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.

  1. MAR 27

    Ep 13, The Edmund Fitzgerald

    Albert and Colleen share the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes until its sinking in a terrible storm in November of 1975. All 29 souls on board were lost. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", a song written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, made this deadly event even more famous. Unfortunately, for copyright reasons, we could not play the song on our podcast. You can listen to it here. We want to thank Mike Barry (Albert's grandfather) for his portrayal of the Captain's final transmission. We asked AI to generate an image of the ship battling the storm and are sharing it on our podcast website: curiousworldhistory.com

    19 min

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
See All (13)

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
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Curious World History

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