History Honeys

Alaina returns to her most recent topic to make good on her promise. This episode is about a third great train wreck in the summer of 1918, one that destroyed a circus train. We cover the history of that particular circus, its founder's previous attractions, the wreck itself, and what remains to commemorate it.

Links!

• People displayed in Hagenbeck's "human zoo"
• The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab
• First Zoo Without Bars Celebrates its Centenary
• Group Photo of Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Performers
• Supreme Court opinions on Bleistein v Donaldson Lithographing Company
• Pictures of wreckage
• Lake County Times coverage of wreck
• Picture of mass burial
• Pictures of Showmen's Rest
• "Unknown Male" Gravestone
• International Circus Hall of Fame
• ABC 7 Chicago's coverage of the 100th anniversary

Please help our show succeed by sharing it. Send a link to someone you know and tell them what you enjoy about History Honeys. Rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other platform you use to hear us. It helps so very much and we do appreciate it. You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or by emailing us at historyhoneyspodcast at gmail. The episode 83 prompt is: What is your favorite cheese?

The mid-19th century in America was a time of new popular philosophies about the order of the universe and the individual's place in it. One example is the dawn of Spiritualism: the belief that the spirits of the dead can be contacted, and that they have answers to our urgent questions. In this episode, Grant teaches us about two cases: the prototypical founders of movement, and one of its most bizarre figures. Once a popular movement starts, does it ever really end? How much faith should be put in a prophet that makes a profit? What purpose does debunking serve?

Links!

• Smithsonian Magazine on the Fox sisters
• Listener Ciaran on the Fox Sisters
• John Murray Spear's paper, The New Era, May 3rd 1854 edition
• A picture of The New Motive Power

Please help our show succeed by sharing it. Send a link to someone you know and tell them what you enjoy about History Honeys. Rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other platform you use to hear us. It helps so very much and we do appreciate it. You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or by emailing us at historyhoneyspodcast at gmail. The episode 82 prompt is: What is your favorite circus act?

Alaina continues marking anniversaries, and also talking about travel disasters. 1918 was in the middle of the Golden Age of Rail Travel, but behind the march of technology and luxury there were millions of travelers trying to get to work on time. Unfortunately, not all of them did. The day this episode goes live marks the 101st anniversary of the worst rail accident in American history, and the end of the year the worst accident in American urban transit history. What counts as "acceptable odds" for mass death and mayhem? Who bears responsibility for a systemic failure? How does the atomization of car travel affect our perception of train death tolls?

Links!

• Google Earth View of the Nashville wreck site
• Contemporary news report of the crash at Dutchman's Curve
• David Allan Coe - The Great Nashville Railroad Disaster
• Diagram of the Malbone Street wreck
• Death in the Subway by David Rapp

Please help our show succeed by sharing it. Send a link to someone you know and tell them what you enjoy about History Honeys. Rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other platform you use to hear us. It helps so very much and we do appreciate it. You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or by emailing us at historyhoneyspodcast at gmail. The episode 81 prompt is: What is your favorite fringe group?

We're sure the world is about to be bombarded by retrospectives of Apollo 11, and for good reason, but there's so much more to explore. Grant takes us through the history of Mars exploration, from the first looks from afar, to the first mobile science platforms to rove its surface.

Links!

• Mars Exploration Project
• Marspedia
• The "Canali" and the first Martians
• 1965: Discovery at Mars
• Soviet Space Probes Mars-2 and -3 (In Russian)
• FBC Task Final Report
• Sojourner postage stamp
• MGSV Let's Play playlist

Please help our show succeed by sharing it. Send a link to someone you know and tell them what you enjoy about History Honeys. Rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other platform you use to hear us. It helps so very much and we do appreciate it. You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or by emailing us at historyhoneyspodcast at gmail. The episode 80 prompt is: What is your favorite train?

It's that time of year again, when Alaina teaches us about the haunted and spooky spots of a certain place, and we do the intro in silly Dracula voices! This year we're getting sub-tropical and talking about the Florida Keys. An island chain once rich from shipping and now a vacation destination, the Keys have been shaken by natural disasters and disease, as well as a few notably creepy individuals. Have these events left a psychic and spiritual stain on the land, or is that just a way to sell more t-shirts? Let's explore!

Links!

• FloridaKeys.com
• Historic and contemporary pictures of the Oversea Railroad
• "The Keys’ most treacherous reef is a scenic delight"
• Picture of the Carysfort Light
• Key West Cemetery at Atlas Obscura
• Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, home to Robert the Doll
• Picture of Robert the Doll
• Gene Otto, wearing the sailor suit he passed on to Robert
• Fort Jefferson, National Park Service

Please help our show succeed by sharing it. Send a link to someone you know and tell them what you enjoy about History Honeys. Rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other platform you use to hear us. It helps so very much and we do appreciate it. You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or by emailing us at historyhoneyspodcast at gmail. The episode 89 prompt is: What is your favorite piece of public art?