Stuff You Missed in History Class

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Anne of Brittany Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

Anne of Brittany experienced a lot of loss from the time she was very young. As she aged and became more and more central to political events of her day, she remained dedicated to protecting the autonomy of the duchy of Brittany.

Research:

Britannica Editors. "Anne of Brittany". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Jan. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-of-Brittany
Abernethy, Susan. “Anne of Brittany.” Medievalists.net. https://www.medievalists.net/2016/05/anne-of-brittany-queen-of-france/
The History Blog. “Anne of Brittany’s heart reliquary returns to Blois.” 3/24/2014. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/29750
Colleter R, Bataille CP, Dabernat H, Pichot D, Hamon P, Duchesne S, et al. (2021) The last battle of Anne of Brittany: Solving mass grave through an interdisciplinary approach (paleopathology, biological anthropology, history, multiple isotopes and radiocarbon dating). PLoS ONE 16(5): e0248086. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248086
Francis II, duke of Brittany." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™, The Columbia UP, 2026. Gale OneFile: High School Edition, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A68575485/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=eb8754eb. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
Rorimer, James J. “The Unicorn Tapestries Were Made for Anne of Brittany.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin , Summer, 1942, New Series, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer, 1942). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3257087
"Queen's 'heart' stolen from museum; Nantes thieves trigger alarm but get away with the 15th-century Anne of Brittany reliquary." Daily Telegraph [London, England], 16 Apr. 2018, p. 14. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A534833092/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=2ca9a21e. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
"Anne of Brittany." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 29, Gale, 2009. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631009161/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=eed786f7. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
Cochrane-Wishart-Baillie, Constance Mary Elizabeth, Countess de la Warr. “A Twice Crowned Queen: Anne of Brittany.” London. Eveleigh Nash. 1906. https://archive.org/details/twicecrownedquee0000dela/
Sanborn, Helen J. “Anne of Brittany: The Story of a Duchess and Twice-crowned Queen.” Boston, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 1917. https://archive.org/details/anneofbrittanyst00sanb/
Kergourlay, Yann. “Anne of Brittany.” The Boleyn Files. 1/9/2014. https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/anne-brittany/
Nassiet, Michel. “Anne of Brittany.” Bécédia. 3/07/2023. https://bcd.bzh/becedia/en/anne-of-brittany

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SYMHC Classics: Princess Who Swallowed a Glass Piano Nov 07, 2026

Show notes

This 2013 episode covers Princess Alexandra Amelie of Bavaria who was frail and she exhibited unusual behavior. She told her parents that she had swallowed a glass piano as a child, and was afraid that she would shatter.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Onion Footprints Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

Tracy talks about how she came to love onions after disliking them as a child. Holly discusses her fear of heights, and questions evidence in Ludwig II's death.

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Bernhard von Gudden: Ludwig II’s Psychiatrist Nov 04, 2026

Show notes

Bernhard von Gudden was renowned as a reformer of asylums in Germany. But that legacy has been eclipsed by his part in getting King Ludwig II of Bavaria deposed.

Research:

Bhattacharyya, Kalyan B. “Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden and the Mad King of Bavaria.” Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology vol. 20,4 (2017): 348-351. doi:10.4103/aian.AIAN_489_16
Crossland, David. “Suicide of Mad Ludwig was murder, says film‑maker.” The Times of London. June 29, 2018. https://www.thetimes.com/world/article/suicide-of-mad-ludwig-was-murder-says-film-maker-2x9s8hnkl
Danek, A et al. “The dream king's psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden (1824-1886). A life committed to rationality.” Archives of neurology vol. 46,12 (1989): 1349-53. doi:10.1001/archneur.1989.00520480093026
Dalvi, Madhusudan. “The Fairy Tale King and His Royal Psychiatrist: The Contribution to Neuroscience of Dr Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden, Psychiatrist to King Ludwig II – Psychiatry in History.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 222.5 (2023): 187–187
“Death in Lake Starnberg.” Bavarikon. https://www.bavarikon.de/en/exhibitions/king-ludwig-ii-of-bavaria-life-legacy-legend/disempowerment-and-death/death-in-lake-starnberg
“The death of King Ludwig II.” Cambridge University Library. https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/germanic-collections/about-collections/spotlight-archive/death-king-ludwig
Diethelm, Oskar. AN HISTORICAL VIEW OF SOMATIC TREATMENT IN PSYCHIATRY. 1939. American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 95, no. 5, American Psychiatric Publishing, Mar. 1939, pp. 1165–1179, doi:1176/ajp.95.5.1165
“John Conolly.” Royal College of Physicians. https://history.rcp.ac.uk/inspiring-physicians/john-conolly
“Ludwig II. The Final Days of the Fairy Tale King: The Report.” Museum Starnberger See. https://www.museum-starnberger-see.de/en/exhibitions/upcoming/ludwig-ii/texts-and-audio-recordings/the-report
“Ludwig II. The Final Days of the Fairy Tale King: From the Autopsy Report of Ludwig II.” Museum Starnberger See. https://www.museum-starnberger-see.de/en/exhibitions/upcoming/ludwig-ii/texts-and-audio-recordings/autopsy-report
“Mad King Ludwig a Suicide.” The Philadelphia Times. June 15, 1886. https://www.newspapers.com/image/52212265/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJFUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjUyMjEyMjY1LCJpYXQiOjE3OTI1MjQ5OTQsImV4cCI6MTc5MjYxMTM5NH0.Y3yJW-PPNj0sg3HvMXT8ADdExIsxEbJ_2jQOnkNJPjDs_rHlGdri61QOCmh97k1NREVtpH0_u7oBOa_8sOWncQ
Müller, Jürgen L. “Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden, 1824–1886. 2002.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 159, no. 3, American Psychiatric Publishing, Mar. 2002, p. 379, doi:1176/ajp.159.3.379
Neumann, Conny. “Was ‘Mad’ king Ludwig Murdered?” Der Spiegel. Nov. 7, 2011. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/fresh-doubt-about-suicide-theory-was-mad-king-ludwig-murdered-a-515924.html
“OTTO, MAD MONARCH OF BAVARIA, DEAD; The End Came Suddenly at Fuerstenried Castle, Near Munich. INSANE FOR 43 YEARS Nominally Succeeded His Mad Brother Ludwig, but Never Exercised Royal Power.” New York Times. Oct. 13, 1916. https://www.nytimes.com/1916/10/13/archives/otto-mad-monarch-of-bavaria-dead-the-end-came-suddenly-at.html
Sarikcioglu, Levent. “Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden: an outstanding scientist.” Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry vol. 78,2 (2007): 195. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2006.106633
Steinberg, Reinhard, and Peter Falkai. “Was King Ludwig II of Bavaria misdiagnosed by Gudden and his colleagues?.” European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience vol. 271,4 (2021): 799-807. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01161-8
Taylor, Allen. “The 125th Anniversary of the Death of King Ludwig II.” The Atlantic. June 13, 2011. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/the-125th-anniversary-of-the-death-of-king-ludwig-ii/100085/
Workman, Charles. “Bernhard Von Gudden.” The British Medical Journal, vol. 2, no. 1336, 1886, pp. 285–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25268832. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Onion Futures Act Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

In the 1950s, two men tried to corner the market on onions on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and manipulate futures contracts. Then Congress took up legislation to expressly forbid contracts for the sale of onion futures.

Research:

Butz, Earl L. “VINCENT W KOSUGA, SAM S. SIEGEL, AND NATIONAL PRODUCE DISTRIBUTORS, INC.” Docket 73. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. CEA Cases. 6/18/1956. https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/idc/groups/public/@lrceacases/documents/ceacases/kosuga-jun1956-644.pdf
Chicago Tribune. “Chicago Onion Dealer Named for Price Fix.” 6/22/1956. Page 43.
Chicago Tribune. “Siegel Denies Manipulating Onion Futures.” 6/22/1956. Page 43.
Commodity Exchange Authority. “Futures Trading in Onions.” United States Department of Agriculture. December 1956.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “History of the CFTC.” https://www.cftc.gov/About/HistoryoftheCFTC/history_precftc.html
Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “VINCENT W. KOSUGA, SAM S. SIEGEL, AND NATIONAL PRODUCE DISTRIBUTORS, INC.” Decision and Order. 6/3/1960. https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/idc/groups/public/@lrceacases/documents/ceacases/kosuga-jun1960-555.pdf
Lambert, Emily. “The Futures: the Rise of the Speculator and the Origins of the World’s Biggest Markets.” Basic Books. 2011.
Miller, Rena S. “Introduction to Derivatives and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.” U.S. Congress. Report. 3/13/2025. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48451
Mininger, Wayne. “Public Comment: Agricultural Commodity Definition, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Final Rule: Pages 25-26.” SEC. https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-16-11/s71611-13.pdf
NPR Planet Money. “Episode 657: The Tale Of The Onion King.” 10/14/2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/10/14/448718171/episode-657-the-tale-of-the-onion-king
Romer, Keith and Robert Smith. “The tale of the Onion King (Update).” NPR Planet Money. 6/22/2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/22/1106861476/the-tale-of-the-onion-king-update
Romer, Keith. “The Great Onion Corner And The Futures Market.” NPR Planet Money/Morning Edition. 10/22/2015. https://www.npr.org/2015/10/22/450769853/the-great-onion-corner-and-the-futures-market
S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. “Vincent W. Kosuga, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Jack H. Kelly, Defendant-appellant, 257 F.2d 48 (7th Cir. 1958).” October 13, 1958. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/257/48/78496/
S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. “Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Tieken, 178 F. Supp. 779 (N.D. Ill. 1959).” 12/2/1959. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/178/779/1642330/
S. Supreme Court. “Kelly v. Kosuga, 358 U.S. 516 (1959).” 2/24/1959. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/358/516/
Warwick Valley Dispatch. “Vince Kosuga to be Named Pine Island Citizen of the ” 10/14/1987. https://www.pineislandny.com/Scrapbook/0048_sp_sm.pdf
Binghamton Press Bureau. “Both Engines Are Torn Off as Ship Makes Forced Landing.” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin. Page 1. 9/7/1948.
Roesch, Roberta Fleming. “Couple’s Success Recipe: ‘We Know Our Onions.’” Wilkes-Barre Record. Page 9. 10/23/1964.

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SYMHC Classics: Helen Duncan Oct 31, 2026

Show notes

This 2022 episode covers Helen Duncan, sometimes described inaccurately as Scotland’s last witch, or the last person imprisoned for witchcraft in Britain, or the last person to be tried under the UK’s 1735 Witchcraft Act.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: I Keep No Monkey Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

Tracy shares her surprise at discovering some of the details of Montague Summers's life. Holly talks about bickering within the Society for Psychical Research.

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Bealings Bells Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Major Edward Moor reported strange bell ringing at his home in Great Bealings in 1834. Was it a poltergeist, a hoax, or something else?

Research:

Briggs, Stacia, and Siofra Connor. “Weird Suffolk: Poltergeist activity at Great Bealings.” East Anglia Daily Times. Feb. 1, 2019. https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21445662.weird-suffolk-poltergeist-activity-great-bealings/
Britannica Editors. "Mysore Wars". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Mysore-Wars
Cohen, Daniel. “In Search of Ghosts.” Dodd, Mead. 1972. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5708323M/In_search_of_ghosts.
Hall, Trevor Henry. “New Light on Old Ghosts.” London. Gerald Duckworth & Co. 1965.
Moor, Edward. “Hindu Infanticide.” London. J. Johnson. 1811. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=W7YIAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-W7YIAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1
Moor, Edward. “The Hindu Pantheon.” London. 1810. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu58661581&seq=7
Moor, Edward. “Suffolk Words and Phrases: Or, An Attempt to Collect the Lingual Localisms of that County. 1823. J. Loder. London. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=6BMLAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-6BMLAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1
Moor, Edward. “Bealings Bells: The Suffolk Poltergeist Mystery.” Woodbridge. John Loder. 1841. (Reprint.)
Moor, Edward. “To the Editor of the Ipswich Journal.” Ipswich Journal. March 1, 1834. https://www.newspapers.com/image/390311876/?match=1&terms=Bealings&search-id=adc3c27c-67f1-4077-9a3e-ee9434b6159f&search-rank=6
Podmore, Frank. “On Poltergeists.” Journal of Society for Psychical Research. June 1899. https://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/wallace/zPodmore1899JSocPsyRes2.pdf
Stephen, Leslie, ed. “Dictionary of National Biography.” Volume 38. 1885-1900. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati38stepuoft
“To the Editor of the Ipswich Journal.” Ipswich Journal. March 8, 1834. https://www.newspapers.com/image/390311986/?match=1&terms=Bealings&search-id=89f037b5-7abe-4ea6-a92e-093ecb6de2e6&search-rank=2
Willin, M. “Trevor Hall.” Psi Encyclopedia. 2021. https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/trevor-hall

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Montague Summers Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Montague Summers wrote numerous books on witches, werewolves, vampires, black magic, and ghosts, and he edited and published numerous works and claimed to be a clergyman. But who was he, really?

Research:

"(Alphonsus) (Joseph-Mary Augustus) Montague Summers." Merriam Webster's Biographical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1995. Gale OneFile: Fine Arts, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1680086368/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=03e855eb. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.
Babcock, R.W. “The Reverend Montague Summers as Editor of Otway.” PMLA, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Sep., 1933). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/458356
Batley, Rebecca. “A Sacred Order for Sexual Outsiders.” G&LR. March-April 2025. https://glreview.org/article/a-sacred-order-for-sexual-outsiders/
Britannica Editors. "Oxford movement". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/event/Oxford-movement. Accessed 8 October 20
Davies, Robertson. "Summers, (Augustus) Montague [name in religion Alphonsus Joseph-Mary] (1880–1948), literary scholar, occultist, and eccentric." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 04, 2012. Oxford University Press. Date of access 7 Oct. 2026, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-39387
De Beer, E.S. “Mr. Montague Summers and Dryden's Essay of Dramatic Poesy.” The Review of English Studies , Oct., 1932, Vol. 8, No. 32 (Oct., 1932). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/508177
Doherty, Bernard. “From Decadent Diabolist to Roman Catholic Demonologist: Some Biographical Curiosities from Montague Summers’ Black Folio.” Literature & Aesthetics 30 (2) 2020.
Frank, Frederick S., editor. “Montague Summers : a bibliographical portrait.” Montague Summers : a bibliographical portrait. 1988.
Hillard, David. “UnEnglish and Unmanly: Anglo-Catholicism and Homosexuality.” Victorian Studies, Winter, 1982, pp. 181-210. https://anglicanhistory.org/academic/hilliard_unenglish.pdf
Hume, Robert D. “The Uses of Montague Summers: A Pioneer Reconsidered.” Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660-1700, Fall 1979. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43291376
Learning Services Team. “The Mysterious Montague Summers.” London Borough of Richmond and Thames Libraries. 10/31/2017. https://libraryblog.lbrut.org.uk/2017/10/montague-summers/
Montague Summers Papers, GTM-110501. Georgetown University Manuscripts. https://findingaids.library.georgetown.edu/repositories/15/resources/12229 Accessed October 07, 2026.
O'Sullivan, Gerard. “The Manuscripts of Montague Summers, Revisited.” Antigonish Review, Fall 2009, Issue 159.
Sugg, Richard. “Blood Libel: The Origins of a Conspiracy Theory.” History Today. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/blood-libel-origins-conspiracy-theory
Summers, Montague. “The Vampire In Europe True Tales Of The Undead.” With foreword by Father Brocard Sewell. University Books. 1968.
Summers, Montague. “The Vampire, His Kith and Kin.” New Hyde Park, N.Y., University Books. 1960.
"The mysterious Montague Summers." Bristol Post [Bristol, England], 14 Apr. 2020, p. 8. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675410096/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=28734f51. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.
Weeks, Jeffrey. “Coming Out: Homosexual Politics in Britain from the Nineteenth Century to the Present.” London. Quartet Books. 1977.
Workman, Richard et al. “British Sexological Society: An Inventory of Its Records at the Harry Ransom Center.” Harry Ransom Center. https://research.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadID=01214