Ep. 139 Cahokia: Why We Misunderstand the Scale of Indigenous Civilizations in North America
This week I’m shattering preconceived notions that Indigenous Americans north of Mexico didn’t build cities. That they organized, instead, into only small, nomadic villages. Because, for around 800 years there was a great city, the largest pre-Colombian city north of Mexico, a city that, if you were to have visited in the year 1200, is theorized to have been larger than both London and Paris at that same time. In fact, it held the record for largest city in the now United States for almost 700 years from around 1100 until Philadelphia broke the record in the 1780s. I’m talking about the city of Cahokia which sprawled along the Mississippi River in southern Illinois, a testament to the true scale, potential, and abilities of Indigenous Americans in what is now the United States. Never heard of it? I hadn’t either. Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: “Cahokia: A Pre-Colombian American City” by Timothy R. PauketatCahokia Mounds Museum SocietyEBSCO “Cahokia Becomes the First North American City”Wikipedia “Cahokia”Wikipedia “Mississippian Culture”Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 138 The Hope Diamond: How the Dark History of the Most Famous Diamond in the World Led to Legends of a Curse
Riding on the coat tails of last week's jewel heist episode, I'm back this week with the intriguing history of the Hope Diamond. The story of the Hope Diamond is convoluted. It changed hands many times, stolen on several occasions and was gradually cut down from 112 carats to just 45 and a half today. Known for its rich blue color and red phosphorescence, the Hope Diamond is extremely rare and highly coveted. But, a big part of the reason the Hope Diamond is so well known is not because it’s pretty and sparkly. It’s because it has a rather dark past. In fact, when you follow the story of the Hope Diamond back through its many owners, you may begin to notice a trail of destruction and tragedy left in its wake. For many, the tragic demise of many of the diamond’s former owners is even proof of a curse. This infamy is a big part of what makes the Hope Diamond the most famous diamond in the world with an estimated value of between 200 and 350 million dollars. But, is any of it true? Or is it all a publicity stunt? Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: So Supernatural "The Curse of the Hope Diamond"Wikipedia "Hope Diamond"Wikipedia "Pierre C. Cartier"Smithsonian "History of the Hope Diamond"Chateau du Versailles "Louis XIII and Versailles"National Institute of Demographics "Life Expectancy in France"Wikipedia "Edward Beale McLean"Shoot me a message! Support the show
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Ep. 137 Louvre Jewel Heist: The Historical Side of the $102 Million Worth of Jewels Stolen From the Louvre
Two weeks ago on Sunday, October 19th something rather extraordinary happened at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. During broad daylight, thirty minutes after the museum opened for the day, and as hundreds of visitors streamed inside, 8 pieces of France’s crown jewel collection valued at an estimated 102 million dollars (but actually priceless when considering historical value) were stolen in less than 8 minutes. I don’t often cover current events on this show, I’m usually covering events centuries after they happened, but this one deals with history and it deals with history that I now find myself unable to stop thinking about. My mind races back to the Mona Lisa episode and the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, how that was possible. How this was possible. It fixates on the pieces themselves, these extravagant ostentatious manifestations of the wealth of the elite. Who were these women who sported such opulence? What gave them that right? And it gets stuck, my mind, it gets stuck on another question that not enough people seem to be asking. Where did these gems come from originally? I promise you they didn’t come from France. So where did they come from and at whose expense? And, possibly the question that haunts me the most, can you really steal something that was already stolen? Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: Artnet "The Glittering Royal History Behind the Louvre's Stolen Jewels"BBC "Everything we know about the Louvre jewelry heist"CBS News "How thieves pulled off a brazen crown jewel heist at the Louvre"ThoughtCo "The Rulers of France: From 840 to Present"Wikipedia "Colonial India"Wikipedia "French Crown Jewels"Shoot me a message! Check out This, Again here! Support the show
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Ep. 136 "Ghost Ship" Mary Celeste: How the Discovery of This Abandoned Ship Became a Mystery We Have Yet to Solve
This week I'm concluding my Spooktober series by covering the story of the mysterious "ghost ship" Mary Celeste. The Mary Celeste was discovered adrift and unmanned around 400 nautical miles from the Azores Islands in December of 1872. The last recording in the ships log had been made some nine days before and it appeared that, since then, the ship had been sailing itself. But what happened to Captain Briggs, his wife Sarah, and their two year old daughter Sophia? What happened to the other seven crew members? As evidence is examined - a missing life boat, 9 empty barrels of alcohol, a disassembled bilge pump - the answers become no clearer. Join me this week to learn the mystery of the "ghost ship" Mary Celeste and to take a closer look at the clues left behind and the theories that emerged. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: Smithsonian Magazine "Abandoned Ship: The Mary Celeste"Encyclopedia Britannica "Mary Celeste"Wikipedia "Mary Celeste""Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea" by Paul Begg"Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew" by Brian HicksShoot me a message! Check out This, Again here! Support the show
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Ep. 135 Gilles de Rais: How Joan of Arc’s Co-Champion Became One of the Most Shocking Serial Killers of All Time
This one is not for the faint of heart! This week, in honor of Spooktober, I'm digging in to the story of Gilles de Rais, a French noblemen and military leader who fought alongside Joan of Arc to lift the siege of Orleans during the Hundred Years War. But that, turns out, isn't Gilles' only claim to fame. In the years following, he was responsible for kidnapping and then brutally assaulting, torturing, and murdering upwards of 140 children, making Gilles the first recorded and possibly most horrifying serial killer of all time. His bear all confessions are chilling, his acts unthinkable. There truly are no words. You've been warned.Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources:UMKC School of Law "The Trial of Gilles de Rais (1440): An Account"UMKC School of Law "Confession of Gilles de Rais"The Trial of Gilles de Rais by Georges BataillesEncyclopedia Britannica "Gilles de Rais: History's First Serial Killer?"History Extra "Was Gilles de Rais really history's first recorded serial killer?"UMKC School of Law "Was Gilles de Rais Actually Innocent?"Shoot me a message! Check out This, Again here! Support the show
In each episode of History Fix, I discuss lesser known stories from history that you won't be able to stop thinking about. Need your history fix? You've come to the right place.Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/historyfix or Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine. Your donations make it possible for me to continue creating great episodes. Plus, I'll love you forever! Find more at historyfixpodcast.com
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