Footnoting History

Footnoting History
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Footnoting History is a bi-weekly podcast series dedicated to overlooked, popularly unknown, and exciting stories plucked from the footnotes of history. For further reading suggestions, information about our hosts, our complete episode archive, and more visit us at FootnotingHistory.com!

  1. JAN 24

    Beer Through the Ages

    (Host: Samantha) Over the past nine millennia, people have made beer out of rice, berries, barley, wheat, hops, corn, honey, and even bananas. Join us on Footnoting History as we skim over the evolving and fascinating history of beer from its origins straight into the modern period.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    19 min

  2. 12/06/2025

    History for the Holidays V

    (Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Kristin) Celebrate the end of 2025 with our annual selection of historical stories about the holiday season!

    17 min

  3. 11/22/2025

    Thank You, James Hemings (the man who brought you mac and cheese)

    (Host: Kristin) You know it and love it, but did you realize who was responsible for bringing macaroni and cheese into your life? Learn about James Hemings, the enslaved man who traveled to France and trained in French cuisine, this week on Footnoting History!  For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    26 min

  4. 11/08/2025

    Dr. Blackwell

    (Host: Samantha) In 1847, the idea that a woman could be a medical doctor was absurd. Some thought it couldn’t be done. Others accepted the premise that a woman could learn to be a physician, but suggested such a woman would need to disguise herself as a man and go study far away where no one would recognize her – France, perhaps. But for Elizabeth Blackwell that defeated the purpose. Her goal was to prove that a woman could do anything a man could do. And once she got her medical degree, she set to work helping other women, starting with her sister Emily, follow in her footsteps.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    26 min

  5. 10/25/2025

    History for Halloween XII

    (Hosts: Christine, Lucy, Sam, and Kristin)  ​It's the spookiest time of the year and we are here with your annual dose of historical Halloween tales!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    28 min

  6. 10/11/2025

    Ren Faire History: From Folk Music to Fried Food

    (Host: Lucy) Giant turkey legs, fried food, implausible costumes… and counterculture? This episode explores the roots of Renaissance Faires in the US, and how this originally hippie-centric phenomenon was linked to other forms of medievalism in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Communes, folk music, particolored tights, and a reimagined past turn out to be more closely linked than you might imagine. This episode also examines how Ren Faires have evolved and continued to thrive, and why you still — if you’re lucky — might hear Steeleye Span covers at your nearest one.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    17 min

  7. 09/27/2025

    The Pendle Witches

    (Host: Kristin)  In 1612, nine-year-old Jennet Devize accused her mother in court of witchcraft. Her testimony led  to the conviction of 11 people, 10 of whom were sent to the gallows. Find out about the most famous witchcraft event in English history that you may never have heard about in this episode of Footnoting History!   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    29 min

  8. 09/13/2025

    Playing War: The Development and Early Use of Kriegsspiel

    (Host: Samantha)  Games are amazing. They teach us how to engage with the world through play. They’ve also been used to train some of the greatest military minds. Chess is notoriously the game of the aristocracy, used to teach strategy and forward thinking. In the 19th century, a Prussian father and son, George Leopold von Reisswitz and Georg Heinrich Rudolf Johann von Reisswitz, brought strategic gaming to a whole new level with profound results.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

    18 min
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4.3
out of 5
461 Ratings

About

Footnoting History is a bi-weekly podcast series dedicated to overlooked, popularly unknown, and exciting stories plucked from the footnotes of history. For further reading suggestions, information about our hosts, our complete episode archive, and more visit us at FootnotingHistory.com!

Information

  • Creator
    Footnoting History
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2013-2022. All rights reserved. 463704
  • Show Website
    Footnoting History

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