The Affair of the Poisons

(Host: Lucy) A bestselling novel you’ve probably never heard of created pop culture waves and sparked a mid-Victorian tourist industry. Westward Ho! is full of daring adventures, exciting sea battles, lush landscapes, and romance, but – unlike the novels of Stevenson and Dickens – is mostly forgotten today. Its author, Charles Kingsley, was an Anglican clergyman, amateur historian, and zealous social reformer. Westward Ho! illustrates his passionate engagement with the issues of his time, from evolution and empire to religious practice. This episode explores these Victorian debates as well as the novel’s mythos of Elizabeth seafarers and the Devon coastline.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Jessica) Red lipstick is one of the oldest cosmetics on earth. From its oldest archaeological documentation in Bronze Age Ira n, to women in the military being issued 'Montezuma Red' lipstick to spite Hitler. This episode of Footnoting History explores the history and impact of this famous cosmetic.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ted) In the fall of 1775, the British and American forces were stuck in a prolonged stalemate around Boston, Massachusetts. Then, a young bookseller with a passion for fortifications and artillery, came to General Washington with a bold idea. Join me on Footnoting History as we learn about Henry Knox’s ambitious plan to save the fledgling American Revolution.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha) Have ever had jury duty? Do you dread it or would you like to see what it’s like? The jury – or, rather, the right to a trial by jury – is a cornerstone of the Anglo-American tradition, but where did it come from? Tune into this episode of Footnoting History to learn more.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Jessica) The human cost of World War I was extreme; enlisting meant you and the other men in your village went off to serve together. This also meant that in a single battle, one community might lose all of its young men. And yet there were a few villages where everyone came home; these 'Thankful Villages' became both a blessing and a curse.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ben) In the mid-4th century CE, the powerful Aksumite civilization officially adopted Christianity as its state religion. Join us on this episode of Footnoting History as we look at this often-forgotten chapter of African history and explore the kingdom’s broader trade relationship with the Greco-Roman world.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com  

(Host: Kristin) In 1676, the Marquise de Brinvilliers stood trial in Paris for poisoning. It was a shocking revelation – and result – and, as it turned out, only the beginning of a much larger scandal known as the Affair of the Poisons. Learn about the scandal that rocked Paris on this episode of Footnoting History!        For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine)  In 1901, a man named Leon Czolgosz decided to attend the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. While there, he attacked United States President William McKinley. This episode of Footnoting History looks at the lives of Czolgosz and McKinley, their fatal encounter, the aftermath of the assassination, and how it came to be depicted in a Stephen Sondheim musical.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha) Taverns are frequently imagined as bleak, rowdy places occupied exclusively by men but for the occasional buxom serving wench. The popular image, however, does not match the depiction of drinking establishments in medieval sources. Learn more about how medieval drinking establishments should be envisioned in this special revisiting episode of Footnoting History.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Ted) Before becoming King, the future Edward I of England fulfilled his vow of going on crusade to the Holy Land. Sometimes called the 9th Crusade, this would also be the last crusade to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre and the end of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. Join me on Footnoting History to learn more about Lord Edward's crusade.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com