Stuff You Missed in History Class

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SYMHC Classics: P.A.R.C. and Mills Jan 10, 2026

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This 2015 episode covers the lack of access to public education for children with disabilities in the U.S. until 1975.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Bad Goals and Spirit Clothes Jan 09, 2026

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Tracy discusses film ratings and the bias behind them. Talk then turns to clothing in the afterlife.

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Jean Baptiste: Grave Robber at Large Jan 07, 2026

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Jean Baptiste's crime of robbing graves shocked Salt Lake City in the 1860s. This history mystery offers insight into the way a community deals with the unthinkable.

Research:

Devitry-Smith, John. “The Saint and the grave Robber.” BYU Studies Quarterly. Volume 33, Issue 1. January 1, 1993. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2856&context=byusq
“Exciting and terrifying Occurences.” The Deseret News. Jan. 22, 1862. https://www.newspapers.com/image/286318980/?match=1&terms=%22moroni%20clawson%22
“A Gruesome Tale.” Salt Lake herald. April 2, 1893. https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=11053821
Ison, Yvette D. “Unsolved Mysteries in Utah—The Bizarre Case of Grave Robber Jean Baptiste.” History Blazer. March 1995. Utah History to Go. https://historytogo.utah.gov/jean-baptiste/
Morgan, Dale L. “The Great Salt Lake.” New York. Bobbs-Merrill. 1947.
“Robber of the Dead.” Deseret Evening News. May 27, 1893. https://www.newspapers.com/image/73717015/?match=1&terms=jean%20baptiste%20grave%20robber
Van Leer, Twyla. “HISTORY OF GRAVE ROBBER IS BURIED IN MYSTERY.” Deseret News. May 30, 1995. https://www.deseret.com/1995/5/30/19215360/history-of-grave-robber-is-buried-in-mystery/
Watt, G.D. “Remarks by President Brigham Young, Tabernacle, Feb. 9th, 186.” The Deseret News. March 26, 1862. https://www.newspapers.com/image/286319797/?match=1&terms=%22baptiste%22

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Two 504 Figures: Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax were key players in the 1977 sit-ins which pressured the Department of Health and Human Services to establish policies to implement section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.

Research:

R.8070 - Rehabilitation Act of 1973. https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/8070
Grim, Andrew. “Sitting-in for disability rights: The Section 504 protests of the 1970s.” National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/sitting-disability-rights-section-504-protests-1970s
“Celebrating Kitty Cone: 1944-2015.” https://dredf.org/celebrating-kitty-cone-1944-2015/
Feingold, Lainey. “Disability Rights Leader Kitty Cone Dies at 70.” BeyondChron. 3/23/2015. https://beyondchron.org/curtis-kitty-cone-disability-rights-hero-dead-at-70/
Gardiner, Kathryn S. “Forgotten Foremothers: Kitty Cone - Disability Activist.” League of Women Voters of Indiana. 7/9/2022. https://www.lwvin.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=42001&item_id=77659
Lu, Wendy. “Overlooked No More: Kitty Cone, Trailblazer of the Disability Rights Movement.” New York Times. 3/26/2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/obituaries/kitty-cone-overlooked.html
Center for Learner Equality. “Brad Lomax – Uniting the Civil Rights and Disability Rights Communities.” https://www.centerforlearnerequity.org/news/brad-lomax-uniting-the-civil-rights-and-disability-rights-communities/
Essien, Markus, director and producer. “Renegades: Brad Lomax.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/brad-lomax-documentary/33589/
Connelly, Eileen AJ. “Overlooked No More: Brad Lomax, a Bridge Between Civil Rights Movements.” New York Times. 7/20/2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/obituaries/brad-lomax-overlooked.html

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SYMHC Classics: Andrew Crosse Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

This 2021 episode covers Andrew Crosse, who observed a strange thing happening on an electrified rock in his lab in the early 1800s, and was catapulted into the public spotlight.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Bullet Journal Dinosaur Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Holly and Tracy talk about the pros and cons of self-help writing and whether Ben Franklin would like bullet journaling. They then talk about a past trip they took to Walt Disney World.

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New Year’s Eve Iguanodon Party Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.

Research:

Cain, Joe. “New Year’s Eve Dinner in the Iguanodon at Crystal Palace 31 December 1853.” https://profjoecain.net/dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-dinosaurs/
Cain, Joe. “Top Questions About New Year’s Eve Dinner in Iguanodon at Crystal Palace.” https://profjoecain.net/top-questions-about-new-years-eve-dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-mould-sculpture/
Carlson, Laura. “Episode 5: A Victorian Dinosaur Dinner.” The Feast. https://www.thefeastpodcast.org/episode-5-a-victorian-dinosaur-dinner
Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “Dinner in the Iguanodon.” 7/21/2013. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/dinner-in-the-iguanodon
Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “How were the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs made?” 5/13/2016. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/how-were-the-crystal-palace-dinosaurs-made
Routledge & Co., publishers. “Routledge's guide to the Crystal Palace and park at Sydenham.” Crystal Palace. 1854. https://archive.org/details/routledgesguidet00grou/
Geological Society of London Blog. “The First Dinosaurs’ Dinner.” 4/15/2021. https://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/2021/04/15/the-first-dinosaurs-dinner/
Hawkins, B. Waterhouse. “On Visual Education, As Applied to Geology.” Journal of the Society of Arts. Vol. II No. 78. 5/19/1854.
Illustrated London News. “The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham.” 1/7/1854. https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1854-01-07_24_662/page/21/mode/1up
McCarthy, Steve. “The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: The Story of the World’s First Prehistoric Sculptures.” The Crystal Palace Foundation. 1994.
McCarthy, Steve. "Hawkins, Benjamin Waterhouse (1807–1894), natural history artist and sculptor." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 5 Dec. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54370
Osterloff, Emily. “The world's first dinosaur park: what the Victorians got right and wrong.” Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/crystal-palace-dinosaurs.html
Owen, Richard. “Geology and inhabitants of the ancient world.” Crystal Palace Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/geologyinhabitan00owen
Peck, Robert McCracken. "The art of bones: British artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who sparked dinosaur mania in the nineteenth century, still influences how natural history museums represent prehistoric life today." Natural History, vol. 117, no. 10, Dec. 2008, pp. 24+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A189832561/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f6c80589. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Phillips, Samuel. “Guide to the Crystal Palace and Park.” Crystal Palace Library. 1854. https://archive.org/details/guidetocrystalpa00phil_0
Rack, Yannic. “How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology.” Smithsonian. 8/29/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/
The History Press. “The Victorian dinner inside a dinosaur.” https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-victorian-dinner-inside-a-dinosaur/
Witton, Mark and Ellinor Michel. “Crystal Palace dinosaurs: how we rediscovered five missing sculptures from the famous park.” The Conversation. 5/20/2022. https://theconversation.com/crystal-palace-dinosaurs-how-we-rediscovered-five-missing-sculptures-from-the-famous-park-182573

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Self-help Books Throughout History Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.

Research:

Brady, Diane. “Charles Manson’s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.” Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-22/charles-mansons-turning-point-dale-carnegie-classes
Britannica Editors. "Lunyu". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunyu
Britannica Editors. "Norman Vincent Peale". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Vincent-Peale
Carnegie, Dale. “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” London. Vermillion. Digital: https://dn720004.ca.archive.org/0/items/english-collections-1/How%20To%20Win%20Friends%20And%20Influence%20People%20-%20Carnegie%2C%20Dale.pdf
Fairbanks, Douglas. “Laugh and Live.” New York. Britton Publishing Company. 1917. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12887/pg12887.txt
Fontaine, Carole R. “A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 44, no. 3, 1981, pp. 155–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209606
Franklin, Benjamin. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY. 1916. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#X
Battiscombe G. “THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAH-HOTEP AND THE INSTRUCTION OF
KE'GEMNI: THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.” London. John Murray. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30508/30508-h/30508-h.htm
Lilienfeld, Scott O. and Hal Arkowitz. “Can positive thinking be negative?” Scientific American. May 1, 2011. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-positive-thinking-be-negative/
Ray, J. D. “Egyptian Wisdom Literature.” Wisdom in Ancient Israel. Ed. John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 17–29.
Stableford, Brian. “Samuel Smiles.” Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/samuel-smiles
Seneca, Lucius Annaius, and Garth D. Williams (tr.). “On the Shortness of Life.” https://ia601705.us.archive.org/25/items/SenecaOnTheShortnessOfLife/Seneca%20on%20the%20Shortness%20of%20Life.pdf
Tabor, Nick. "Dale Carnegie". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dale-Carnegie

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SYMHC Classics: Paul Julius Reuter Dec 27, 2025

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This 2019 episode covers Paul Julius Reuter, who had a knack for filling in the gaps in communication systems, and making a lot of money doing so.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Journalism Carols Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

Holly talks about the ways Joseph Medill could be both problematic and surprising. Tracy shares her additional thoughts on the book about caroling she used during research that wasn't always about caroling.

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