The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.

Research:
Brady, Diane. “Charles Manson’s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.” Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-22/charles-mansons-turning-point-dale-carnegie-classes
Britannica Editors. "Lunyu". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunyu
Britannica Editors. "Norman Vincent Peale". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Vincent-Peale
Carnegie, Dale. “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” London. Vermillion. Digital: https://dn720004.ca.archive.org/0/items/english-collections-1/How%20To%20Win%20Friends%20And%20Influence%20People%20-%20Carnegie%2C%20Dale.pdf
Fairbanks, Douglas. “Laugh and Live.” New York. Britton Publishing Company. 1917. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12887/pg12887.txt
Fontaine, Carole R. “A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 44, no. 3, 1981, pp. 155–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209606
Franklin, Benjamin. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY. 1916. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#X
Battiscombe G. “THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAH-HOTEP AND THE INSTRUCTION OF
KE'GEMNI: THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.” London. John Murray. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30508/30508-h/30508-h.htm
Lilienfeld, Scott O. and Hal Arkowitz. “Can positive thinking be negative?” Scientific American. May 1, 2011. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-positive-thinking-be-negative/
Ray, J. D. “Egyptian Wisdom Literature.” Wisdom in Ancient Israel. Ed. John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 17–29. 
Stableford, Brian. “Samuel Smiles.” Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/samuel-smiles
Seneca, Lucius Annaius, and Garth D. Williams (tr.). “On the Shortness of Life.” https://ia601705.us.archive.org/25/items/SenecaOnTheShortnessOfLife/Seneca%20on%20the%20Shortness%20of%20Life.pdf
Tabor, Nick. "Dale Carnegie". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dale-Carnegie

The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Brady, Diane. &ldquo;Charles Manson&rsquo;s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.&rdquo; Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-22/charles-mansons-turning-point-dale-carnegie-classes</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Lunyu".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunyu</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Norman Vincent Peale".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Vincent-Peale</li>
<li>Carnegie, Dale. &ldquo;How to Win Friends and Influence People.&rdquo; London. Vermillion. Digital: https://dn720004.ca.archive.org/0/items/english-collections-1/How%20To%20Win%20Friends%20And%20Influence%20People%20-%20Carnegie%2C%20Dale.pdf</li>
<li>Fairbanks, Douglas. &ldquo;Laugh and Live.&rdquo; New York. Britton Publishing Company. 1917. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12887/pg12887.txt</li>
<li>Fontaine, Carole R. &ldquo;A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 44, no. 3, 1981, pp. 155&ndash;60.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209606</li>
<li>Franklin, Benjamin. &ldquo;The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.&rdquo; HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY. 1916. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#X</li>
<li>Battiscombe G. &ldquo;THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAH-HOTEP AND THE INSTRUCTION OF KE'GEMNI: THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.&rdquo; London. John Murray. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30508/30508-h/30508-h.htm</li>
<li>Lilienfeld, Scott O. and Hal Arkowitz. &ldquo;Can positive thinking be negative?&rdquo; Scientific American. May 1, 2011. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-positive-thinking-be-negative/</li>
<li>Ray, J. D. &ldquo;Egyptian Wisdom Literature.&rdquo;&nbsp;Wisdom in Ancient Israel. Ed. John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 17&ndash;29.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Stableford, Brian. &ldquo;Samuel Smiles.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/samuel-smiles</li>
<li>Seneca, Lucius Annaius, and Garth D. Williams (tr.). &ldquo;On the Shortness of Life.&rdquo; https://ia601705.us.archive.org/25/items/SenecaOnTheShortnessOfLife/Seneca%20on%20the%20Shortness%20of%20Life.pdf</li>
<li>Tabor, Nick. "Dale Carnegie".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dale-Carnegie</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

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts. 

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

Podcasts from iHeartRadio

The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre. 

Self-help Books Throughout History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8fe4d5df-6cc3-455b-a11f-b3bf0167588a/transcript

In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.

Research:
Cain, Joe. “New Year’s Eve Dinner in the Iguanodon at Crystal Palace 31 December 1853.” https://profjoecain.net/dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-dinosaurs/
Cain, Joe. “Top Questions About New Year’s Eve Dinner in Iguanodon at Crystal Palace.” https://profjoecain.net/top-questions-about-new-years-eve-dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-mould-sculpture/
Carlson, Laura. “Episode 5: A Victorian Dinosaur Dinner.” The Feast. https://www.thefeastpodcast.org/episode-5-a-victorian-dinosaur-dinner
Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “Dinner in the Iguanodon.” 7/21/2013. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/dinner-in-the-iguanodon
Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “How were the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs made?” 5/13/2016. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/how-were-the-crystal-palace-dinosaurs-made
Routledge & Co., publishers. “Routledge's guide to the Crystal Palace and park at Sydenham.” Crystal Palace. 1854. https://archive.org/details/routledgesguidet00grou/
Geological Society of London Blog. “The First Dinosaurs’ Dinner.” 4/15/2021. https://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/2021/04/15/the-first-dinosaurs-dinner/
Hawkins, B. Waterhouse. “On Visual Education, As Applied to Geology.” Journal of the Society of Arts. Vol. II No. 78. 5/19/1854.
Illustrated London News. “The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham.” 1/7/1854. https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1854-01-07_24_662/page/21/mode/1up
McCarthy, Steve. “The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: The Story of the World’s First Prehistoric Sculptures.” The Crystal Palace Foundation. 1994.
McCarthy, Steve. "Hawkins, Benjamin Waterhouse (1807–1894), natural history artist and sculptor." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 5 Dec. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54370
Osterloff, Emily. “The world's first dinosaur park: what the Victorians got right and wrong.” Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/crystal-palace-dinosaurs.html
Owen, Richard. “Geology and inhabitants of the ancient world.” Crystal Palace Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/geologyinhabitan00owen
Peck, Robert McCracken. "The art of bones: British artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who sparked dinosaur mania in the nineteenth century, still influences how natural history museums represent prehistoric life today." Natural History, vol. 117, no. 10, Dec. 2008, pp. 24+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A189832561/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f6c80589. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Phillips, Samuel. “Guide to the Crystal Palace and Park.” Crystal Palace Library. 1854. https://archive.org/details/guidetocrystalpa00phil_0
Rack, Yannic. “How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology.” Smithsonian. 8/29/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/
The History Press. “The Victorian dinner inside a dinosaur.” https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-victorian-dinner-inside-a-dinosaur/
Witton, Mark and Ellinor Michel. “Crystal Palace dinosaurs: how we rediscovered five missing sculptures from the famous park.” The Conversation. 5/20/2022. https://theconversation.com/crystal-palace-dinosaurs-how-we-rediscovered-five-missing-sculptures-from-the-famous-park-182573

In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Cain, Joe. &ldquo;New Year&rsquo;s Eve Dinner in the Iguanodon at Crystal Palace 31 December 1853.&rdquo; https://profjoecain.net/dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-dinosaurs/</li>
<li>Cain, Joe. &ldquo;Top Questions About New Year&rsquo;s Eve Dinner in Iguanodon at Crystal Palace.&rdquo; https://profjoecain.net/top-questions-about-new-years-eve-dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-mould-sculpture/</li>
<li>Carlson, Laura. &ldquo;Episode 5: A Victorian Dinosaur Dinner.&rdquo; The Feast. https://www.thefeastpodcast.org/episode-5-a-victorian-dinosaur-dinner</li>
<li>Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. &ldquo;Dinner in the Iguanodon.&rdquo; 7/21/2013. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/dinner-in-the-iguanodon</li>
<li>Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. &ldquo;How were the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs made?&rdquo; 5/13/2016. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/how-were-the-crystal-palace-dinosaurs-made</li>
<li>Routledge &amp; Co., publishers. &ldquo;Routledge's guide to the Crystal Palace and park at Sydenham.&rdquo; Crystal Palace. 1854. https://archive.org/details/routledgesguidet00grou/</li>
<li>Geological Society of London Blog. &ldquo;The First Dinosaurs&rsquo; Dinner.&rdquo; 4/15/2021. https://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/2021/04/15/the-first-dinosaurs-dinner/</li>
<li>Hawkins, B. Waterhouse. &ldquo;On Visual Education, As Applied to Geology.&rdquo; Journal of the Society of Arts. Vol. II No. 78. 5/19/1854.</li>
<li>Illustrated London News. &ldquo;The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham.&rdquo; 1/7/1854. https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1854-01-07_24_662/page/21/mode/1up</li>
<li>McCarthy, Steve. &ldquo;The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: The Story of the World&rsquo;s First Prehistoric Sculptures.&rdquo; The Crystal Palace Foundation. 1994.</li>
<li>McCarthy, Steve. "Hawkins, Benjamin Waterhouse (1807&ndash;1894), natural history artist and sculptor." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 5 Dec. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54370</li>
<li>Osterloff, Emily. &ldquo;The world's first dinosaur park: what the Victorians got right and wrong.&rdquo; Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/crystal-palace-dinosaurs.html</li>
<li>Owen, Richard. &ldquo;Geology and inhabitants of the ancient world.&rdquo; Crystal Palace Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/geologyinhabitan00owen</li>
<li>Peck, Robert McCracken. "The art of bones: British artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who sparked dinosaur mania in the nineteenth century, still influences how natural history museums represent prehistoric life today." Natural History, vol. 117, no. 10, Dec. 2008, pp. 24+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A189832561/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&amp;sid=bookmark-GPS&amp;xid=f6c80589. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.</li>
<li>Phillips, Samuel. &ldquo;Guide to the Crystal Palace and Park.&rdquo; Crystal Palace Library. 1854. https://archive.org/details/guidetocrystalpa00phil_0</li>
<li>Rack, Yannic. &ldquo;How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology.&rdquo; Smithsonian. 8/29/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/</li>
<li>The History Press. &ldquo;The Victorian dinner inside a dinosaur.&rdquo; https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-victorian-dinner-inside-a-dinosaur/</li>
<li>Witton, Mark and Ellinor Michel. &ldquo;Crystal Palace dinosaurs: how we rediscovered five missing sculptures from the famous park.&rdquo; The Conversation. 5/20/2022. https://theconversation.com/crystal-palace-dinosaurs-how-we-rediscovered-five-missing-sculptures-from-the-famous-park-182573</li>
</ul>

In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.

New Year’s Eve Iguanodon Party

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/af488a56-f886-433f-a504-b3c4006a9376/transcript

This 2019 episode covers Paul Julius Reuter, who had a knack for filling in the gaps in communication systems, and making a lot of money doing so.

This 2019 episode covers Paul Julius Reuter, who had a knack for filling in the gaps in communication systems, and making a lot of money doing so.

SYMHC Classics: Paul Julius Reuter

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/84294da5-e5fc-4199-8b5e-b3bf011cd320/transcript

Holly talks about the ways Joseph Medill could be both problematic and surprising. Tracy shares her additional thoughts on the book about caroling she used during research that wasn't always about caroling.

Holly talks about the ways Joseph Medill could be both problematic and surprising. Tracy shares her additional thoughts on the book about caroling she used during research that wasn't always about caroling.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Journalism Carols

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ce3aecb3-abfc-41a1-b5a4-b3bf004dd073/transcript

Self-help Books Throughout History

Stuff You Missed in History Class

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