The story of how strawberries went from small forage item to one of the world’s most popular fruits – though they're technically not a true fruit – involves lots of crossbreeding experimentation, as you might expect, but also a bit of spy craft.

Research:
“A Transatlantic Tango: The Story of the Strawberry. Royal Horticultural Society. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/features/history-of-the-strawberry#:~:text=It%20is%20hard%20to%20believe,back%20on%20fortifications%20near%20Concepci%C3%B3n. 
Allen, Mike. “The 18th-Century Spy Who Gave Us Big Strawberries.” Atlas Obscura. Nov. 16, 2017. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/big-strawberries-spy-chile-france 
Barnes, Monica. “Frezier, Amédée François (1682-1773).” American Museum of Natural History. January 2008. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280567727_Frezier_Amedee_Francois_1682-1773
Darrow, George M. “The Strawberry: History, Breeding and Physiology.” New York. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1966. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/strawberryhistor00darr/mode/1up
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "strawberry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jun. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/plant/strawberry
Folta, K.M., Barbey, C.R. “The strawberry genome: a complicated past and promising future.” Hortic Res 6, 97 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-019-0181-z
Grubinger, Vern. “History of the Strawberry.” University of Vermont. June 2012. https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/strawberryhistory.html
Hancock, J.F. “Strawberries.” Oxford University Press. 2000.
Petruzzello, Melissa. "list of plants in the family Rosaceae". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-plants-in-the-family-Rosaceae-2001612
Sevilla, Elisa, and Ana Sevilla. “STRAWBERRY.” New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities, edited by Mark Thurner and Juan Pimentel, University of London Press, 2021, pp. 207–12. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1vbd275.34
“Strawberry Facts.” University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruit-crops/strawberries/strawberry-facts/
Sytsma, Kenneth J.. "Rosaceae". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/plant/Rosaceae

The story of how strawberries went from small forage item to one of the world&rsquo;s most popular fruits &ndash; though they're technically not a true fruit &ndash; involves lots of crossbreeding experimentation, as you might expect, but also a bit of spy craft.
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;A Transatlantic Tango: The Story of the Strawberry. Royal Horticultural Society. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/features/history-of-the-strawberry#:~:text=It%20is%20hard%20to%20believe,back%20on%20fortifications%20near%20Concepci%C3%B3n.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Allen, Mike. &ldquo;The 18th-Century Spy Who Gave Us Big Strawberries.&rdquo; Atlas Obscura. Nov. 16, 2017. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/big-strawberries-spy-chile-france&nbsp;</li>
<li>Barnes, Monica. &ldquo;Frezier, Am&eacute;d&eacute;e Fran&ccedil;ois (1682-1773).&rdquo; American Museum of Natural History. January 2008. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280567727_Frezier_Amedee_Francois_1682-1773</li>
<li>Darrow, George M. &ldquo;The Strawberry: History, Breeding and Physiology.&rdquo; New York. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1966. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/strawberryhistor00darr/mode/1up</li>
<li>The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "strawberry".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jun. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/plant/strawberry</li>
<li>Folta, K.M., Barbey, C.R. &ldquo;The strawberry genome: a complicated past and promising future.&rdquo;&nbsp;Hortic Res&nbsp;6, 97 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-019-0181-z</li>
<li>Grubinger, Vern. &ldquo;History of the Strawberry.&rdquo; University of Vermont. June 2012.&nbsp;https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/strawberryhistory.html</li>
<li>Hancock, J.F. &ldquo;Strawberries.&rdquo; Oxford University Press. 2000.</li>
<li>Petruzzello, Melissa. "list of plants in the family Rosaceae".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Mar. 2024,&nbsp;https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-plants-in-the-family-Rosaceae-2001612</li>
<li>Sevilla, Elisa, and Ana Sevilla. &ldquo;STRAWBERRY.&rdquo;&nbsp;New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities, edited by Mark Thurner and Juan Pimentel, University of London Press, 2021, pp. 207&ndash;12.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1vbd275.34</li>
<li>&ldquo;Strawberry Facts.&rdquo; University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruit-crops/strawberries/strawberry-facts/</li>
<li>Sytsma, Kenneth J.. "Rosaceae".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Feb. 2025,&nbsp;https://www.britannica.com/plant/Rosaceae</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

The story of how strawberries went from small forage item to one of the world’s most popular fruits – though they're technically not a true fruit – involves lots of crossbreeding experimentation, as you might expect, but also a bit of spy craft.

Strawberries

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7a215493-1323-40bd-b80c-b2b100023283/transcript

Elizabeth Peratrovich is most well-known for her work to pass Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. But her story also has more to it than that act.

Research:
Anchorage Museum. “Elizabeth Peratrovich.” https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/extra-tough-women-of-the-north/women-of-the-north-profiles/elizabeth-peratrovich-major-force-behind-alaskas-anti-discrimination-bill/
Arnett, Jessica Leslie. “Unsettled Rights in Territorial Alaska.” Western Historical Quarterly, AUTUMN 2017, Vol. 48, No. 3 (AUTUMN 2017), pp. 233-254. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26782857
Boochever, Ann with Roy Peratrovich Jr. “Fighter in Velvet Gloves.” University of Alaska Press. 2019.
Boochever, Ann. “Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich.” Sealaska Heritage Institute. 11/19/2021. Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzvcc1UlrMw
Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. “A Recollection of Civil Rights Leader Elizabeth Peratrovich.” August 1991. http://www.alaskool.org/projects/native_gov/recollections/peratrovich/default.htm
Coen, Ross. “Elizabeth Peratrovich Day.” The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Summer 2021, Vol. 112, No. 3 (Summer 2021), pp. 107-123. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27165253
Cole, Terrence M. “Jim Crow in Alaska: The Passage of the Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945.” Western Historical Quarterly , Nov., 1992, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Nov., 1992), pp. 429-449. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/970301
Davis, Jennifer. “Elizabeth Peratrovich, Civil and Voting Rights Activist.” In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. Library of Congress Blogs. 11/1/2021. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2021/11/elizabeth-peratrovich-civil-and-voting-rights-activist/
Guise, Holly Miowak. “Listening to Generations of Activists: Truly Remembering Elizabeth Peratrovich.” Indian Country Today. 2/16/2021. https://ictnews.org/opinion/listening-to-generations-of-activists-truly-remembering-elizabeth-peratrovich/
Haycox, Stephen W. “William Paul, Sr., and the Alaska Voters' Literacy Act of 1925.” Alaska History, Vol. 2., No. 1, (Winter 1986/87). http://www.alaskool.org/native_ed/articles/literacy_act/LiteracyTxt.html
Johnson, Erik. “The 19th Amendment, Elizabeth Peratrovich, and the Ongoing Fight for Equal Rights.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/dena-history-peratrovich.htm
Juneau Empire. “Mrs. Roy Peratrovich Sr. Dies in Seattle Hospital following Lengthy Illness.” 12/2/1958.
National Park Service. “Alberta Schenck: Teenage Activist.” https://www.nps.gov/people/alberta-schenck.htm
Page, Marisa. “Honoring the Women Paving the Path to Equity.” First Nations. https://www.firstnations.org/news/honoring-the-women-paving-the-path-to-equity/
Schenck, Alberta. “To Whom It May Concern.” The Nome Nugget. 3/3/1944. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/assets/timeline/000/000/342/342_w_full.jpg
Silverman, Jeffry Lloyd and Phil Lucas, directors. “For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska.” Lincoln, NE. Vision Maker Media. 2008.
“Super Race Theory Hit In Hearing.” The Daily Alaska Empire. 2/6/1945. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045499/1945-02-06/ed-1/?sp=8&st=pdf
Swensen, Thomas Michael. “The Relationship between Indigenous Rights, Citizenship, and Land in Territorial Alaska: How the Past Opened the Door to the Future.” GROWING OUR OWN: INDIGENOUS RESEARCH, SCHOLARS, AND EDUCATION Proceedings from the Alaska Native Studies Conference (2015).
Twyman, Abby. “Alaskans and the Nation Celebrate Elizabeth Peratrovich.” Discover Prince of Wales Island. https://discoverpowisland.com/alaskans-and-the-nation-celebrate-elizabeth-peratrovich/
Vaughan, Carson. “Overlooked No More: Elizabeth Peratrovich, Rights Advocate for Alaska Natives.” New York Times. March 20, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/obituaries/elizabeth-peratrovich-overlooked.html
Weingroff, Richard F. “Who Is Elizabeth Peratrovich? The Story Behind the Country's First Anti-Discrimination Law.” U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/who-elizabeth-peratrovich-story-behind-countrys-first-anti
Christen, Morgan. “Alaska Native Women’s Long Road to Suffrage.” Western Legal History, Vol. 30, No. 1-2. https://www.njchs.org/wp-content/uploads/wlh_30-1_crp_color1.pdf
“Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood.” EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/alaska-native-brotherhood-and-alaska-native-sisterhood
Drucker, Philip. “The native brotherhoods : modern intertribal organizations on the Northwest coast.” Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing office. 1958. https://archive.org/details/nativebrotherhoo0168druc/
Haycox, Stephen W. “William Paul, Sr., and the Alaska Voters' Literacy Act of 1925 .” Alaska History, Vol. 2., No. 1, (Winter 1986/87). http://www.alaskool.org/native_ed/articles/literacy_act/literacytxt.html
Peratrovich, Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich. Letter to Governor Ernest Gruening. 12/30/1941. https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg41/id/1176/rec/4?fbclid=IwY2xjawQSoR9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFSUTluVjJHRVlpVTlvcFhYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHq36iDmGp2t6h-sfgereAekSEHRQii-E6uBse3GvIQAw-72DcoQffc-LWxRO_aem_MECxGHPbZdPWw-7iUjGeow

Elizabeth Peratrovich is most well-known for her work to pass Alaska&rsquo;s Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. But her story also has more to it than that act.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Anchorage Museum. &ldquo;Elizabeth Peratrovich.&rdquo; https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/extra-tough-women-of-the-north/women-of-the-north-profiles/elizabeth-peratrovich-major-force-behind-alaskas-anti-discrimination-bill/</li>
<li>Arnett, Jessica Leslie. &ldquo;Unsettled Rights in Territorial Alaska.&rdquo; Western Historical Quarterly, AUTUMN 2017, Vol. 48, No. 3 (AUTUMN 2017), pp. 233-254. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26782857</li>
<li>Boochever, Ann with Roy Peratrovich Jr. &ldquo;Fighter in Velvet Gloves.&rdquo; University of Alaska Press. 2019.</li>
<li>Boochever, Ann. &ldquo;Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich.&rdquo; Sealaska Heritage Institute. 11/19/2021. Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzvcc1UlrMw</li>
<li>Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. &ldquo;A Recollection of Civil Rights Leader Elizabeth Peratrovich.&rdquo; August 1991. http://www.alaskool.org/projects/native_gov/recollections/peratrovich/default.htm</li>
<li>Coen, Ross. &ldquo;Elizabeth Peratrovich Day.&rdquo; The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Summer 2021, Vol. 112, No. 3 (Summer 2021), pp. 107-123. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27165253</li>
<li>Cole, Terrence M. &ldquo;Jim Crow in Alaska: The Passage of the Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945.&rdquo; Western Historical Quarterly , Nov., 1992, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Nov., 1992), pp. 429-449. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/970301</li>
<li>Davis, Jennifer. &ldquo;Elizabeth Peratrovich, Civil and Voting Rights Activist.&rdquo; In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. Library of Congress Blogs. 11/1/2021. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2021/11/elizabeth-peratrovich-civil-and-voting-rights-activist/</li>
<li>Guise, Holly Miowak. &ldquo;Listening to Generations of Activists: Truly Remembering Elizabeth Peratrovich.&rdquo; Indian Country Today. 2/16/2021. https://ictnews.org/opinion/listening-to-generations-of-activists-truly-remembering-elizabeth-peratrovich/</li>
<li>Haycox, Stephen W. &ldquo;William Paul, Sr., and the Alaska Voters' Literacy Act of 1925.&rdquo; Alaska History, Vol. 2., No. 1, (Winter 1986/87). http://www.alaskool.org/native_ed/articles/literacy_act/LiteracyTxt.html</li>
<li>Johnson, Erik. &ldquo;The 19th Amendment, Elizabeth Peratrovich, and the Ongoing Fight for Equal Rights.&rdquo; National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/dena-history-peratrovich.htm</li>
<li>Juneau Empire. &ldquo;Mrs. Roy Peratrovich Sr. Dies in Seattle Hospital following Lengthy Illness.&rdquo; 12/2/1958.</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Alberta Schenck: Teenage Activist.&rdquo; https://www.nps.gov/people/alberta-schenck.htm</li>
<li>Page, Marisa. &ldquo;Honoring the Women Paving the Path to Equity.&rdquo; First Nations. https://www.firstnations.org/news/honoring-the-women-paving-the-path-to-equity/</li>
<li>Schenck, Alberta. &ldquo;To Whom It May Concern.&rdquo; The Nome Nugget. 3/3/1944. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/assets/timeline/000/000/342/342_w_full.jpg</li>
<li>Silverman, Jeffry Lloyd and Phil Lucas, directors. &ldquo;For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska.&rdquo; Lincoln, NE. Vision Maker Media. 2008. </li>
<li>&ldquo;Super Race Theory Hit In Hearing.&rdquo; The Daily Alaska Empire. 2/6/1945. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045499/1945-02-06/ed-1/?sp=8&amp;st=pdf</li>
<li>Swensen, Thomas Michael. &ldquo;The Relationship between Indigenous Rights, Citizenship, and Land in Territorial Alaska: How the Past Opened the Door to the Future.&rdquo; GROWING OUR OWN: INDIGENOUS RESEARCH, SCHOLARS, AND EDUCATION Proceedings from the Alaska Native Studies Conference (2015).</li>
<li>Twyman, Abby. &ldquo;Alaskans and the Nation Celebrate Elizabeth Peratrovich.&rdquo; Discover Prince of Wales Island. https://discoverpowisland.com/alaskans-and-the-nation-celebrate-elizabeth-peratrovich/</li>
<li>Vaughan, Carson. &ldquo;Overlooked No More: Elizabeth Peratrovich, Rights Advocate for Alaska Natives.&rdquo; New York Times. March 20, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/obituaries/elizabeth-peratrovich-overlooked.html</li>
<li>Weingroff, Richard F. &ldquo;Who Is Elizabeth Peratrovich? The Story Behind the Country's First Anti-Discrimination Law.&rdquo; U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/who-elizabeth-peratrovich-story-behind-countrys-first-anti</li>
<li>Christen, Morgan. &ldquo;Alaska Native Women&rsquo;s Long Road to Suffrage.&rdquo; Western Legal History, Vol. 30, No. 1-2. https://www.njchs.org/wp-content/uploads/wlh_30-1_crp_color1.pdf</li>
<li>&ldquo;Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood.&rdquo; EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/alaska-native-brotherhood-and-alaska-native-sisterhood</li>
<li>Drucker, Philip. &ldquo;The native brotherhoods : modern intertribal organizations on the Northwest coast.&rdquo; Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing office. 1958. https://archive.org/details/nativebrotherhoo0168druc/</li>
<li>Haycox, Stephen W. &ldquo;William Paul, Sr., and the Alaska Voters' Literacy Act of 1925 .&rdquo; Alaska History, Vol. 2., No. 1, (Winter 1986/87). http://www.alaskool.org/native_ed/articles/literacy_act/literacytxt.html</li>
<li>Peratrovich, Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich. Letter to Governor Ernest Gruening. 12/30/1941. https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg41/id/1176/rec/4?fbclid=IwY2xjawQSoR9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFSUTluVjJHRVlpVTlvcFhYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHq36iDmGp2t6h-sfgereAekSEHRQii-E6uBse3GvIQAw-72DcoQffc-LWxRO_aem_MECxGHPbZdPWw-7iUjGeow</li>
</ul>

Elizabeth Peratrovich is most well-known for her work to pass Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. But her story also has more to it than that act.

Elizabeth Peratrovich

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ab02626b-7e33-48d2-a0ed-b40b00280dbe/transcript

This 2022 episode covers Lucy Hobbs, later Lucy Hobbs Taylor, who pursued a career in dentistry before that was recognized as an acceptable vocation for a woman.

This 2022 episode covers Lucy Hobbs, later Lucy Hobbs Taylor, who pursued a career in dentistry before that was recognized as an acceptable vocation for a woman.

SYMHC Classics: Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d3b688e0-95aa-4220-9df1-b40b0021f638/transcript

Tracy talks about the mixed bag nature of Elizabeth Bisland, and the hosts talk about their own travel experiences. Holly shares the less-than-noble character trait that she shares with Flaubert.

Tracy talks about the mixed bag nature of Elizabeth Bisland, and the hosts talk about their own travel experiences. Holly shares the less-than-noble character trait that she shares with Flaubert.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Carry-on Bags

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5ae870d8-f44d-465d-b84d-b40a015399e9/transcript

Strawberries

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