Stories New & Old

Original lottery blog post

How lotteries got started in the United States and the Founding Fathers that had a hand in it

Mon, 08 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of lotteries in the early United States.

You’ll get to learn about Founding Fathers who were involved in lotteries, the scandals that plagued lotteries as they grew in popularity, and how they even contributed to setting a legal precedent.

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John Adams Amsterdam podcast episode

How I use history to inspire my travel

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of how she uses history to decide where she wants to travel next.

You’ll learn about the trip she's taking now and how to gather inspiration for your travels.

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Bower Boys podcast episode on Andrew Carnegie and libraries

A short history of libraries and the elite club you’d want to be in

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of libraries from the dawn of time to early America.

You’ll learn about how libraries evolved over the years, how clubs formed around sharing knowledge, and how people throughout time have been resilient in their pursuit of books.

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How Captain "Fish Hook" Mulford went to see the king and got his nickname

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Old Captain “Fish Hook” Mulford.

You’ll learn about the history of the whaling industry in early America, the lengths Captain Mulford was willing to go to fight for the rights of whalers against the British Crown, and his ingenious way of preventing pick pocketing.

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Episode 10, John Adams

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*Rogues' Gallery The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum* by Michael Gross

How a thief and war hero became the first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Luigi Palma di Cesnola, the first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You’ll learn about his adventures as a war hero, his excavation and collecting that put him on the map, and a special story about what days the museum is open and what Luigi thought about it all.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Howard Hibbard

Making The Met by Andrea Bayer and Laura D Corey

Podcast episode about The Met

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Why I am in love with John Adams (and you should be too)

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of John Adams securing a loan from the Dutch during the American Revolution.

You’ll learn about who John Adams was, the characteristics that made him the best revolutionary, and why he should be more highly valued for his contributions.

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Robert Moses podcast episodes from The Bowery Boys

The man who molded New York: the short story of Robert Moses

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Robert Moses.

You’ll learn about who Robert Moses was, his impact on New York, his portrayal in media, and a story that illustrates just how much he was willing to do to accomplish his goals.

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Coming Face to Face with Robert A. Caro blog post

The Ballad of Robert Moses by John Forster

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How one man decided that women could have the right to vote

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of how women got the right to vote in the United States.

You’ll learn about the deciding vote cast by a man in Tennessee, how women tried to bribe and sway the legislature, and how voting fraud ran rampant in New Jersey in the early 1800s.

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Blog post - The Wild, True Story of the Vote for Women

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Blog post - The Woman Who is More Than a Footnote in Ernest Hemingway’s Life

The only woman at the D-Day invasion and the only woman to leave Ernest Hemingway

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Martha Gellhorn - a reporter, author, and adventurer, who just so happens to be the 3rd wife of Ernest Hemingway.

You’ll learn about how she became friends with Eleanor Rosevelt, her adventures as a war correspondent, and how she was the only woman at the D-Day invasion.

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Town & Country article

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The great 4th or 5th Thursday debate of Thanksgiving in America

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Thanksgiving in the United State of America.

You’ll learn about the presidents who were involved in deciding when Thanksgiving would be celebrated, the women who influenced the entire process, and how consumerism is at the heart of so many decisions.

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Finding a husband on Halloween and other little known traditions

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of Halloween. From a pagan holiday in Ireland, to a crime filled holiday in America, to an adult costume heavy holiday in Japan, it has certainly evolved over the years.

You’ll learn about long forgotten Halloween traditions, like matchmaking, and how a woman in a small town in America introduced a new way to celebrate Halloween that still impacts us today.

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Samhain - Ancient Celt holiday

All Saints Day - Introduced by Pope Gregory III

Elizabeth Krebs - Woman in Kansas who started Halloween festivities to stop vandalism

Kawasaki Halloween Parade - Popular costume parade in Japan

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New v. Old money in NYC’s opera scene

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of the Academy of Music versus the Metropolitan Opera House, which could otherwise be known as the feud between Old and New money in Gilded Age New York City.

You’ll learn about the construction of a new opera house when the New money crew found there wasn’t room for them in the Academy of Music and how the Metropolitan Opera House lives on today.

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The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

New v. Old Money: The NYC Opera Scene blog post

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6 must read books to get you in the spooky, autumn mood

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the top books you should add to your fall reading list!

You’ll learn about novels that will make you feel spooky and cozy, and that will make you long to curl up on the couch and dive in.

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Follow Alyssa on Goodreads

How to get free Kindle books from the library blog post

Reading blog posts

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How a painting in the Met sent me back to the first World’s Fair

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alyssa shares the story of how seeing the painting The Ameya by Robert Frederick Blum in the Metropolitan Museum of Art led her to researching the Centennial Exhibition.

You’ll learn about the first World’s Fair, the money that went into the project, and how America reflected on the Declaration of Independence’s anniversary.

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The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Back In Time: The Centennial Exhibition blog post

Back In Time (Bonus!): Forney In Europe blog post

Back in Time blog posts

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