Podcasts by The Past and The Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families
A History Podcast for Kids! Parents love us, Teachers love us, and most importantly, kids do too!
History can be amazing, inspiring and relevant to anyone. We love to share the stories of Spies, funny foods, George Washington's foibles, early advancements in cartooning and ballooning and much more! A professional music score and important songs accompany nearly every themed episode. Proud Kids Listen Member @pastandcurious
Further podcasts by Mick Sullivan
Podcast on the topic Kinder und Familie
All episodes
Underwear Chronicles Four: Satchel Paige from 2022-02-16T03:04:37
Satchel Paige went from burlap hand-me-downs to silk patterned boxers. Along the way we came one of the most dynamic baseball players in history.
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Episode 64: Oh, So Many Birds! from 2022-01-30T20:56:44
Eugene Schieffelin filled American skies with Starlings, who replaced the Passenger Pigeons that once (literally) darkened the skies.
John James Audubon's obsession helped him create a ver...
Underwear Chronicles Three: Buster Keaton from 2022-01-18T12:00:18
Buster Keaton could take a fall like no one else, and that skill carried him from the Vaudeville stages to the movie screen. He made people laugh, dazzled them with stunts, and fought a fire in his...
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Episode 63: More Accidents, More Toys from 2021-12-29T17:43:08
Chance has given us some great toys. Explore the accident that led to Silly Putty, the chance repurposing that led to Silly Putty, a few men who stumbled upon them, and two women who figured out wh...
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Underwear Chronicles Two: Marie Antoinette from 2021-12-15T16:18:57
The famed Queen of France had several run-ins with underwear. She also had run-ins with smallpox, ladies-in-waiting, an awkward young prince, catty couriers, and ultimately, the guillotine. If noth...
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Episode 62: Chance Encounters from 2021-11-27T03:17:22
Train stations are busy places and two notable men had very remarkable (and dramatic)encounters in stations during the 1860s. Thomas Edison met a mentor, and Robert Lincoln met a Shakespearean acto...
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Underwear Chronicles 1: Up, Up, and Away With Their Clothes from 2021-11-15T03:01:02
Jean-Pierre Blanchard (1753-1809) and John Jeffries (1744-1819)
Aeronauts, International Record Setters, Nearly Naked Travelers
In the first release from our monthly true tale of und...
Episode 61: A Queen and Some Witches from 2021-10-28T01:51:13
Marina Raskova set world flying records, survived an epic plane crash, and was a trailblazer for generations of female pilots in Russia. With her help, The Night Witches became the most feared flie...
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Episode 60 Big Ideas: Professor TSC Lowe and John Cleves Symmes Jr from 2021-09-29T01:36:27
Professor TSC Lowe (who was not a professor at all) had visions for a transatlantic balloon flight. He never succeeded in that but he did wind up as the Chief Aeronaut of the Balloon Corps during t...
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Episode 59: Safety with Books from 2021-08-30T01:38:51
The 1939 World's Fair brought a special visitor from England: an original copy of Magna Carta, but with World War II in full swing, America couldn't send it back. So the had to babysit the priceles...
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Episode 58 Origin Stories And Gold Medals from 2021-07-29T02:55:06
Origin stories, comic mis-starts, and medal-winning moments are highlighted in this episode featuring two unlikely international star athletes.
Canada's Bobbie Rosenfeld overcame, among o...
Bonus Episode! Knox Says Yes from 2021-07-03T01:50:30
Henry Knox is a name not many people know, but he was a pretty amazing bookseller turned soldier during the Revolutionary War. Released in honor of July 4th - but you can listen anywhere and anytim...
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Episode 57: On Horseback! from 2021-06-28T02:04:27
This episode tells the stories of Sibyl Ludington and Charley Willis. Sybil's well-known story is amazing, yet it lacks a lot of primary sources, and we use that as a way to introduce thinking abou...
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Episode 56 Eugene And Django in Paris from 2021-05-26T02:25:21
Django Reinhardt was a Romani musician who, despite losing the use of two of his fingers was one of the most important musicians of his time.
His contemporary and fellow Parisian was a ma...
Episode 55 Telescopes And Stars from 2021-04-27T02:42:49
Edwin Hubble changed our view of the Solar System, but he was also a collegiate National Champion basketball player and high school coach. He also dealt with the struggles of freezing his face to a...
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Episode 54: Gold! from 2021-03-26T02:16:23
Levi Strauss left his native Germany to escape discrimination, and then left New York for the opportunities of the American West. He lost some gold, but changed the world with his pants partnership...
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Episode 53: Sophie And Willa from 2021-02-24T03:30:34
No one could have predicted that Sophie Blanchard would become France's leading aeronaut, but she flew higher than any woman before her.
Willa Brown was the first Black woman to earn a pil...
Episode 52 Food Fight from 2021-01-26T03:30:53
The Oyster Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay contend with the Toe Nail Governor and his mission to protect the oysters from extinction.
A few years later, a new Food Fight erupts in middle Ame...
Episode 51: Roller Skates And Atomic Power from 2020-12-22T03:16:20
John Joseph Merlin created automata, musical instruments, clocks, and one of the first pairs of roller skates. His roller skate debut was pretty tragic (and hilarious).
A.C. Gilbert was a ...
Episode 50: Let's Dance! from 2020-11-29T02:18:15
Maria Tallchief was a member of the Osage nation who happened to become the first major American ballet dancer. Her story is read by Ashley Thursby, a dancer with The Louisville Ballet.
Th...
Episode 49: Under Your Feet from 2020-10-28T02:45:41
This episode is about places that used to be and which are now covered up by something new.
Yarrow Mamout was an unusual man in early America, but the black business leader's story was li...
Episode 48: Great Moments in Communication! from 2020-09-29T01:46:40
The Transatlantic Cable connected North America and Europe, allowing for communication like never before (at least for a few weeks). It sure wasn't easy - told by Greg and Abigail Maupin.
Like...
Episode 47 Leonardo! from 2020-08-28T02:10:28
Leonardo da Vinci had some wins and some losses, but his impact was enormous. He kinda sorta finished a painting of a lady named Lisa that wound up in the King of France's bathroom.
Centuries ...
Episode 46 Deliveries! from 2020-07-28T02:34:45
Mary Fields was known as Stagecoach Mary, and her story is one of the great tales of the West.
Likewise, Owney the dog, always captures the imagination.
Michael Fleming, reads the story o...
Episode 45: Parents! from 2020-06-29T01:19:14
Parents can be pretty amazing sometimes - these two stories feature parents who went above and beyond for their kids and their community. Ada Blackjack was an Inupiat woman who was the only survivo...
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Episode 44: Freight Train from 2020-05-29T02:12:32
Elizabeth Cotten became a music star pretty late in her life. In fact, she was a grandmother. But when she was 11 she wrote a song that made it's way across the ocean and was learned by a band call...
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Episode 43: Hands! from 2020-04-22T01:54:07
A Special Episode for April of 2020. Join us as we meet Ignaz Semmelweis, Florence Nightingale, John Snow, and also a woman named Mary Mallon, who - for better or for worse - is now remembered as ...
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Episode 42: Bears! from 2020-04-15T02:03:45
Join Mick Sullivan for a story about the first bear in Theodore Roosevelt's life, a bear named Jonathan Edwards, and then the second bear in his life - one which gave rise to a cuddly creature in y...
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Episode 41: OK BLOOMER! from 2020-03-10T02:00:35
Amelia Bloomer helped change the world with a pair of underpants (which she didn't even invent). Among other things, it helped women ride bikes, and this led to a new independence in the late 1800'...
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Episode 40 Robert Smalls And Basketballs from 2020-02-20T03:23:49
The Harlem Globetrotters were more than a show. They were an incredible barnstorming team who helped integrate the NBA.
Told by Mick Sullivan with help from Dustin Baron
Robert Smalls...
Episode 39 The Astronomer and the Photographer from 2020-01-25T01:39:30
Eadweard Muybridge made history with his photos, including one of a running horse. It's more interesting than it sounds.
Tycho Brahe lost his nose, but made some wild discoveries about ou...
Episode 38 Store Windows and Old Underwear from 2019-12-19T02:53:11
L. Frank Baum, an author of a classic book (which became a classic movie) was also partially responsible for our love of fancy holiday shop windows.
Also, Meriwether Lewis gives his pal Willia...
Episode 37 Sewer Water and Water Water from 2019-11-30T02:34:22
John Wesley Powell is the first American of European descent to conquer the Grand Canyon, and he did it with one arm!
Also, Paris was a pretty stinky place until they upgraded the sewers. ...
Episode 36 Mechanical Monsters! from 2019-10-29T01:18:32
Mary Shelley didn't just create one of the most memorable characters and important books in history, she also pretty-much invented science fiction. Heather Gotlib tells her original story on the au...
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Episode 35: Polymaths! from 2019-09-26T01:45:52
A polymath is a person of wide ranging knowledge or ability, and in this episode we're telling the stories of two unsung polymaths.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de St. Georges, was a world cl...
Special Episode Otzi and Tumble! from 2019-09-06T01:08:48
We’re sharing this special episode with our friends from Tumble, A Science Podcast for Kids.
First you’ll hear Mick’s telling of the discovery and disagreement about Otzi the Iceman.
...
Episode 34: Museum Tales! from 2019-08-14T01:02:30
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a very unusual lady who created an incredible museum in Boston. Unfortunately some of her paintings have gone missing.
Charles Wilson Peale painted people, but...
Episode 33: Prairie Dogs and Animal Bands from 2019-06-20T01:39:06
Mick Sullivan tells a story of the Prairie Dog who wound up on the Lewis and Clark Journey and had one of the most eventful lives imaginable.
Heather Funk tells her story about the popula...
Episode 32: Strange Things from 2019-05-16T01:04:32
The long awaited episode to coincide with the release of our book "The Meatshower!"
Mr. Eric from What If World tells he's tory of Boston's Great Molasses Disaster and Mick Sullivan tells ...
Ep. 31 April Fooling! from 2019-04-09T00:48:19
It's Kids Listen Sweeps Month and we're joining the April Fool's fun (though pretty late).
This episode features Heather Gotlib's original story of the real-life, classic prank called the ...
Ep. 30 Underwater! from 2019-03-19T00:48:45
Celebrate the big 3-0 with us as we head underwater. Brian West tells the story of Garrett Morgan, an inventor and brave man who created some really important things which are still around today.
Ep. 29 Happy Birthday, Athena! from 2019-02-14T02:05:25
Patty Hill (with the help of her sister Margaret) did much more than just write Happy Birthday, but that'd be achievement enough. Story by Heather Gotlib
Their Friend Enid Yandell happened...
Ep. 28: Trains And Movies! from 2019-01-14T01:49:45
In this episode, Mr. Eric of What If World joins us to share the story of early moving pictures, including an often told (but probably untrue) story of the first train on film. The Lumiere Brother...
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Ep. 27: Toys And Games from 2018-12-05T02:18:08
We're digging through the inductees of the Toy Hall of Fame to find great stories that span Abraham Lincoln to Frank Lloyd Wright and beyond.
Learn the stories of Milton Bradley's Game of Life...
Ep. 26: Lily May, Clara, and Leon from 2018-11-07T02:55:06
The people of the late 1930's saw some fun music made by some remarkable women.
Lily May Ledford and her band from Pinchem Tight Holler, KY (YEOW!!) play for President Roosevelt, First Lady El...
Ep. 25: Fakes And Frauds! from 2018-10-08T00:29:21
Some people just can't be honest, and some try to pass off something phony as something real. This episode is about a would-be Shakespeare named William Henry Ireland, and a gang of body snatchers ...
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Ep. 24: Shipwrecks! Ep. 24: Shipwrecks! Ida Lewis, Marquis de Lafayette, Sail Away Ladies from 2018-09-06T01:49:14
Join host Mick Sullivan and friend Hanna Zimmerman of Locust Grove as we share the stories of Marquis de Lafayette's steamboat shipwreck, and Rhode Island lifesaver Ida Lewis.
Also features a ...
Ep. 23: Hot Dog! A Tale of Kings, Queens, Dead Whales, and Johnny Verbek's Machine from 2018-07-17T01:47:59
From the electric bathers of Coney Island to the King of England, no food has been as satisfying as a hot dog. You won't believe it as we weave a tale of dead whales, muckrakers, publicity stunts,...
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Ep. 22: Play Ball! Jackie Mitchell, Moe Berg, Summertime and more from 2018-06-13T00:39:10
You don't have to like baseball to like this episode!
First, Kelly Moore shares the story of Jackie Mitchell, a young woman who struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Next, Bailey Mazi...
Ep. 21: Journeys! Horatio and Bud, John Ledyard and more! from 2018-05-21T01:41:35
The history podcast for kids and adults joins the Kids Listen Sweeps party and tells two stories about two great adventures. Melinda Beck tells the tale of Horatio Jackson and the first drive acros...
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Ep. 20: Bridges - Emily Roebling, Sonny Rollins and more! from 2018-04-06T01:29:52
Join us for two tales connected by bridges. First, Emily Roebling winds up as a lead engineer in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the first American woman to find herself in such a position. ...
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Ep.19 The Statue Of Liberty! from 2018-03-07T02:12:32
The Statue of Liberty could have wound up in Egypt, Philadelphia, or the bottom of the ocean. Once she wound up in New York she had to wait for America to raise a lot of money - which they did in ...
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Ep. 18: Music! Marian Anderson, The Great Caruso and more! from 2018-02-07T03:01:18
Episode 18 of the most engaging history podcast for kids!
Did the invention of the record player make an opera singer named Enrique Caruso the first superstar of music? It might just have.
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Ep. 17 Spies! from 2018-01-06T02:14:50
Kate Warne saved Abraham Lincoln's life on the way to his inauguration. John Honeyman may (or may not)have been a double agent who helped George Washington's famous Crossing of the Delaware. We'll...
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Christmas Special - Mummies and Bladders! from 2017-12-15T18:23:06
Christmastime means two things to us: mummies and bladders.
Join us as we meet a young William Clark, an accidental and enterprising watch salesman named Sears, and the hottest gift of th...
Christmas Special 2018 - Mummies and Bladders! from 2017-12-15T18:23:06
Christmastime means two things to us: mummies and bladders.
Join us as we meet a young William Clark, an accidental and enterprising watch salesman named Sears, and the hottest gift of th...
Ep. 16 Up In The Air! from 2017-12-07T02:11:57
Have you ever heard about the time Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt ducked out of a dinner to take a flight over Washington DC?
Or about how Bessie Coleman had to go all the way to Fra...
Bonus Episode: Curious Names from 2017-11-24T02:51:19
There are a lot of really great names in the past - like, just really cool sounding names. So we're picking a few of our favorites and telling a story or two about them.
This episode features...
Ep. 15 Cartoons! from 2017-11-07T23:32:01
Everyone loves cartoons! So we’re taking an unusual look at two big moments in cartoon history – when a vaudeville performer and comic-strip writer made animation history on a cold Chicago night, a...
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Bonus Episode: Ghost Ships! A Kids Listen Halloween Sweep from 2017-10-23T22:40:49
Have you heard of the Mary Celeste? If you've heard of a ghost ship, this is probably the one. In 1872 it was found under sail in the Atlantic Ocean but with absolutely no one on board. What give...
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Ep. 14 Nature Pokers & Women of Science from 2017-10-06T01:58:57
Women of Science! Join us for some 19th Century STEM stories. Heather Funk tells you about Mary Anning and the origins of "She Sells Sea Shells." Mick Sullivan shares the story of Mary Somerville...
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Ep. 13 The Cheesiest from 2017-09-05T22:46:56
Your favorite history show for the whole family is back and we're bringing the cheese! First, Graham Shelby reads "Andrew Jackson's Big Cheese," while Mick Sullivan shares some fun stories of hard...
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Ep. 12: Shaking Hands with Presidents from 2017-08-08T02:24:02
When Washington first became president, no one knew what to call him, and he certainly didn't want to shake EVERYONE'S hand. There were some growing pains in Presidential cordiality.
Lat...
Ep. 11 Hittin' the Road: Niagara from 2017-07-06T02:39:52
It's time for the July Kids Listen Sweep! This episode features the story of Annie Edson Taylor, who was the first person to successfully survive Niagara Falls in a barrel.
Also, how'd they ev...
Ep. 10 Underwear: Washington and Charles Lee, Lincoln's Drawers and more from 2017-06-12T23:51:10
George Washington's frenemy Charles Lee, who you might remember from Hamilton, gets caught in his skivvies, the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge remembers seeing Abraham Lincoln's undies, Mick sin...
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Ep. 9 On The Move: Nelly Bly, Henry Box Brown, All Around this World from 2017-05-09T15:30:53
Nelly Bly decides to travel around the world in less than 80 days, much like Phileas Fogg, the fictional character from Jules Verne's "Around the Wolrd in 80 Days" Also Henry Brown escapes enslave...
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Kids Listen Sweep Episode - Family Trees from 2017-04-13T02:10:19
Family Trees sure seem daunting, don't they? Once you get past your grandparents or great-grandparents it can quickly get confusing. Rae Anne Sauer from the Sons of the American Revolution Nationa...
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Ep. 8: Magic? Mesmer, Fox Sisters, Robert-Houdin, I'll See you In My Dreams from 2017-04-10T16:00:41
Join host Mick Sullivan for some true tales of magic, or at least what appeared to be magic. Learn Franz Mesmer's gift to your vocabulary, hear about some young sisters who fooled America, and dis...
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Ep. 7: Food Tales - Potatoes, Tomatoes, Ice Cream Cornucopias and Chicken Pie from 2017-03-09T13:47:58
This episode is fast paced and broken into small bites! We’ve squeezed in THREE great stories along with a song and quiz time! Really packed it in there - like sausage in a casing!
Victo...
Ep. 6 Heights: Ferris Wheel, Charles Blondin, East of the Sun and more! from 2017-02-08T02:30:07
Episode 6 is all about Heights!
Victoria Reibel reads a story about the time The Chicago World's Fair had to build something to top the Eiffel Tower.
Jason Lawrence tells the tale of the th...
Ep. 5 Birds: Moon Migration, Cher Ami, Cluck Old Hen and more! from 2017-01-04T13:30:12
In honor of National Bird Day, this episode features some great bird stories from history.
Victoria Reibel reads the story of Charles Morton, a man who tried to explain the mystery of bird...
The Past And The Curious Holiday Short 2016 from 2016-12-01T04:49:42
In this quick Holiday Short, we explore a few of the stories people offer as explanations for the unusual Christmas Pickle Tradition.
We also found a Christmas Pickle recipe you probably won'...
Ep. 4: Mail Tales: Pony Express, Air Powered Subway, and more from 2016-11-12T03:41:07
The Pony Express lives in legend, but didn't last long. Find out what it took to be join the team. (read by Victoria Reibel)
Alfred Ely Beach kept a secret from New York City and built a ...
Ep. 3 Anne Bonny, The Western Engineer, "Big Ol' Boat" and more from 2016-10-16T13:17:15
The origin of Port and Starboard
Victoria Reibel reads stories about Anne Bonny, and Stephen Long's unusual dragon-like steamboat, the Western Engineer.
Tamerlane Trio performs original son...
Ep. 2: Barnum, Banvard, Paper Moon and more from 2016-10-15T00:31:51
Victoria Reibel tells the story of P.T. Barnum and an Egress.
Also featured is the tale of John Banvard and his Mississippi Panorama, which was the longest painting in the world.
The Tamerl...
Ep. 1 The Past and The Curious: An Introduction from 2016-10-07T02:12:06
Teachers, parents, adults who love good stories: check us out.
This is just so you know what we're about, who we are and what we're planning to bring you. The real good stuff will follow, but...