Ep 16, Telephone Operators

In this episode, Albert and Colleen look at the history of the American holiday called Thanksgiving. Going back to the arrival and challenging survival of the Pilgrims to FDR's attempt to move the holiday to improve the economy... there is a lot to learn in a short 10-minute episode.  We have now had listeners in 40 states and 60 countries. You can hear other episodes of Curious World History and buy merch on curiousworldhistory.com. 

Albert and Colleen explore the history of telephone switchboard operators. This is a job that no longer exists like it once did. The "Hello Girls" connected hundreds of calls each hour. There are some wild parts of the history, like... how WWI operators connecting calls near the front lines, that an undertaker invented the automated switchboard because he was convinced business opportunities were being stolen from him, and how a measles outbreak led to the phone number system. In this episode we hear snippets of two copyright free songs:  "Hello! ma Baby" by Arthur Collins and "Over There" by Arthur Fields. Remember to visit our website for more episodes and our merch shop at curiousworldhistory.com.

Albert and Colleen dig into another tasty treat in this episode of Curious World History. Learn all about the 2500 year history of ice cream. From ancient Persian and Chinese history to presidents, ice cream has been enjoyed by many people around the world. If you want to see Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten recipe, visit this website: https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/ice-cream On our episode page, you can see ice cream photos from the Library of Congress from the 1920s, 40s, and 50s. https://www.curiousworldhistory.com/e/ep-15-the-history-of-ice-cream/

Albert and Colleen share their recent experience on a visit to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. In Part 1, they go into the history of the battles in the Pacific Theater, and how shrimp boats, M&Ms, Julia Child, and a secret in a soldier's journal all factor into the war.  To learn about or visit the museum, go to https://www.nationalww2museum.org/. Thank you to our listeners -- who now represent 40 countries and 41 of the United States!

Albert and Colleen share the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes until its sinking in a terrible storm in November of 1975. All 29 souls on board were lost. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", a song written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, made this deadly event even more famous. Unfortunately, for copyright reasons, we could not play the song on our podcast. You can listen to it here. We want to thank Mike Barry (Albert's grandfather) for his portrayal of the Captain's final transmission. We asked AI to generate an image of the ship battling the storm and are sharing it on our podcast website: curiousworldhistory.com  

Did you know that there were only enough lifeboats for half of the people on the Titanic? Have you heard that some newspapers printed mistaken stories about all of the passengers surviving? Albert and Colleen learn a lot about the Titanic -- the boat, the captain, the collision with the iceberg and more. And, they do a segment on Myth vs Fact! Within this episode, you will hear snippets of songs that we found on the Library of Congress website. We also share parts of an amazing interview that Pony Horton did in 1982-3 with one of the Titanic survivors.  Learn more and access links to the resources on our website: https://www.curiousworldhistory.com/

Have you ever wondered how the Statue of Liberty was built or what it symbolizes? Did you know that she is clad in 31 tons of copper? Or that there are broken chains at her feet? Join Albert and Colleen as they dig into the history of the Mother of Exiles, herself, along with the poem emblazoned on the statue. Here are several images to show you more about the statue -- all from the Library of Congress. Also from the LOC, we feature the song, "For Your Country and My Country" by Irving Berlin. We have now had listeners in 21 countries and 35 states, plus Washington DC! If you have an idea for an episode or just want to contact us, you can do so by emailing us at [email protected]. Don't forget our merch shop on our website, too! We now have cold weather gear.

In this episode, Albert and Colleen talk about the terrifying Dixon Bridge collapse over the Rock River in Dixon, Illinois. This deadly disaster took place in 1873 and wasn’t the only bridge by L. E. Truesdell that caused deaths. Below is one picture from Lee County Historical & Genealogical Society and the Loveland Community House (public domain) and the other from the Associated Press story linked beneath it. You can read more about it here. There is now a Curious World History merch store! Browse our shirts, bags, and water bottles.

Join Albert and Colleen as they discuss the curious life of Alfred Nobel. You might know his name from the Nobel Peace Prize. But, peace is not what he was known for during his lifetime. 

In this episode, Albert and Colleen look at the harrowing invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France on what is called D-Day. They even hear from war hero, Charles Norman Shay, a medic who saved many soldiers. You can hear more from Mr. Shay on the Library of Congress website, where we found his interviews. There is now a Curious World History merch store! Browse our shirts, bags, and water bottles.