Stuff You Missed in History Class

Rebecca Smith Pollard published a book of poems to mark the U.S. centennial in 1876, and also a novel with some questionable messages. She also developed a method to teach children to read that was ahead of its time.
Research:
Chetwynd, Sally Morong “Sam.” “Birth of Rebecca Smith Pollard, Education pioneer – Sept. 20, 1831.” Brass Castle Arts. 9/20/2014. https://brasscastlearts.blogspot.com/2014/09/birth-of-rebecca-smith-pollard.html
The Writer’s Almanac. “Tuesday, September 20, 2011.” https://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php%3Fdate=2011%252F09%252F20.html
History of Literacy. “Pollard Nominated to Reading Hall of Fame.” History of Reading News. Vol.XXVI No.1 (2002:Fall). Via Archive.org Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20160729031119/https://historyliteracy.org/scripts/search_display.php?Article_ID=240
Haefner, Marie. “An American Lady.” The Palimpsest. The State Historical Society of Iowa. April 1957. The Palimpsest archive 38(4), 129-176. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/0031-0360.22585
Pollard, Rebecca S. “The Prayers of Eleven Hundred Children.” Our Dumb Animals. Vol. 24, No. 8. January, 1892. https://archive.org/details/sim_animals_our-dumb-animals_1892-01_24_8/
The Catholic Educational Review. “Phonetics, Their Origin and Function.” Vol. 24. May 1926. https://archive.org/details/sim_catholic-educational-review_1926-05_24/
“Pollard’s Advanced Speller.” Education. Vol. 18, Issue 1. September 1897. https://archive.org/details/sim_education-us_1897-09_18_1/
Pollard, R.S. “Educational Appliance.” U.S. Patent No. 375,095. December 20, 1887.
Heilman, Arthur W. “Principles and practices of teaching reading.” Columbus, Ohio, C. E. Merrill Books. 1961.
Huey, Edmund Burke. “The History And Pedagogy Of Reading With A Review Of The History Of Reading And Writing And Of Methods Texts And Hygiene In Reading.” The Macmillan Company. 1915.
“A New Road to Learning.” The Des Moines Register. Page 23. 12/3/1911.
Wheatley, Jeffrey. “The Wrong Feeling of Feeling Right: Fanaticism and Sentiment in Anti-Abolitionist Novels.” From Religion and Social Change. Edited by Sabrina Danielsen. Journal of Religion and Society. Supplement 26 (2025.)
Harrington, Kate and Miss M.E. Wilson. “The Moonlight Tryst.” Louisville Journal. 1/7/1854.
Pollard, Rebecca S. “Emma Bartlett: or, Prejudice and fanaticism.” Cincinnati, Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Overend. 1856.
“Emma Bartlett: or, Prejudice and Fanaticism.” Ottumwa Semi-Weekly Courier. 4/16/1857.
Pollard, Rebecca S. “Centennial and Other Poems.” Philadelphia : Lippincott. 1876.
Kirkham, Samuel. “English Grammar in Familiar Lectures.” New York. Robert B. Collins.
“Portrait and Biographical Album of Lee County, Iowa.” Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~iabiog/lee/pbh1887/pbh1887-s.htm
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulaski is often built up into an almost mythic figure who represents patriotism, bravery, freedom, independence, and the U.S. as a melting pot. a nation of immigrants. But there’s also a very different version of his story.
Research:
“Benjamin Franklin to George Washington, 29 May 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-24-02-0072. [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 24, May 1 through September 30, 1777, ed. William B. Willcox. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1984, p. 98.] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-24-02-0072
“General Count Casimir Pulaski: ‘The Father of the American Cavalry’: First Commander of Washington’s Cavalry; Commander of the Independent ‘Pulaski’s Legion.’” The American Catholic Historical Researches , JANUARY, 1910, New Series, Vol. 6, No. 1 (JANUARY, 1910). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44374799
American Battlefield Trust. “Casimir Pulaski.” https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/casimir-pulaski
Britannica Editors. "Confederation of Bar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confederation-of-Bar. Accessed 20 May 2026.
Britannica Editors. "Confederation of Bar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confederation-of-Bar. Accessed 21 May 2026.
Britannica Editors. "Kazimierz Pułaski". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Mar. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kazimierz-Pulaski. Accessed 20 May 2026.
Britannica Editors. "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Polish-Lithuanian-Commonwealth. Accessed 21 May 2026.
Britannica Editors. "Stanisław II August Poniatowski". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Feb. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stanislaw-II-August-Poniatowski. Accessed 21 May 2026.
Byczkiewicz, Romuald K. “For Your Freedom and Ours: Casimir Pulaski, 1745-1779.” Sarmatian Review(Vol. 26, Issue 1).
George Washington’s Mount Vernon. “Casimir Pulaski.” https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/casimir-pulaski
Georgia Southern University. “Georgia Southern researchers solve Casimir Pulaski mysteries, subject of Smithsonian Channel’s ‘America’s Hidden Stories: The General Was Female?’” 3/28/2019. https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/2019/03/28/georgia-southern-researchers-solve-casimir-pulaski-mysteries-subject-of-smithsonian-channels-americas-hidden-stories-the-general-was-female-free-screening-on-arm
Hautzinger, Daniel. “Who Was Casimir Pulaski, the Polish Revolutionary War Hero Honored with a Holiday and Street in Chicago?” WTTW. 11/17/2025. https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2025/11/17/casimir-pulaski-revolutionary-war
Jones, Charles C. Jr. “Casimir Pulaski: An Address Before the Georgia Historical Society.” 1/13/1871. Savannah. 1873. https://polona.pl/item-view/8e95b726-b73c-4a27-9070-d7750b57cc4f
Jones, Charles Colcock. “Sepulture of Major General Nathanael Greene : and of Brig. Gen. Count Casimir Pulaski.” Augusta, Ga, 1855. https://archive.org/details/sepultureofmajor00jonerich/
Kajencki, Francis C. “Casimir Pulaski, Cavalry Commander of the American Revolution.” Southwest Polonia Press. 2002.
Kajencki, Francis C. “The Pulaski Legion in the American Revolution.” Southwest Polonia Press. 2004.
Makarewicz , Stanislaw. “The Four Birth Records of Kazimierz Pulaski.” https://www.poles.org/birth.html
Manning, Clarence A. “Casimir Pulaski, a Soldier of Liberty.” Bulletin of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, January, 1944,Vol. 2, No. 2 (January, 1944). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24725053
Moyer, Del-Louise. “Rebecca Langley and the Pulaski Banner.” Pennsylvania German Blog. 11/22/2015. https://alyssumarts.com/2015/11/22/rebecca-langley-and-the-pulaski-banner/
National Archives. “Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8205, for Eleazer Phillips, South Carolina.” NAID: 196395780. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/196395780?
National Park Service. “Casimir Pulaski Memorial.” https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/pulaski.htm
National Park Service. “Casimir Pulaski.” Fort Pulaski National Monument. https://www.nps.gov/people/casimir-pulaski.htm
Pienkos, Angela. “Bicentennial Look at Casimir Pulaski: Polish, American and Ethnic Folk Hero.” Polish American Studies , Spring, 1976, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Spring, 1976). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20147942
Pinkowski, Jack. “Mysteries Surrounding Casimir Pulaski.” "Bialy Orzel," April 18, 2008, p. 26-27. https://www.poles.org/L_Kaz/E_Kaz.html
Pula, James S. “Pułaski at Savannah: A Journey through Fact and Fiction.” The Polish Review, Vol. 67, No. 4 (2022), pp. 5-33 (29 pages). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48805968
Pula, James S. “Whose Bones Are Those?: The Casimir Pulaski Burial Controversy.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly , 2016, Vol. 100, No. 1 (2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43855885
Somers, Jennifer. “Who was Casimir Pulaski? Why does Illinois celebrate him?” KSDK. 3/6/2023. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/history/casimir-pulaski-day-illinois-meaning-first-monday-in-march/63-2698e93d-1c82-4e42-ac52-4ab47903ccde
Spencer, Richard Henry. “Pulaski's Legion.” Maryland Historical Magazine. September 1918.
Ungvarsky, Janine. “Casimir Pulaski.” Ebsco. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/military-history-and-science/casimir-pulaski
United States Senate. “Ex. Doc. No. 120: Reports of the Secretaries of State, War, an d the Treasury, respecting the services of Count Pulaski.”
Wickham, Jonathan, director. “The General was Female?” Smithsonian Channel - America's Hidden Stories. 4/8/2019.
Williams, Henry. “An address delivered on laying the corner stone of a monument to Pulaski, in the city of Savannah.” Commissioners of the Monument Fund. 1855. https://archive.org/details/addressdelivered00geor/
Wizevich, Eli. “Discover the Short Life and Long Legacy of Casimir Pulaski, a Polish Cavalry Officer Who Became an American Revolutionary Hero.” Smithsonian. 3/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/discover-the-short-life-and-long-legacy-of-casimir-pulaski-a-polish-cavalry-officer-who-became-an-american-revolutionary-hero-180986162/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2022 episode covers the 1901 discovery of Ada Maria Redpath and her son Jocelyn Clifford dead in their home. What exactly happened between the two of them is something we will likely never understand.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about how frequently the U.S. Post Office has stopped criminals, and about E. Virgil Neal using his intellect for shady business dealings.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 20th century, Neal's company Force of Life was investigated for fraud. But somehow, Neal managed to get through the scandal and went on to found a cosmetics company that became very successful.
Research:
“Can’t Find E. Virgil Neal.” New York Times. January 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496816.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“Claimed to Raise the Dead.” Kansas City Star. Jan. 13, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/653825670/?match=1&terms=%22Claimed%20to%20raise%20the%20dead%22
Conroy, Mary Schaeffer. “The Cosmetics Baron You’ve Never Heard Of: E. Virgil Neal and Tokalon.” Third Edition. Altus History Publishing. 2014.
“E. Virgil Neal Passes Away at Geneva June 30.” The Sedalia Democrat. July 3, 1949. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sedalia-democrat-e-virgil-neal-obit/185827307/
“False Advertising Chief ‘Stimulant’ in Nixated Iron.” New York Tribune. Dec. 16,1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/894241833/?terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22
“Force of Life Charges Dismissed.” Buffalo News. April 24, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329115069/
“FORCE OF LIFE'S WIND-UP.; E. Virgil Neal Still Missing, but Offices Are Being Dismantled.” New York Times. Jan. 17, 1906. https://www.nytimes.com/1906/01/17/archives/force-of-lifes-windup-e-virgil-neal-still-missing-but-offices-are.html
“Force of Lifers Sent Many Decoy Letters.” New York Times. February 7, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/02/07/101765677.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“Here’s a Hyopnotic Bank.” New York Sun. March 3, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/207217198/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy
“How Force of Lifers Did a Rush Business.” New York Times. Jan. 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496815.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“James R. O’Beirne.” Fordham University. Office of the President. https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/james-r-obeirne/
“Jury Disagrees Cartilage Case.” Buffalo Courier Express. May 5, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/352806300/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22
“Medical Mail-order Frauds.” American Medical Association. 1915. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=Cyq6AAAAIAAJ&vq=neal&source=gbs_navlinks_s
“Medicine: From Sedalia.” Time Magazine. Dec. 25, 1933. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,746617-1,00.html
“A Message to the Sick.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Feb. 9, 1900. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135238292/?match=1&terms=vitaopathy
“Most Beautiful Woman in Paris.” The Times-Union. October 6, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1278623430/?match=6&terms=To-Kalon
Neal, E. Virgil and John H. Moore. “Modern Illustrative Banking.” American Book Company. 1904. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/modernillustrati00neal/modernillustrati00neal/
Neal, E. Virgil and C.T. Craig. “Modern Illustrative Bookkeeping.” American Book Company 1901. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/illustratimodern00nealrich/page/16/mode/2up
“Neal, of ‘Nuxated Iron’ Fame, Held on Fraud Charge.” Times-Transcript. April 15, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106273916/?match=1&terms=%22Neal%20of%20Nuxated%20Iron%22
“Neal Returns for Business.” Post-Standard. April 30, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1091107180/
Bennet, James. “Tokalon.” Cosmetics and Skin. Jan. 26, 2025. https://cosmeticsandskin.com/companies/tokalon.php
“Gigantic Swindle Probably Bared.” Nebraska City Weekly. Jan. 16, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/728074626
“In Force of Life Case.” Houston Post. Jan 13, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94975109
“Nuxated Iron Sellers in Libel Suit.” The Times-Transcript. June 10, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106285753/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22
“Part I: The 1906 Food and Drugs Act and Its Enforcement.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/changes-science-law-and-regulatory-authorities/part-i-1906-food-and-drugs-act-and-its-enforcement
“Personal Magnetism.” San Francisco Examiner. March 8, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457762995/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy
“Pope Receives O’Beirne.” New York Times. Sept 25, 1910. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20505640/?match=1&terms=%22pope%20receives%20o%27beirne%22
Schwarcz, Joe, PhD. “The Prince of Quackery.” McGill Office for Science and Society. July 16, 2025. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience-history/prince-quackery
“Thought Waves Between ‘Em.” New York Sun. April 12, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-and-the-a/185828789/
“Tribune’s Answer in Libel Suit Calls E. Virgil Neal a Quck.” New York Tribune. June 23, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/469171423/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22
“Vain Search for Neal.” New York Times. January 16, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/16/101763032.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“WORRIED ABOUT NEAL & CO.: Depositors, You See, Don’t Like Hypnotism in Banking.” New York Sun. March 4, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-hypnotic/176427712/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.