Footnoting History

(Host: Jessica)  On the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis, sugar, slavery, and empire shaped the childhood of future Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and the early married life of naval hero Horatio Nelson. From bustling Charlestown streets to windswept plantation estates, this episode of Footnoting History uncovers how a so‑called “forgotten spot in the Caribbean” became the backdrop for global stories of revolution and war.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy) The life of Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone was a remarkable one. It was also a life surrounded by myths, many of which she created herself. This episode explores the career of a Cherokee-Creek woman who lived through the violence of US expansion, forged a musical career that took her to the Metropolitan Opera and the Hollywood Bowl, and helped to create an enduring center for the study of Native American cultures and history.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ben)  One of the most famous members of the Corps of Discovery Expedition (aka, the Lewis and Clark Expedition) was a four legged 150-pound Newfoundland named Seaman. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we take a look at one dog’s remarkable journey, and learn about the lives of working dogs in the early years of the Republic.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ted) On April 19th, 1775, colonial militia battled the British regulars at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in what would become the first conflict of the American Revolution. But what if I were to tell you that the first shots were actually fired months before, in December 1774? And not in Massachusetts at all, but in New Hampshire. Join me in this episode of Footnoting History, as we dive into the capture of Fort William and Mary, and the first shots of the American Revolution not heard round the world.

(Host: Kristin) A hidden storeroom in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo was the repository for old, worn out manuscripts.  For centuries, a wide variety of writings were deposited and then lay untouched. Explore a medieval time capsule and learn why historians are so excited about a trash heap this week on Footnoting History!     For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy)  Alexander was heir to a small kingdom, and became ruler of multiple worlds, uniting the Greek archipelago with the territories of Persia, and creating an empire that spanned continents, reaching across the Mediterranean into Egypt as well as to the edge of the Himalayas. Now. How did the eastern Mediterranean – and central Asia – transform from the world of Athens and Persia to the world of Alexander?   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha) Over the past nine millennia, people have made beer out of rice, berries, barley, wheat, hops, corn, honey, and even bananas. Join us on Footnoting History as we skim over the evolving and fascinating history of beer from its origins straight into the modern period.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Kristin) Celebrate the end of 2025 with our annual selection of historical stories about the holiday season!  

(Host: Kristin) You know it and love it, but did you realize who was responsible for bringing macaroni and cheese into your life? Learn about James Hemings, the enslaved man who traveled to France and trained in French cuisine, this week on Footnoting History!  For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha) In 1847, the idea that a woman could be a medical doctor was absurd. Some thought it couldn’t be done. Others accepted the premise that a woman could learn to be a physician, but suggested such a woman would need to disguise herself as a man and go study far away where no one would recognize her – France, perhaps. But for Elizabeth Blackwell that defeated the purpose. Her goal was to prove that a woman could do anything a man could do. And once she got her medical degree, she set to work helping other women, starting with her sister Emily, follow in her footsteps.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Sam, and Kristin)  ​It's the spookiest time of the year and we are here with your annual dose of historical Halloween tales!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy) Giant turkey legs, fried food, implausible costumes… and counterculture? This episode explores the roots of Renaissance Faires in the US, and how this originally hippie-centric phenomenon was linked to other forms of medievalism in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Communes, folk music, particolored tights, and a reimagined past turn out to be more closely linked than you might imagine. This episode also examines how Ren Faires have evolved and continued to thrive, and why you still — if you’re lucky — might hear Steeleye Span covers at your nearest one.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Kristin)  In 1612, nine-year-old Jennet Devize accused her mother in court of witchcraft. Her testimony led  to the conviction of 11 people, 10 of whom were sent to the gallows. Find out about the most famous witchcraft event in English history that you may never have heard about in this episode of Footnoting History!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha)  Games are amazing. They teach us how to engage with the world through play. They’ve also been used to train some of the greatest military minds. Chess is notoriously the game of the aristocracy, used to teach strategy and forward thinking. In the 19th century, a Prussian father and son, George Leopold von Reisswitz and Georg Heinrich Rudolf Johann von Reisswitz, brought strategic gaming to a whole new level with profound results.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com    

(Host: Christine) One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s favorite methods of expanding control was to place his siblings in positions of power. Here, Christine takes a look at the lives of Napoleon’s three dynamic sisters (Elisa, Pauline, and Caroline), their rise to imperial prominence, and how they were impacted by the fall of their brother. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine) In the 13th century, nobleman Simon de Montfort led an infamous and bloody rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. Simon’s fight against royal power (and controversial life!) caused him to be a focus of one of Footnoting History’s earliest episodes. Now, over a decade later, we are revisiting his story for listeners both new and old –and incorporating more details, newer research, and better audio performance.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha)  Ladies, do you ever feel frustrated by the lack of pockets in your clothes? Gentlemen, have you ever heard a woman friend complain about her pockets or been asked to stow a phone or a wallet for a companion? This phenomenon isn’t new. Since the introduction of the three-piece suit in the seventeenth century, men have had a near monopoly on pockets. Tune in this week to learn more about the origin of the pocket in western dress and to consider why women’s pocket game is so limited. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com  

(Host: Lucy) Seasonal eating and regional eating were the variables responsible for the most widespread differences in what people ate, although then as now, wealth and class played a significant role in what was available to and prized by diners. Contrary to Hollywood myth, though, sad gruel was not the norm. This episode explores cooking, eating, and thinking about food in medieval Europe. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine) In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, siblings William and Caroline Herschel dedicated their lives to studying the stars. Among their accomplishments were discovering a planet (William) and comets (Caroline), causing them to leave their marks on the field of astronomy forever. This episode of Footnoting History explores their fascinating lives from their surprisingly musical beginnings to their astronomical achievements. ​ For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Kristin) Medieval clothing was much more than simply a way to keep warm and decent: it was a statement about social class, wealth, and increasingly personal taste. Clothing meant something – and what people wore could change with a mood or the day or the family they were born into. Find out what medieval people were wearing, this week on Footnoting History! For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com