The Demon Core was a sphere of plutonium-gallium alloy that the U.S. made for use in an atomic bomb during World War II. After the war, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory had two separate, fatal criticality accidents while working with it. 

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The Demon Core was a sphere of plutonium-gallium alloy that the U.S. made for use in an atomic bomb during World War II. After the war, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory had two separate, fatal criticality accidents while working with it.  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

The Demon Core and Other Criticality Accidents 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2e46bc95-a311-4977-bc14-ae2800207f5c/transcript

Holly and Tracy discuss the idea of autosuggestion and positive self-talk. Tracy shares her thoughts on writings about the Pompey stone. 

Holly and Tracy discuss the idea of autosuggestion and positive self-talk. Tracy shares her thoughts on writings about the Pompey stone.&nbsp;

Behind the Scenes Minis: Self-talk Hoax

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ccf97378-0d2f-4abc-b697-b41f0046872c/transcript

The Pompey Stone was discovered in the early 1820s, and was believed to be hundreds of years old. It turned out to be a hoax, but a fairly benign one.

Research:
Barber, John Warner and Henry Howe. “Historical collections of the state of New York : containing a general collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c. relating to its history and antiquities, with geographical descriptions of every township in the state ; illustrated by 230 engravings.” New York : S. Tuttle. 1841. https://archive.org/details/historicalcollec01barbg/
Beauchamp, W.M. “The Pompey Stone.” The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal April-June 1911: Vol 33 Iss 2. https://archive.org/details/sim_american-antiquarian-and-oriental-journal_april-june-1911_33_2/page/7/ 
Clark, Joshua Victor Hopkins. “Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times : being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego.” Syracuse, N.Y. : Stoddard and Babcock. 1849. https://archive.org/details/onondagaorremini00clar/
Conlon, John Thomas. “The Beginnings of Catholicism in New Netherland.” United States Catholic Historical Society 1933: Vol 23. https://archive.org/details/sim_united-states-catholic-historical-society-records_1933_23/page/171
Crowell, Kathy. “Early Development of the Town of Pompey.” Dwight H. Bruce (ed.), Onondaga's Centennial. Boston History Co., 1896, Vol. I, pp. 595-608; 627-631.. https://onondaga.nygenweb.net/POMPEY/EARLYDEV.HTM
Homes, Henry A. “The Pompey (N.Y.) Stone with an Inscription and Date of A.D. ” Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica. 1881. https://archive.org/details/transactionsofon00onei/page/83/mode/1up
Huguenin, Charles A. “The Pompey Stone.” New York Folklore Quarterly. Spring 1958: Vol 14 Iss 1. https://archive.org/details/sim_new-york-folklore-quarterly_spring-1958_14_1/
O’Connor, Thomas F. “An Alleged Spanish Entrada into New York.” Mid-America : an historical review. Chicago, Ill. : Loyola University. 1943. https://archive.org/details/midamericahistor25unse/
“Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society at the Semi-annual Meeting in Boston, April 29, 1863.” Boston. John Wilson and Son. 1863.
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe. “Notes on the Iroquois, or, Contributions to American history, antiquities, and general ethnology.” Albany : E.H. Pease. 1847. https://archive.org/details/bp_1739112/
Squier, E. G. “Antiquities of the state of New York; being the results of extensive original surveys and explorations, with a supplement on the antiquities of the west.” Buffalo, G. H. Derby. 1851. https://archive.org/details/antiquitiesofsta00squi/
“The Pompey Stone.” Harper's Weekly 1879-12-20: Vol 23 Iss 1199. https://archive.org/details/sim_harpers-weekly_harpers-weekly_1879-12-20_23_1199/page/983/mode/1up

The Pompey Stone was discovered in the early 1820s, and was believed to be hundreds of years old. It turned out to be a hoax, but a fairly benign one.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Barber, John Warner and Henry Howe. &ldquo;Historical collections of the state of New York : containing a general collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &amp;c. relating to its history and antiquities, with geographical descriptions of every township in the state ; illustrated by 230 engravings.&rdquo; New York : S. Tuttle. 1841. https://archive.org/details/historicalcollec01barbg/</li>
<li>Beauchamp, W.M. &ldquo;The Pompey Stone.&rdquo; The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal April-June 1911: Vol 33 Iss 2. https://archive.org/details/sim_american-antiquarian-and-oriental-journal_april-june-1911_33_2/page/7/&nbsp;</li>
<li>Clark, Joshua Victor Hopkins. &ldquo;Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times : being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego.&rdquo; Syracuse, N.Y. : Stoddard and Babcock. 1849. https://archive.org/details/onondagaorremini00clar/</li>
<li>Conlon, John Thomas. &ldquo;The Beginnings of Catholicism in New Netherland.&rdquo; United States Catholic Historical Society 1933: Vol 23. https://archive.org/details/sim_united-states-catholic-historical-society-records_1933_23/page/171</li>
<li>Crowell, Kathy. &ldquo;Early Development of the Town of Pompey.&rdquo; Dwight H. Bruce (ed.), Onondaga's Centennial. Boston History Co., 1896, Vol. I, pp. 595-608; 627-631.. https://onondaga.nygenweb.net/POMPEY/EARLYDEV.HTM</li>
<li>Homes, Henry A. &ldquo;The Pompey (N.Y.) Stone with an Inscription and Date of A.D. &rdquo; Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica. 1881. https://archive.org/details/transactionsofon00onei/page/83/mode/1up</li>
<li>Huguenin, Charles A. &ldquo;The Pompey Stone.&rdquo; New York Folklore Quarterly. Spring 1958: Vol 14 Iss 1. https://archive.org/details/sim_new-york-folklore-quarterly_spring-1958_14_1/</li>
<li>O&rsquo;Connor, Thomas F. &ldquo;An Alleged Spanish Entrada into New York.&rdquo; Mid-America : an historical review. Chicago, Ill. : Loyola University. 1943. https://archive.org/details/midamericahistor25unse/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society at the Semi-annual Meeting in Boston, April 29, 1863.&rdquo; Boston. John Wilson and Son. 1863.</li>
<li>Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe. &ldquo;Notes on the Iroquois, or, Contributions to American history, antiquities, and general ethnology.&rdquo; Albany : E.H. Pease. 1847. https://archive.org/details/bp_1739112/</li>
<li>Squier, E. G. &ldquo;Antiquities of the state of New York; being the results of extensive original surveys and explorations, with a supplement on the antiquities of the west.&rdquo; Buffalo, G. H. Derby. 1851. https://archive.org/details/antiquitiesofsta00squi/</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Pompey Stone.&rdquo; Harper's Weekly 1879-12-20: Vol 23 Iss 1199. https://archive.org/details/sim_harpers-weekly_harpers-weekly_1879-12-20_23_1199/page/983/mode/1up</li>
</ul>

The Pompey Stone was discovered in the early 1820s, and was believed to be hundreds of years old. It turned out to be a hoax, but a fairly benign one.  

The Pompey Stone Hoax

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/236be5f5-a618-4916-a2a9-b41e0104bf12/transcript

Émile Coué genuinely seems to have wanted to help people by teaching them how to plant helpful directives in their subconscious minds. Whether he was effective is something that's still debated. 

Research:
Baldwin, J. Mark, et al. “A Disclaimer.” Science, vol. 12, no. 309, 1900, pp. 850–850. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1629542
Baudouin, Charles. “Émile Coué and His Life’s Work.” American Library Service. New York. 1923. https://digirepo.nlm.nih.gov/ext/dw/55330740R/PDF/55330740R.pdf
Baudouin, Charles. “Suggestion and Autosuggestion.” New York. Dodd, Mead and Company, 1921. https://dn720207.ca.archive.org/0/items/suggestionauto00bauduoft/suggestionauto00bauduoft.pdf
Britannica Editors. "Émile Coué". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emile-Coué
“Coue, After Goodby Lecture, Flees City.” Boston Globe. January 31, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430295545/
“Coue Explains How to Use Auto-Suggestion.” Boston Globe. January 7, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430953338/?match=1&terms=Coue
COUÉ, EMILE. “SELF MASTERY THROUGH CONSCIOUS AUTOSUGGESTION.” AMERICAN LIBRARY SERVICE PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK. 1922. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27203/27203-h/27203-h.htm
“Delirium Tremens.” Cleveland Clinic. June 5, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25052-delirium-tremens
“EMILE COUÉ DEAD; A MENTAL HEALER; Many Made Well by Saying ‘Every Day, in Every Way, I'm Growing Better and Better.’” New York Times. July 3, 1926. https://www.nytimes.com/1926/07/03/archives/emile-Coué-dead-a-mental-healer-many-made-well-by-saying-every-day.html
Heid, Markham. “Is Hypnosis Real? Here’s What Science Says.” Time. March 2, 2023. https://time.com/5380312/is-hypnosis-real-science/
Myga, Kasia A et al. “Autosuggestion: a cognitive process that empowers your brain?.” Experimental brain research 240,2 (2022): 381-394. doi:10.1007/s00221-021-06265-8
Neal, E. Virgil, ed. “Hypnotism and hypnotic suggestion. A scientific treatise on the uses and possibilities of hypnotism, suggestion and allied phenomena.” New York State Publishing Company. Rochester, NY. 1906. https://archive.org/details/hypnotismhypnoti00roch/page/n9/mode/1up
“Pliny 1813 Years Ahead of Coue … “ Boston Globe. January 30, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430295455/?match=1&terms=Coue
Rapp, Dean R. “‘Better and Better—’ Couéism as a Psychological Craze of the Twenties in England.” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 10, no. 2, 1987, pp. 17–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23413989
Sage, X. Lamotte. “Hypnotism As It Is: A Book for Everybody.” New York State Publishing Company. Rochester, NY. 1900. Accessed online: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Hypnotism_as_it_is%3B_a_book_for_everybody_%28IA_hypnotismasitisb00sage%29.pdf
Sari, N. K. et al.“The role of autosuggestion in geriatric patients’ quality of life: a study on psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology pathway.” Social Neuroscience, 12(5), pp. 551–559. 2017. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1196243
Schlamann, Marc et al. “Autogenic training alters cerebral activation patterns in fMRI.” The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis 58,4 (2010): 444-56. doi:10.1080/00207144.2010.499347
Whiteside, Thomas. “Better and Better.” The New Yorker. May 9, 1953. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/05/16/better-and-better
Yeates, Lindsay B. “Émile Coué and his Method (I): The Chemist of Thought and Human Action.” Australian Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy & Hypnosis, Volume 38, No.1, (Autumn 2016), pp.3-27. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374753633_Emile_Coue_and_his_Method_I_The_Chemist_of_Thought_and_Human_Action

&Eacute;mile Cou&eacute; genuinely seems to have wanted to help people by teaching them how to plant helpful directives in their subconscious minds. Whether he was effective is something that's still debated.&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>Baldwin, J. Mark, et al. &ldquo;A Disclaimer.&rdquo;&nbsp;Science, vol. 12, no. 309, 1900, pp. 850&ndash;850.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1629542</li>
<li>Baudouin, Charles. &ldquo;&Eacute;mile Cou&eacute; and His Life&rsquo;s Work.&rdquo; American Library Service. New York. 1923. https://digirepo.nlm.nih.gov/ext/dw/55330740R/PDF/55330740R.pdf</li>
<li>Baudouin, Charles. &ldquo;Suggestion and Autosuggestion.&rdquo; New York. Dodd, Mead and Company, 1921. https://dn720207.ca.archive.org/0/items/suggestionauto00bauduoft/suggestionauto00bauduoft.pdf</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "&Eacute;mile Cou&eacute;".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emile-Cou&eacute;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Coue, After Goodby Lecture, Flees City.&rdquo; Boston Globe. January 31, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430295545/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Coue Explains How to Use Auto-Suggestion.&rdquo; Boston Globe. January 7, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430953338/?match=1&amp;terms=Coue</li>
<li>COU&Eacute;, EMILE. &ldquo;SELF MASTERY THROUGH CONSCIOUS AUTOSUGGESTION.&rdquo; AMERICAN LIBRARY SERVICE PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK. 1922. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27203/27203-h/27203-h.htm</li>
<li>&ldquo;Delirium Tremens.&rdquo; Cleveland Clinic. June 5, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25052-delirium-tremens</li>
<li>&ldquo;EMILE COU&Eacute; DEAD; A MENTAL HEALER; Many Made Well by Saying &lsquo;Every Day, in Every Way, I'm Growing Better and Better.&rsquo;&rdquo; New York Times. July 3, 1926. https://www.nytimes.com/1926/07/03/archives/emile-Cou&eacute;-dead-a-mental-healer-many-made-well-by-saying-every-day.html</li>
<li>Heid, Markham. &ldquo;Is Hypnosis Real? Here&rsquo;s What Science Says.&rdquo; Time. March 2, 2023. https://time.com/5380312/is-hypnosis-real-science/</li>
<li>Myga, Kasia A et al. &ldquo;Autosuggestion: a cognitive process that empowers your brain?.&rdquo;&nbsp;Experimental brain research 240,2 (2022): 381-394. doi:10.1007/s00221-021-06265-8</li>
<li>Neal, E. Virgil, ed. &ldquo;Hypnotism and hypnotic suggestion. A scientific treatise on the uses and possibilities of hypnotism, suggestion and allied phenomena.&rdquo; New York State Publishing Company. Rochester, NY. 1906. https://archive.org/details/hypnotismhypnoti00roch/page/n9/mode/1up</li>
<li>&ldquo;Pliny 1813 Years Ahead of Coue &hellip; &ldquo; Boston Globe. January 30, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/430295455/?match=1&amp;terms=Coue</li>
<li>Rapp, Dean R. &ldquo;&lsquo;Better and Better&mdash;&rsquo; Cou&eacute;ism as a Psychological Craze of the Twenties in England.&rdquo;&nbsp;Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 10, no. 2, 1987, pp. 17&ndash;36.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23413989</li>
<li>Sage, X. Lamotte. &ldquo;Hypnotism As It Is: A Book for Everybody.&rdquo; New York State Publishing Company. Rochester, NY. 1900. Accessed online: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Hypnotism_as_it_is%3B_a_book_for_everybody_%28IA_hypnotismasitisb00sage%29.pdf</li>
<li>Sari, N. K.&nbsp;et al.&ldquo;The role of autosuggestion in geriatric patients&rsquo; quality of life: a study on psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology pathway.&rdquo;&nbsp;Social Neuroscience, 12(5), pp. 551&ndash;559. 2017. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1196243</li>
<li>Schlamann, Marc et al. &ldquo;Autogenic training alters cerebral activation patterns in fMRI.&rdquo;&nbsp;The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis 58,4 (2010): 444-56. doi:10.1080/00207144.2010.499347</li>
<li>Whiteside, Thomas. &ldquo;Better and Better.&rdquo; The New Yorker. May 9, 1953. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/05/16/better-and-better</li>
<li>Yeates, Lindsay B. &ldquo;&Eacute;mile Cou&eacute; and his Method (I): The Chemist of Thought and Human Action.&rdquo; Australian Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy &amp; Hypnosis, Volume 38, No.1, (Autumn 2016), pp.3-27. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374753633_Emile_Coue_and_his_Method_I_The_Chemist_of_Thought_and_Human_Action</li>
</ul>

Émile Coué genuinely seems to have wanted to help people by teaching them how to plant helpful directives in their subconscious minds. Whether he was effective is something that's still debated. 

Émile Coué and Autosuggestion

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0594d8b0-2b73-4409-bdc2-b41d0061a817/transcript

The Demon Core and Other Criticality Accidents

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