Joseph Pulitzer is one of those pivotal figures in history, and his influence continues right on through today. Part one of this two-parter covers his early life, right up through his rivalry with William Randolph Hearst. Research: “SUPREME COURT ENDS PANAMA LIBEL SUIT.” New York Times. Jan. 3, 1911. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/04/104853177.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Topping, Seymour. “Biography of Joseph Pulitzer.” The Pulitzer Prizes. https://www.pulitzer.org/page/biography-joseph-pulitzer “Was Slayback armed?” St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Oct. 15, 1882. https://www.newspapers.com/image/571093643 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. “The Story of Panama: Hearings on the Rainey Resolution.” U.S. Government Printing Office, 1912. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=t8Q-AAAAYAAJ&dq=%E2%80%9CThese+stories+need+no+investigation+whatever.+They+are+in+fact+wholly+and+in+form+partly+a+libel+upon+the+United+States+Government%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s “Panama Secrets.” The Indianapolis News. October 20, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/37283610/?terms=%22Who%20Got%20the%20Money%3F%22&match=1 “Mr. Alonzo Slayback.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Oct. 13, 1882. https://www.newspapers.com/image/137816694/?terms=slayback&match=2 “Died in Cairo, Egypt.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 11, 1896. https://www.newspapers.com/image/138232467/?terms=Slayback “Francis Recalls the Killing of Col. A.W. Slayback.” The St. Louis Star and Times. October 14, 1910. https://www.newspapers.com/image/204769546/?terms=Slayback Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Bounty System". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Jul. 1998, https://www.britannica.com/event/Bounty-Syste “Standard Oil’s Monopoly on the Panama Canal.” Omaha World-Herald. Nov. 1, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/860064239/?terms=panama%20canal&match=1 Vile, John R. “United States v. Press Publishing Co. (1911).” The First Amendment Encyclopedia. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/609/united-states-v-press-publishing-co Morris, James McGrath. “Pulitzer.” Harper Perennial 2010. Peirce, Clyde. “The Panama Libel Cases.” Indiana Magazine of History, vol. 33, no. 2, 1937, pp. 171–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27786879 “Extracts from the Will of Joseph Pulitzer.” The Pulitzer Prizes. https://www.pulitzer.org/page/extracts-will-joseph-pulitzer Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Joseph Pulitzer". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Pulitzer Csillag, Andras. “Joseph Pulitzer's Roots in Europe: A Genealogical History.” American Jewish Archives. http://sites.americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1987_39_01_00_csillag.pdf “Panama Canal Charges.” Weekly Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana). Dec. 19, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/212864982/?terms=panama%20canal&match=1 “Cromwell – Who? What? Why?” The Houston Post. November 1, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94892307/?terms=panama%20canal&match=1 “The Inifinitude of Graft.” The Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.). Oct. 21, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/62741584/?terms=panama%20canal&match=1 “Indianapolis News Put in Ananias Club.” Indianapolis Star. Dec. 7, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/118619631/?terms=%22Who%20Got%20the%20Money%3F%22&match=1 “Roosevelt Bitter in Scoring Editors.” Indianapolis News. Dec. 7, 1908. https://www.newspapers.com/image/37311537/?terms=%22Who%20Got%20the%20Money%3F%22&match=1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2019 episode covers the story of vodka, which is closely tied to cultural identity for several countries. Where did it originate, and how did it evolve over time? We'll talk a bit about how vodka is made, where it came from, and how it's expanded to a global market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly talk about the movie "White Christmas" and how it has aged. They also discuss collectible sheet music and the idea of there being no definitive version of a song recording. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This second part of the story of Irving Berlin’s life picks up after WWI, and covers his family life, his rise to fame, and the controversies that were part of his career. Research: Bergreen, Laurence. “Irving Berlin: This Is the Army.” Prologue. Summer 1996, Vol. 28, No. 2 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/summer/irving-berlin-1 Carlson, Olivia. “What’s White Christmas without Minstrelsy?” Music 345: Race, Identity, and Representation in American Music. Student Blogs and Library Exhibit Companion. https://pages.stolaf.edu/americanmusic/2021/10/25/whats-white-christmas-without-minstrelsy/ CBS Sunday Morning. “American songsmith Irving Berlin.” Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV9uq8z2k5E Greten, Paula Anne. “Irving Berlin.” American History. August 2006. Hamm, Charles. “Irving Berlin -- Songs from the Melting Pot: The Formative Years, 1907-1914.” Oxford University Press. Via New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hamm-berlin.html Hamm, Charles. “Alexander and His Band.” American Music , Spring, 1996, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring, 1996). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3052459 Hyland, William G. “The Best Songwriter Of Them All.” Commentary. October 1990. "Irving Berlin." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Online, Gale, 2013. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K2419200098/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=be3b3028. Accessed 16 Nov. 2022. Jewish Lives. “Irving Berlin.” Podcast. Episode 4. 11/18/2019. Jewish Virtual Library. “Irving Berlin.” https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/irving-berlin Judaism Unbound. “Bonus Episode: Irving Berlin – Judah Cohen (American Jewish History #5).” Podcast. Episode 248, October 2 2019. Kaplan, James. “Irving Berlin: New York Genius.” Yale University Press. 2019. Kennedy Center. “This Land is Your Land: The story behind the song.” https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/story-behind-the-song/the-story-behind-the-song/this-land-is-your-land/ Magee, Jeffrey. "'Everybody Step': Irving Berlin, jazz, and Broadway in the 1920s." Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 59, no. 3, fall 2006, pp. 697+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A157180372/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=07c374cd. Accessed 16 Nov. 2022. Markel, Howard. “How Irving Berlin’s blue skies turned to blue days.” PBS NewsHour. 9/24/2021. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-irving-berlins-blue-skies-turned-to-blue-days Maslon, Laurence. “Overture.” (And following pages) The Irving Berlin Music Company. https://www.irvingberlin.com/overture Schiff, David. “For Everyman, By Everyman.” The Atlantic Monthly. March 1996. Spitzer, Nick. “The Story Of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'.” NPR. 2/15/2012. https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land The Irving Berlin Music Company. “Irving Berlin.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d1974abe6594a72075321b/t/5a5f673eec212d2269841cf4/1516201791369/Irving+Berlin+-+official+biography.pdf White, Timothy. “Irving Berlin Knew Pop Music’s Power.” Billboard. Vol. 111, Issue 21. 5/22/1999. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. v. Dieckhaus, 153 F.2d 893, 898 (8th Cir. 1946) https://casetext.com/case/twentieth-century-fox-film-corp-v-dieckhaus Bornstein, George. "Say it with music." TLS. Times Literary Supplement, no. 5698, 15 June 2012, p. 9. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667239228/LitRC?u=mlin_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=7d90f5a8. Accessed 2 Dec. 2022. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The immeasurably famous Irving Berlin seems like the perfect example of a U.S. immigrant success story. But reality is complicated and imperfect, and so was Berlin’s music-filled life. Research: Bergreen, Laurence. “Irving Berlin: This Is the Army.” Prologue. Summer 1996, Vol. 28, No. 2 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/summer/irving-berlin-1 Carlson, Olivia. “What’s White Christmas without Minstrelsy?” Music 345: Race, Identity, and Representation in American Music. Student Blogs and Library Exhibit Companion. https://pages.stolaf.edu/americanmusic/2021/10/25/whats-white-christmas-without-minstrelsy/ CBS Sunday Morning. “American songsmith Irving Berlin.” Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV9uq8z2k5E Greten, Paula Anne. “Irving Berlin.” American History. August 2006. Hamm, Charles. “Irving Berlin -- Songs from the Melting Pot: The Formative Years, 1907-1914.” Oxford University Press. Via New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hamm-berlin.html Hamm, Charles. “Alexander and His Band.” American Music , Spring, 1996, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring, 1996). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3052459 Hyland, William G. “The Best Songwriter Of Them All.” Commentary. October 1990. "Irving Berlin." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Online, Gale, 2013. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K2419200098/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=be3b3028. Accessed 16 Nov. 2022. Jewish Lives. “Irving Berlin.” Podcast. Episode 4. 11/18/2019. Jewish Virtual Library. “Irving Berlin.” https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/irving-berlin Judaism Unbound. “Bonus Episode: Irving Berlin – Judah Cohen (American Jewish History #5).” Podcast. Episode 248, October 2 2019. Kaplan, James. “Irving Berlin: New York Genius.” Yale University Press. 2019. Kennedy Center. “This Land is Your Land: The story behind the song.” https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/story-behind-the-song/the-story-behind-the-song/this-land-is-your-land/ Magee, Jeffrey. "'Everybody Step': Irving Berlin, jazz, and Broadway in the 1920s." Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 59, no. 3, fall 2006, pp. 697+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A157180372/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=07c374cd. Accessed 16 Nov. 2022. Markel, Howard. “How Irving Berlin’s blue skies turned to blue days.” PBS NewsHour. 9/24/2021. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-irving-berlins-blue-skies-turned-to-blue-days Maslon, Laurence. “Overture.” (And following pages) The Irving Berlin Music Company. https://www.irvingberlin.com/overture Schiff, David. “For Everyman, By Everyman.” The Atlantic Monthly. March 1996. Spitzer, Nick. “The Story Of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'.” NPR. 2/15/2012. https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land The Irving Berlin Music Company. “Irving Berlin.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d1974abe6594a72075321b/t/5a5f673eec212d2269841cf4/1516201791369/Irving+Berlin+-+official+biography.pdf White, Timothy. “Irving Berlin Knew Pop Music’s Power.” Billboard. Vol. 111, Issue 21. 5/22/1999. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. v. Dieckhaus, 153 F.2d 893, 898 (8th Cir. 1946) https://casetext.com/case/twentieth-century-fox-film-corp-v-dieckhaus Bornstein, George. "Say it with music." TLS. Times Literary Supplement, no. 5698, 15 June 2012, p. 9. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667239228/LitRC?u=mlin_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=7d90f5a8. Accessed 2 Dec. 2022. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2012 episode from prior hosts covers King Wenceslas. He's known from a Christmas carol, but was a 10th-century Bohemian prince, known for his kindness to children and promotion of Christianity. But he was murdered at only 22.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy discuss the disruptive French Republican calendar, banana dishes, the Universal Chopper, and other kitchen implements. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This eponymous foods episode only has two foods in it – and they couldn’t be more different! One is a flaming dessert, and one is a meat patty.  Research: Salisbury, James Henry. “The Relation of Alimentation and Diseases.” New York. J.H. Vail and Company. 1888. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/relationaliment00saligoog/page/n10/mode/2up “Universal Food Chopper.” John Fitzgerald Kenned National Historic Site. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/universal-food-chopper.htm “Salisbury Steak.” The Windsor Review. April 8, 1886. https://www.newspapers.com/image/335244076/?terms=%22salisbury%20steak%22&match=1 “Salisbury Steak.” Boston Evening Transcript. January 30, 1885. https://www.newspapers.com/image/735176198/?terms=%22salisbury%20steak%22&match=1 Bramen, Lisa. “Salisbury Steak: Civil War Health Food.” Smithsonian. June 22, 2011. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/salisbury-steak-civil-war-health-food-18584973/ McNulty, Ian. “The Brennan Family: A Luscious Legacy.” French Quarter.com. https://www.frenchquarter.com/brennan-family-legacy/ Rawley, Joe. “Historic Brennan’s Restaurant Closed.” June 28, 2013. https://wgno.com/news/historic-brennans-restaurant-closed/ MacCash, Doug. “Ralph Brennan unopposed in purchase of Brennan's restaurant name.” Nola.com/New Orleans Times-Picayune. July 8, 2014. https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/ralph-brennan-unopposed-in-purchase-of-brennans-restaurant-name/article_144b89df-7991-5799-a6f8-ba05be1e9410.html Evans, Edward and Fredy Ballen. “Banana Market.” University of Florida, IFAS Extension. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FE901 Rodriguez, Fernando. “Lewd and Lascivious: French Quarter Clean-up Campaigns by Business and Civic Organizations in 1950s New Orleans.” Louisiana State University Doctoral Dissertations. July 21, 2021. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6712&context=gradschool_dissertations Euraque, Dario A. “Cliché and Charicature.” Historians.org. May 12, 2021. https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/may-2021/clich%C3%A9-and-caricature-why-january-6-was-not-like-a-banana-republic#:~:text=Honduras%2C%20the%20first%20nation%20to,of%20bananas%20in%20the%20world. “Dr. James Salisbury - Inventor of the Salisbury Steak.” The Village of Bratenahl. https://bratenahlhistorical.org/index.php/james-salisbury/ Brennan, Ella, and Ti Martin. “Miss Ella of Commander's Palace.” Gibbs Smith, 2016. Bethune, Meredith. “The Sweet Success Of Bananas Foster Has An Unsavory Past.” NPR. September 30, 2016. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/30/493157144/the-sweet-success-of-bananas-foster-has-an-unsavory-past#:~:text=Bananas%20Foster%20was%20invented%20at%20Brennan's%20Restaurant.,-Kerri%20McCaffety%2FCourtesy&text=%22It%20was%20a%20huge%20product,was%20invented%20there%20in%201951. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new year approaches. But what if you had to learn a completely new calendar for the coming year? For about a dozen years starting in the late 19th century, France abandoned the Gregorian calendar for an entirely different one. Research:  Alfred, Randy. “Sept. 22, 1792: Day One of Revolutionary Calendar.” Wired. Sept. 22, 2011. https://www.wired.com/2011/09/0922revolutionary-calendar/ Suplee, Curt. “A Brief History of Time-keeping.” Washington Post. Nov. 16, 1994. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/11/16/a-brief-history-of-time-keeping/1735193f-0c41-4657-af73-16e7b54a9665/ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Gregorian calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gregorian-calendar Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "year". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Dec. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/science/year Bickerman, E.J. , Ziadeh, Nicola Abdo , Buitenen, J.A.B. van , Proskouriakoff, Tatiana , Schmidt, John D. , Wiesenberg, E.J. , Lin, Chao and Ronan, Colin Alistair. "calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Jul. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Julian calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jul. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/science/Julian-calendar Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Roman republican calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Apr. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/science/Roman-republican-calendar Warren, Howard C. “Psychological Aspects of Calendar Reform.” The Scientific Monthly, vol. 33, no. 5, 1931, pp. 440–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/15247 Carrigan, Richard A. “Decimal Time: Unlike the Metric System of Measurements, Decimal Time Did Not Survive the French Revolution. But Is Dividing the Day by Tens a Possibility for the Future?” American Scientist, vol. 66, no. 3, 1978, pp. 305–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27848641 Zerubavel, Eviatar. “The French Republican Calendar: A Case Study in the Sociology of Time.” American Sociological Review, vol. 42, no. 6, 1977, pp. 868–77. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2094573 Simon, Ed. “Why the French Revolution’s ‘Rational’ Calendar Wasn’t.” JSTOR Daily. May 23, 2018. https://daily.jstor.org/why-the-french-revolutions-rational-calendar-wasnt/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2017 episode covers the Wright Brothers, yes, but also other contenders to the title of "first in flight," and each has their own compelling story and list of achievements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.