Crack open a cold one and/or crack open a good book, Cass and Nat are here to tell you about the Lager Beer Riot (Chicago, 1855) and the history of Penguin Publishing...plus a brief explanation of where we disappeared to for months, and a few luke-warm takes on home library organization. Mayor William B. Ogden Mayor Levi Boone 1858 photo of riot si…

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...OR maybe you've just failed productively? Social Media Darling, Sarah Whittle joins us to share a hilarious history of items invented by accident and we even discuss a few brilliant inventions of our own devising. So listen to this episode and steal our ideas! Our guest, Sarah Whittle Spelling Bee-kin…

What does hockey's first organized league and a colony of creative rabbits have in common? One was black, one was white, but both buck expectations and deserve some overdue recognition for being really freaking good in their fields. Listen and learn about The Colored Hockey League and The White Rabbits (women sculptors) of the 1893 Chicago World's …

What the networks deem "newsworthy" barely scratches the surface of what it means to be a nation at war, a community at war, a civilian at war. Cultural anthropologist Dr. Greta Uehling joins us to provide a window into life for noncombatant civilians in Ukraine looks like during the current conflict, and the humor and humanity that gets them throu…

Today we're talking about two ladies who've got rhythm and music: black singer, composer and music critic, Nora Holt; and fierce beast of falmenco, Carmen Amaya. Nora Holt Carmen Amaya ⁠⁠⁠Complete citations on our website.⁠⁠⁠ SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, @SharedHistory on ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, ⁠⁠@sharedhistorypod on Mastad…

As we explore overlooked figures from history, we often find ourselves shouting about how these folks should have been celebrities, either in their time or in history books. But this week we're taking a step further back to examine the history of celebrity itself. And who better to lead us on that journey than former managing editor of People and M…

Remember when every TV show had a musical episode? Ring in the 100th episode of Shared History with the sweat and style of the history of house music and Chicago's notorious and naughty Everleigh club PLUS original and fully improvised songs courtesy of some of our very talented friends: the Then This Happened Podcast, S6 finale guest Alex DiVirgil…

Nobody puts Baby in the corner and nobody makes Merton Clivette pick a lane. Author and indie publisher, Michael MacBride, regales us with tales of painter, magician, writer and more Merton Clivette, aka Clivette the Great, aka The Man in Black, aka The Mysterious Strange. Join us to learn about all things Clivette and how/why MacBride found himsel…

Finally, more people are talking about Scythia and, of course, Chicago! And by more people, we mean us. Listen and learn about Persian-crushing Queen, Tomyris of Scythia and vinyl-crushing mayhem, Disco Demolition Night of Chicago 1979. Handy map of Scythians during Tomyris' time Tomyris straight dunking Cyrus' head 1979 coverage of disco demolitio…

We’re starting this season off with a bang…or at least Natalie is, as she traumatizes Cass with a harrowing tale from Chicago history: The Wingfoot Air Express Disaster before Cass shares the fashion and racism behind the Zoot Suit Riots. Wingfoot Express Leaving Grant Park Inside bank after crash Diagram of crash Composite illustration of wingfoot…

In this incredibly sincere and well-researched bonus minisode, we read a note from the mailbag, explore a magical neighborhood in Wisconsin, and answer the question: "what if Nat & Cass commit to a bit for ~24 minutes?". We want to shout out our listener Melanie who sent in this request and probably didn't expect this. See y'all for Shared History …

It's the season 6 finale and that calls for our signature silly finale tradition of a waterfall episode...although this time our comedy guest, Alex DiVirgilio, took that extra literally. That's right, join us for a barrel of laughs as we discuss the history of Niagara Falls! More on Alex Alex DiVirgilio is an improviser, musician and shaper of youn…

Everyone knows there is nothing cooler than sweet tats and sick dragons, so in this week's episode we're bringing you both. Cass takes us to the Philippines to school us in the Kalinga art of the batok tattoo, and then Nat takes us on a whirlwind adventure to prove once and for all that dragons are real. Whang-od Whang-od at work St. George and the…

We're taking beer back to it's roots, literally, with a not-so-hoppy history lesson from our friend Nia Ryan at Herbiery. Join us as we talk about the history of hops, the proven potential of hop-free beers, and what Queering Beer means to us. Learn more about Herbiery and where to find their delicious beers at Herbiery.com And look out for their t…

Same topic, different person. It finally almost happened. Cass and Nat come in hot with ALMOST THE EXACT SAME TOPIC. Join us as we learn about Eleanor Marx and Edith Nesbit, two feminist, socialist organizers in mid-to-late 19th century London. Eleanor Marx Edith Nesbit Edward Aveling Hubert Bland The Railway Children, first edition Miss Marx movie…

If Tom Cruise is involved, it's wrong. That's one of many lessons we take away from this week's episode on samurai women warriors, or the onna-bugeisha, with Tehya from For The Love of History Podcast. Listen to Tehya's podcast here. Tomoe Gozen Woodblock printing of a warrior woman (Utagawa Kuniyoshi) Woman dressed as Tomoe Gozen at festival Ishi-…

Coming up with new nicknames is an art form, and this episode is chocked full of art. Cass teaches us all about composer, conductor and family man Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (not to be confused with Samuel Taylor Coleridge). And while they may not have been lauded a fine art in their time, Nat's topic of Dime Novels (or Penny Dreadfuls) are responsibl…

...because he was kind of a d*ck. We're joined by motion designer and co-host of the Cartoon Feelings podcast, Caitlin Cadieux to examine some of the less than ideal labor practices of Walt Disney and his studios. Listen to Cartoon Feelings here. Cait is hosting an online event TOMORROW, Wednesday 11/2: info here More on Caitlin Caitlin Cadieux is …

Sometimes there is nothing scarier than reality. So, in this edition of Scared History, Nat & Cass is keeping things close to home with a very real local (Chicago) murder and Cass is bombarding us with scary tales of Nature. Chicago Reader headline/illustration on Ruthie McCoy murder The Death of Alexander, 323 bce Lake Nyos limnic eruption Lake Ny…

Once the second most recognizable brand in the world after Coca-Cola, Pan Am is and was more than an airline. Historian and host of The Pan Am Podcast, Tom Betti, takes us on a journey through historical firsts, fashions and tragedies that all tie back to the innovative, iconic and inspiring: Pan American Airlines. Our Guest, Tom Betti The Pan Am M…

Cass tells us the 1850 BCE Egyptian story of "The Eloquent Peasant" and Natalie opens up the crock of lies about the danger of poisons in the royal court. Sources: editorialinc, JSTOR, Medicina Antiqua, Complete citations on our website. SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on Twitter & Instagram SUPPORT: Support us on Patreon or Buy us a "…

This week we're all over the map but also right at home as Dr. Natalia Molina schools us on the historical and everyday impact of immigrants and the all-around importance of big H history and little h history. From community touchstones to your textbooks, the immigrant story is our story. Our Guest Natalia Molina Natalia's latest book: A Place at t…

The women in today's episode saw a need and crafted their own solutions to fill it. First we've got the 10th century canoness Hrotsvitha bringing theatre back to the western world with "clean" new plays, and then we've got Myers and Briggs themselves -- Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs -- offering a more nuanced, introspective look int…

Lard almighty, this week we're joined by King of Kings, Brian King, for a most delectable and distractable episode for you. Make yourself a snack and get lost in the nostalgia as we explore the history of the greatest treat there ever was: The Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich. And once you've unstuck the bread from the roof of your mouth, feel free t…

If you're wondering where to find fantastic beasts, may we suggest The Great Emu War of 1932 and The Hippo Bill of 1910. Cass and Nat both coincidentally bring tales from the animal kingdom this week showcasing the failure of the Australian army to defeat the pesky Emus and the failure of American congress to pass a bill that would've filled our na…