The Past and The Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

Carolin Hampton needed to pioneer rubber gloves int he operating room after Joseph Lister's big ideas.

Richard Etheridge was the first Black keeper at an official Life Saving Station and his team's rescue of a shipwrecked family was dramatic and historic.

You might be surprised to learn the history of the iconic sandwich and all of the ingredients that go into the recipe. First published in 1901, the availability of peanut butter, jelly and sliced bread has changed a lot over the years. And that's great, so let's eat (or just listen).

Special thanks to Lindsay and Marshall from Tumble Podcast for their inspiration on the subject, and help with this episode!

Two misers for the price of one!

Charles Dickens created the world-famous character Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1840s, but he may have been inspired by a real-life miser named John Elwes.

Another famous miser is buried in a Jewish cemetery in Krakow, Poland. However, it turns out that Yossele the Holy Miser wasn't as miserly as everyone believed him to be during his life.

Two fascinating stories from World War II. One is about Rose Valland, a French woman who worked as a spy in Nazi-occupied Paris. Her bravery saved thousands of works of art, many of which were returned to the families who originally owned them. 

Secondly, the story of German U-boat U-1206 is a doozy. The new toilet onboard was confounding, and it got the the better of the boat's commander. The result was a big blunder by the German Army.

The Erie Canal and The Chicago River were two of the most impressive engineering feats in history.

For the 200th Anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal we look at the opening celebration, along with a fun musical diversion or two.

And how can you talk about moving water without talking about the efforts to change sanitation in Chicago? This included reversing the flow of the river that runs through the city!