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iHeartPodcasts

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.

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SYMHC Classics: Red Summer 1919

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Greetings and Context

The Memphis Massacre was a truly horrific wave of destruction and violence, including sexual violence, against the Black community of Memphis just a year after the end of the U.S. Civil War.
 
Research:
 
 • “Memphis Daily Appeal Interviews Frances Thompson (1876),” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed April 9, 2026, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/3717.
 • “The Outrage Mill.” The North Missouri Register. 9/14/1876.
 • “The Reports of the Committees of the House of Representatives Made during the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress, 1865-’66.” Washington: Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-01274_00_00-002-0101-0000/context
 • Blank, Christopher. “Do The Words 'Race Riot' Belong On A Historic Marker In Memphis?” Code Switch. NPR. 5/2/2016. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/02/476450908/in-memphis-a-divide-over-how-to-remember-a-massacre-150-years-later
 • Britannica Editors. "Memphis massacre of 1866". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Memphis-Race-Riot. Accessed 8 April 2026.
 • Carriere, Marius. “An Irresponsible Press: Memphis Newspapers and the 1866 Riot.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly , Spring 2001, Vol. 60, No. 1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42628498
 • Davis, Justin A. “How a disabled Black trans woman left her mark on 19th-century Memphis.” The Emancipator. 6/13/2024. https://theemancipator.org/2024/06/13/topics/histories/how-a-disabled-black-trans-woman-left-her-mark-on-19th-century-memphis/
 • Donald, Bernice Bouie. “When the Rule of Law Breaks Down: Implications of the 1866 Memphis Massacre for the Passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Boston Law Review. Vol. 98. 2018.
 • Equal Justice Institute. “On this day - Apr 30, 1866: White Police and Mobs Terrorize and Kill Black Residents in Memphis.” https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/apr/30
 • Harper’s Weekly. “The Memphis Riots.” 5/26/1866.
 • Johnson, Charles F. and T.W. Gilbreth. “The Freedmen’s Bureau Report on the Memphis Race Riots of 1866.” 5/22/1866. https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/the-freedmens-bureau-report-on-the-memphis-race-riots-of-1866/
 • Kimberley, Lewis. “’If you kill him, you have got to kill me first’: examining individual and collective loyalties during the Memphis Massacre (1866).” American Nineteenth Century History. Vol. 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14664658.2024.2316465
 • O’Donovan, Susan and Beverly Bond. “ ‘A History They Can Use’: The Memphis Massacre and Reconstruction’s Public History Terrain.” The Journal of the Civil War Era. 8/15/2016. https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/08/history-can-use-memphis-massacre-reconstructions-public-history-terrain/
 • Stryker, Susan. “To Appear As We Please.” Aperture, Winter 2017, No. 229, Future Gender. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44898154
 • Walker, Barrington. “'This is the White Man's Day': The Irish, White Racial Identity, and the 1866 Memphis Riots.” Left History. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1997. https://doi.org/10.25071/1913-9632.5336
 
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The Memphis Massacre

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.
 
Research:
 
 • “America’s First Christmas Card.” Albany Institute of History and Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/america-s-first-christmas-card
 • Britannica Editors. "scarab". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/topic/scarab
 • Britannica Editors. "greeting card". 
Encyclopedia Britannica • , 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greeting-card
 • Brown, Ellen F. “Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily. Dec. 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/
 • Chase, Ernest Dudley. “The Romance of Greeting Cards.” Rust Craft. Cambridge, MA. 1956.
 • “Dali at Hallmark.” Hallmark Art Collection. https://www.hallmarkartcollection.com/creatively-thinking/stories/dali-at-hallmark/
 • “Esther Howland 1847.” Mount Holyoke. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland
 • Evans, Elaine Altman. “The Sacred Scarab, Occasional Paper.” McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Tennessee. January 1, 1996. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/1996/01/01/sacred-scarab/
 • Greeting Card Association. “The History of Greeting Cards.” https://www.greetingcard.org/history/
 • Hanc, John. “The History of the Christmas Card.” Smithsonian. Dec. 9, 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/
 • Henry, William E. “Art and Cultural Symbolism: A Psychological Study of Greeting Cards.” 
The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism • , vol. 6, no. 1, 1947, pp. 36–44. 
JSTOR • , https://doi.org/10.2307/426176
 • Kavanagh, Marybeth. “Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card.” The New York Historical. Dec. 19, 2012. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/prang
 • Koon, Wee Kek. “How ancient Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments.” South China Morning Post. Jan. 31, 2026. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3341675/how-ancient-chinese-new-year-cards-went-elites-greetings-bribery-instruments?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article
 • Korolkov, Maxim. “‘Greeting Tablets’ in Early China: Some Traits of the Communicative Etiquette of Officialdom in Light of Newly Excavated Inscriptions.” T’oung Pao, vol. 98, no. 4/5, 2012, pp. 295–348. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41725988
 • Lee, Ruth Webb. “A History of Valentines.” 1984.
 • Newberry, Percy E. “Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings.” London. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. 1908. https://dn790001.ca.archive.org/0/items/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft.pdf
 • Purcell, Denise. “Authentic Messaging and Independent Makers Drive Greeting Cards' Next-Gen Relevance.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/greeting-card-next-gen-relevance#:~:text=The%20category%20is%20massive:%20According,card%20market%20at%20$7%20billion.
 • Grafton, Samuel. “Holly Leaf and Copper Plate.” 
The North American Review • , vol. 226, no. 6, 1928, pp. 660–64. 
JSTOR • , http://www.jstor.org/stable/25110633
 • Shoichet, Catherine E. “This ‘visionary’ woman changed the way many Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.” CNN. Feb. 14, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/esther-howland-valentines-card-history-cec
 • Schmidt, Leigh Eric. “The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930.” 
The Journal of American History • , vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 887–916. 
JSTOR • , https://doi.org/10.2307/2078795
 • Stupperich, Andy. “Art Education: Louis Prang's Christmas Card Competitions.” The Henry Ford Museum. January 29, 2026. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/art-education-louis-prang%27s-christmas-card-competitions
 • Terrell, Ellen. “Esther Howland and the Business of Love.” Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2016/03/esther-howland-and-the-business-of-love/
 • “World's first printed Valentine's Card.” A History of the World. BBC. 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/L1NM_6mWRymAMKXcRDlXJA
 • Wright, Helena E. “A winning design: Prang’s Christmas card contests of the 1880s.” National Museum of American History. December 23, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/winning-design-prangs-christmas-card-contests-1880s
 
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Greeting Cards

This 2019 episode covers the color blue, the most popular color in many parts of the world. But many ancient languages didn’t have a word for blue, and some languages still don’t.

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SYMHC Classics: The Color Blue

Tracy shares struggles that she encountered pulling together this edition of Unearthed. She and Holly have a tangential discussion about AI.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Dicey Sources

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! includes animals, artwork, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, potpourri.
 
Research:
 
 • Abdallah, Hannah. “Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines.” EurekAlert. 3/4/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117763
 • Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111595
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D’Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired ‘The Three Musketeers’?” Smithsonian. 3/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Historians Thought This Rare Renaissance Portrait by One of the First Famous Female Artists Was Lost to History—Until It Surfaced in North Carolina.” 2/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-rare-renaissance-portrait-by-one-of-the-first-famous-female-artists-was-lost-to-history-until-it-surfaced-in-north-carolina-180988120/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-ancient-roman-blade-sharpeners-emerge-from-a-riverbank-in-england-revealing-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-whetstone-factory-180988016/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “The Italian Government Just Paid Nearly $35 Million for a Rare Caravaggio Portrait—One of the Most Expensive Artworks It’s Ever Acquired.” Smithsonian. 3/16/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/
 • Arnold, Paul. “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts.” Phys.org. 2/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html
 • Arnold, Paul. “Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scents-afterlife-embalming-recipes-sniffing.html#google_vignette
 • Bacon, Jordan. “English history’s biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings.” EurekAlert. 3/20/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120082
 • Bastola, Kunjal. “A Groundskeeper Noticed a Sinkhole on a Golf Course. It Turned Out to Be a Wine Cellar Full of Empty Bottles, Untouched for More Than 100 Years.” Smithsonian. 3/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-groundskeeper-noticed-a-sinkhole-on-a-golf-course-it-turned-out-to-be-a-wine-cellar-full-of-empty-bottles-untouched-for-more-than-100-years-180988379/
 • Bastola, Kunjal. “A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It.” Smithsonian. 1/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-little-boys-library-book-was-due-in-1989-thirty-six-years-later-he-realized-his-parents-had-never-returned-it-180988046/
 • Baum, Stephanie. “Ancient parrot DNA reveals sophisticated, long-distance animal trade network pre-dating the Inca Empire.” 3/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-parrot-dna-reveals-sophisticated.html
 • Baum, Stephanie. “From the Late Bronze Age to today, the Old Irish Goat carries 3,000 years of Irish history.” 2/26/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-late-bronze-age-today-irish.html
 • Benzine, Vittoria. “What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense.” Artnet. 3/31/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-ritual-incense-study-2760240
 • Brooks, James. “Danish warship sunk by Nelson’s British fleet discovered after 225 years.” Associated Press. 4/2/2026. https://apnews.com/article/denmark-archaeologists-warship-nelson-copenhagen-dannebroge-lynetteholm-4519533d9e774a490f6020e893634e09
 • Carvajal, Guillermo. “Archaeologists achieve a historic milestone by dating French cave paintings with carbon-14 for the first time.” 3/10/2025. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/archaeologists-achieve-a-historic-milestone-by-dating-french-cave-paintings-with-carbon-14-for-the-first-time/
 • Clayworth, Liv. “Bird poop powered the rise of the Chincha Kingdom, archaeologists find.” EurekAlert. 2/11/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115214
 • “Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France.” Phys.org. 3/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-archimedes-palimpsest-blois.html
 • Ehrlich, Claudia. “Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years.” EurekAlert. 2/23/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117179
 • Ferrer, Isabel. “Is d’Artagnan lying beneath a church in Maastricht? DNA will determine if remains found are those of the famous musketeer.” El Pais. 3/25/2025. https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-25/is-dartagnan-lying-beneath-a-church-in-maastricht-dna-will-determine-if-remains-found-are-that-of-the-famous-musketeer.html?outputType=amp
 • Gebauer, Kathryn. “Groundbreaking discovery reveals Africa’s oldest cremation pyre and complex ritual practices.” EurekAlert. 1/1/2016. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111191
 • Harley, Sadie. “Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants.” Phys.org. 1/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-iron-age-dental-plaque-reveals.html
 • He, Ye. “Singapore’s first ancient shipwreck reveals record cargo of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain.” EurekAlert. 2/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116512
 • Johansen, Rikke Tørnsø. “Archaeologists reveal a medieval super ship: "It's the World’s largest cog".” Vikingeskibs Museet. 12/22/2025. https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/news/archaeologists-reveal-a-medieval-super-ship-its-the-worlds-largest-cog
 • Kasal, Krystal. “Hannibal's famous war elephants: Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hannibal-famous-war-elephants-bone.html
 • Kasal, Krystal. “Oldest known sewn hide and other artifacts from Oregon caves shed light on early clothing in harsh climates.” Phys.org. 2/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-oldest-sewn-artifacts-oregon-caves.html
 • Killgrove, Kristina. “Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell.” 1/29/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-used-human-feces-as-medicine-1-900-years-ago-and-used-thyme-to-mask-the-smell
 • Killgrove, Kristina. “Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary.” LiveScience. 3/3/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-age-woman-was-buried-like-a-man-revealing-flexible-gender-roles-7-000-years-ago-in-hungary
 • Koc University. “Earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and single-needle knitting discovered in Bronze Age Anatolia.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-earliest-evidence-indigo-dyed-textiles.html
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Did Neanderthals Use Birch Bark Tar as an Antibiotic to Treat Wounds and Infections?” Smithsonian. 3/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-use-birch-bark-tar-as-an-antibiotic-to-treat-wounds-and-infections-180988393/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Ostrich Eggshells Suggest Our Ancestors May Have Understood Basic Geometry 60,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 3/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-intricately-decorated-ostrich-eggshells-suggest-our-ancestors-may-have-understood-basic-geometry-60000-years-ago-180988315/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Ötzi the Iceman May Have Carried a Cancer-Causing Strain of HPV, a Common Virus Still Plaguing Humans Today.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/otzi-the-iceman-may-have-carried-a-cancer-causing-strain-of-hpv-a-common-virus-still-plaguing-humans-today-180988024/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Shipwreck Timbers Appeared on a Beach After a Storm. They Had Been Buried Beneath the Sand Since the 17th Century.” Smithsonian. 3/2/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-timbers-appeared-on-a-beach-after-a-storm-they-had-been-buried-beneath-the-sand-since-the-17th-century-180988260/
 • Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Salvador Dalí’s Largest Work Snapped Up by Florida Museum.” Artnet. 3/27/2026. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvador-dali-largest-work-bonhams-sale-2749246
 • Lock, Lisa. “Ancient DNA finds 15,800-year-old dogs in Anatolia, buried like humans.” Phys.org. 3/28/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-dna-year-dogs-anatolia.html
 • Lock, Lisa. “Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-men-genghis-khan.html
 • Lucibella, Michael. “Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe.” EurekAlert. 1/26/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113140
 • Luscombe, Richard. “Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic.” The Guardian. 1/31/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/31/plague-of-justinian-pandemic
 • net. “Did King Harold Sail to Hastings? New Study Sparks Debate Among Historians.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/did-king-harold-sail-to-hastings-new-study-sparks-debate-among-historians/
 • net. “Viking-Age Woman Buried with Her Dog in Norway.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/viking-age-woman-buried-with-her-dog-in-norway/
 • Newcastle University Press Office. “5,300-year-old ‘bow drill’ rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools.” 2/9/2026. https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/02/ancientegyptiandrillbit/
 • Noraz, R., Chauvey, L., Wagner, S. et al. Ancient DNA reveals 4000 years of grapevine diversity, viticulture and clonal propagation in France. Nat Commun 17, 2494 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70166-z
 • Nordin, Gunilla. “World’s oldest arrow poison – 60,000-year-old traces reveal early advanced hunting techniques.” 1/7/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111624
 • Parco Archaeologico de Ercolano. “Archaeology: New precious decorations discovered at Villa Sora in the Herculaneum Park.” 2/5/2026. https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/archaeology-new-precious-decorations-discovered-at-villa-sora-in-the-herculaneum-park/?lang=en
 • Paul, Andrew. “Hiker finds 3,000-year-old bull sculpture in Spain.” Popular Science. 3/17/2026. https://www.popsci.com/science/hiker-finds-bronze-age-bull-spain/
 • Potter, Lisa. “A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113056
 • “Digital scans unveil new love notes and sketches on ancient Pompeii wall.” 1/19/2026. https://www.reuters.com/science/digital-scans-unveil-new-love-notes-sketches-ancient-pompeii-wall-2026-01-19/
 • Richard L. Rosencrance et al. ,Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations. Sci. Adv. 12, eaec2916(2026).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aec2916
 • Ruse, Amy. “Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art.” EurekAlert. 3/30/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121955
 • Ruse, Amy. “World’s oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112900
 • Siehoff, Jonas. “Hygienic conditions in Pompeii's early baths were poor.” 1/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112403
 • Taçon, P. S. C., A.Jalandoni, S. K.May, J.Nganjmirra, and C.Mungulda. 2026. “The Devil Is in the Detail: Tasmanian Devil and Tasmanian Tiger Paintings From Awunbarna and Injalak Hill, Northern Territory, Australia.” Archaeology in Oceania. https://doi.org/10.1002/arco.70024
 • The History Blog. “$40 estate sale find by early African-American silversmith sells for $24,000.” 2/4/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75294
 • The History Blog. “43,000 ostraca found at one site shed light on social history of Egypt.” 5/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75609
 • The History Blog. “British Museum acquires Tudor Heart.” 2/10/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75343
 • The History Blog. “Exceptional Roman cargo shipwreck found in Lake Neuchâtel.” 3/29/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75705
 • The History Blog. “Extraordinary find: 10th c. bronze wheel cross matches mold found 43 years ago.” 1/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75220
 • The History Blog. “Previously unknown Hans Baldung Grien portrait emerges after 500 years in the sitter’s family.” 1/17/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75161
 • The History Blog. “Roman wooden writing tablets from Belgium deciphered.” 1/22/2206. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75207
 • Thomas, Laura. “A century-old Stonehenge mystery may finally be solved.” Science Daily. 1/27/2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127010208.htm
 • Thorsberg, Christian. “The National Gallery of Art Acquires 17th-Century Masterpiece by Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi.” Smithsonian. 2/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-acquired-17th-century-masterpiece-by-baroque-painter-artemisia-gentileschi-180988147/
 • Thorsberg, Christian. “This Luxury Steamer Disappeared on a Stormy Night in 1872. Nearly 150 Years Later to the Day, It Was Found at the Bottom of Lake Michigan.” Smithsonian. 2/18/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-luxury-steamer-disappeared-on-a-stormy-night-in-1872-nearly-150-years-to-the-day-it-was-found-in-the-bottom-of-lake-michigan-180988204/
 • Unibo Magazine. “Humanity’s oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs.” https://magazine.unibo.it/en/articles/humanitys-oldest-geometries-engraved-on-ostrich-eggs
 • University of Tübingen. “Earliest hand-held wooden tools found in Greece date back 430,000 years.” Phys.org. 1/1/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-earliest-held-wooden-tools-greece.html
 • Villotte, S., T.Szeniczey, S.Kacki, and A.Anders. 2026. “Fixed and Fluid: The Two Faces of Gender Roles—A Combined Study of Activity Patterns and Burial Practices in the European Neolithic.” American Journal of Biological Anthropology189, no. 2: e70217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70217.
 • Whiddington, Richard. “3,300-Year-Old Papyrus Reveals How Ancient Egyptians Fixed Drawing Mistakes.” ArtNet. 3/9/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-egyptian-papyrus-white-out-fluid-2752125
 • Whiddington, Richard. “Long-Lost Archimedes Text Resurfaces in French Museum.” Artnet. 3/11/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-page-of-archimedes-palimpsest-found-2753005
 • Whiddington, Richard. “Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin’s Shipwreck.” ArtNet. 3/19/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/parthenon-fragment-lord-elgin-shipwreck-2755894
 • Zeilsgtra, Andrew. “Breathing in the past: How museums can use biomolecular archaeology to bring ancient scents to life.” EurekAlert. 2/5/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114918
 • Zinin, Andrew. “600-year-old pinot noir grape found in medieval French toilet.” Phys.org. 3/24/2026. 
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-pinot-noir-grape-medieval.html#google_vignette 
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Unearthed! In Spring 2026, Part 2

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! features updates, medical things, books and letters, oldest known things, and smells.
 
Research:
 
 • Abdallah, Hannah. “Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines.” EurekAlert. 3/4/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117763
 • Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111595
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D’Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired ‘The Three Musketeers’?” Smithsonian. 3/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Historians Thought This Rare Renaissance Portrait by One of the First Famous Female Artists Was Lost to History—Until It Surfaced in North Carolina.” 2/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-rare-renaissance-portrait-by-one-of-the-first-famous-female-artists-was-lost-to-history-until-it-surfaced-in-north-carolina-180988120/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-ancient-roman-blade-sharpeners-emerge-from-a-riverbank-in-england-revealing-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-whetstone-factory-180988016/
 • Anderson, Sonja. “The Italian Government Just Paid Nearly $35 Million for a Rare Caravaggio Portrait—One of the Most Expensive Artworks It’s Ever Acquired.” Smithsonian. 3/16/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/
 • Arnold, Paul. “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts.” Phys.org. 2/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html
 • Arnold, Paul. “Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scents-afterlife-embalming-recipes-sniffing.html#google_vignette
 • Bacon, Jordan. “English history’s biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings.” EurekAlert. 3/20/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120082
 • Bastola, Kunjal. “A Groundskeeper Noticed a Sinkhole on a Golf Course. It Turned Out to Be a Wine Cellar Full of Empty Bottles, Untouched for More Than 100 Years.” Smithsonian. 3/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-groundskeeper-noticed-a-sinkhole-on-a-golf-course-it-turned-out-to-be-a-wine-cellar-full-of-empty-bottles-untouched-for-more-than-100-years-180988379/
 • Bastola, Kunjal. “A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It.” Smithsonian. 1/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-little-boys-library-book-was-due-in-1989-thirty-six-years-later-he-realized-his-parents-had-never-returned-it-180988046/
 • Baum, Stephanie. “Ancient parrot DNA reveals sophisticated, long-distance animal trade network pre-dating the Inca Empire.” 3/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-parrot-dna-reveals-sophisticated.html
 • Baum, Stephanie. “From the Late Bronze Age to today, the Old Irish Goat carries 3,000 years of Irish history.” 2/26/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-late-bronze-age-today-irish.html
 • Benzine, Vittoria. “What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense.” Artnet. 3/31/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-ritual-incense-study-2760240
 • Brooks, James. “Danish warship sunk by Nelson’s British fleet discovered after 225 years.” Associated Press. 4/2/2026. https://apnews.com/article/denmark-archaeologists-warship-nelson-copenhagen-dannebroge-lynetteholm-4519533d9e774a490f6020e893634e09
 • Carvajal, Guillermo. “Archaeologists achieve a historic milestone by dating French cave paintings with carbon-14 for the first time.” 3/10/2025. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/archaeologists-achieve-a-historic-milestone-by-dating-french-cave-paintings-with-carbon-14-for-the-first-time/
 • Clayworth, Liv. “Bird poop powered the rise of the Chincha Kingdom, archaeologists find.” EurekAlert. 2/11/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115214
 • “Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France.” Phys.org. 3/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-archimedes-palimpsest-blois.html
 • Ehrlich, Claudia. “Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years.” EurekAlert. 2/23/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117179
 • Ferrer, Isabel. “Is d’Artagnan lying beneath a church in Maastricht? DNA will determine if remains found are those of the famous musketeer.” El Pais. 3/25/2025. https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-25/is-dartagnan-lying-beneath-a-church-in-maastricht-dna-will-determine-if-remains-found-are-that-of-the-famous-musketeer.html?outputType=amp
 • Gebauer, Kathryn. “Groundbreaking discovery reveals Africa’s oldest cremation pyre and complex ritual practices.” EurekAlert. 1/1/2016. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111191
 • Harley, Sadie. “Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants.” Phys.org. 1/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-iron-age-dental-plaque-reveals.html
 • He, Ye. “Singapore’s first ancient shipwreck reveals record cargo of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain.” EurekAlert. 2/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116512
 • Johansen, Rikke Tørnsø. “Archaeologists reveal a medieval super ship: "It's the World’s largest cog".” Vikingeskibs Museet. 12/22/2025. https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/news/archaeologists-reveal-a-medieval-super-ship-its-the-worlds-largest-cog
 • Kasal, Krystal. “Hannibal's famous war elephants: Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hannibal-famous-war-elephants-bone.html
 • Kasal, Krystal. “Oldest known sewn hide and other artifacts from Oregon caves shed light on early clothing in harsh climates.” Phys.org. 2/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-oldest-sewn-artifacts-oregon-caves.html
 • Killgrove, Kristina. “Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell.” 1/29/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-used-human-feces-as-medicine-1-900-years-ago-and-used-thyme-to-mask-the-smell
 • Killgrove, Kristina. “Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary.” LiveScience. 3/3/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-age-woman-was-buried-like-a-man-revealing-flexible-gender-roles-7-000-years-ago-in-hungary
 • Koc University. “Earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and single-needle knitting discovered in Bronze Age Anatolia.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-earliest-evidence-indigo-dyed-textiles.html
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Did Neanderthals Use Birch Bark Tar as an Antibiotic to Treat Wounds and Infections?” Smithsonian. 3/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-use-birch-bark-tar-as-an-antibiotic-to-treat-wounds-and-infections-180988393/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Ostrich Eggshells Suggest Our Ancestors May Have Understood Basic Geometry 60,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 3/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-intricately-decorated-ostrich-eggshells-suggest-our-ancestors-may-have-understood-basic-geometry-60000-years-ago-180988315/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Ötzi the Iceman May Have Carried a Cancer-Causing Strain of HPV, a Common Virus Still Plaguing Humans Today.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/otzi-the-iceman-may-have-carried-a-cancer-causing-strain-of-hpv-a-common-virus-still-plaguing-humans-today-180988024/
 • Kuta, Sarah. “Shipwreck Timbers Appeared on a Beach After a Storm. They Had Been Buried Beneath the Sand Since the 17th Century.” Smithsonian. 3/2/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-timbers-appeared-on-a-beach-after-a-storm-they-had-been-buried-beneath-the-sand-since-the-17th-century-180988260/
 • Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Salvador Dalí’s Largest Work Snapped Up by Florida Museum.” Artnet. 3/27/2026. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvador-dali-largest-work-bonhams-sale-2749246
 • Lock, Lisa. “Ancient DNA finds 15,800-year-old dogs in Anatolia, buried like humans.” Phys.org. 3/28/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-dna-year-dogs-anatolia.html
 • Lock, Lisa. “Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-men-genghis-khan.html
 • Lucibella, Michael. “Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe.” EurekAlert. 1/26/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113140
 • Luscombe, Richard. “Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic.” The Guardian. 1/31/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/31/plague-of-justinian-pandemic
 • net. “Did King Harold Sail to Hastings? New Study Sparks Debate Among Historians.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/did-king-harold-sail-to-hastings-new-study-sparks-debate-among-historians/
 • net. “Viking-Age Woman Buried with Her Dog in Norway.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/viking-age-woman-buried-with-her-dog-in-norway/
 • Newcastle University Press Office. “5,300-year-old ‘bow drill’ rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools.” 2/9/2026. https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/02/ancientegyptiandrillbit/
 • Noraz, R., Chauvey, L., Wagner, S. et al. Ancient DNA reveals 4000 years of grapevine diversity, viticulture and clonal propagation in France. Nat Commun 17, 2494 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70166-z
 • Nordin, Gunilla. “World’s oldest arrow poison – 60,000-year-old traces reveal early advanced hunting techniques.” 1/7/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111624
 • Parco Archaeologico de Ercolano. “Archaeology: New precious decorations discovered at Villa Sora in the Herculaneum Park.” 2/5/2026. https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/archaeology-new-precious-decorations-discovered-at-villa-sora-in-the-herculaneum-park/?lang=en
 • Paul, Andrew. “Hiker finds 3,000-year-old bull sculpture in Spain.” Popular Science. 3/17/2026. https://www.popsci.com/science/hiker-finds-bronze-age-bull-spain/
 • Potter, Lisa. “A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113056
 • “Digital scans unveil new love notes and sketches on ancient Pompeii wall.” 1/19/2026. https://www.reuters.com/science/digital-scans-unveil-new-love-notes-sketches-ancient-pompeii-wall-2026-01-19/
 • Richard L. Rosencrance et al. ,Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations. Sci. Adv. 12, eaec2916(2026).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aec2916
 • Ruse, Amy. “Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art.” EurekAlert. 3/30/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121955
 • Ruse, Amy. “World’s oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112900
 • Siehoff, Jonas. “Hygienic conditions in Pompeii's early baths were poor.” 1/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112403
 • Taçon, P. S. C., A.Jalandoni, S. K.May, J.Nganjmirra, and C.Mungulda. 2026. “The Devil Is in the Detail: Tasmanian Devil and Tasmanian Tiger Paintings From Awunbarna and Injalak Hill, Northern Territory, Australia.” Archaeology in Oceania. https://doi.org/10.1002/arco.70024
 • The History Blog. “$40 estate sale find by early African-American silversmith sells for $24,000.” 2/4/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75294
 • The History Blog. “43,000 ostraca found at one site shed light on social history of Egypt.” 5/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75609
 • The History Blog. “British Museum acquires Tudor Heart.” 2/10/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75343
 • The History Blog. “Exceptional Roman cargo shipwreck found in Lake Neuchâtel.” 3/29/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75705
 • The History Blog. “Extraordinary find: 10th c. bronze wheel cross matches mold found 43 years ago.” 1/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75220
 • The History Blog. “Previously unknown Hans Baldung Grien portrait emerges after 500 years in the sitter’s family.” 1/17/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75161
 • The History Blog. “Roman wooden writing tablets from Belgium deciphered.” 1/22/2206. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75207
 • Thomas, Laura. “A century-old Stonehenge mystery may finally be solved.” Science Daily. 1/27/2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127010208.htm
 • Thorsberg, Christian. “The National Gallery of Art Acquires 17th-Century Masterpiece by Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi.” Smithsonian. 2/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-acquired-17th-century-masterpiece-by-baroque-painter-artemisia-gentileschi-180988147/
 • Thorsberg, Christian. “This Luxury Steamer Disappeared on a Stormy Night in 1872. Nearly 150 Years Later to the Day, It Was Found at the Bottom of Lake Michigan.” Smithsonian. 2/18/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-luxury-steamer-disappeared-on-a-stormy-night-in-1872-nearly-150-years-to-the-day-it-was-found-in-the-bottom-of-lake-michigan-180988204/
 • Unibo Magazine. “Humanity’s oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs.” https://magazine.unibo.it/en/articles/humanitys-oldest-geometries-engraved-on-ostrich-eggs
 • University of Tübingen. “Earliest hand-held wooden tools found in Greece date back 430,000 years.” Phys.org. 1/1/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-earliest-held-wooden-tools-greece.html
 • Villotte, S., T.Szeniczey, S.Kacki, and A.Anders. 2026. “Fixed and Fluid: The Two Faces of Gender Roles—A Combined Study of Activity Patterns and Burial Practices in the European Neolithic.” American Journal of Biological Anthropology189, no. 2: e70217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70217.
 • Whiddington, Richard. “3,300-Year-Old Papyrus Reveals How Ancient Egyptians Fixed Drawing Mistakes.” ArtNet. 3/9/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-egyptian-papyrus-white-out-fluid-2752125
 • Whiddington, Richard. “Long-Lost Archimedes Text Resurfaces in French Museum.” Artnet. 3/11/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-page-of-archimedes-palimpsest-found-2753005
 • Whiddington, Richard. “Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin’s Shipwreck.” ArtNet. 3/19/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/parthenon-fragment-lord-elgin-shipwreck-2755894
 • Zeilsgtra, Andrew. “Breathing in the past: How museums can use biomolecular archaeology to bring ancient scents to life.” EurekAlert. 2/5/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114918
 • Zinin, Andrew. “600-year-old pinot noir grape found in medieval French toilet.” Phys.org. 3/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-pinot-noir-grape-medieval.html#google_vignette
 
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Unearthed! In Spring 2026, Part 1

This 2022 episode covers how Courbet was iconic even in his own lifetime. He flew in the face of artistic convention, ushered in a new movement of Realism in France, and became embroiled in the country’s political turmoil. 

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SYMHC Classics: Gustave Courbet

Tracy shares her intentions to cover Peter Kropotkin years ago, and also unpacks some of the positive and negative aspects of his life.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Oh, Kropotkin!

Helium and humankind's understanding of it sits at the earliest intersection of astronomy and chemistry. The story of its discovery also features two scientists who were working on similar ideas concurrently, with a surprising outcome.

 
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The Discovery of Helium

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