Hercules Posey & the President’s House

The President's House was the first home of the U.S. president in the temporary capital of Phildelphia. While George Washington lived there, he had nine enslaved people that we know of., including the cook, Hercules.  Research: “George Washington to Tobias Lear, 12 April 1791,” Founders Online, Na…

SYMHC Classics: Pueblo Revolt

This 2014 episode covers the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, in which Native Americans rose up against Spanish colonists and missionaries at the turn of the 17th century.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Coffee, 'Pirats' and Sea Robbers

Holly and Tracy talk about their coffee preferences. Then Tracy traces the path that led her from a listener mail to the topic of Fort Mose.

Francisco Menéndez & Fort Mose

Fort Mose was the first officially sanctioned settlement for free Black people in what’s now the United States. It was established as a place where people who escaped enslavement in the U.S. could live in the Spanish territory of Florida. Research: Blumetti, Jordan. “The First Floridians.” The Bit…

Melitta Bentz and the Coffee Filter

Melitta Bentz invented the coffee filter in 1908 and changed coffee culture forever. Through the decades and after reckoning with its relationship with the Third Reich, the company she founded in her Dresden apartment endures today. Research: “The Weimar Republic 1918-1929 - EdexcelChanges in soci…

SYMHC Classics: COINTELPRO 2

Part two of this 2020 episode looks at some of the specifics of the COINTELPROs that targeted black liberation organizations and the New Left, as well as how these programs were finally exposed to the public. 

Behind the Scenes Minis: Whoopsy Whimsy

Holly shares a story of accidentally taking ephedrine. Tracy shares her delight at a pronunciation of the word catastrophe.

Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755

On November 1, 1755, a massive earthquake took place on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lisbon, Portugal. The destruction in Portugal led to one of the first coordinated government responses to a natural disaster. Research: Algarve History Association. “The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and …

Benzedrine, Pervitin, and WWII

The use of stimulants during WWII is no secret, but in the last decade, there has been a lot of discussion and analysis of it. Just how significant was drug use in Nazi Germany, and how did the Allies compare? Research: Ackermann, Paul. “Les soldats nazis dopés à la méthamphétamine pour rester con…

SYMHC Classics: COINTELPRO 1

Part 1 of this 2020 two-parter covers background on the FBI and on the origins of its counterintelligence programs, as well as one specific operation, called COINTELPRO-White Hate.