Best Thomas Blight Podcasts (2025)

1
The Panda Was First Discovered By Theodore Roosevelt’s Sons During a 9-Month Expedition in Himalayan China 42:05

23h ago42:05

42:05

In the late 1920s, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and his younger brother Kermit, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, wanted fame and glory apart from the family spotlight. They were seeking the “empty spots” on the maps, the areas that had yet to be explored and described by Westerners. From these remote places, they hoped to bring back exotic animals t…

1
Unearthed! in July 2025, Part 1 45:15

2d ago45:15

45:15

This installment of Unearthed! starts with lots of updates! And then some art-related unearthings, and a few things at the end that fall under the category of adult content. Research: Agencia Brasil. “Cave Paintings Discovered in Rio de Janiero Park.” 4/13/2025. https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/educacao/noticia/2025-04/cave-paintings-discovered-…

1
SYMHC Classics: Lady Jane Grey 28:08

4d ago28:08

28:08

This 2017 episode covers a very short time between Edward VI and Mary I when Lady Jane was, at least nominally, Queen of England and Ireland. Whether she had any right to the title is still the subject of dispute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Behind the Scenes Minis: Sewing Basket 19:10

5d ago19:10

19:10

Holly and Tracy discuss the challenge of enlarging sewing patterns from small diagrams. They also talk about one of Butterick's most popular patterns of all time -- the 1952 walk-away dress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
How Do We Really Know What Happened in the Past When Many Historians Were Propagandists and AI is Fabricating Everything Else? 48:46

6d ago48:46

48:46

“History is written by the winners.” This aphorism is catchy and it makes an important point that a lot of what we know about history was written with an agenda, not for the purposes of informing us. Unfortunately, it isn’t true. There are many times that the so-called “losers” wrote the histories remembered today. After the American Civil War, Sou…

1
Introducing: American History Hotline 1:13

7d ago1:13

1:13

Hi, Stuff You Missed in History Class listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, American History Hotline. American History Hotline: Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a qu…

1
Paper Sewing Patterns, Part 2 34:49

7d ago34:49

34:49

Ellen Curtis Demorest and Ebeneezer Butterick are the two names most often invoked as the start of multi-sized patterns printed for home sewists. Once they proved it was a viable business, a lot of other offerings appeared. Research: Alcega, Joan de. “Libro de geometria, practica y traça.” Madrid.1580. Accessed online:https://www.loc.gov/resource/g…

1
Eugénie de Montijo: The Spanish Empress Who Built Modern Paris and is Blamed For Imperial France’s Downfall 45:45

8d ago45:45

45:45

Thirty-three years after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Empire, his nephew (known as Napoleon III) became the first president of France before becoming emperor himself. Although he was a capable ruler and reformer, Napoleon III’s failed military campaigns, especially France’s loss to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War, led to his defeat, capture,…

1
Paper Sewing Patterns, Part 1 38:21

9d ago38:21

38:21

Commercially available sewing patterns have been a cornerstone of home stitching for a century. But well before they existed, there were people trying to share sewing patterns. Research: Alcega, Joan de. “Libro de geometria, practica y traça.” Madrid.1580. Accessed online:https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_07333/ Aldarondo, Abner. “A Master Ta…

1
SYMHC Class: Poison Control 36:04

11d ago36:04

36:04

This 2020 episode examines how the U.S. got to the point of having one resource, specifically for poisoning, that’s so reliable and available that it gets printed on the labels of consumer products. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Behind the Scenes Minis: Pens and Dog Radios 20:27

12d ago20:27

20:27

Tracy and Holly talk about their favorite pens, and Tracy describes a unique radio she had as a child. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
John Adams: The Most Influential Yet Overlooked Founding Father? 38:38

13d ago38:38

38:38

John Adams is arguably America’s most underrated Founding Father. He has no currency that bears his image. No national holidays celebrate his birth. He’s nearly never named as anyone’s favorite president. And he has no dedicated memorial in Washington, D.C. Despite this, he was perhaps the most influential early American, rivaling Washington, Jeffe…

1
Edwin Howard Armstrong 33:22

14d ago33:22

33:22

Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it. Research: Armstrong, Edwin H. “Frequency Modulation and Its Future Uses.” The Annals of the American Academy of…

1
Why Thomas More -- Henry VIII’s Hatchet Man and Heretic Hunter -- Was Himself Executed For Heresy After the English Reformation 49:11

15d ago49:11

49:11

Thomas More was one of the most famous—and notorious—figures in English history. Born into the era of the Wars of the Roses, educated during the European Renaissance, rising to become Chancellor of England, and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, he hunted Protestants for heresy and had them burnt at the stake in the final years of Catholic England…

1
The Humble Ballpoint Pen 35:35

16d ago35:35

35:35

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint? Research: "pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2…

1
Pompous & Serene (Pampas & Selene: The Maze of Demons) 31:04

16d ago31:04

31:04

The hosts get lost down memory lane in Pampas & Selene: The Maze of Demons (Unepic Fran, 2024, PC / Nintendo Switch / MSX) We're also on Youtube (audio only)! This episode is at https://youtu.be/qG2x9-ji0Pc⁠ if you'd prefer to listen there or leave a comment. Also, if you'd like to see our opinions to tell us how wrong they are, we are now publishi…

1
SYMHC Classics: Lettuce, Slavery, and the Bibb Legacy 33:51

18d ago33:51

33:51

This 2022 episode starts with the story of John Bibb, credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Behind the Scenes Minis: Murder and War 25:59

19d ago25:59

25:59

Holly discusses the inscription on the Beachamps' headstone and the court of public opinion. Tracy shares information about Wilfred Owen's brother Harold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Don’t Look to 1903s Germany to Understand American Populism. Look to 1830s New York Revivals Instead. 1:03:45

20d ago1:03:45

1:03:45

Something strange happened in Upstate New York during the 1830s. This area was called the "Burned-Over District" because so many fiery religious revivals swept through that it was metaphorically burned over. This region became a key source of the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant revival movement marked by emotional preaching and mass conversion…

1
Wilfred Owen, War Poet 44:39

21d ago44:39

44:39

Wilfred Owen is considered one of the most important English-language poets of World War I. His work also part of a shift in how many British poets were writing about war. Research: Bonellie, Janet. “A Portrait of Robert Ross.” Canada’s History. 6/12/2019. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/a-portrait-of-robert-ross British …

1
Operation Barbarossa Saw Millions of POW Executions, Civilian Murders, and Starvation Deaths 52:35

22d ago52:35

52:35

Operation Barbarossa, launched by Nazi Germany on June 22, 1941, aimed to swiftly conquer the Soviet Union, targeting key cities like Moscow, Leningrad, and Kyiv. Hitler reportedly said a meeting with his generals before the campaign began "We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down," With German forces …

1
Beauchamp-Sharpe Tragedy of 1825 36:27

23d ago36:27

36:27

The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder. Research: Beauchamp, Jereboam O. “The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp (written by himself) who was executed at Frank…

1
SYMHC Classics: Sylvia Rivera 28:01

25d ago28:01

28:01

This 2014 episode covers transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. She became famous, in part, for participating in the Stonewall riots, and she spent her life campaigning bravely, stridently and vocally for the rights of gay and transgender people. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Behind the Scenes Minis: Messy Bulwer-Lyttons 18:27

26d ago18:27

18:27

Rosina Bulwer-Lytton week generates discussion of her relationship with Edward, including many people who sided with him over the years despite allegations of abuse and infidelity. Tracy and Holly also discuss the couple’s daughter’s death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Pistol Duels Existed Across the 19th-Century World, But Only the Chaos of the American West Produced Gunfighters 51:30

27d ago51:30

51:30

To understand American history and its deep-seated relationship with violence, we must look to the last three decades of the 1800s in the American West, which had the highest murder rate per capita in American history. And it all boils down to one place: Texas. Texas was born in violence, on two fronts, with Mexico to the south and the Comanche to …

1
Rosina Bulwer-Lytton’s Blighted Life (Part 2) 41:10

28d ago41:10

41:10

Once Rosina Bulwer-Lytton and her husband Edward separated, his life seemed to become more and more successful while she struggled with finances. The estranged couple then spent years battling very publicly until Edward had Rosina committed. Research: “A Scene at the Hertfordshire Election.” The Tiverton Gazette. 6/29/1858. https://www.newspapers.c…

1
Rome Definitively Eclipsed Greece in 197 BC By Making the Alexandrian Phalanx/Cavalry Obsolete 46:35

29d ago46:35

46:35

The battle of Cynoscephalae represents a key moment in the history of the Greco-Roman world. In this one battle the Macedonian hold over mainland Greece was broken, with the Roman Republic rising in its place as the pre-eminent power in the Greek East. At Cynoscephalae, the proud Macedonian kingdom of Antigonid monarch Philip V was humbled, its arm…

1
Rosina Bulwer-Lytton’s Blighted Life (Part 1) 36:39

30d ago36:39

36:39

After a difficult childhood, Rosina Bulwer-Lytton landed in a marriage that quickly turned chaotic and stressful, and then became abusive. Part one covers the period of her life up to their separation. Research: “A Scene at the Hertfordshire Election.” The Tiverton Gazette. 6/29/1858. https://www.newspapers.com/image/803824054/ Blain, Virginia. “Ro…

1
SYMHC Classics: Theodosia Burr Alston 34:10

1M ago34:10

34:10

This 2017 episode covers Theodosia Burr Alston, Aaron Burr's incredibly smart and well educated daughter. She vanished without a trace as an adult, and her ultimate fate is still a matter of debate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

1
Behind the Scenes Minis: Hearts and Arts 28:28

1M ago28:28

28:28

Tracy and Holly share experiences of having their hearts monitored using EKG technology. They also talk about whether or not Albert Bierstadt had any natural talent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By iHeartPodcasts

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