling, Stephen. “The cheap pen that changed writing forever.” BBC. 10/29/2020. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
- German Patent and Trademark Office. “László Biró´s 125th birthday.” https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/inventionsthatmadehistory/kugelschreiber/index.html
- Laszlo, Josef Biro. “Writing Instrument.” U.S. patent 2390636. 12/11/1945.
- Loud, J.J. “Pen.” U.S. Patent 392046. 10/30/1888.
- National inventors Hall of Fame. “Laszlo Josef Biro.” https://www.invent.org/inductees/laszlo-josef-biro
- Riesberg, Van Vechton. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 1171652. 2/15/1916.
- Rothman, Lily. “Why the Invention of the Ballpoint Pen Was Such a Big Deal.” Time. 10/29/2015. https://time.com/4083274/ballpoint-pen/
- The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. “#236 Birome Ballpoint Pen Collection.” https://www.asme.org/about-asme/engineering-history/landmarks/236-birome-ballpoint-pen-collection
- Waterman, L.E. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 293545. 2/12/1884.
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5 JUL 2025 · This 2022 episode starts with the story of John Bibb, credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth. See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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4 JUL 2025 · Holly discusses the inscription on the Beachamps' headstone and the court of public opinion. Tracy shares information about Wilfred Owen's brother Harold.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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2 JUL 2025 · Wilfred Owen is considered one of the most important English-language poets of World War I. His work also part of a shift in how many British poets were writing about war. Research:
- Bonellie, Janet. “A Portrait of Robert Ross.” Canada’s History. 6/12/2019. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/a-portrait-of-robert-ross
- British Broadcasting Corporation. “Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale.” 2007.
- Cannon, Jean. “Censorship in Surprising Places: Uncovering the Letters of Wilfred Owen.” Not Even Past. Ransom Center. 4/21/2014. https://notevenpast.org/censorship/
- Crossman, AM. “THE HYDRA, Captain AJ Brock and the Treatment of Shell-shocked in Edinburgh.” J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2003; 33:119–123.
- Earlam, R. “Shell-shock: A history of the changing attitude to war neurosis.” BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 316,7145 (1998): 1683A. doi:10.1136/bmj.316.7145.1683a
- Hibberd, Dominic. “Wilfred Owen.” Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2002.
- Imperial War Museums. “British Field Service Postcard, First World War.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205131476
- Jones, Edgar. “Shell Shocked.” American Psychological Association. Vol. 43, No. 6. June 2012. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/shell-shocked
- Jones, Nigel. "Anthem for groomed youth: Wilfred Owen's troubling obsession." Spectator, vol. 336, no. 9880, 6 Jan. 2018, p. 12. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A524739265/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=62e62ece. Accessed 11 June 2025.
- Lee, Stuart. “The Last Days of Wilfred Owen.” Oxford News Blog. 10/23/2018. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/last-days-wilfred-owen
- Onion, Amanda. “Poet Wilfred Owen killed in action.” History.com. 1/30/2025. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-4/poet-wilfred-owen-killed-in-action
- Poetry Foundation. “Wilfred Owen.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen
- Stallworthy, Jon. "Owen, Wilfred Edward Salter (1893–1918), poet." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 01, 2017. Oxford University Press. Date of access 11 Jun. 2025, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-37828
- Van Mierlo, Wim. “Wilfred Owen 100 years on: poet gave voice to a generation of doomed youth.” The Conversation. 11/4/2018. https://theconversation.com/wilfred-owen-100-years-on-poet-gave-voice-to-a-generation-of-doomed-youth-106014
- Webb, Thomas E F. “'Dottyville'--Craiglockhart War Hospital and shell-shock treatment in the First World War.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 99,7 (2006): 342-6. doi:10.1177/014107680609900716
- "Wilfred Owen." Poetry Criticism, edited by Michelle Lee, vol. 102, Gale, 2010. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CYPYNF967921623/LitRC?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=cb1d6e7f. Accessed 27 May 2025.
- "Wilfred Owen." World War I Reference Library, edited by Sara Pendergast, et al., vol. 2: Biographies, UXL, 2002, pp. 111-117. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3411700047/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c3bea6b3. Accessed 27 May 2025.
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30 JUN 2025 · The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder. Research:
- Beauchamp, Jereboam O. “The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp (written by himself) who was executed at Frankfort, Ky., for the murder of Col. Solomon P. Sharp, a member of the legislature, and late attorney-general of Ky. To which is added some poetical pieces written by Mrs. Ann Beauchamp, who voluntarily put a period to her existence on the day of the execution of her husband, and was buried in the same grave with him.” H.T. Goodsell. Kentucky. https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sat1109
- “Beauchamp’s Trial.” The Frankfort Argus. May 10, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1040984938/?match=1&terms=beauchamp
- Bruce, Dickson D. “The Kentucky Tragedy: A Story of Conflict and Change in Antebellum America.” Louisiana State University Press. 2006.
- Coleman, J. Winston, Jr. “THE BEAUCHAMP - SHARP TRAGEDY: An Episode of Kentucky History During the Middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. Frankfurt, KY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9&format=plaintext
- Coleman, J. Winston. “The Beauchamp-Sharp tragedy; an episode of Kentucky history during the middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9
- Cooke, J.W. “THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL SOLOMON P. SHARP PART 1: UPRIGHTNESS AND INVENTIONS; SNARES AND NETS.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 72, No. 1. January 1998. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/72-1-3_The-Life-and-Death-of-Colonel-Solomon-P.-Sharp-part-1-Uprightness-and-Inventions-Snares-and-Net_Cooke-J.W..pdf
- “Horrible Assassination.” The Frankfort Argus. Nov. 9. 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044971148/?match=1&terms=solomon%20sharp
- Jillson, Willard Rouse. “THE BEAUCHAMP—SHARP TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 36, no. 114, 1938, pp. 54–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23371707
- Kimball, William J. “The ‘Kentucky Tragedy:’ Romance or Politics.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 48. 1974. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/48-1-3_The-Kentucky-Tragedy-Romance-of-Politics_Kimball-William-J..pdf
- “The Murderer od Col. Sharp.” Republican Banner. Nov. 28, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/603858007/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp
- “The Mutilated Act.” Lexington Weekly Press. June 20, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1183393429/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp
- “Romantic 1825 Tragedy.” Kentucky Historical Society. https://history.ky.gov/markers/romantic-1825-tragedy
- Schoenbachler, Matthew G. “Murder and Madness: The Myth of the Kentucky Tragedy.” University Press of Kentucky. 2009.
- Gates, W. B. “William Gilmore Simms and the Kentucky Tragedy.” American Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, 1960, pp. 158–66. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2922674
- “To the Public.” Woodstock Observer and Windsor and Orange County Gazette. Aug, 29, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/489194545/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp
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28 JUN 2025 · This 2014 episode covers transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. She became famous, in part, for participating in the Stonewall riots, and she spent her life campaigning bravely, stridently and vocally for the rights of gay and transgender people.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.
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