Charles Nessler is usually credited with inventing the permanent wave in the early 1900s. And he made a huge fortune from it, while also bolstering a huge beauty industry.

Research:
Bedi, Joyce. “GERMANY | Charles (Karl) Nessler.” Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Smithsonian National Museum of American History. June 3, 2021. https://invention.si.edu/node/29205/p/732-germany-charles-karl-nessler
Hellman, Geoffrey T. “Profiles: Hair Scientist.” The New Yorker. April 29, 1933. https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1933-04-29/flipbook/020/
Larkin, Theresa. “From straight to curly, thick to thin: Here's how hormones and chemotherapy can change your hair.” MedicalExpress. Jan. 14, 2024. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-straight-curly-thick-thin-hormones.html
“115 Years of Long-Lasting Curls: The History and Rebirth of the Perm.” Estetica Magazine. Feb. 8, 2022. https://www.esteticamagazine.com/2022/02/08/111-years-of-long-lasting-curls-the-history-and-rebirth-of-the-perm/
Marsden, Rhodri. “Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: The Nessler Permanent Wave Machine.” The Independent. Oct. 9, 2015. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/rhodri-marsden-s-interesting-objects-the-nessler-permanent-wave-machine-a6674081.html
“Modern Living: The Great Wave.” Time. Feb. 5, 1951. https://time.com/archive/6825188/modern-living-the-great-wave/
Morton, Ella. “The Alarming Aesthetics of Jazz Age Perm Machines.” Atlas Obscura. Aug. 2, 2016. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-alarming-aesthetics-of-jazz-age-perm-machines
Nessler, Charles. “The Story of Hair.” New York. Bonni and Liveright. 1928.
Nessler, Charles. “A New or Improved Method of and Means for the Manufacture of Artificial Eyebrows, Eyelashes and the like.” UK Patent Office. Accessed via Google: https://patents.google.com/patent/GB190218723A/en
“Nessler, Invented Permanent Wave.” New York Times. January 24, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/24/88426426.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“A Revolutionst Dies.” Life Magazine. Feb. 5, 1951. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=50sEAAAAMBAJ&q=nestler#v=onepage&q=nessler&f=false
Sheen, Maureen. “Story of Us, 1910-1920: Do the Wave.” American Salon. Jan. 20, 2016. https://www.americansalon.com/products/story-us-1910-1920-do-wave

Charles Nessler is usually credited with inventing the permanent wave in the early 1900s. And he made a huge fortune from it, while also bolstering a huge beauty industry.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bedi, Joyce. “GERMANY | Charles (Karl) Nessler.” Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Smithsonian National Museum of American History. June 3, 2021. https://invention.si.edu/node/29205/p/732-germany-charles-karl-nessler</li>
<li>Hellman, Geoffrey T. “Profiles: Hair Scientist.” The New Yorker. April 29, 1933. https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1933-04-29/flipbook/020/</li>
<li>Larkin, Theresa. “From straight to curly, thick to thin: Here's how hormones and chemotherapy can change your hair.” MedicalExpress. Jan. 14, 2024. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-straight-curly-thick-thin-hormones.html</li>
<li>“115 Years of Long-Lasting Curls: The History and Rebirth of the Perm.” Estetica Magazine. Feb. 8, 2022. https://www.esteticamagazine.com/2022/02/08/111-years-of-long-lasting-curls-the-history-and-rebirth-of-the-perm/</li>
<li>Marsden, Rhodri. “Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: The Nessler Permanent Wave Machine.” The Independent. Oct. 9, 2015. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/rhodri-marsden-s-interesting-objects-the-nessler-permanent-wave-machine-a6674081.html</li>
<li>“Modern Living: The Great Wave.” Time. Feb. 5, 1951. https://time.com/archive/6825188/modern-living-the-great-wave/</li>
<li>Morton, Ella. “The Alarming Aesthetics of Jazz Age Perm Machines.” Atlas Obscura. Aug. 2, 2016. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-alarming-aesthetics-of-jazz-age-perm-machines</li>
<li>Nessler, Charles. “The Story of Hair.” New York. Bonni and Liveright. 1928.</li>
<li>Nessler, Charles. “A New or Improved Method of and Means for the Manufacture of Artificial Eyebrows, Eyelashes and the like.” UK Patent Office. Accessed via Google: https://patents.google.com/patent/GB190218723A/en</li>
<li>“Nessler, Invented Permanent Wave.” New York Times. January 24, 1951. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/24/88426426.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&amp;ip=0</li>
<li>“A Revolutionst Dies.” Life Magazine. Feb. 5, 1951. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=50sEAAAAMBAJ&amp;q=nestler#v=onepage&amp;q=nessler&amp;f=false</li>
<li>Sheen, Maureen. “Story of Us, 1910-1920: Do the Wave.” American Salon. Jan. 20, 2016. https://www.americansalon.com/products/story-us-1910-1920-do-wave</li>
</ul>

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

Charles Nessler’s Permanent Waves

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7882a1fd-b17d-49c3-bf5b-b1c80159261a/transcript

Journalist and writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent on a trip around the world in 1889, in a sort of race against Nellie Bly. But that was not something she wanted to be known for.

Research:
Bisland, Elisabeth. “At the Sign of the Hobby Horse.” Houghton, Mifflin and Co. Riverside Press. 1910. https://archive.org/details/atsignofhobbyhor0000eliz/page/n12/mode/1up
Bisland, Elizabeth, 1861-1929. “A Candle of Understanding: a Novel.” New York and London: Harper & brothers, 1903.
Bisland, Elizabeth. “In Seven Stages: A Flying Trip Around the World.” New York. Harper & Brothers. 1891. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bisland/stages/stages.html
Bisland, Elizabeth. “Societies for Minding One's Own Business.” The North American Review. 11/1/1910.
Bisland, Elizabeth. “The Art of Travel.” From The woman's book, dealing practically with the modern conditions of home-life, self-support, education, opportunities, and every-day problems. 1894. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LBEhBEGmUq4C/
Bisland, Elizabeth. “The Truth About Men and Other Matters.” New York. Avondale Press. 1927.
Britannica Editors. "Lafcadio Hearn". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lafcadio-Hearn. Accessed 18 February 2026.
Codrescu, Andrei. “The Many Lives of Lafcadio Hearn.” The Paris Review. 7/2/2019. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/02/the-many-lives-of-lafcadio-hearn/
“Foley, Alethea "Mattie",” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed February 19, 2026, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004770.
Goodman, Matthew. “Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the World.” Public Domain Review. 10/16/2013. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/elizabeth-bislands-race-around-the-world/
Harrison-Kahan, Lori and Karen E. H. Skinazi. “The Girl Reporter in Fact and Fiction: Miriam Michelson's New Women and Periodical Culture in the Progressive Era.” American Quarterly , Jun., 2002, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jun., 2002). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30041927
Heitman, Danny. “Lafcadio Hearn in New Orleans.” HUMANITIES, May/June 2012, Volume 33, Number 3. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2012/mayjune/feature/lafcadio-hearn-in-new-orleans
New York Times. “MRS. E.B. WETMORE, AUTHOR, DIES IN SOUTH; Former Elizabeth Bisland of This City to Be Buried in Woodlawn Today.” 1/19/1929. https://www.nytimes.com/1929/01/09/archives/mrs-eb-wetmore-author-dies-in-south-former-elizabeth-bisland-of.html
Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. “Historical and Archaeological Investigations of Fort Bisland and Lower Bayou Teche, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.” June 1991. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA242489.pdf
Roggenkamp, Karen. “Dignified Sensationalism: ‘Cosmopolitan,’ Elizabeth Bisland, and Trips around the World.” American Periodicals , 2007, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2007). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20770967
Rose, Alex. “Elizabeth Bisland: Around the World in 76 Days.” Science Museum Group. 1/30/2023. https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/rare-globe-celebrates-elizabeth-bislands-voyage-around-the-world/
Science Museum Group. “Elizabeth Bisland 1861-1929.” https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp172999/elizabeth-bisland
Tutwiler, Julia R. “The Southern Woman in New York.” The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. February, 1904. https://archive.org/details/the-bookman-1895-1933/1900-1909/1904/The%20Bookman%20v18n06%20%281904-02%29%20%28unz%29/page/624/mode/1up
Tutwiler, Julia R. “The Southern Woman in New York: Part 2.” The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. March, 1904. https://archive.org/details/bookmanareviewb05unkngoog/page/50/mode/1up
Vatican Apostolic Library. “Elizabeth Bisland.” En Route Project. https://enrouteproject.com/en/the-research/the-female-travelers/elizabeth-bisland/
Williams, Susan Millar. “L’enfant Terrible: Elizabeth Bisland and the South.” The Southern Review; Oct 1, 1986; 22, 4; ProQuest pg. 680.

Journalist and writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent on a trip around the world in 1889, in a sort of race against Nellie Bly. But that was not something she wanted to be known for.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bisland, Elisabeth. &ldquo;At the Sign of the Hobby Horse.&rdquo; Houghton, Mifflin and Co. Riverside Press. 1910. https://archive.org/details/atsignofhobbyhor0000eliz/page/n12/mode/1up</li>
<li>Bisland, Elizabeth, 1861-1929. &ldquo;A Candle of Understanding: a Novel.&rdquo; New York and London: Harper &amp; brothers, 1903.</li>
<li>Bisland, Elizabeth. &ldquo;In Seven Stages: A Flying Trip Around the World.&rdquo; New York. Harper &amp; Brothers. 1891. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bisland/stages/stages.html</li>
<li>Bisland, Elizabeth. &ldquo;Societies for Minding One's Own Business.&rdquo; The North American Review. 11/1/1910.</li>
<li>Bisland, Elizabeth. &ldquo;The Art of Travel.&rdquo; From The woman's book, dealing practically with the modern conditions of home-life, self-support, education, opportunities, and every-day problems. 1894. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LBEhBEGmUq4C/</li>
<li>Bisland, Elizabeth. &ldquo;The Truth About Men and Other Matters.&rdquo; New York. Avondale Press. 1927.</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Lafcadio Hearn". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lafcadio-Hearn. Accessed 18 February 2026.</li>
<li>Codrescu, Andrei. &ldquo;The Many Lives of Lafcadio Hearn.&rdquo; The Paris Review. 7/2/2019. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/02/the-many-lives-of-lafcadio-hearn/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Foley, Alethea "Mattie",&rdquo; Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed February 19, 2026, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004770.</li>
<li>Goodman, Matthew. &ldquo;Elizabeth Bisland&rsquo;s Race Around the World.&rdquo; Public Domain Review. 10/16/2013. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/elizabeth-bislands-race-around-the-world/</li>
<li>Harrison-Kahan, Lori and Karen E. H. Skinazi. &ldquo;The Girl Reporter in Fact and Fiction: Miriam Michelson's New Women and Periodical Culture in the Progressive Era.&rdquo; American Quarterly , Jun., 2002, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jun., 2002). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30041927</li>
<li>Heitman, Danny. &ldquo;Lafcadio Hearn in New Orleans.&rdquo; HUMANITIES, May/June 2012, Volume 33, Number 3. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2012/mayjune/feature/lafcadio-hearn-in-new-orleans</li>
<li>New York Times. &ldquo;MRS. E.B. WETMORE, AUTHOR, DIES IN SOUTH; Former Elizabeth Bisland of This City to Be Buried in Woodlawn Today.&rdquo; 1/19/1929. https://www.nytimes.com/1929/01/09/archives/mrs-eb-wetmore-author-dies-in-south-former-elizabeth-bisland-of.html</li>
<li>Christopher Goodwin &amp; Associates, Inc. &ldquo;Historical and Archaeological Investigations of Fort Bisland and Lower Bayou Teche, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.&rdquo; June 1991. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA242489.pdf</li>
<li>Roggenkamp, Karen. &ldquo;Dignified Sensationalism: &lsquo;Cosmopolitan,&rsquo; Elizabeth Bisland, and Trips around the World.&rdquo; American Periodicals , 2007, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2007). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20770967</li>
<li>Rose, Alex. &ldquo;Elizabeth Bisland: Around the World in 76 Days.&rdquo; Science Museum Group. 1/30/2023. https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/rare-globe-celebrates-elizabeth-bislands-voyage-around-the-world/</li>
<li>Science Museum Group. &ldquo;Elizabeth Bisland 1861-1929.&rdquo; https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp172999/elizabeth-bisland</li>
<li>Tutwiler, Julia R. &ldquo;The Southern Woman in New York.&rdquo; The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. February, 1904. https://archive.org/details/the-bookman-1895-1933/1900-1909/1904/The%20Bookman%20v18n06%20%281904-02%29%20%28unz%29/page/624/mode/1up</li>
<li>Tutwiler, Julia R. &ldquo;The Southern Woman in New York: Part 2.&rdquo; The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. March, 1904. https://archive.org/details/bookmanareviewb05unkngoog/page/50/mode/1up</li>
<li>Vatican Apostolic Library. &ldquo;Elizabeth Bisland.&rdquo; En Route Project. https://enrouteproject.com/en/the-research/the-female-travelers/elizabeth-bisland/</li>
<li>Williams, Susan Millar. &ldquo;L&rsquo;enfant Terrible: Elizabeth Bisland and the South.&rdquo; The Southern Review; Oct 1, 1986; 22, 4; ProQuest pg. 680.</li>
</ul>

Journalist and writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent on a trip around the world in 1889, in a sort of race against Nellie Bly. But that was not something she wanted to be known for.

Elizabeth Bisland, Beyond the Trip Around the World

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4023386f-52b1-43c8-8cc4-b4050074d881/transcript

This 2019 episode explores the difficult-to-study work of Laurencin. In addition to her work not quite falling in line with the artists who were her contemporaries, her personal papers are difficult to access, are censored, and have strict limitations put on their use. 

This 2019 episode explores the difficult-to-study work of Laurencin. In addition to her work not quite falling in line with the artists who were her contemporaries, her personal papers are difficult to access, are censored, and have strict limitations put on their use.&nbsp;

SYMHC Classics: Marie Laurencin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a0801995-dd2c-49f1-9544-b404012ed4bb/transcript

Tracy talks about how the show's recording schedule meant that this week's Monday episode got revised repeatedly to reflect current events. Holly talks about the way theater performances during portions of heavy censorship in France incorporated audience participation.

Tracy talks about how the show's recording schedule meant that this week's Monday episode got revised repeatedly to reflect current events. Holly talks about the way theater performances during portions of heavy censorship in France incorporated audience participation.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Censorship Cats

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d51329f7-35c0-4bb5-9512-b4020058d15c/transcript

Charles Nessler’s Permanent Waves

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