Threads of History

Though known for its horrific and senseless killing of millions, World War I, also known as the Great War, was the scene of a curious and wondrous event: The Christmas Truce.Learn about the prelude to the war, the timeline of events until hostilities began, the propaganda that led the soldiers to kill, and the shared brutality of daily life on the Western Front. That shared experience compelled sworn enemies to see each other as humans again, and gathered in No Man's Land to exchange greetings, have solemn ceremonies, and play football.

What happened during Gilded Age America that led the Rough-Riding President Roosevelt to break up the largest corporations in history? Take a look at Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan as examples of an economy run by the billionaires. See how their mega-corporations were smashed by legislation and the public's desire for reform.

What about our climate can dictate our lives? How about the desires of European explorers? Come along with us on a journey from the Gulf of Mexico to Western Europe and the rest of the world. In this episode, we discuss the origins of the "Age of Exploration" and how climactic circumstances brought us there.

Yule Logs, Christmas trees, and December 25th. These all connect to the bright twinkle lights you see on everyone’s houses in December. What might these have to do with the ancient Roman empire? This episode connects the smell of balsam wood and holly with the Pagan roots of northern Europe. In this episode, we find the thread that brings us to the origins of Christmas customs. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History wherever you listen to podcasts. Please come back to listen to more THREADS OF HISTORY. Sources: ⁠https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas⁠  ⁠http://thefaithandtheweird.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-origin-of-christmas.html⁠  ⁠https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/ancient-roots-christmas-customs-001162⁠  ⁠https://www.history.com/news/christmas-traditions-history⁠  ⁠https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/12/24/why-is-christmas-on-dec-25-it-wasnt-always/⁠  ⁠https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions⁠  ⁠https://www.getty.edu/news/the-wild-holiday-that-turned-ancient-rome-upside-down/⁠  

Have you seen the explosion of ghosthunting shows on TV these days? A dozen networks and online platforms have people going out to scream at things that go "bump in the night". Ever wonder where America's obsession with ghosthunting began? In this episode of Threads of History, we dive into the origin of ghost hunting in America, we discuss a famous magician and escape artist who fought against charlatans and we examine the Victorian spiritualist movement which spawned it all.

Today's episode is on arguably the most consequential change in technology in human history, the results of which started the long march to civilization, and the resulting cities bringing with them new problems which required unique solutions. What does your last name mean? If you could choose a last name for yourself and your family, what would it be and why? #lastnames #surnames #origin #history You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode is on the unlikely third-party run of a former president, his chosen successor, and a college administrator turned leader of the country and how the leadership of the United States dealt with the explosion of carnage that was World War I in 1914. This episode includes a rift between former political allies, the creation of a major but short-lived political party, and the Presidential election of 1912, which would allow for the united states to remain neutral regarding the First World War for several years, changing the trajectory for American foreign policy for decades to come. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

Today's episode is on the origin of the first test of federal power in U.S. history, brought about through what many argue to be the first global war, handshake agreements with native populations, amber waves of barley, wheat, and rye, an ancient mountain range, and federal taxation policies. Major source for this episode is "The Whiskey Rebellion and the Rebirth of Rye: A Pittsburgh Story" by Mark Meyer and Meredith Meyer Grelli You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

Today's episode is on the institution of marriage, its origin in the kinship ties of early tribal people, and its customs and traditions. Our ideas of love, courtship, marriage, and the cultural norms associated with them may not be as resolute or as old as one might think. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more Threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Today's episode is on the unfortunate, disastrous, 2022 Russian war in Ukraine, which has its origin in events going back 30 years, including several revolutions, democratically led upheavals, populist protests in an ancient city, separatist movements supported by a nuclear power, geopolitical catastrophe, and a billionaire demagogue. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more Threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Today's episode is on Israeli Palestinian Conflict, which has an origin in one of the worst conflicts in world history, letters and declarations of a certain Island Empire, several multinational peacekeeping organizations, a war for independence fought against 6 foes, and ongoing actions that have increased tensions. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com

This episode is on the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, his candidacy brought on by the brand new Republican party, and its origin in the formation, actions, and ultimate break-up of the Whig Party years before. This episode covers Abraham Lincoln's actions throughout the American Civil War. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode is on the Great Flood of 1889 in Johnstown Pennsylvania, its origin through the catastrophic failure of a neglected dam and the massive reservoir behind it, which was created for a short-lived canal, and the greed which ultimately led to the destruction of Johnstown. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more Threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Today's episode is on tomatoes, and how they became ubiquitous in Italian cuisine. This thread of history stretches back to the founding of European kingdoms, Columbus and his discovery of America, and the Columbian exchange which brought a number of products from the new world to the old world of Europe.  You can email comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com

When discussing a thread of history, it's hard to go earlier than the formation of continents on the Earth, which first happened 3.3 billion years ago. It technically isn't even history, since it is not written, and happened in prehistory, measured in geological epochs and millions of years. Geology plays a part in this thread of history, which brings the continents together into Pangea, forms the coal seams that drove the industrial revolution, and brought the Scotch-Irish from their homeland to the Americas to settle in the Appalachian mountains, which strikingly resemble the mountains of Scotland -- for good reason. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode covers the Black Death, its impact on populations across medieval Christian Europe, its influence on beliefs and the composition of the Roman Catholic Church, and its long-reaching effects on changes to Christendom and the kickoff of the Protestant Reformation. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.

The wealth of minority communities in the United States has been held back by the loss or lack of generational wealth due to redlining, created by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration in the 1930s and all made possible by a Supreme Court decision. This Thread of History goes from the Supreme Court, to the Federal Housing Administration, to generational poverty and socio-economic statuses of people in minority communities today. You can email your comments and suggestions to threads.historypodcast@gmail.com Listen to more threads of History on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.