Stuff You Missed In History Class

I LOVE this podcast. It's now up there with Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and This American Life. Oh, how I wish I'd discovered these things in college. (And also ipods, but hey, I got to wear flannels then, and you just can't have everything.) This is what my mind was craving during that time. Information, fun, smart, witty. I love "Stuff You Missed In History Class" because it tackles some fabulous historical niches and answers the kinds of questions you always wondered about when reading dry history books, all while making you feel that the editors just invited you to grab a cup of joe with them at Peet's. I think we're entering an era of a new kind of education, which makes me a tiny bit worried for maintaining a high standard of academic integrity, and makes me a little concerned about whether we should expect our educators to be entertainers. However, if done well, it can satisfy those cravings for interesting learning, and I want that so badly for my kids!

To give you a quick morsel: Did you know that in the early 1900's North Boston was flooded by millions of gallons of molasses? And funny as that is, that it was the catalyst to many safety codes and to litigation precedents for negligent corporations? And how exactly do you clean up millions of gallons of molasses from an entire portion of a major city? And why the heck would you have millions of gallons of molasses stored in any kind of massive vessel like that anyway? Stay tuned!