Yappin’ About History

Katie

History doesn’t have to be boring! Yappin’ About History dives into the fascinating and little-known stories from history that your high school textbooks skipped over. From wild scandals to unsung heroes, Katie brings history to life in a way that feels more like a chat with your nerdy friend than a lecture. Whether you’re a seasoned history buff or just here to learn something new, Yappin’ About History promises to surprise you, spark your curiosity, and leave you seeing history in a whole new light. History’s not boring, it’s a story waiting to be told. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

  1. 3d ago

    The Aaron Burr Conspiracy

    Most people know about Aaron Burr & his deadly duel with Hamilton, but I'm guessing you don't know about Burr's plot to create his own country. Yep! We're talking about the Burr Conspiracy & how he tried to enlist a small army to take over part of the Louisiana Purchase or Mexico to create his own country. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -Aaron Burr: https://tinyurl.com/33mpkv8h -The Burr Conspiracy: https://tinyurl.com/2ud6dhfn -Burr’s Conspiracy: https://tinyurl.com/2rc9u3wz -The Woman Who Dueled with Aaron Burr…and Won: https://tinyurl.com/2pjvd4st - Aaron Burr’s trial and the Constitution’s treason clause: https://tinyurl.com/wa4f7bxv -The disappearance of Theodosia Burr:  https://tinyurl.com/vnwn8bm4 -The Grave of the Female Stranger: https://tinyurl.com/4w2dskut

    22 min

  2. May 27

    Wilmington Coup of 1898

    This week we're talking about the only successful coup to happen on US soil...that's right, we'll be discussing the coup of Wilmington's (NC) city government. In this episode we'll cover who was behind the coup, why they did it, and the lasting effects it had on the city. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -PBS Experience doc: American Coup: https://tinyurl.com/y2ym6752 -America’s Only Successful Coup d’Etat Overthrew a Biracial Government in 1898: https://tinyurl.com/5dduz2n8 -Wilmington, 1898: The Unsuppressed History of a Massacre: https://tinyurl.com/2efcz7rm -1898 Wilmington Coup: https://tinyurl.com/4xn6484h -White supremacists took over a city – now NC is doing more to remember the deadly attack: https://tinyurl.com/3szj7eks - Reparations advised for 1898 riot in Wilmington: https://tinyurl.com/4nh9bjtw

    37 min

  3. May 6

    Thomas Jefferson & His Moose (American Degeneracy)

    What do Thomas Jefferson, a moose, and French naturalistshave to do with each other? Well, it involves the term American Degeneracy, a popular theory in the 1700s, popularized by French natural scientists, that basically said everything in the Americas or New World were smaller in size & lesser in intelligence. And boy did Jefferson have beef with thosescientists & he made it his mission to prove them wrong! And one of the ways he did that? By sending a moose carcass over to France for the scientists to see how big a New World animal could be. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -Jefferson's Moose and the Case against American Degeneracy:https://tinyurl.com/3799s673 -Jefferson & the Theory of Degeneracy: https://tinyurl.com/3992j245 -Thomas Jefferson and the Mastodon: https://tinyurl.com/yw5fppe3 -Jefferson, Buffon & the Moose: https://tinyurl.com/4nep4887 -Thomas Jefferson Needs a Dead Moose Right Now to Defend America:https://tinyurl.com/48ccnb86

    13 min

  4. Apr 9

    St. Patrick's Battalion

    This week we're talking about a group of Irish immigrants, called the St. Patrick's Battalion or Battalón de San Patricios, in the US army who switched sides to fight with Mexico during the Mexican-American War. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -One Man’s Hero (1999): movie -Saol John Riley (2010/11): Irish-language documentary, https://tinyurl.com/4kjkpcpk -The San Patricios deserted the U.S. Army to fight forMexico. To this day, their legacy lives on: https://tinyurl.com/mryxm3s6 -The San Patricio Brigade: https://tinyurl.com/yc6ys3s2 -The Mexican American War: https://tinyurl.com/2j6apv9m -Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: https://tinyurl.com/3xb5htbp -Mariachi San Patricio: https://tinyurl.com/yvua82vs -land loss in trying times: https://tinyurl.com/4v34rp2j -Mexican Americans: https://tinyurl.com/256t2ypz -cinco patricio’s tequila: https://tinyurl.com/4pbzn2cs - The San Patricios: the Irish Heroes of Mexico: https://tinyurl.com/2rkedhns -The Chieftans, march to the battle (w/ Liam Neeson): https://tinyurl.com/44eherzw

    19 min

  5. Mar 29

    Nativism & the Know Nothings

    This week we're talking about the rise of nativism, anti immigration, & anti-Catholic sentiments during the mid to late 1800s in the U.S. This time period saw a lot of immigration, mostly of Irish Catholics, and the fear of 'native' Americans began to take off. Join me as we discuss what was going on during this time, what the Know Nothings did, and how we can draw parallels to the anti-immigration movement we're seeing today in the U.S. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -How the 19th-Century Know Nothing Party Reshaped American Politics: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/3duvvnmp⁠ -Lincoln on the Know Nothing Party: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4shd4urk⁠ -How the Irish became white: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2st9sjws⁠ -What was the Know Nothing Party?: https://tinyurl.com/2t8cu8vs⁠ -BKBB Philly Source Set: 1844 Bible Riots: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4bmhmw79⁠ -The Nativist Riots of 1844: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2hn6fspu⁠ -The Online Right’s Favorite Nativist Slogan Is Gaining Traction in the Real World: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bd5ns3tw

    24 min

  6. Mar 19

    The Boycott Origin Story

    Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! This week we’re heading overto Ireland to talk about the origins of the word boycott. We’ll be discussing other Irish & Irish-American stories for the rest of the month, & I hope to see you there!  CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -The English land agent who inspired the "boycott"in 19th-century Ireland: https://tinyurl.com/5ffkwthu -the land league: https://tinyurl.com/mptzkar6 -The Irish Land War Seen Through Rare Photographs, 1880-1900: https://tinyurl.com/3b4nwmdt -The Land League: https://tinyurl.com/55vdykrd -Boycotting captain boycott: https://tinyurl.com/mw8b7zv

    15 min

  7. Mar 12

    Bear Creek (Marias) Massacre

    This week is part 2 of topics related to the novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones. We'll be talking about the Bear Creek or Marias Massacre that occurred in January of 1870 in Montana, in which a Blackfeet camp (that had been suffering from a smallpox outbreak & that had most of their able-bodied men out on a hunt) was brutally attacked by the US army. Over 200 people were killed, mostly the elderly, women, and children. It was one of the worst massacres of indigenous peoples by the US government, but one of the least known. We'll discuss the what had led up to this event & the aftermath. We'll also talk about some tangentially related current events, like the plaque being removed from Gus Doane's sculpture explaining how he was involved in the Marias Massacre. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -Thumbnail photo: Glenbow Museum and Archives, Alberta, Canada NA-1463-4 -The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - The Piikuni and the U.S. Army’s Piegan Expedition:  https://tinyurl.com/e2wce834 -American Indian Wars: Timeline: https://tinyurl.com/ypt5c2ys -Life in the land: blackfeet nation-amskapi’piikani: https://tinyurl.com/34wxb6c3 -witnesses to carnage: https://www.dickshovel.com/parts2.html -After Trump order, Teton park removes sign about explorer who massacred Native Americans: https://tinyurl.com/3j64u28j -Save Our Signs project: https://tinyurl.com/46uwuve3 -Yellowstone’s Mount Doane name changes to First Peoples Mountain; Action taken to remove offensive name from America’s first national park: https://tinyurl.com/3xd3bd6j

    44 min

  8. Mar 12

    History of the American Buffalo

    This week we're talking about the history of the American Buffalo. I got into this topic after reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. The history of the American Buffalo is a both a story of tragedy and a story of hope. Once numbering between 20-30 million, there were only a few hundred left by the 1880s. They were hunted almost to extinction due to industrializational needs of their hides for leather, fashion, the expansion of the US and the railroad, and to remove the main source of sustenance and survival for the Great Plains Tribes. Through multiple organizations and individuals, the American Buffalo has made a comeback with tens of thousands back on the plains or on protected land. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -'The Buffalo Hunter Hunter' is Stephen Graham Jones' horrormasterpiece: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/17/nx-s1-5330583/buffalo-hunter-hunter-review-stephen-graham-jones-horror -people & bison: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bison/people.htm -OG Indian Removal Act 1st introduced in Congressas a bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/21st-congress/senate-bill/102/1830/02/22/text/UBTV1?s=4&r=102 - Indian Treaties and the Removal Act of 1830: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/indian-treaties -homestead act of 1862: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/homestead-act -buffalo & native americans: https://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/buffalo-and-native-americans - Study blames Europe for bison mass killings: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20181774 -Buffalo slaughter left lasting impact on Indigenous peoples:https://news.emory.edu/stories/2023/08/esc_bison_impact_24-08-2023/story.html - Being Buffalo Bill: Man, Myth & Media: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/explore/buffalo-bill-man-myth-media/ -doc on TT about history of buffalo in US & conservationefforts: @parksdan or on YouTube @watchparkvibes -The American Buffalo, a film by Ken Burns: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-buffalo/#official-trailer

    33 min
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About

History doesn’t have to be boring! Yappin’ About History dives into the fascinating and little-known stories from history that your high school textbooks skipped over. From wild scandals to unsung heroes, Katie brings history to life in a way that feels more like a chat with your nerdy friend than a lecture. Whether you’re a seasoned history buff or just here to learn something new, Yappin’ About History promises to surprise you, spark your curiosity, and leave you seeing history in a whole new light. History’s not boring, it’s a story waiting to be told. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

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