Podcast
History Fix
Hosted by Shea LaFountaine · EN
In each episode of History Fix, I discuss lesser known stories from history that you won't be able to stop thinking about. Need your history fix? You've come to the right place.
Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/historyfix or Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine. Your donations make it possible for me to continue creating great episodes. Plus, I'll love you forever!
Find more at historyfixpodcast.com
36episodes
Episodes
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Mini Fix #35 Preview: Historically Gay?
5d ago00:03:26Tap to summarizeListen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! In this whirlwind mini we’re going to talk about 7 historical figures who were at least probably gay. A few of these were definitely gay or at least bisexual. For some we’ll never know for sure, we can only speculate. But, you know, why does it matter? Some might be wondering. Why does the sexual orientation of long dead people even matter? Because in many of these examples, these are highly respected and revered historical figures and to be represented in history as impressive, capable, accomplished movers and shakers like this, to be recognized throughout history where they’ve always been hidden, is a big deal for LGBTQ+ advocacy and awareness and the ongoing fight for equality. And that’s what Pride Month is all about.SourcesWikipedia “Sappho”Wikipedia “Alexander the Great”Wikipedia “Leonardo da Vinci”Wikipedia “James VI and I”Wikipedia "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben”Wikipedia “Oscar Wilde”Wikipedia “Alan Turing”Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 162 Juneteenth: How a Day in Galveston, Texas Came to Symbolize the End of Slavery in the United States
2w ago00:22:49Tap to summarizeSince 2021 Juneteenth National Independence Day has been a federal holiday in the United States. But what exactly is the significance of that date, June 19th? Is that when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, freeing enslaved people in Confederate States? Is it when the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in all of the states? Nope. Let's get to the bottom of what happened on June 19, 1865 and why it led to a new national holiday some 150 years later. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: University of South Florida at Saint Petersburg "Juneteenth: the complicated history, significance and celebration around the struggle for freedom"National Museum of African American History and Culture "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth"History.com "What is Juneteenth?"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Mini Fix #34 Preview: Metal Detector Finds
3w ago00:01:38Tap to summarizeListen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! After researching the Galloway Hoard last week, which was discovered by a metal detectorist in 2014, I found myself wondering what other treasures have been found this way. So this week I present to you 6 priceless historical treasures that were unearthed by amateur metal detector enthusiasts almost exclusively in the UK. We'll also discuss why that is... the UK thing!Sources:British Museum “Buried treasure: top 10 finds” United States Gold Bureau “10 Most Valuable Treasures Ever Found”Wikipedia “Grouville Hoard”The Guardian “Mystery of Jersey’s huge iron age hoard may have been solved”Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 161 The Galloway Hoard: How the Discovery of Viking Era Buried Treasure Raises More Questions Than Answers
4w ago00:38:47Tap to summarizeCome explore the Galloway Hoard with me, a Viking era treasure hoard found buried beneath a field in Galloway, Scotland back in 2014. Silver Viking arm bands, a rock crystal jar dating back to ancient Rome, a silver vessel from 4,000 miles away in present day Iran - these treasures hidden around the year 900 are incredible. But, upon closer inspection, they raise more questions than answers. Is this actually Viking treasure? Arm bands are very Viking. But then why do they have inscriptions on them written in Anglo-Saxon runes, a form of Old English? Why is there a Christian cross? Reference to a Bishop? And what does the mysterious inscription "DIS IS IIGNA F" mean? We'll uncover all of this and more to reveal a tumultuous time in an ever changing world. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources:National Museums Scotland "Discover the Galloway Hoard"Smithsonian Magazine "A Proposed Translation Hints at the Origins of the Mysterious Galloway Hoard"NorthLink Ferries "The Galloway Hoard - an interview with Martin Goldberg"Wikipedia "Galloway Hoard"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Mini Fix #33 Preview: The Mayerling Incident
May 3100:03:00Tap to summarizeListen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! In the early morning hours of January 30, 1889 Crown Prince Rudolf, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, murdered his 17 year old mistress and then took his own life at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, Austria. The details of this apparent murder suicide were pretty straightforward. But, in the confusion that followed, much was done to cover up the details of what actually happened. Evidence was covered up, misinformation was spread, and medical records were falsified. In the end, a seemingly cut and dry murder suicide was twisted into a complete mystery. That is, until 2015 when a hand written letter was discovered inside of a brown leather folder in a safety deposit box in Vienna. Let’s fix that. Sources: The History Blog “Mary Vetsera’s Suicide Notes Found in Vienna Bank”Wikipedia “Mayerling Incident”Czech Center Houston Museum “The Mayerling Incident”Encyclopedia Britannica “Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria”Wikimedia Commons “Mayerling Final Letter”Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 160 Franz Ferdinand: How One Man's Death Sparked a Fire That Ignited Into World War I
May 2400:34:37Tap to summarizeThis week we're delving into the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, on June 28, 1914. This death was especially significant because it's often cited as the catalyst that started World War I. But that's never really made sense to me. Why would the death of this one man compel over 100 countries to involve themselves in the most horrific war the world had ever known, the Great War? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: History.com "The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand"Norwich University "Six Causes of World War I"The National WWI Museum and Memorial "June 28, 1914"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Mini Fix #32 Preview: Sweating Sickness
May 1700:02:26Tap to summarizeListen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! I have to talk about sweating sickness. For some reason it has always completely fascinated me. What was this mysterious and highly deadly illness that plagued mostly just the upper class in England during the Tudor dynasty? Why such a specific and unlikely target victim? Why did it go away just as suddenly as it appeared? Join me to examine the evidence and the theories and let me know in the comments... what do you think sweating sickness was?Sources:https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/just-what-was-english-sweating-sicknesshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3917436/ https://www.healthdisgroup.us/articles/GJIDCR-11-163.php https://www.britannica.com/science/sweating-sicknessShoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 159 Absinthe: How Bad Science and a Greedy Wine Industry Transformed the "Green Fairy" Into the "Green Demon"
May 1000:35:41Tap to summarizeAbsinthe, a pale green drink consisting of mostly alcohol and small amounts of wormwood oil, has only recently been legalized in much of the western world after a nearly century long ban. Everyone knows the myths about absinthe - that it causes hallucinations, that it'll make you go crazy. They banned it for a reason after all right? It's powerful, dangerous stuff which, in many ways, makes it all the more alluring to the masses. But what if I told you that thujone, the psychoactive chemical found in wormwood, doesn't cause hallucinations at all? That the degeneration and "poisoning of the population" blamed entirely on absinthe at the turn of the 20th century was much likely to have been caused by the near 70% alcohol it contained? So why was absinthe really banned? Who turned the "green fairy" into the "green demon?" Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: Distillations Magazine "The Devil in a Little Green Bottle: A History of Absinthe"Healthline "Does Absinthe Really Make You Hallucinate?"Alandia "Absinthe History: From invention to ban and re-legalization"Food52 "The Folklore-Filled History of Absinthe"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Mini Fix #31 Preview: The Mysterious Death of Amy Dudley
May 300:01:55Tap to summarizeFor this mini fix, I asked you guys on Instagram to choose between 3 Queen Elizabeth I related topics and the majority of you picked the mysterious death of Amy Dudley! The results were:What the heck was sweating sickness - 24%The mysterious death of Amy Dudley - 44%The execution of Sir Walter Raleigh 32%Make sure you follow me on Instagram (@historyfixpodcast) to cast your vote next time I do something like this! This not so mini fix was so dang interesting it stretched past the 30 minute mark, making it my longest mini fix ever. To listen to the full thing, you can subscribe to the Patreon for $5 a month or just pay $3 to listen to this one episode. Totally worth it! Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: UK National Archives “Coroner’s Report”History Hit “Amy Dudley: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?”Wikipedia “Amy Robsart”Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep 158 Elizabeth I: How a Disappointing Girl Became the Quintessential Queen
Apr 2600:44:17Tap to summarizeThis week is all about a lady I've danced around for far too long: Queen Elizabeth I. Born an utter disappointment to literally everyone and declared illegitimate after her mother’s execution, disinherited as a toddler, the future throne snatched out from under her, Elizabeth would go on to shatter all possible expectations and would end her 44 year reign as one of the most beloved and successful queens, nay monarchs, the world has ever known. How? Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources:Historic Royal Palaces "Elizabeth I, the last Tudor"BBC "Elizabeth I: Troubled child to beloved queen"Royal Museums Greenwich "Queen Eliabeth I facts and myths"royal.uk "Elizabeth I"UK National Archives "The Golden Speech"History Extra "Did Thomas Seymour sexually abuse the teenage Princess Elizabeth?"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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