History Briefs

Ep: 010 This week Brad Shreve shares information some people won't like, and some people will like. Plus, he makes a recommendation. Queer Writers of Crime WebsiteDirect link to Queer Writers of Crime newsletter sign up.Brad's recommendation:  Halfwit History

Ep: 009    In 2016, people around the world people heard the news of those killed by a shooter in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.   Over 40 years earlier, 32 people lost their lives in a fire at another bar popular with the LGBTQ community.  Likely started by an arsonist, it is still on recorder for having the largest number of people killed by a fire in the city of New Orleans. You haven't heard of it? It's not surprising if you haven't. Unlike the tragedy in Orlando, the world did not grieve, America did not grieve, and most of the city of New Orleans did not grieve either. The people who did that night in 1973 deserve to have their stories heard.French Quarter Frank's WebsiteLGBTQ+ Archives Project of LouisianaLeave a ReviewHistory Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterHelp Support History Briefs by Donating and Buy Me a Cup of Coffee.

Ep: 008 The brothel known as the Chicken Ranch, sat between Houston and Austin for 60 years and was no secret. Trouble brewed when the house of ill-repute had the misfortune of being the target of a TV news sensationalist giving the Governor no choice but to order it be closed. Even then, the brothel may have been quickly forgotten had it not been put in the spotlight by The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, a stage play and later a major motion picture. But how much of what you know of the chicken ranch is true? I chat with Jayme Blashcke who spent years studying the true story and shares what he knows. Link to Jayme's book:  Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse Jayme's Website: Chicken Ranch Central Charles Durning as the Governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in TexasHistory Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterHelp Support History Briefs by Donating and Buy Me a Cup of Coffee.

Ep: 007 After Alfred Nobel invented dynamite large shipments of them were sold around the world to companies and for building infrastructure., which kept him busy opening new factories and laboratories. In 1871, on the Ardeer Peninsula in Scotland, he opened his 6th factory. In this episode get inside the plant and hear some former employees describe the dangers, friendships, and fun they had while working there.  Thank you, Jack Dickson for inspiring this episode. You can watch Jack's videos on YouTube.Nobel Explosives at Ardeer 1871 - 2021Shifting Sands 150 Years of Nobel Explosives History Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterHelp Support History Briefs by Donating and Buy Me a Cup of Coffee.

Ep: 006  Alfred Nobel's life up until he became a young adult is a rag to riches, to rag, to riches story.  That rollercoaster ended when he invented dynamite in 1866 and he became one of the wealthiest men of his time. Why was Nobel almost obsessed to create dynamite?  Hear Alfred's story up to and after his death when the Nobel Prize was created. The Nobel Prize WebsiteHistory Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterHelp Support History Briefs by Donating and Buy Me a Cup of Coffee.

Ep: 005 In 1850, a California Gold Rush boom town, angered by tighting government controls from the new state, and a tax imposed on miners, wrote a formal declaration secceeding from the union and founded The Great Republic of California. The story has been reported numerous times on radio, television, newspaper, and magazine articles, and has even been portrayed on a TV series. But, how much of the story is true?Historical researcher Maria Brower's Amazon page.The Rough and Ready Chamber of Commerce WebsiteReal bad television. The 1958 Rough and Ready episode of Death Valley Days on YouTube.History Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterHelp Support History Briefs by Donating and Buy Me a Cup of Coffee.

Ep: 004 In 1883 a devastating tornado hit Rochester, Minnesota  united a Franciscan school administrator and an agnostic doctor. The hard work of the sisters who worked as teachers at the school gave William Worrall Mayo no choice but to take over a small 12 bedroom hospital they built. This is their story.You can learn more about the Mayo Clinic on their websites:Mayo Clinic History TimelineVideo: A Leap of Faith - The Founding of St. Mary's HospitalVideo: My Brother and I: The Founding of Mayo Clinic History Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterKeep History Briefs Going by Donating to Buy Me a Coffee

Ep: 003  In WWII, After the Doolittle Raid Over Tokyo, The Japanese Planned a Unique Way to Get Even.  The Fu-Go ProjectMore information Can Be Found At japaneseballoonbombs.comHistory Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterKeep History Briefs Going by Donating to Buy Me a Coffee

Ep: 002 The Combat Zone, Boston's adult entertainment district, was given its moniker by the Boston Daily Record. "An adult Disneyland" is how it was described by the Wall Street Journal. In this episode you'll learn how an elegant neighborhood near a shopping district called Scollay Square turned into one of the most popular districts of the city, with burlesque shows and vaudeville acts.  While scandalous at the time, they were nothing compared to the strip clubs, adult bookstores, peep shows, and pornographic movie theaters that popped up in the Combat Zone as Scollay Square was coming down.  And it all happened with the support of the leaders of the city of Boston.Anthony Sammarco joins Brad and shares a seedy side of Boston many citizens wish to forget.You can get "The Other Red Line, Washington Street from Scollay Square to the Combat Zone" and many of his other books about the Boston area on his Amazon Author Page.  History Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterKeep History Briefs Going by Donating to Buy Me a Coffee

Ep: 001 Following the Civil War after the Reconstruction era, many former slaves had grown disillusioned over integration and decided their only hope for freedom was to establish their own communities. In 1879, 15,000 African-American's moved to Kansas within one month based on a rumor the government was giving free land to former slaves. This is the story of Nicodemus, Kansas, the first all black town West of the Mississippi and the only one remaining. Angela Bates, the founder and executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society joins me to tell their story. Nicodemus Kansas Historical Society WebsiteNicodemus Kansas Homecoming & Emancipation Celebration WebsiteHistory Briefs Website: historybriefs.comSign up for the History Briefs newsletterKeep History Briefs Going by Donating to Buy Me a Coffee

Each week History briefs serves bits of history you may know very little bit about or not at all presented each week in 20 minutes or less.  Sometimes dramatic. Sometimes shocking. Sometimes just plain silly.  You never know what you're going to get, but you do know it will be brief.