Spoiler alert: Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous by boiling pee. And phosphorous is the first element whose discoverer we can name. But he was really trying to do something else: He thought the secret to the philosopher’s stone might be found in urine. 

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Spoiler alert: Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous by boiling pee. And phosphorous is the first element whose discoverer we can name. But he was really trying to do something else: He thought the secret to the philosopher’s stone might be found in urine.  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

Hennig Brand and the Discovery of Phosphorus

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ab147198-a50c-4324-a0c7-ae28004070f6/transcript

Very soon after it was completed in 1842, the Bunker Hill monument started to be about a lot more than just the battle that took place on June 17, 1775. 

Research:
"Battle of Bunker Hill." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Nov. 2025. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FBattle-of-Bunker-Hill%2F18086&ebboatid=9265928. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Markoe, Lauren. “Gun Owners take Aim at New Law.” The Patriot Ledger. Oct. 10 and 11 1998.
National Park Service. “Peter Brown.” Last updated 2/26/2025. https://www.nps.gov/people/peter-brown.htm
National Park Service. “Remembering Revolution: Bunker Hill Monument.” Last updated 1/2/2025. https://www.nps.gov/bost/remembering-revolution.htm#27EBF851-37AB-4F4E-AA50-9BEDD914F0CC
Webster, Daniel. “Dedication Speech for the Unveiling of the Bunker Hill Monument.” 6/17/1843. Via American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/dedication-speech-unveiling-bunker-hill-monument
National Park Service. “The Bunker Hill Monument Association: Expressing Gratitude and Patriotism.” Last updated 1/22/2024. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bhma.htm
National Park Service. “Bunker Hill Lodge.” Last updated 1/12/2026. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bh-lodge.htm
National Park Service. “King Solomon's Lodge.” Last updated 3/30/2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bh-ksl.htm
Warren, George Washington. “The history of the Bunker Hill monument association during the first century of the United States of America.” Bunker Hill Monument Association. https://archive.org/details/historyofbunkerh00warr/
The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire. “Caleb Stark.” https://www.socnh.org/caleb-stark/
Stebbins, G.B. “May Day – North and South.” The liberator. v.16:no.21(1846:May 22). Via Digital Commonwealth. https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:gb19h555q
Mansfield, Howard. “Silent Witness.” Yankee. Mar/Apr2025, Vol. 89 Issue 2, p80-106.
National Park Service. “Bunker Hill Monument Projection, 1998.” https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bunker-hill-monument-projection-1998.htm
Hay, John. “Broken Hearths: Melville's ‘Israel Potter’ and the Bunker Hill Monument.” The New England Quarterly , June 2016, Vol. 89, No. 2 (June 2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24718238
Purcell, Sarah J. “Commemoration, Public Art, and the Changing Meaning of the Bunker Hill Monument.” The Public Historian , Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring 2003). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/tph.2003.25.2.55
Everett, Edward. “An oration delivered at Charlestown, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1850.” Boston. 1850. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822038214979
National Park Service. “Irish Claims to the Revolution.” 2/26/2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/irish-claims-to-the-revolution.htm
“Unworthy of Concord: A Know-nothing Appeal.” Pilot, Volume 38, Number 18, 1 May 1875. https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=pilot18750501-01.2.19&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------+%2C+4----------------
National Park Service. “Operation POW.” March 1, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/operation-pow.htm

Very soon after it was completed in 1842, the Bunker Hill monument started to be about a lot more than just the battle that took place on June 17, 1775.&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>"Battle of Bunker Hill." Britannica Library, Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica, 18 Nov. 2025. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&amp;ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FBattle-of-Bunker-Hill%2F18086&amp;ebboatid=9265928. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.</li>
<li>Markoe, Lauren. &ldquo;Gun Owners take Aim at New Law.&rdquo; The Patriot Ledger. Oct. 10 and 11 1998.</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Peter Brown.&rdquo; Last updated 2/26/2025. https://www.nps.gov/people/peter-brown.htm</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Remembering Revolution: Bunker Hill Monument.&rdquo; Last updated 1/2/2025. https://www.nps.gov/bost/remembering-revolution.htm#27EBF851-37AB-4F4E-AA50-9BEDD914F0CC</li>
<li>Webster, Daniel. &ldquo;Dedication Speech for the Unveiling of the Bunker Hill Monument.&rdquo; 6/17/1843. Via American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/dedication-speech-unveiling-bunker-hill-monument</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;The Bunker Hill Monument Association: Expressing Gratitude and Patriotism.&rdquo; Last updated 1/22/2024. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bhma.htm</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Bunker Hill Lodge.&rdquo; Last updated 1/12/2026. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bh-lodge.htm</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;King Solomon's Lodge.&rdquo; Last updated 3/30/2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bh-ksl.htm</li>
<li>Warren, George Washington. &ldquo;The history of the Bunker Hill monument association during the first century of the United States of America.&rdquo; Bunker Hill Monument Association. https://archive.org/details/historyofbunkerh00warr/</li>
<li>The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire. &ldquo;Caleb Stark.&rdquo; https://www.socnh.org/caleb-stark/</li>
<li>Stebbins, G.B. &ldquo;May Day &ndash; North and South.&rdquo; The liberator. v.16:no.21(1846:May 22). Via Digital Commonwealth. https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:gb19h555q</li>
<li>Mansfield, Howard. &ldquo;Silent Witness.&rdquo; Yankee. Mar/Apr2025, Vol. 89 Issue 2, p80-106.</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Bunker Hill Monument Projection, 1998.&rdquo; https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bunker-hill-monument-projection-1998.htm</li>
<li>Hay, John. &ldquo;Broken Hearths: Melville's &lsquo;Israel Potter&rsquo; and the Bunker Hill Monument.&rdquo; The New England Quarterly , June 2016, Vol. 89, No. 2 (June 2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24718238</li>
<li>Purcell, Sarah J. &ldquo;Commemoration, Public Art, and the Changing Meaning of the Bunker Hill Monument.&rdquo; The Public Historian , Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring 2003). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/tph.2003.25.2.55</li>
<li>Everett, Edward. &ldquo;An oration delivered at Charlestown, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1850.&rdquo; Boston. 1850. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822038214979</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Irish Claims to the Revolution.&rdquo; 2/26/2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/irish-claims-to-the-revolution.htm</li>
<li>&ldquo;Unworthy of Concord: A Know-nothing Appeal.&rdquo; Pilot, Volume 38, Number 18, 1 May 1875. https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&amp;d=pilot18750501-01.2.19&amp;e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------+%2C+4----------------</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Operation POW.&rdquo; March 1, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/operation-pow.htm</li>
</ul>

Very soon after it was completed in 1842, the Bunker Hill monument started to be about a lot more than just the battle that took place on June 17, 1775. 

The Many Meanings of the Bunker Hill Monument

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a97c3d71-2137-47e7-a409-b478006c9499/transcript

This 2021 episode talks about several specialists – most with some involvement with the Nazi party – who entered the U.S. and became citizens through Operation Paperclip.

This 2021 episode talks about several specialists &ndash; most with some involvement with the Nazi party &ndash; who entered the U.S. and became citizens through Operation Paperclip.

SYMHC Classics: Four Paperclippers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cf0dab57-3f26-4410-95e5-b4740148e77f/transcript

Holly talks about the agreement known as the Pact of the Catacombs and recent developments related to it. There's then discussion of Daguerre's Legion of Honor medal.

Holly talks about the agreement known as the Pact of the Catacombs and recent developments related to it. There's then discussion of Daguerre's Legion of Honor medal.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Pacts and Facts

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9c506687-1d40-4e06-8ab6-b47401485ef6/transcript

Hennig Brand and the Discovery of Phosphorus

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