Behind the Scenes Minis: Impossible Shoes

Summary

Stuff You Missed in History Class: Episode Summary Title: Behind the Scenes Minis: Impossible Shoes
Release Date: December 6, 2024
Hosts: Tracy B. Wilson & Holly Fry
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

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I. Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Tracy B. Wilson and Holly Fry delve into the intriguing world of shoemaking, focusing on the remarkable contributions of Jan Matzaliger. This episode, titled "Behind the Scenes Minis: Impossible Shoes," not only explores historical innovations in shoe manufacturing but also touches upon the broader implications of these advancements on communities and industries.

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II. The "Six Impossible Episodes" and Listener Engagement

Tracy B. Wilson introduces the concept of "Six Impossible Episodes," a segment dedicated to exploring listener requests that challenge conventional topics.

• Tracy: "We have way more listener requests than we can possibly ever do. That does not mean stop sending them. We also love getting them." [03:04]

The hosts emphasize the value of listener contributions, highlighting how these requests often introduce them to obscure yet fascinating subjects they might not have encountered otherwise.

• Holly Fry: "Some of the favorite episodes we have ever done [...] were listener requests of people or organizations or events or whatever that, for whatever reason, I just never would have thought of before getting the note." [03:24]

Tracy shares an anecdote from Iceland, where listeners approached her with ideas, reinforcing the interactive relationship between the podcast and its audience.

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III. Nellie Cashman: Legacy and Historical Accuracy

The discussion shifts to the life of Nellie Cashman, an extraordinary figure whose contributions merit deeper exploration.

• Tracy: "Nellie Cashman was clearly an astounding person. She sounds very fun and cool in a lot of ways." [05:59]

The hosts express admiration for Cashman's entrepreneurial spirit, noting her ability to establish restaurants and boarding houses during gold and silver rushes—a time when women's opportunities were limited.

However, they also critically examine certain biographical claims, questioning the accuracy of specific events and motivations.

• Tracy: "So, yeah, that's not sure on that." [05:46]
• Holly: "I have questions about how if these men at the mine were already starving and developing scurvy, and it also took her weeks to get to them and they all survived." [06:37]

Despite uncertainties, Cashman's undeniable impact and pioneering role are thoroughly acknowledged.

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IV. Public Executions and Teenie Harris

The conversation briefly veers into the grim history of public executions, referencing Christopher Lee's account of witnessing the last public guillotining in France.

• Holly: "The one that sticks out to me is that Christopher Lee saw the last public guillotining in France, which is so recent in history. And I'm just like, how weird and ghoulish is that?" [07:45]

Additionally, the hosts mention Teenie Harris, praising his photographic work and encouraging listeners to explore his extensive archives.

• Tracy: "I definitely recommend looking at that huge archive of Teenie Harris's photographs." [08:14]

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V. Jan Matzaliger: Innovator in Shoemaking

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Jan Matzaliger, a Black inventor whose innovations revolutionized the shoe manufacturing industry.

• Tracy: "I love them. Thank you, Jan Metzeler, because I love shoes and you make me smile all the time with your invention." [21:20]

Matzaliger's contributions, particularly his development of machinery that transformed handcrafted shoemaking into a more efficient, automated process, are explored in depth. The hosts admire his dedication to preserving craftsmanship while embracing technological advancements.

• Holly: "I really feel like the key is that unlike probably many of the other people trying to build a machine to do this was the time that he spent watching handcrafters do it." [14:33]

They discuss the broader implications of his work, including the establishment of numerous shoe factories in Lynn, Massachusetts, a hub for footwear manufacturing in the early 20th century.

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VI. The Shoe Industry in Lynn, Massachusetts

The episode delves into the prolific shoe manufacturing scene in Lynn, highlighting the staggering number of factories that operated during Matzaliger's era.

• Holly: "I remember reading about this, and it's still so many shoe factories just sort of, you know, having a sense of where all these towns are and cities are and how connected they are to each other." [17:17]

Tracy expresses skepticism about the reported number of factories, considering the population dynamics and the scale of operations at the time.

• Tracy: "I'm still baffled by 230 shoe factories. We've talked about it three times. And even knowing the importance of shoes, that's still so many factories." [20:29]

The hosts explore the historical context, pondering how such a concentration of manufacturing was feasible and sustainable, given the technological and logistical constraints of the period.

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VII. The Personal Shoe Collections of the Hosts

Shifting gears, Tracy and Holly share their personal enthusiasm for shoes, providing a relatable human element to the historical discussions.

• Holly: "And buy shoes. I do remember there was an episode that you had referenced once of Judge John Hodgkin about a couple that was arguing over shoes." [22:47]
• Tracy: "I'm trying to be. To slow my role on acquisitions because I'm out of shoe space." [21:55]

Their anecdotes about shoe collections not only add humor but also underscore the cultural significance of footwear in personal and societal contexts.

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VIII. Community Legacy and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with reflections on the lasting impact of Matzaliger's work and the communities built around shoemaking.

• Holly: "What I really want to do is honor this guy who was a black inventor that gets very little play on the world stage. And I just love it so much." [18:03]

The hosts highlight the importance of community support and the enduring legacy of innovators who balance technological progress with human-centric values.

• Tracy: "The fact that he continued to have that social network and social support is something that I appreciate about his story and the community that he had around him." [19:08]

They emphasize the role of community in sustaining individuals, especially those facing personal challenges, and the significance of remembering and honoring such contributions in history.

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Notable Quotes

• Tracy B. Wilson: "We welcome the listener requests and acknowledge that the list is longer than humanity has room for in our lives." [03:24]
• Holly Fry: "How weird and ghoulish is that?" [07:45]
• Tracy B. Wilson: "That's a lot, and I love them." [22:16]
• Holly Fry: "I have to have that." [22:33]

---

Conclusion

In "Behind the Scenes Minis: Impossible Shoes," Tracy and Holly skillfully intertwine historical analysis with personal passion, offering listeners a comprehensive look at the evolution of shoemaking and its broader societal impacts. Through engaging storytelling and critical examination, the episode not only educates but also celebrates the unsung heroes of history, ensuring their legacies continue to inspire future generations.

For more episodes and to dive deeper into fascinating historical topics, visit the iHeartRadio app or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Host 1]

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[Host 1]

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[Host 1]

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[Host 2]

Hi everyone, it's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda.

[Host 1]

Copy from the Today Show.

[Host 2]

Nobody does the holidays like today. From festive performances and great gift ideas to tips for the perfect holiday feast, join us every morning on NBC and make today your home for the holidays. Welcome to Stuff youf Missed in History Class, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Happy Friday.

[Host 2]

I'm traveling.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Tracy B. Wilson.

[Host 2]

And I'm Holly Fry.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

We had our latest Six Impossible Episodes.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

I remembered doing one six Impossible Episodes of Listener Requests previously. And I started my document for writing this outline in, and then I tried to save it as Six Impossible Episodes Listener Requests two. And my computer said, there's already a file by that name. And I said, excuse me, ma'am.

[Host 2]

Ma'am?

[Tracy B. Wilson]

When did that happen? So I had to go refresh my memory. I like doing Six Impossible Episodes for a number of reasons. I especially like when it gives me the chance to just get a whole pile of listener requests. We've said before, we have way more listener requests than we can possibly ever do. That does not mean stop sending them. We also love getting them. And we get listener requests that are things that I just never would have thought of. Sometimes I'll get a listener request that makes. That is somebody that I know about and for whatever reason, have just never thought of doing an episode about. And I'm like, that's amazing. That's a great idea. And then some of the favorite episodes we have ever done before have been listener requests of people or organizations or events or whatever that, for whatever reason, I just did not know about before getting the note. So we welcome the listener requests and acknowledge that the list is longer than humanity has room for in our lives.

[Host 2]

Yeah. I even had. While we were in Iceland, a couple of people come up to me and be like, I'm so sorry. I know you get so many, but I have some. And I'm like, go ahead. Like, please bring us more ideas. We may or may not be able to act on them, but they're great. I have feelings.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

About Gagain's husband. And they are uncharitable.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Okay.

[Host 2]

I'm like, you petty, jealous weasel. That's pretty much what they are.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. And I. So the information that I was able to find about her biography was really thin. Like, there are all of these books of patterns, plenty of them. You can, you know, see the kinds of things that she was knitting or crocheting or doing with other needles or whatever. You can look at all of that. There's just not a lot of detail about her life. And the source that I read that talked about this Made it sound like sort of a deal that they struck that was like, I get to keep all of my books and copyright, and you get to cut me out of the will. And I was like, that seems a little odd to me. I don't know if that's accurate. I think these two elements of it are correct, but I don't really know for sure that they were linked together in that way.

[Host 2]

Right. That it was a cause and effect.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. So, yeah, that's not sure on that.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Nellie Cashman was clearly an astounding person.

[Host 2]

I know. She sounds very fun.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

She sounds very fun and cool in a lot of ways. And I super admire the fact that she, you know, when there was a new discovery of gold or silver, she would show up and she would start a restaurant and a boarding house and, like, was able to make her way in a time when a lot of women didn't have opportunities like that. And so she was an outlier in a lot of ways. I do wonder how much of some of the most dramatic events in her life are maybe a little embellished.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Like, I have questions about how if these men at the mine were already starving and developing scurvy, and it also took her weeks to get to them and they all survived. That seems like a lot of how all of those things.

[Host 2]

There's a lot of malady math to be worked out there.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Like, how could all of that have simultaneously been true? And it's one of those things where all of the things she definitely for sure did are all notable enough on their own that if those things are embellishments, like, we didn't need the embellishments for her to be incredibly cool.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

So, yeah. And I also like her getting people to tear down the grandstand that people are gonna watch the hanging from. Because while we've talked many times about public executions and times and places in which going to see a public execution was regarded as a, like, an acceptable thing to do, and people had kind of a raucous party over it. The fact that she was like, nuh, that's appalling. And I'm ripping down your grandstand, and you were not selling tickets to this. Yeah, I like. I like the gumption.

[Host 2]

I do, too. I always find those stories. I mean, we've talked about them a million times. The one that sticks out to me is that Christopher Lee saw the last public guillotining in France, which is so recent in history. And I'm just like, how weird and ghoulish is that?

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

I don't know if I'm just hypersensitive to such things.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right.

[Host 2]

But I don't feel like I am. I feel like I'm a human with empathy and sympathy.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So it just feels yucky.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. Yeah. I do definitely recommend looking at that huge archive of Teenie Harris's photographs.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

We could spend hours and hours looking at them. We could also spend hours and hours looking at Jane Cog Haines knitting and crocheting books. And, like, neither of those things just translates into an audio podcast.

[Host 2]

Right. Yeah. Also, I feel like we should say if you go looking at Teenie Harris pictures, I know we said he was like, super dapper. Friends, you need to brace yourself for how very handsome and charming this man was. Like, I had read about him in passing in some photography book and then I had looked at this and was like, oh, I should go do the thing. And I just was like, dear Lord. Like, yeah, movie star handsome.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So cute brace. I'm just telling you now. Brace.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right, Right. Yeah. So we tend to do. I tend to do six impossible episodes every six months, couple times a year or so. So they'll roll around again. Don't know what the theme will be to just be whatever strikes my fancy at a particular time.

[Host 1]

All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Partisan.

[Host 2]

Partisan.

[Host 1]

It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites, too. I just got it for 50 off, so how about a clasmopolitan or a mistletoe margarita?

[Host 2]

I'm thirsty.

[Host 1]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and.

[Host 2]

Wow, it's beginning to feel more seasonal in here already.

[Host 1]

If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartesian, because Bartesian crafts every cocktail perfectly in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off.

[Host 2]

Tis the season to be jollier.

[Bartesian Advertiser]

Add some holiday flavor to every celebration with the sleek, sophisticated home cocktail maker Bartish. Pick up your phone and shake it to get $50 off. Any cocktail maker. Yes, you heard me. Shake your phone and get $50 off. Don't delay.

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[Host 2]

We talked about Jan Matzaliger this week. Bless you, Jan Matzaliger, because I love shoes. Yeah, a little shoe problem. And most of the machinery running today is still built on the concepts that he developed.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

I really feel like the key is that unlike probably many of the other people trying to build a machine to do this was the time that he spent watching handcrafters do it.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right.

[Host 2]

Like that was the thing he was so finicky about trying to capture, which I love.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

The discussion about the Lasters union really reminded me of the Luddites, which we have an episode on that's already been as a Saturday classic. But the Luddites were not anti technology. They were against technologies that were putting people out of work and also in that case, making an inferior product.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Which was not the case. The Luddites are actually invoked in that 1955 article that we quoted because that historian specifically is like, this one was very different from the way the Luddite uprising happened. Nobody was trying to destroy machinery. So that author does kind of a brief. A very brief comparison of the two.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. I think had the stocking frames and things that the Luddites were objecting to. Number one, not been cranking out inferior product and number two, not been putting people out of work.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

It probably also would have been a situation where people were like, great, now I can make.

[Host 2]

Now I can make my living without breaking my body.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. Without breaking my body.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

But it was. That was not the case. And it would not have been the case with the shoe lasting machine had the factory owners just replaced all of the Lasters with children or people who had no training.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

So like the Lasters, advocacy for themselves I think is a big thing that made that a different situation.

[Host 2]

Yeah. One of the theories that I read, and I don't have a lot to expound on it, but it would make a little bit of sense is that there are some people that believe that Matt Zeliger got so sick because he was so driven. He was Physically exhausted all the time like that. His immune system was just not able to function. I don't know, but I wanted to mention it in case anyone was curious. The other thing, though, that I wanted to mention, because when we were reading, particularly at the end, Tracy, you had that moment of like 230 factories in this one place. Yes, at the time, Lynn and all of Massachusetts, but specifically Lynn was making most of the shoes that went all over the US and some parts of Europe. So.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Well. And my disbelief at the number of factories was coming in part from living close to Lynn and sort of knowing what the lay of the land in this region is like. And that just still felt like so many shoe factories just sort of, you know, having a sense of where all these towns are and cities are and how connected they are to each other. So, yeah, I probably wouldn't have had that question if I didn't know exactly.

[Host 2]

Where Lynn was back. Man, it's the shoe capital. So I bet if you walked around Lynn.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Oh, I had that thought. Yeah.

[Host 2]

You would start noticing some Jan Matzalaiger stuff.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah, for sure.

[Host 2]

I really, really do love, though, that he is still inspiring shoemakers today. To me, that's just like the coolest legacy ever to be like, hey, I have made sneakers for the biggest shoe brands in the world. But what I really want to do is honor this guy who was a black inventor that gets very little play on the world stage. And I just love it so much. Love it.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

I like that after becoming disabled and ill, he still had his community.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Because, like, if we lived in a perfectly accessible world where all the buildings and all the transportation and all the. Everything was accessible to everyone, there would still be people who couldn't really get out of their homes because of their illnesses or disability or just the amount of effort that it takes to get ready and leave the house.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

And that can be incredibly isolating. Frequently, even people who do have church communities or other seemingly tight knit communities will see all of those folks drift off after a while and then just be in a situation where they're really isolated and don't have a lot of contact with other people. So the fact that he continued to have that social network and social support is something that I appreciate about his story and the community that he had around him.

[Host 2]

Well, and what's interesting, I did not get to go super far down this rabbit hole, but it seems like the reverberations of that community continued well into the 20th century. Because, like, that stamp that was made, I only read, like, one little Blurb about its origination was instigated by a woman whose parents had been part of his social circle. And she was like, hey, you know, this was someone everyone loved. And long after he was dead, everybody talked about how much they loved him in addition to how important his work was. Maybe we should make an honor to him. So, like, I feel like that's like an incredible legacy of community. Right?

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

She grew up hearing about this guy for decades.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right.

[Host 2]

I love it.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right?

[Host 2]

Love it.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

I'm still baffled by 230 shoe factories. We've talked about it three times. And even knowing the importance of shoes, that's still so many factories.

[Host 2]

Does it help to consider the fact that factories in the early 1900s were much smaller than factories today?

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah, for sure.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Like, you could think of them as, you know, some, I'm sure, were huge and cavernous, but many were probably, like, the size of a nice house. Okay. Right. Like, yeah. They're not necessarily all big, giant echo chambers of, like, multi levels, like hundreds of people. Giant factories that we think of today. Yeah. I mean, yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

I think the population of Lynn at this time was something like 35 or 40,000 people.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

So, like, it is. Anyway, shoes. So many shoes.

[Host 2]

Everybody worked in shoes. Essentially. It was like their entire identity. Anyway, shoes. I love them. Thanks, Jan Metzeler. Because I like my shoes and I have a lot, as we know. Yes.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Holly is recording in a shoe closet, my overflow shoe. Yeah. I can see behind Holly, as we are recording one of those, like, over the door shoe organizers. And then there is a shoe shelf that I can also see off to. Holly's. Right? Yeah.

[Host 2]

And then the whole room behind me, our entire guest room is floor to ceiling shelves with shoes. When people come to stay, I always joke that I'm going to make them sign an NDA that they will not disclose the number of shoes they have witnessed in the house. Look, it's a lot, and I love them. And because I have a lot, they never wear out because I'm rotating.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Sure.

[Host 2]

I'm trying to be. To slow my role on acquisitions because I'm out of shoe space. But then somebody will make some adorable, cool, kitschy, ridiculous shoe, and I'm like, I have to have that.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right.

[Host 2]

I can kiss it. I can. Even if I don't wear it, I need it. Yeah, yeah. Shoes. I love them. I love them. I don't have to send anybody to college. We don't have kids.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Right.

[Host 2]

And buy shoes. I do remember there was an episode that you had referenced once of Judge John Hodgkin about a couple that was arguing over shoes and you blurted out the number of shoes the woman had, like, as though it was an astronomical number. And I was just real quiet for a second.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah. I also don't know if I. I remember that conversation. And I also think I was like recreating this episode from memory. And I don't know if the number I said was the right number, but the number I said was definitely a number of shoes that I would feel like is a lot of shoes.

[Host 2]

Yeah. I mean, listen, if you only want 4 to 10 to 20 pairs of shoes in your life, that seems very lean to me. But that's what a lot of people run with. And keep in mind, like, I have collected shoes for decades. So, like, it's not like I go out every day and buy 20 more pairs of shoes.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Some of these shoes are old. Some are shoes that were given to me that were antiques that are still wearable. In some cases, they're all over the map. Anyway, I love shoes. Thank you, Yarner and Smatzeliger, because I love shoes and you make me smile all the time with your invention. The end. If this is your weekend coming up, I hope that you get to wear as many shoes as you wish. Maybe Change them every 20 minutes if you want. I'm not gonna judge if shoes aren't your thing. I hope whatever makes you happy is something you can engage with this weekend. If this isn't time off, I still hope you find things that make you happy. We will be right back here tomorrow with a classic episode and then on Monday you'll have something brand new.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

Stuff you missed in history class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Here's to the season. From hanging ornaments in matching pajamas to building gingerbread houses with extra icing and staying up late to wrap gifts and watch movies, these traditions make the holidays truly special. And through it all, the Chinette brand is there to share in the joy. With the Chinette crystal collection, holiday tables are perfectly coordinated, allowing for excellence with less cleanup so everyone can focus on what really matters. Here's to the traditions that bring everyone together year after year. Here's to us, all of us. Find a local [e-mail] all right, we're.

[Host 1]

All set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses and I plugged in the Bartesian Bartesian. It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites too. I just got it for 50 off. So how about a Cosmopolitan or a Mistletoe Margarita?

[Host 2]

I'm thirsty.

[Host 1]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow, it's beginning to.

[Host 2]

Feel more seasonal in here already.

[Host 1]

If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartesian because Bartesian crafts every cocktail perfectly in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off.

[Host 2]

Tis the season to be jollier.

[Bartesian Advertiser]

Add some holiday flavor to every celebration with the sleek, sophisticated home cocktail maker Bartesian. Pick up your phone and shake it to get $50 off any cocktail maker. Yes, you heard me. Shake your phone and get $50 off. Don't delay.

[Tracy B. Wilson]

You know that feeling of being in your zone when the world melts away? That's What Driving the 2025 Toyota Crown family feels like. Both the sedan and the Crown Signia deliver a quiet, smooth ride with hybrid efficiency and all wheel drive confidence. Oh, and the design. I mean, so bold. Every drive in the Toyota Crown family is an experience that's captivating in every sense. Learn [e-mail] toyotacrownfamily toyota let's go places.

[Don Toliver]

What's up? It's me, Don Toliver. If I could describe the open airbud, I would describe it as very seamless. It's like you clipping onto your ear and then sometimes you can forget it's there but it's not going anywhere because it's like clipped. It's kind of crazy. If I could bring my music with me wherever I go and just make life easier and seamless without interruption. To be able to have the music on hand like that without any interruptions would be Great. Check out Bose.com for more.

[Host 2]

@ Amika Insurance, we know it's more than just a car. It's the two door coupe that was there for your first drive, the hatchback that took you cross country and back, and the minivan that tackles the weekly car pool for the cars you couldn't live without. Trust Amica Auto Insurance Amica Empathy is our best policy.