Waffles are popular and commonplace on tables and as street food around the world, but they’ve evolved a lot over time to become the syrup vehicle most of us think of them as. 

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Waffles are popular and commonplace on tables and as street food around the world, but they’ve evolved a lot over time to become the syrup vehicle most of us think of them as.  Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

A Brief and Yummy History of Waffles

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1001d021-4783-4970-9a43-ae28001bd66c/transcript

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.

Research:
“America’s First Christmas Card.” Albany Institute of History and Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/america-s-first-christmas-card
Britannica Editors. "scarab". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/topic/scarab
Britannica Editors. "greeting card". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greeting-card
Brown, Ellen F. “Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily. Dec. 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/
Chase, Ernest Dudley. “The Romance of Greeting Cards.” Rust Craft. Cambridge, MA. 1956.
“Dali at Hallmark.” Hallmark Art Collection. https://www.hallmarkartcollection.com/creatively-thinking/stories/dali-at-hallmark/
“Esther Howland 1847.” Mount Holyoke. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland
Evans, Elaine Altman. “The Sacred Scarab, Occasional Paper.” McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Tennessee. January 1, 1996. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/1996/01/01/sacred-scarab/
Greeting Card Association. “The History of Greeting Cards.” https://www.greetingcard.org/history/
Hanc, John. “The History of the Christmas Card.” Smithsonian. Dec. 9, 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/
Henry, William E. “Art and Cultural Symbolism: A Psychological Study of Greeting Cards.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 6, no. 1, 1947, pp. 36–44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/426176
Kavanagh, Marybeth. “Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card.” The New York Historical. Dec. 19, 2012. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/prang
Koon, Wee Kek. “How ancient Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments.” South China Morning Post. Jan. 31, 2026. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3341675/how-ancient-chinese-new-year-cards-went-elites-greetings-bribery-instruments?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article
Korolkov, Maxim. “‘Greeting Tablets’ in Early China: Some Traits of the Communicative Etiquette of Officialdom in Light of Newly Excavated Inscriptions.” T’oung Pao, vol. 98, no. 4/5, 2012, pp. 295–348. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41725988
Lee, Ruth Webb. “A History of Valentines.” 1984.
Newberry, Percy E. “Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings.” London. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. 1908. https://dn790001.ca.archive.org/0/items/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft.pdf
Purcell, Denise. “Authentic Messaging and Independent Makers Drive Greeting Cards' Next-Gen Relevance.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/greeting-card-next-gen-relevance#:~:text=The%20category%20is%20massive:%20According,card%20market%20at%20$7%20billion.
Grafton, Samuel. “Holly Leaf and Copper Plate.” The North American Review, vol. 226, no. 6, 1928, pp. 660–64. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25110633
Shoichet, Catherine E. “This ‘visionary’ woman changed the way many Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.” CNN. Feb. 14, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/esther-howland-valentines-card-history-cec
Schmidt, Leigh Eric. “The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930.” The Journal of American History, vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 887–916. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2078795
Stupperich, Andy. “Art Education: Louis Prang's Christmas Card Competitions.” The Henry Ford Museum. January 29, 2026. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/art-education-louis-prang%27s-christmas-card-competitions
Terrell, Ellen. “Esther Howland and the Business of Love.” Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2016/03/esther-howland-and-the-business-of-love/
“World's first printed Valentine's Card.” A History of the World. BBC. 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/L1NM_6mWRymAMKXcRDlXJA
Wright, Helena E. “A winning design: Prang’s Christmas card contests of the 1880s.” National Museum of American History. December 23, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/winning-design-prangs-christmas-card-contests-1880s

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;America&rsquo;s First Christmas Card.&rdquo; Albany Institute of History and Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/america-s-first-christmas-card</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "scarab".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/topic/scarab</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "greeting card".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greeting-card</li>
<li>Brown, Ellen F. &ldquo;Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.&rdquo; JSTOR Daily. Dec. 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/</li>
<li>Chase, Ernest Dudley. &ldquo;The Romance of Greeting Cards.&rdquo; Rust Craft. Cambridge, MA. 1956.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Dali at Hallmark.&rdquo; Hallmark Art Collection. https://www.hallmarkartcollection.com/creatively-thinking/stories/dali-at-hallmark/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Esther Howland 1847.&rdquo; Mount Holyoke. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland</li>
<li>Evans, Elaine Altman. &ldquo;The Sacred Scarab, Occasional Paper.&rdquo; McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Tennessee. January 1, 1996. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/1996/01/01/sacred-scarab/</li>
<li>Greeting Card Association. &ldquo;The History of Greeting Cards.&rdquo; https://www.greetingcard.org/history/</li>
<li>Hanc, John. &ldquo;The History of the Christmas Card.&rdquo; Smithsonian. Dec. 9, 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/</li>
<li>Henry, William E. &ldquo;Art and Cultural Symbolism: A Psychological Study of Greeting Cards.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 6, no. 1, 1947, pp. 36&ndash;44.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/426176</li>
<li>Kavanagh, Marybeth. &ldquo;Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card.&rdquo; The New York Historical. Dec. 19, 2012. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/prang</li>
<li>Koon, Wee Kek. &ldquo;How ancient Chinese new year cards went from elites&rsquo; greetings to bribery instruments.&rdquo; South China Morning Post. Jan. 31, 2026. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3341675/how-ancient-chinese-new-year-cards-went-elites-greetings-bribery-instruments?module=perpetual_scroll_0&amp;pgtype=article</li>
<li>Korolkov, Maxim. &ldquo;&lsquo;Greeting Tablets&rsquo; in Early China: Some Traits of the Communicative Etiquette of Officialdom in Light of Newly Excavated Inscriptions.&rdquo;&nbsp;T&rsquo;oung Pao, vol. 98, no. 4/5, 2012, pp. 295&ndash;348.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41725988</li>
<li>Lee, Ruth Webb. &ldquo;A History of Valentines.&rdquo; 1984.</li>
<li>Newberry, Percy E. &ldquo;Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings.&rdquo; London. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. 1908. https://dn790001.ca.archive.org/0/items/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft.pdf</li>
<li>Purcell, Denise. &ldquo;Authentic Messaging and Independent Makers Drive&nbsp;Greeting Cards' Next-Gen Relevance.&rdquo; U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/greeting-card-next-gen-relevance#:~:text=The%20category%20is%20massive:%20According,card%20market%20at%20$7%20billion.</li>
<li>Grafton, Samuel. &ldquo;Holly Leaf and Copper Plate.&rdquo;&nbsp;The North American Review, vol. 226, no. 6, 1928, pp. 660&ndash;64.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25110633</li>
<li>Shoichet, Catherine E. &ldquo;This &lsquo;visionary&rsquo; woman changed the way many Americans celebrate Valentine&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo; CNN. Feb. 14, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/esther-howland-valentines-card-history-cec</li>
<li>Schmidt, Leigh Eric. &ldquo;The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Journal of American History, vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 887&ndash;916.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2078795</li>
<li>Stupperich, Andy. &ldquo;Art&nbsp;Education:&nbsp;Louis&nbsp;Prang's&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;Card&nbsp;Competitions.&rdquo; The Henry Ford Museum. January 29, 2026. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/art-education-louis-prang%27s-christmas-card-competitions</li>
<li>Terrell, Ellen. &ldquo;Esther Howland and the Business of Love.&rdquo; Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2016/03/esther-howland-and-the-business-of-love/</li>
<li>&ldquo;World's first printed Valentine's Card.&rdquo; A History of the World. BBC. 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/L1NM_6mWRymAMKXcRDlXJA</li>
<li>Wright, Helena E. &ldquo;A winning design: Prang&rsquo;s Christmas card contests of the 1880s.&rdquo; National Museum of American History. December 23, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/winning-design-prangs-christmas-card-contests-1880s</li>
</ul>

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.

Greeting Cards

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/15db5476-4ec5-406d-87ed-b433014519a8/transcript

This 2019 episode covers the color blue, the most popular color in many parts of the world. But many ancient languages didn’t have a word for blue, and some languages still don’t.

This 2019 episode covers the color blue, the most popular color in many parts of the world. But many ancient languages didn&rsquo;t have a word for blue, and some languages still don&rsquo;t.

SYMHC Classics: The Color Blue

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8122f2be-92cb-4043-b931-b433010fbe43/transcript

Tracy shares struggles that she encountered pulling together this edition of Unearthed. She and Holly have a tangential discussion about AI.

Tracy shares struggles that she encountered pulling together this edition of Unearthed. She and Holly have a tangential discussion about AI.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Dicey Sources

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/56c06e34-7da8-48fc-914a-b433010eba0e/transcript

A Brief and Yummy History of Waffles

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