Episodes

  • Unearthed Year-end 2025, Part 1

    Unearthed Year-end 2025, Part 1
    Jan 12 2026
    The show's coverage of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 begins with updates, books and letters, animals, and just one exhumation. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 11/26/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106805Abdallah, Hannah. “Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 10/8/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100481Abdallah, Hannah. “Researchers uncover clues to mysterious origin of famous Hjortspring boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108323Archaeology Magazine. “Medieval Hoard of Silver and Pearls Discovered in Sweden.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/10/14/medieval-hoard-of-silver-and-pearls-discovered-in-sweden/Archaeology Magazine. “Possible Trepanation Tool Unearthed in Poland.” 11/13/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/11/13/possible-trepanation-tool-unearthed-in-poland/“Rare 5,000-year-old dog burial unearthed in Sweden.” 12/15/2025. https://news.cision.com/se/arkeologerna/r/rare-5-000-year-old-dog-burial-unearthed-in-sweden,c4282014Arnold, Paul. “Ancient ochre crayons from Crimea reveal Neanderthals engaged in symbolic behaviors.” Phys.org. 10/30/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ancient-ochre-crayons-crimea-reveal.htmlArnold, Paul. “Dating a North American rock art tradition that lasted 175 generations.” Phys.org. 11/28/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-dating-north-american-art-tradition.htmlBassi, Margherita. “A Single Gene Could Have Contributed to Neanderthals’ Extinction, Study Suggests.” Smithsonian. 10/30/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-neanderthal-gene-variant-related-to-red-blood-cells-may-have-contributed-to-their-extinction-180987586/Benjamin Pohl, Chewing over the Norman Conquest: the Bayeux Tapestry as monastic mealtime reading, Historical Research, 2025;, htaf029, https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htaf029Benzine, Vittoria. “Decoded Hieroglyphics Reveal Female Ruler of Ancient Maya City.” ArtNet. 10/27/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/foundation-stone-maya-coba-woman-ruler-2704521Berdugo, Sophie. “Easter Island statues may have 'walked' thanks to 'pendulum dynamics' and with as few as 15 people, study finds.” LiveScience. 10/19/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/easter-island-statues-may-have-walked-thanks-to-pendulum-dynamics-and-with-as-few-as-15-people-study-findsBilling, Lotte. “Fingerprint of ancient seafarer found on Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109361Brhel, John. “Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals.” EurekAlert. 11/17/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106361Caldwell, Elizabeth. “9 more individuals unearthed at Oaklawn could be 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims.” Tulsa Public Radio. 11/6/2025. https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/local-regional/2025-11-06/9-more-individuals-unearthed-at-oaklawn-could-be-1921-tulsa-race-massacre-victimsClark, Gaby. “Bayeux Tapestry could have been originally designed as mealtime reading for medieval monks.” Phys.org. 12/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-bayeux-tapestry-mealtime-medieval-monks.html#google_vignetteCohen, Alina. “Ancient Olive Oil Processing Complex Unearthed in Tunisia.” Artnet. 11/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-olive-oil-complex-tunisia-2717795Cohen, Alina. “MFA Boston Restores Ownership of Historic Works by Enslaved Artist.” ArtNet. 10/30/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mfa-boston-david-drake-jars-restitution-2706594Fergusson, Rachel. “First DNA evidence of Black Death in Edinburgh discovered on teeth of excavated teenage skeleton.” The Scotsman. 11/5/2025. https://www.scotsman.com/news/first-dna-evidence-black-death-edinburgh-discovered-teeth-excavated-teenage-skeleton-5387741Folorunso, Caleb et al. “MOWAA Archaeology Project: Enhancing Understanding of Benin City’s Historic Urban Development and Heritage through Pre-Construction Archaeology.” Antiquity (2025): 1–10. Web.Griffith University. “Rare stone tool cache tells story of trade and ingenuity.” 12/2/2025. https://news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/02/rare-stone-tool-cache-tells-story-of-trade-and-ingenuity/Han, Yu et al. “The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism.” Cell Genomics, Volume 0, Issue 0, 101099. https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/fulltext/S2666-979X(25)00355-6Hashemi, Sara. “A Volcanic Eruption in 1345 May Have Triggered a Chain of Events That Brought the Black Death to Europe.” Smithsonian. 12/8/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volcanic-eruption-in-1345-may-have-triggered-a-chain-of-events-taht-brought-the-black-death-to-europe-...
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    43 mins
  • SYMHC Classics: P.A.R.C. and Mills

    SYMHC Classics: P.A.R.C. and Mills
    Jan 10 2026

    This 2015 episode covers the lack of access to public education for children with disabilities in the U.S. until 1975.

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    26 mins
  • Behind the Scenes Minis: Bad Goals and Spirit Clothes

    Behind the Scenes Minis: Bad Goals and Spirit Clothes
    Jan 9 2026

    Tracy discusses film ratings and the bias behind them. Talk then turns to clothing in the afterlife.

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    34 mins
  • Jean Baptiste: Grave Robber at Large

    Jean Baptiste: Grave Robber at Large
    Jan 7 2026

    Jean Baptiste's crime of robbing graves shocked Salt Lake City in the 1860s. This history mystery offers insight into the way a community deals with the unthinkable.

    Research:

    • Devitry-Smith, John. “The Saint and the grave Robber.” BYU Studies Quarterly. Volume 33, Issue 1. January 1, 1993. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2856&context=byusq
    • “Exciting and terrifying Occurences.” The Deseret News. Jan. 22, 1862. https://www.newspapers.com/image/286318980/?match=1&terms=%22moroni%20clawson%22
    • “A Gruesome Tale.” Salt Lake herald. April 2, 1893. https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=11053821
    • Ison, Yvette D. “Unsolved Mysteries in Utah—The Bizarre Case of Grave Robber Jean Baptiste.” History Blazer. March 1995. Utah History to Go. https://historytogo.utah.gov/jean-baptiste/
    • Morgan, Dale L. “The Great Salt Lake.” New York. Bobbs-Merrill. 1947.
    • “Robber of the Dead.” Deseret Evening News. May 27, 1893. https://www.newspapers.com/image/73717015/?match=1&terms=jean%20baptiste%20grave%20robber
    • Van Leer, Twyla. “HISTORY OF GRAVE ROBBER IS BURIED IN MYSTERY.” Deseret News. May 30, 1995. https://www.deseret.com/1995/5/30/19215360/history-of-grave-robber-is-buried-in-mystery/
    • Watt, G.D. “Remarks by President Brigham Young, Tabernacle, Feb. 9th, 186.” The Deseret News. March 26, 1862. https://www.newspapers.com/image/286319797/?match=1&terms=%22baptiste%22

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    37 mins
  • Two 504 Figures: Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax

    Two 504 Figures: Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax
    Jan 5 2026

    Kitty Cone and Brad Lomax were key players in the 1977 sit-ins which pressured the Department of Health and Human Services to establish policies to implement section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.

    Research:

    • R.8070 - Rehabilitation Act of 1973. https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/8070
    • Grim, Andrew. “Sitting-in for disability rights: The Section 504 protests of the 1970s.” National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/sitting-disability-rights-section-504-protests-1970s
    • “Celebrating Kitty Cone: 1944-2015.” https://dredf.org/celebrating-kitty-cone-1944-2015/
    • Feingold, Lainey. “Disability Rights Leader Kitty Cone Dies at 70.” BeyondChron. 3/23/2015. https://beyondchron.org/curtis-kitty-cone-disability-rights-hero-dead-at-70/
    • Gardiner, Kathryn S. “Forgotten Foremothers: Kitty Cone - Disability Activist.” League of Women Voters of Indiana. 7/9/2022. https://www.lwvin.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=42001&item_id=77659
    • Lu, Wendy. “Overlooked No More: Kitty Cone, Trailblazer of the Disability Rights Movement.” New York Times. 3/26/2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/obituaries/kitty-cone-overlooked.html
    • Center for Learner Equality. “Brad Lomax – Uniting the Civil Rights and Disability Rights Communities.” https://www.centerforlearnerequity.org/news/brad-lomax-uniting-the-civil-rights-and-disability-rights-communities/
    • Essien, Markus, director and producer. “Renegades: Brad Lomax.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/brad-lomax-documentary/33589/
    • Connelly, Eileen AJ. “Overlooked No More: Brad Lomax, a Bridge Between Civil Rights Movements.” New York Times. 7/20/2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/obituaries/brad-lomax-overlooked.html

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    39 mins
  • SYMHC Classics: Andrew Crosse

    SYMHC Classics: Andrew Crosse
    Jan 3 2026

    This 2021 episode covers Andrew Crosse, who observed a strange thing happening on an electrified rock in his lab in the early 1800s, and was catapulted into the public spotlight.

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    34 mins
  • Behind the Scenes Minis: Bullet Journal Dinosaur

    Behind the Scenes Minis: Bullet Journal Dinosaur
    Jan 2 2026

    Holly and Tracy talk about the pros and cons of self-help writing and whether Ben Franklin would like bullet journaling. They then talk about a past trip they took to Walt Disney World.

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    24 mins
  • New Year’s Eve Iguanodon Party

    New Year’s Eve Iguanodon Party
    Dec 31 2025

    In 1853, a high-profile London dinner party was held inside a life-sized mold of an iguanodon.

    Research:

    • Cain, Joe. “New Year’s Eve Dinner in the Iguanodon at Crystal Palace 31 December 1853.” https://profjoecain.net/dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-dinosaurs/
    • Cain, Joe. “Top Questions About New Year’s Eve Dinner in Iguanodon at Crystal Palace.” https://profjoecain.net/top-questions-about-new-years-eve-dinner-iguanodon-crystal-palace-mould-sculpture/
    • Carlson, Laura. “Episode 5: A Victorian Dinosaur Dinner.” The Feast. https://www.thefeastpodcast.org/episode-5-a-victorian-dinosaur-dinner
    • Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “Dinner in the Iguanodon.” 7/21/2013. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/dinner-in-the-iguanodon
    • Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. “How were the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs made?” 5/13/2016. https://cpdinosaurs.org/blog/post/how-were-the-crystal-palace-dinosaurs-made
    • Routledge & Co., publishers. “Routledge's guide to the Crystal Palace and park at Sydenham.” Crystal Palace. 1854. https://archive.org/details/routledgesguidet00grou/
    • Geological Society of London Blog. “The First Dinosaurs’ Dinner.” 4/15/2021. https://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/2021/04/15/the-first-dinosaurs-dinner/
    • Hawkins, B. Waterhouse. “On Visual Education, As Applied to Geology.” Journal of the Society of Arts. Vol. II No. 78. 5/19/1854.
    • Illustrated London News. “The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham.” 1/7/1854. https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1854-01-07_24_662/page/21/mode/1up
    • McCarthy, Steve. “The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: The Story of the World’s First Prehistoric Sculptures.” The Crystal Palace Foundation. 1994.
    • McCarthy, Steve. "Hawkins, Benjamin Waterhouse (1807–1894), natural history artist and sculptor." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 5 Dec. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54370
    • Osterloff, Emily. “The world's first dinosaur park: what the Victorians got right and wrong.” Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/crystal-palace-dinosaurs.html
    • Owen, Richard. “Geology and inhabitants of the ancient world.” Crystal Palace Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/geologyinhabitan00owen
    • Peck, Robert McCracken. "The art of bones: British artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who sparked dinosaur mania in the nineteenth century, still influences how natural history museums represent prehistoric life today." Natural History, vol. 117, no. 10, Dec. 2008, pp. 24+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A189832561/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f6c80589. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
    • Phillips, Samuel. “Guide to the Crystal Palace and Park.” Crystal Palace Library. 1854. https://archive.org/details/guidetocrystalpa00phil_0
    • Rack, Yannic. “How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology.” Smithsonian. 8/29/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/
    • The History Press. “The Victorian dinner inside a dinosaur.” https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-victorian-dinner-inside-a-dinosaur/
    • Witton, Mark and Ellinor Michel. “Crystal Palace dinosaurs: how we rediscovered five missing sculptures from the famous park.” The Conversation. 5/20/2022. https://theconversation.com/crystal-palace-dinosaurs-how-we-rediscovered-five-missing-sculptures-from-the-famous-park-182573

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    34 mins