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. 16H AGO

    Robert Smalls: An American Hero

    This week we're yappin' about a significant & influential figure in South Carolina & US history. He was one of the most prominent & famous people of his time, but I’m going to guess that you’ve never heard of him. He was the first Black captain in the US Navy in Dec 1863, having only escaped from slavery a year & a half prior. After the Civil War, he was one of the first Black South Carolina state legislators in 1868 & then was elected to the South Carolina Senate 1870. And then was Elected to represent South Carolina as a US congressman Nov 1874 & would end up serving 5 terms.His escape from enslavement was legendary in the North and led to the Confederates putting out a $2000 bounty on him, which would be around $64k today. Soooo…do you know who I’m talking about? Well, I’m proud of you for knowing your US history if you said Robert Smalls & if you didn’t know, it’ll be my pleasure to tell you about the incredible life of Robert Smalls.CONNECT:Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.comSOURCES: -Be Free or Die by Cate Lineberry -The First Eight by Jim Clyburn -War Declared: states secede from the union! https://tinyurl.com/4s9jybta -bleeding Kansas: https://tinyurl.com/p7tw9dwk -History of Colored Troops: https://tinyurl.com/377x97pk -Robert Smalls: https://tinyurl.com/pm6rwxys -port royal experiment: https://tinyurl.com/4zt78xaz -Black leaders during reconstruction: https://tinyurl.com/mue4rur8 -Robert Smalls Legacy Foundation: https://tinyurl.com/3dd69mnf

    35 min

  2. FEB 11

    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

  3. JAN 28

    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

  4. 12/24/2025

    The Dozier School for Boys

    This week we're talking about the history of the Dozier School for Boys located in Marianna, FL. It was open from 1900-2011 and was a place where abuse was rampant. Dozens of investigations and newspaper articles were written about the awful conditions there, but nothing was ever done. Survivors of the 'school' claimed there were many unmarked graves located on the campus and they were finally corroborated when an anthropology team from USF investigated the area from 2012-2016. They found 55 unmarked graves and were able to identify around 20 of boys buried there.I first learned about this story by reading the novel, The Reformatory, by Tananarive Due, who had a great-uncle who was (most likely) killed at the Dozier School. Her novel is a fictionalized version of the school, but incorporated many true elements of the school & the surrounding area during the 1950s. I also read We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys by Erin Kimmerle to learn about the USF investigation into the unmarked graves. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com SOURCES: -The Reformatory, by Tananarive Due -We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys by Erin Kimmerle -A pioneer in Black horror fiction resurrects her uncle’s history: https://tinyurl.com/4jda2j45 - Remembering The Lynching Of Claude Neal: https://tinyurl.com/59b9duhs - Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings on the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the Jackson Juvenile Offender Center in Florida: https://tinyurl.com/42uubdt6 - Hundreds apply for restitution for abuse suffered at Florida reform schools: https://tinyurl.com/46hj7nvm -Images of dozier from State Library & Archives of FL: https://tinyurl.com/y55jts83 - Dozens of Teens Who Spent Time at Abusive Florida Reform School Ended Up on Death Row: https://tinyurl.com/3n7ukm68 - Memorial dedicated at former Florida's Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys: https://tinyurl.com/ymrcxu5b -Nearly a thousand children died at Indian boarding schools funded by the U.S.: https://tinyurl.com/2vbec9ce -Photos: Dozier School for Boys Memorial: https://tinyurl.com/2cxaty7m

    46 min

  5. 11/26/2025

    The Fox Sisters & Spiritualism

    This week we’re talking about the (in)famous Fox Sisters, who inadvertently started the Spiritualist movement in the mid-1800s. What started as an innocent claim that they could communicate with spirits led to fame, fortune, heartbreak, and ruin. We’ll also talk about how abolitionists used Spiritualism to further their cause in trying to end slavery. Sources: American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters & the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock Frederick Douglass’s letter about the séance he attended: https://tinyurl.com/4kekw73k The Spiritualist Reverend: https://tinyurl.com/4yj8pzuk Amy Post: https://tinyurl.com/nh9pn96z Connect: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com

    23 min

  6. 11/12/2025

    Scottish Witch Trials

    This week we'll be talking about the Scottish Witch Trials and the book How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women written by Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell. For more information: Witches of Scotland: https://www.witchesofscotland.com/ The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft: https://witches.hca.ed.ac.uk/ CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com

    48 min

  7. 10/22/2025

    Ghosts Throughout U.S. History

    Welcome to our Spooky October series! This week we'll be covering Colin Dickey's book, Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places. We'll be talking about why we tell ghost stories, what are their significance, and what pieces of history get left out. Specific topics covered this week include: Salem Witch Trials, the Jersey Devil, Spiritualism, ghosts in court cases, and why minority groups are often excluded from mainstream ghost stories. SOURCES: 7 Famously Haunted Places Around the US: https://tinyurl.com/4u7p28cn Why Haunted Places Matter to History: https://tinyurl.com/sc3658e5 The Jersey Devil: A Mythical Mascot with a Boozy History: https://tinyurl.com/fbn89jmp How Ben Franklin Helped Ignite the Jersey Devil Hysteria: https://tinyurl.com/mrx7fpuh US v Sioux Nation of Indians: https://tinyurl.com/bdetfkcz The Occupation of Alcatraz and the Native American Fightfor Sovereignty in the Age of Fracture: https://tinyurl.com/37vveumk CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com

    45 min

  8. 09/10/2025

    Alcohol in History Episode 2: The Widow Clicquot

    This week we'll be talking about Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who took over her husband's fledging wine business in the late 1700s and turned it into an international brand that is still revered today. CONNECT: Instagram: @yappinabouthistorypod TikTok: @yappinabouthistorypod Email me: yappinabouthistory@gmail.com

    56 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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