Thanks to the pillow book of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, we have a first-person account of court life in Heian Japan. It's part diary, part commonplace book, part essay collection, and thoroughly fascinating.

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Thanks to the pillow book of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, we have a first-person account of court life in Heian Japan. It's part diary, part commonplace book, part essay collection, and thoroughly fascinating. 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

Thanks to the pillow book of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, we have a first-person account of court life in Heian Japan. It's part diary, part commonplace book, part essay collection, and thoroughly fascinating.

Sei Shonagon and the Heian Court

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/68e4a3d4-b1c2-4765-96d7-ae28007e3707/transcript

This 2022 episode covers Hortense and Marie Mancini, who tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way. 

This 2022 episode covers Hortense and Marie Mancini, who tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way.&nbsp;

SYMHC Classics: Mancini Sisters

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/16cf7e44-6533-4893-aa6f-b45e00eb4ea8/transcript

Tracy talks about a book that she didn't use for research on Viola Roseboro'. Holly talks about how wealth inequality has shaped science history.

Tracy talks about a book that she didn't use for research on Viola Roseboro'. Holly talks about how wealth inequality has shaped science history.

Behind the Scenes Minis: The Apostrophe and the Rich Guy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e4e8c02e-e8ba-46a9-82d7-b45c014ac9a9/transcript

Boyle is frequently described at the first modern chemist, but his work encompassed much more than that. Among other things, he was a founding member of the Royal Society.

Research:
Boyle, Robert. “An account of Philaretus during his Minority.” Accessed online: https://celt.ucc.ie/published/E650001-100.html
Boyle, Robert. “New experiments physico-mechanicall.” Oxford. 1660. https://archive.org/details/chepfl-lipr-AXA74/mode/1up?q=proportional
Boyle, Robert. “New experiments physico-mechanical, touching the air.” London. Richard Davis. 1682. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A29007.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Boyle, Robert. “The Sceptical Chymist.” London. J. Crooke. 1661. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/22914/pg22914.txt
“Copy of Sir Robert Boyle's Will.” Brief History of Blue. https://omekas.prattsi.org/s/HistoryofBlue/item/109
“December 31, 1691: Death of Robert Boyle.” This Month in Physics History. APS News. Dec. 1, 2016. https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2016/12/this-month-in-physics-history
Henderson, Felicity. “What Scientists Want: Robert Boyle’s To-do List.” The Royal Society. August 26, 2010. https://royalsociety.org/blog/2010/08/what-scientists-want-boyle-list/
Highmore, Nathaniel. “The history of generation. Examining the several opinions of divers authors, especially that of Sir Kenelm Digby, in his Discourse of bodies ...” 1651. Accessed online: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kv5tr2uz/items
Martin, Christy. “Full Boyle.” Distillations Magazine. Science History Institute Museum and Library. May 13, 2012. https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/full-boyle/
Masson, Flora. “Robert Boyle: A Biography.” London: Constable & Company Ltd. 1914. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/73234/pg73234.txt
Principe, Lawrence M.. "Robert Boyle". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Boyle
“Robert Boyle (1627-1691): Sherborne School library benefactor.” The Old Shirburnian Society. https://oldshirburnian.org.uk/robert-boyle-1627-1691/
“Robert Boyle: wishlist of a Restoration visionary.” The Guardian. June 3, 2010. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jun/03/robert-boyle-royal-society-wishlist
“The Royal Society of London.” National Museum Australia. https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/exploration-and-endeavour/royal-society-london
Sweeney, Patricia E. “Robert Boyle.” Ebsco. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/robert-boyle
West, John B. “The Original Presentation of Boyle’s Law.” Journal of Applied Physiology 1999 87:4, 1543-1545. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1999.87.4.1543

Boyle is frequently described at the first modern chemist, but his work encompassed much more than that. Among other things, he was a founding member of the Royal Society.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Boyle, Robert. &ldquo;An account of Philaretus during his Minority.&rdquo; Accessed online: https://celt.ucc.ie/published/E650001-100.html</li>
<li>Boyle, Robert. &ldquo;New experiments physico-mechanicall.&rdquo; Oxford. 1660. https://archive.org/details/chepfl-lipr-AXA74/mode/1up?q=proportional</li>
<li>Boyle, Robert. &ldquo;New experiments physico-mechanical, touching the air.&rdquo; London. Richard Davis. 1682. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A29007.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext</li>
<li>Boyle, Robert. &ldquo;The Sceptical Chymist.&rdquo; London. J. Crooke. 1661. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/22914/pg22914.txt</li>
<li>&ldquo;Copy of Sir Robert Boyle's Will.&rdquo; Brief History of Blue. https://omekas.prattsi.org/s/HistoryofBlue/item/109</li>
<li>&ldquo;December 31, 1691: Death of Robert Boyle.&rdquo; This Month in Physics History. APS News. Dec. 1, 2016. https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2016/12/this-month-in-physics-history</li>
<li>Henderson, Felicity. &ldquo;What Scientists Want: Robert Boyle&rsquo;s To-do List.&rdquo; The Royal Society. August 26, 2010. https://royalsociety.org/blog/2010/08/what-scientists-want-boyle-list/</li>
<li>Highmore, Nathaniel. &ldquo;The history of generation. Examining the several opinions of divers authors, especially that of Sir Kenelm Digby, in his Discourse of bodies ...&rdquo; 1651. Accessed online: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kv5tr2uz/items</li>
<li>Martin, Christy. &ldquo;Full Boyle.&rdquo; Distillations Magazine. Science History Institute Museum and Library. May 13, 2012. https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/full-boyle/</li>
<li>Masson, Flora. &ldquo;Robert Boyle: A Biography.&rdquo; London: Constable &amp; Company Ltd. 1914. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/73234/pg73234.txt</li>
<li>Principe, Lawrence M.. "Robert Boyle".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Boyle</li>
<li>&ldquo;Robert Boyle (1627-1691): Sherborne School library benefactor.&rdquo; The Old Shirburnian Society. https://oldshirburnian.org.uk/robert-boyle-1627-1691/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Robert Boyle: wishlist of a Restoration visionary.&rdquo; The Guardian. June 3, 2010. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jun/03/robert-boyle-royal-society-wishlist</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Royal Society of London.&rdquo; National Museum Australia. https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/exploration-and-endeavour/royal-society-london</li>
<li>Sweeney, Patricia E. &ldquo;Robert Boyle.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/robert-boyle</li>
<li>West, John B. &ldquo;The Original Presentation of Boyle&rsquo;s Law.&rdquo; Journal of Applied Physiology&nbsp;1999&nbsp;87:4,&nbsp;1543-1545.&nbsp;https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1999.87.4.1543</li>
</ul>

Boyle is frequently described at the first modern chemist, but his work encompassed much more than that. Among other things, he was a founding member of the Royal Society.

Robert Boyle

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/440dffec-f7c2-4407-b6ae-b45c013238d9/transcript

Sei Shonagon and the Heian Court

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