Walt Whitman was inspired after hearing Ralph Waldo Emerson speak, and self-published a book of poems he would continue updating for his entire life. When not writing poetry, he worked as a nurse during the Civil War, and published some unusual exercise advice.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the ONLY woman in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. H ... Show More
Oct 1
Hazards of The Wild: George Shannon, Rattlesnake Kate and more!
George Shannon was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and his inexperience showed itself a time or two. He did get lost once for 16 days, the longest span of time anyone was separated from the expedition party. In the 1920s, a woman named Rattlesnake Kate capt ... Show More
33m 11s
Sep 17
Important Animals: Blisters, Shin Splints, Museum Spiders and more
The Bunion Derby (featured in the last episode) also featured a few four-legged friends, including dogs named Blisters and Shin Splints. We'll also re-visit the Pony Express and meet the Chilean Recluse Spiders who have lived peacefully at the Finnish Museum of Natural History fo ... Show More
16m 22s
Aug 31
Bunion Derby and Route 66
November of 2026 will mark the 100th Anniversary of Route 66, a highway that inspired road trips, neon signs, writers, singers, and even a movie about talking cars. But first, the Bunion Derby was a publicity stunt for attention on Route 66 and it was America's first cross-countr ... Show More
30 m
Jan 2022
EP161: The Only Woman to be Awarded the Medal of Honor, Midnight at the Live Fire Exercise and From Tech-Startup to Making a Wooden Pen with His Dad: The Story of Allegory
On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy remembers a truly extraordinary Civil War heroine, Mary Edwards Walker. Our regular contributor Richard Muniz tells the story of an unforgettable accident at Ft. Irwin, California. For Chad and Jess Schumacher, life seemed ... Show More
38m 16s
May 2021
Mary Seacole, Revisited
For International Nurses Day, we're revisiting our coverage of Mary Seacole. While, technically, she wasn't a nurse, she was very much a brave medical caregiver, a "doctress," an entrepreneur, and one heck of a jam-maker who served those fighting at the front of the Crimean War ( ... Show More
1h 49m