Stuff You Missed in History Class

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SYMHC Classics: Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Nov 01, 2025

Show notes

This 2019 episode is about general Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, who sounds like a character out of one of his son’s books. His life was a series of dramatic and daring adventures, including his rise up through the ranks of the French military.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Villas and Tirades Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

Holly talks about the unsubstantiated stories associated with the Villa de Vecchi in northern Italy. Tracy talks about getting angry about a passage she read in Wednesday's show.

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Hammersmith Ghost Murder Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

In late 1803, accounts of ghost sightings began to circulate in Hammersmith, England. This led to a tragic event, and a legal case that revealed some limitations in existing English law.

Research:

“The case of the murdered ghost.” BBC News. January 3, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3364467.stm
“Fears of a Ghost and the Fatal Catastrophe.” The Morning Chronicle. Jan 5, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/394016127/?match=1&terms=Francis%20Smith
Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. “The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years.” Library of Congress Blog. In Custodia Legis. Law Librarians of Congress. Oct. 30, 2015. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/10/the-case-of-a-ghost-haunted-england-for-over-two-hundred-years/
Castle, Terry. “Phantasmagoria: Spectral Technology and the Metaphorics of Modern Reverie.” Critical Inquiry. Autumn, 1988, Vol. 15, No. 1.pp. 26-61. The University of Chicago Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1343603
“FRANCIS SMITH. Killing; murder. 11th January 1804..” Proceedings of the Old Bailey.
“The Hammersmith Ghost: London’s Paranormal Murder.” Discovery UK. Jan. 7, 2025. https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-hammersmith-ghost-londons-paranormal-murder/
“The Hammersmith Ghost.” Cambridge Chronicle and Journal. Jan. 14, 2804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/975790052/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
Kirby, R.S. “Kirby's Wonderful and Scientific Museum: Or, Magazine of Remarkable Characters, Volume 2.” 1804. https://books.google.com/books?id=ggMhkDz-33EC&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Medland, W.M. and Charles Weobly. “A Collection of Remarkable and Interesting Criminal Trials, Actions at Law, &c: To which is Prefixed, an Essay on Reprieve and Pardon, and Biographical Sketches of John Lord Eldon, and Mr. Mingay, Volume 2.” Badcock. January 1804. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=c5YuAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-c5YuAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1
Mitchell, Edwin Valentine, ed. “The Newgate calendar :
comprising interesting memoirs of the most notorious characters who have been convicted of outrages on the laws of England.” Garden City Pub. Co. 1926. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006759756
“Murder – Hammersmith Ghost.” The Bury and Norwich Post. Jan. 18, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/394552157/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
“The Reath Hammersmith Ghost.: The Bath Journal. Jan. 16, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/975620428/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
“Regine v. Gladstone Williams.” Transcript of the Shorthand Notes of Marten Walsh Cherer Ltd., 36-38 Whitefriers Street,
Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8BH. Telephone Number: 01-583 7635, Shorthand Writers to the Court. https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/1983/4.html

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Villa de Vecchi Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Today’s topic is an abandoned mansion, but it was once a gorgeous and luxurious home designed for a prominent citizen of northern Italy. It’s often described as haunted and as having a dark history, but there are some interesting contradictions regarding that story.

Research:

“Caravan Journal, the rediscovered manuscript. The Orient through the eyes of a forgotten Milanese patriot: Felice De Vecchi.” Arte.IT: The Map of Art in Italy. https://www.arte.it/calendario-arte/milano/mostra-giornale-di-carovana-il-manoscritto-ritrovato-l-oriente-attraverso-gli-occhi-di-un-patriota-milanese-dimenticato-felice-de-vecchi-4835
“Cesare Maria De Vecchi in Rhodes.” Palace of the Grand Master. https://grandmasterpalacerhodes.gr/cesare-maria-de-vecchi/
Claus, Patricia. “Mussolini's Old Villa on Rhodes Still on Real Estate Market.” Greek Reporter. July 17, 2020. https://greekreporter.com/2020/07/17/mussolinis-old-villa-on-rhodes-still-on-real-estate-market/
Britannica Editors. "Aleister Crowley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleister-Crowley
Frigo, Marco. “Villa De Vecchi: the haunted mansion inhabited by ghosts not far from Milan with a mysterious, dramatic and fascinating past.” Milano Segreta. Oct. 6, 2025. https://milanosegreta.co/en/villa-de-vecchi-ghost-mansion/
Linstrom, Emily. “Villa de Vecchi.” Atlas Obscura.
Lecco, Alberto, Foot, John. "Milan". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Milan-Italy
Linstrom, Emily. “Villa de Vecchi.” Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/villa-de-vecchi
“History of Milan.” Civitatis Milan. https://www.introducingmilan.com/history
Imam, Maham. “ATHENAEUM: Adaptive reuse of Villa De Vecchi into a public Library.” University of Management and Technology, Lahore. 2023. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j3dhAHK8v4i-vV_IkAB8WXWMXpCEP_BQ/view?pli=1
Philip, Lizzie. “The Real Story Behind Northern Italy’s Abandoned ‘Ghost Mansion.’” Atlas Obscura. Oct. 17, 2018. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ghost-mansion-in-northern-italy#:~:text=Place-,Villa%20de%20Vecchi,explore%20more%20Atlas%20Obscura%20videos.
Pitzalis, Bruno. “Step Inside an Abandoned ‘Ghost Mansion’ of Northern Italy. Atlas Obscura. Oct. 9, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTP2erZ7CBc&t=38s
Santarelli, Enzo. “DE VECCHI, Cesare Maria.” Biographical Dictionary of Italians. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/de-vecchi-cesare-maria_(Dizionario-Biografico)/
“Sidoli, Alessandro (1812-1855), Architekt, Maler und Graphiker.” Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon. Austrian Center for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage. (Translated.) https://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_S/Sidoli_Alessandro_1812_1855.xml
Smee, Taryn. “The Red House – Italy’s Most Haunted Villa Which Lies Abandoned and Off Limits.” The Vintage News. Nov. 20, 2018. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/11/20/villa-de-vecchi/
“Villa De Vecchi, Italy: A Timeless Masterpiece of Architectural Splendor.” Rethinking the Future. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/articles/villa-de-vecchi-italy

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SYMHC Classics: Aleister Crowley Oct 25, 2025

Show notes

This 2021 episode covers Aleister Crowley, a truly prolific and deliberately transgressive occultist whose practices included sex and drug use. He influenced modern Satanism, as well as other new religious movements.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Ghosts and Their Towns Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

Holly and Tracy talk about ghost experiences in their lives. Tracy thanks all the listeners who suggested ghost towns for this week's episode.

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Six Impossible Episodes: U.S. Ghost Towns Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

We've had a lot of listener requests related to ghost towns, so this Halloween season, we've got six places in the U.S. that could be labeled as such. But not not all are empty today.

Research:

Knutson, Julie. “The End of Centralia’s Abandoned, Colorful, Anarchic ‘Graffiti Highway.’” Atlas Obscura. 9/14/2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/centralia-graffiti-highway-buried
California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/BodieSHPFinalWebLayout2016.pdf
Severn, Carly. “This Ghost Town’s 'Curse' Isn't What You Think.” KQED. 7/12/2018. https://www.kqed.org/news/11640709/how-this-ghost-towns-curse-backfired-on-park-rangers
Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail. “The Mound at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.” https://alabamamoundtrail.org/mound-site/old-cahawba/
Alabama Historical Commission. “History of Old Cahawba.” https://ahc.alabama.gov/CahawbaHistoryFacts.aspx
Jones, James. “Cahawba Listed as One of World’s 10 Spookiest Ghost Towns.” Selma Times Journal. 10/19/2023. https://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2023/10/19/cahawba-listed-as-one-of-worlds-10-spookiest-ghost-towns/
Pykles, Benjamin C. “Iosepa, Utah’s Pacific Islander Pioneers.” Utah Historical Society. https://history.utah.gov/iosepa-utahs-pacific-islander-pioneers/
Chapman, Hannah. “Iosepa: Utah’s Little Hawai'i.” Intermountain Histories. https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/388
Fitisemanu, Nafanua. “Iosepa: Utah Ghost Town.” https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a9e6a54ef1124c4e80d8eecfac09263d
Schirer, David L. “Iospa.” Utah History Encyclopedia. https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/i/IOSEPA.shtml
Utah American Indian Digital Archive. “History: The Goshutes.” https://utahindians.org/archives/goshute/history.html
Atkin, Dennis H. “A History of Iosepa, the Utah Polynesian Colony.” https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4489/
Heinrich, Kieth. “Pithole City.” Pennsylvania Heritage. Fall 2015. https://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/pithole-city/
Comet, Jorge Navarro. “Pithole: The Rapid Rise and Sudden Fall of an Oil Boomtown.” AAPG. 7/1/2022. https://www.aapg.org/news-and-media/details/explorer/articleid/63602/pithole-the-rapid-rise-and-sudden-fall-of-an-oil-boomtown
Town of Jerome. “Jerome: Then and Now.” https://jerome.az.gov/jerome-then-and-now
Penn State. “Anthracite Coal Mining Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.” https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/anthracite
Turino, Mitchell. “Centralia Mine Fire.” Environment and Society. https://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/centralia-mine-fire
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “The Centralia Mine Fire” https://files.dep.state.pa.us/mining/Abandoned%20Mine%20Reclamation/AbandonedMinePortalFiles/Centralia/CentraliaFrequentlyAskedQuestions.pdf
Blakemore, Erin. “This Mine Fire Has Been Burning For Over 50 Years.” History. 5/27/2025. https://www.history.com/articles/mine-fire-burning-more-50-years-ghost-town
Currie, Tyler. “Zip Code 00000.” Washington Post. 4/2/2003. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2003/04/02/AR2005033108150.html
Lewis, Herbert J. “Cahaba.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 5/20/2008. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/cahaba/
Shahin, Alexandra Kennon. “Alabama's Ghost Capital.” 9/21/2018. https://countryroadsmagazine.com/travel/getaways/alabama-s-ghost-capital/
Alabama Tourism. “Tour of Old Cahawba.” 10/25/2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L18GAP-vQY
Splain, Shelby Weaver. “Pithole or Bust!” 7/24/2024. https://pahistoricpreservation.com/pithole-bust/

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Drury Lane Ghosts Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

This episode features several ghosts all associated with one place. And that place is a specific building with its own interesting history – the Theater Royal Drury Lane of London.

Research:

Appleton, William Worthen. “Charles macklin: An Actor’s Life.” Cambridge, Harvard University Press. 1960. https://archive.org/details/charlesmacklinac00appl/page/n11/mode/2up
Benjamin, Victor D. “The history of the theatres of London, from the year 1760 to the present time. Being a continuation of the Annual Register of all the new tragedies, comedies farces, pantomines that have been performed within that period. With occasional notes and anecdotes.” London. Printed for T. Becket. 1771. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/historyoftheatre00victiala/page/n7/mode/2up
Cibber, Colley. “An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber.” Chiswick Press, London. 1889. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/44064/pg44064.txt
“Dan Leno: A Victim to Overwork.” The People (London.) June 7, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/811209994/?match=1&terms=dan%20leno
“Dan Leno Dead.” New York Times. Nov. 1, 1904. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/01/101241446.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
Dickson, Andrew. “Inside the world's most haunted theatre.” The Guardian. Oct. 29, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/oct/29/most-haunted-theatre-ghosts-superstitions-theatre-royal-drury-lane
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Colley Cibber". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Colley-Cibber
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Dan Leno". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dan-Leno
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Drury Lane Theatre". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Drury-Lane-Theatre
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Thomas Killigrew". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Killigrew
“Ghost of Dan Leno.” The Register. (Adelaide, SA.) Dec. 15, 1923. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65060035
Hoge, Warren. “A Major New Role As Theater Mogul For Lloyd Webber.” New York Times. Jan. 10, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/10/arts/a-major-new-role-as-theater-mogul-for-lloyd-webber.html
"The humorous lieutenant, or, Generous enemies a comedy as it is now acted by His Majesties servants, at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A39804.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections.
“Interregnum (1649-1660).” The Royal Family. https://www.royal.uk/interregnum-1649-1660
“Leno, Dan, 1860-1904.” University of Sheffield Archives. https://archives.sheffield.ac.uk/agents/people/308?&filter_fields[]=subjects&filter_values[]=Wild+west
Lloyd, Arthur. “The Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Main Entrance situated on Catherine Street, Westminster, London.” Arthur Lloyd’s Music Hall. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DruryLane.htm#1
Maitland, Hayley. “Murder, Musicals, and Royal Romance: The History of Drury Lane, London’s Oldest—And Most Haunted—Theater.” Vogue. Sept. 14, 2023. https://www.vogue.com/article/the-history-of-drury-lane-londons-oldest-and-most-haunted-theater
Milhous, Judith, and Robert D. Hume. “The Drury Lane Actors' Rebellion of 1743.” Theatre Journal , Mar., 1990, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Mar., 1990), pp. 57-80. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3207558
Morley, Sheridan. “Theatre's Strangest Acts.” Robson Books. 2014.
Mullan, Kevin. “Charles Macklin (McLaughlin/MacLochlainn): The Donegal theatre radical and playwright who revolutionised Covent Garden in the 1700s.” Derry Journal. Sept. 24, 2024. https://www.derryjournal.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/charles-macklin-mclaughlinmaclochlainn-the-donegal-theatre-radical-and-playwright-who-revolutionised-covent-garden-in-the-1700s-4795038
“The Newly Renovated Theatre Royal Drury Lane Wins At The Stage Awards.” Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals. https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/news/the-newly-renovated-theatre-royal-drury-lane-wins-at-the-stage-awards
Planer, Nigel. “The Ghosts of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.” Huffpost. Feb. 10, 2014. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nigel-planer/nigel-planer-drury-lane-ghosts_b_4426092.html
Simon, Ed. “Here We Are Again!—How Joseph Grimaldi Invented the Creepy Clown.” JSTOR. May 4, 2022. https://daily.jstor.org/here-we-are-again-how-joseph-grimaldi-invented-the-creepy-clown/
Shand, John. “Drury Lane: London’s Oldest Theater. A Tercentenary?” The Guardian. July 8, 1939. https://www.newspapers.com/image/259462987/?match=1&terms=drury%20theatre%20ghost
Shipp, L. “Charles Fleetwood, the 1744 Drury Lane Riots, and Pricing Practices in Eighteenth-Century British Theatre.” Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 47: 405–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/1754-0208.12956.
“The Story So Far.” LW Theatres. https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/theatre-royal-drury-lane/about-theatre-royal-drury-lane/
“The Story So Far …” Theatre Royal Drury lane. https://thelane.co.uk/the-history
Wyatt, Benjamin Dean. “Observations on the design for the Theatre royal, Drury lane, as executed in 1812: accompanied by plans, elevation, & sections, of the same.” London, printed for J. Taylor. 1813. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=o58NAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-o58NAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1
Zagha, Muriel. “The Puritan Paradox.” The Guardian. Feb. 15, 2002. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/feb/16/artsandhumanities.highereducation

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SYMHC Classics: Three Hellhounds Oct 18, 2025

Show notes

This 2020 episode covers three of the many supernatural canines and hellhounds in our collective storytelling. Two are similar and from England, and one is a fun figure from southern Louisiana.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Bias 3DS Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

Holly asks follow-up questions about a paper Tracy mentioned in the episodes this week. Tracy talks about the use of the Nintendo 3DS as a Louvre guide.

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