Curious World History

Colleen Barry & Albert Smith
  • 5.0 (17)
  • EDUCATION FOR KIDS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Join Albert and Colleen as they find and share some of the fascinating stories from history. Curious World History is a podcast for kids and parents -- by a kid and his parent! Our goal is to make thought-provoking content for car rides and other times with family. Ditch the screens and get into an audio experience that creates conversations.

Episodes

  1. FEB 7

    Ep 12, The Titanic

    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/

    25 min

  2. JAN 1

    Ep 11, The Statue of Liberty

    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 ideas@curiousworldhistory.com. Don't forget our merch shop on our website, too! We now have cold weather gear.

    20 min

  3. 12/13/2025

    Ep 10, The Dixon Bridge Collapse

    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.

    13 min

  4. 10/26/2025

    Ep 9, Alfred Nobel

    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.

    12 min

  5. 10/04/2025

    Ep 8, D-Day

    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.

    16 min

  6. 09/20/2025

    Ep 7, How We Do It

    This is our first mini episode. In episode 7, Albert and Colleen talk a little about how the podcast started and how they record and distribute it. If you are interested in making a podcast, here are the tools we use: RODE mini wireless mics from Sweetwater Riverside.fm recording and editing software Podbean.com distribution software and website Printful is our merch shop Chat GPT for part of the research And if you are curious about the amazing recordings in the Library of Congress, you can peruse it here. And, if you decide to, we hope you may start your own podcast! Find out more on curiousworldhistory.com.

    5 min

  7. 09/10/2025

    Ep 6, Harriet Tubman

    In this episode, Albert and Colleen learn a lot of surprising facts about American hero and abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. Born Araminta Ross in 1822 in rural Maryland, Tubman would go on to become one of the bravest Americans ever.   This episode features the song, "Go Down Moses" by the Tuskegee Institute Singers, recorded in 1914: Inclusion of the recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment or EMI Music. View more here.   Photo credit for the image we use in our social post: Lindsley, Harvey B, photographer. Portrait of Harriet Tubman. New York, None. [Auburn, n.y.: harvey lindsley, taken between 1871 and 1876?, printed between 1895 and 1910] Photograph. View more here.

    24 min

  8. 08/31/2025

    Ep 5, The History of Chocolate

    Albert and Colleen explore the 5,000 year history of chocolate -- from the cacao trees of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to the magic of Dubai chocolate. Thank you to Taza Chocolate for a fun tour and to A Chocolate Dream for the Dubai chocolate!

    32 min

  9. 08/14/2025

    Ep 4, The Milkman

    This week Albert and Colleen explore the history of the milkman. This is a job that was very prevalent around the world until the mid-to-late 20th century.   This episode is the first in a series that we will come back to from time to time, where we talk about jobs that no longer exist like they once did.   Below are some links to the media and providers we discussed:   Cloverland Dairy ad 1965: https://youtu.be/JFHyeY18A1A?si=mvKxj4z01TeEEKjw   Milkman documentary: https://youtu.be/a11YbyI3zy4?si=h2UM5aran8EYHl87   The Merry Milkman board game:  https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/board-game-merry-milkman-exciting-game-and-toy-hassenfeld-bros-inc/0wEIM5MYKHxpeQ?hl=en    Sweetwater is where we got our new mics: https://www.sweetwater.com/

    20 min

  10. 08/02/2025

    Ep 3, The Hindenburg

    Albert and Colleen explore a brief history of the Hindenburg, the terrible crash, and how it changed the world.   You can watch original newsreel footage and Herb Morrison's emotional broadcast, which were combined here by the National Archives: https://archive.org/details/SF145

    28 min

  11. 08/01/2025

    Ep 2, The Battle of Gettysburg

    Albert and Colleen explore the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War and learn about President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

    19 min

  12. 07/29/2025

    Ep 1, The Molasses Flood

    Albert and Colleen explore one of Boston's tragedies, The Molasses Flood of 1919.

    18 min
  • 12 Episodes

5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Join Albert and Colleen as they find and share some of the fascinating stories from history. Curious World History is a podcast for kids and parents -- by a kid and his parent! Our goal is to make thought-provoking content for car rides and other times with family. Ditch the screens and get into an audio experience that creates conversations.

Information

  • Creator
    Colleen Barry & Albert Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Curious World History