The Past and The Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

Episode 83 features the stories of two unusual men who walked a lot. One was a mysterious man in Northeastern America who spoke to nearly no one for years, despite walking a monthlong circular path. He was known as The Old Leatherman.Also, hear the story of Oxekula a man who boarded a boat from Russia, bound for America despite not knowing a soul, nor a lick of English. His mysterious journey through coastal Virginia caught everyone off guard since no one could understand his unusual language. Thanks to Hello Fresh for their support. Go to HelloFresh.com/50pastandcurious and use code 50pastandcurious for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months

Learn about the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Great Seattle Fire, and the origin of the steel guitar. Discover how Joseph Kekuku, a boy from Hawaii, changed music after being inspired by a random occurrence with another railroad spike.

This podcast explores the history of obelisks around the world, including how several Egyptian originals ended up in different countries. The Washington Monument, the tallest obelisk, took decades to be completed. The episode also features a story about a stinky imitation obelisk in Australia and discusses the tallest man in recorded history.

Episode 80: Fabian Garcia, changed agriculture (and people's taste) with his ground breaking New Mexico No. 9 Chile, which is the genetic ancestor of nearly every chile grown in southwest America today. His dedication and intelligence with plants changed lives, livelihoods, and culture.Elliot Michener, on the other hand, was a career criminal whose life was changed for the better when he was put in charge of a garden on Alcatraz Island.Thank you to our sponsor Kids’ Chemical Solutions and their chemistry comic book series filled withcolorful characters and exciting storylines. Order now at www.kidschemicalsolutions.com

Maria Mitchell, the first American to discover a new comet, and Ann Hodges, a woman who had an object from space crash into her house, are the guests on this episode. They discuss their fascinating experiences with objects from space and the impact it had on their lives.

Melly Victor of Stoopkid Stories tells the story of Ella Fitzgerald's first performance at the Apollo Theatre. They also discuss the history of tuning, the Treaty of Versailles' standardization of musical tuning, and singers hurting their voices to match instrumentalists raising the pitch.

The Virginia became a major attraction when it got stuck in a cornfield, which is a place a boat does not belong. Also, The Meachums escaped slavery, and educated hundreds of children in a school known as the Floating Freedom School. Their school in a steamboat was untouched by an unjust Missouri law while in the middle of the river.

The Wright Brothers became the first to fly a controlled powered aircraft with a pilot onboard, but just a few days before, Smithsonian Secretary James Langley almost beat them. His failure didn't stop the Smithsonian from claiming the first flight. But Orville and Wilber weren't the only two who fought for their place in history. Their sister Katharine did too.

Here's two more underwear stories that aren't in the the book I See Lincoln's Underpants (which is now available!) First Benedict Arnold betrays the American Army but gets caught thanks to something hiding in someone's underwear. Also When NASA planned to get someone to the moon, they needed a special Space Suit, and the only designers and makers up to the challenge had only made underwear for Playtex before the marvelous work of technology.

The last installment of The Underwear Chronicles - to celebrate the release of I See Lincoln's Underpants now available from booksellers! Al Capone grew up somewhere in the middle of a big family. Hand me downs were a way of life, so it makes sense that as an adult he was eager to have not just his own underpants, but his own fancy underpants. After arriving in Chicago from his native Brooklyn, he worked his way up to being the most powerful mob boss in town. He was famous all over the country, but he never really worried about going to jail.  In the end he brought down by some salesmen, including the man who sold him underwear.