Ill-Equipped History

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

Episode 166. After the defeat of the Nazis in WWII, Germany was left without a government. The Allies decided to split Germany, and its capital Berlin, into 4 sections: France, the United Kingdom, and the United States would take West Germany and West Berlin. The Soviet Union would have control over East Germany and East Berlin. In the midst of the Cold War, the USSR built a wall along the split of Berlin, creating a partition that would keep citizens trapped. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they discuss how the people of Berlin were separated and reunited after three decades. 
 
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Sources
“Berlin Wall” by history.com editors (Dec 15 2009, updated May 14 2026)
https://www.history.com/articles/berlin-wall
 
“The Berlin Wall” 
https://www.stiftung-berliner-mauer.de/en/topics/berlin-wall
 
“The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall” 
https://diplomacy.state.gov/berlin-wall/
 
“The GDR - what life was like for people in East Germany from 1949 to 1990” by Anne Fischer (Apr 03 2025)
https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/gdr-east-germany
 
“Berlin Wall” 
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-wall
 
“Fall of Berlin Wall: How 1989 reshaped the modern world” (Nov 4 2019)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50013048
 
“I was a teenager in East Germany when the Wall fell. Today we are still divided” by Sabine Rennefanz (Nov 6 2019)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/06/berlin-wall-germany-unification-far-right
 
Sound Credits:
Sound Effect by u_uy2kad5rlq from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/nature-crickets-395138/
 
https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-38-nighttime-i-449846/
 
Music by LemonMusicLab from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dark-ambient-soundscape-505384/
 
Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-footsteps-on-a-street-69587/
 
Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/household-footsteps-3-69539/

Oscar Wilde: From Height of Influence to Downfall

Episode 165. As our last (and late) episode celebrating pride month, we talk about the one of the worlds greatest playwrights and authors. Oscar Wilde was known socially for his extravagant lifestyle and flamboyant dress and was one of most sought after people in London during the Victorian Era. His world would eventually come tumbling down around him but his legacy as one of the greats lived on long after his death. 
 
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Sources: 
 
https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/oscar-wilde/timeline.html
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ7Zf1ndUog
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZudaO67Fg
 
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/reviews/a2382/best-oscar-wilde-quotes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_toc_md_pmx_prog_org_us_17942344289&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17942380478&gbraid=0AAAAACq-LPlDcTAz-b9aEE6byPhOW6Nu4&gclid=CjwKCAjwx7LSBhB3EiwAjcodxBrNZw93Yor14H_TuPDVx3sl05HOJGpdAgDmPHkVbhVdkdmdHNbIkBoCoYAQAvD_BwE
 
https://janicemacleod.com/blog/113202
 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15TfKnrR0gHS4PtXK8BKI_NC5wxEVjtqJFT5QTr1-jJk/edit?tab=t.0

Baron von Steuben: Savior at Valley Forge

Episode 164. Baron Friedrich von Steuben was a Prussian captain who, with few options, decided to help out the rebel American army against the British during the American Revolutionary War. He was sent to Valley Forge, where he saw the bleak conditions of the Continental Army under General George Washington. Using his knowledge and experience, he was able to train the soldiers in camp hygiene and battlefield tactics so they could hold their own against the British. von Steuben was also a gay man, which appeared to affect his military service in Europe. Join Emileigh and Morgan as they explore the life of one of the most important figures in US History. 
 
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Sources
“General von Steuben” 
https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/vonsteuben.htm
 
“The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution” by Erick Trickey (Apr 26 2017)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/baron-von-steuben-180963048/
 
“Baron von Steuben” 
https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/steuben.html#google_vignette
 
“Baron von Steuben” 
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/baron-von-steuben
 
“The Revolutionary War Hero Who Was Openly Gay” by Erin Blakemore (Jun 14 2018, updated Jan 31 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/openly-gay-revolutionary-war-hero-friedrich-von-steuben
 
“Baron von Steuben Biography and Facts” by Edward St. Germain
https://www.americanrevolution.org/baron-von-steuben-biography/
 
“Valley Forge” by Mary Stockwell 
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/valley-forge
 
“Monmouth” 
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/monmouth
 
“Baron von Steuben: Gay Warrior Who Taught Washington’s Army How to Fight” by Harry Schenawolf (Jul 25 2015)
https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/baron-von-steuben-a-gay-warrior-taught-washingtons-army-how-to-fight-2/
 
“Baron von Steuben Facts and Biography” by Russell Yost (Nov 1 2017, updated Nov 10 2023)
https://thehistoryjunkie.com/baron-von-steuben-facts/
 
“Patriot General Von Steuben”
https://mountgulian.org/history/general-von-steuben/ 
Sound Credits
civil war gun fire.wav by electra -- https://freesound.org/s/442293/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
marching boots.wav by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/172369/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
 
sword against sword.wav by Fenodyrie -- https://freesound.org/s/568790/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
dog tripple bark by crazymonke9 -- https://freesound.org/s/418108/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues

Episode 163. Ma Rainey was not only the Mother of the Blues, but she was a fierce, outgoing, and flashy entertainer. She lived her life by her own terms and was the first woman to make a lesbian anthem in a time where being gay was more than frowned on. Today's episode honors her and her legacy. 
 
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Sources
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/gertrude-ma-rainey
 
https://nmaahc.si.edu/ma-rainey
 
https://www.queerportraits.com/bio/rainey
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=ma+rainey+mother+of+the+blues&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS990US990&oq=ma+rainey+mother+of+the+blues+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYkQIYgAQYigUyDQgAEAAYkQIYgAQYigUyBwgBEC4YgAQyCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIHCAQQABjvBTIGCAUQRRg80gEINDQ5M2owajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c0e97721,vid:tUc289D-6e0,st:0
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=ma+rainey+mother+of+the+blues&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS990US990&oq=ma+rainey+mother+of+the+blues+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYkQIYgAQYigUyDQgAEAAYkQIYgAQYigUyBwgBEC4YgAQyCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIHCAQQA
 

Julie D'Aubigny: The Sword-Swinging, Woman-Wooing Opera Star

Episode 162. Julie D'Aubigny was a roguish, cross-dressing opera singer who never lost with a sword or in the bedroom. Her romantic and physical exploits were the talk of 17th century Paris. Tune in to hear how this bisexual force of nature got the king on her side.
 
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Sources
 
“The real life of Julie d’Aubigny” by Kelly Gardiner
https://kellygardiner.com/fiction/books/goddess/the-real-life-of-julie-daubigny/
 
“La Maupin - The Extraordinary Life of Julie D’Aubigny” by Laura Moore (Jul 30 2019)
https://www.storyofacity.com/2019/07/30/la-maupin-extraordinary-life-julie-daubigny/
 
“The Life of Julie D’Aubigny” by Amanda Justice (Jan 8 2025)
https://ajustice707.medium.com/the-life-of-julie-daubigny-2a79804bfcbe
 
“Julie D’Aubigny”
https://www.badassoftheweek.com/maupin
 
“The Badass Rogue who Cross-Dressed and Dueled Her Way to Infamy” by Meradith Hoddinott and Fiona Zublin (Jan 26 2020)
https://web.archive.org/web/20220519180758/https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/the-badass-rogue-who-cross-dressed-and-dueled-her-way-to-infamy/76908/
 
“The Wild Life of Julie D’Aubigny, The Bisexual, Sword-Fighting 17th-Century Opera Star” by Genevieve Carlton, edited by Erik Hawkins (Mar 3 2022)
https://allthatsinteresting.com/julie-daubigny
 
“Julie d’Aubigny: La Maupin and Early French Opera” by Alan Westby (Jun 28 2017)
https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/julie-daubigny-la-maupin-and-early-french-opera
 
Sound Credits:
Sound Effect by VanzetPictures from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/nature-fire-457848/
 
Sound Effect by u_uy2kad5rlq from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/nature-crickets-395138/

The Great Stink of 1858

Emileigh and Morgan endure the crappiest story to date where the Thames had turned into an open sewer and Cholera ran wild. In this episode, they discuss how it got that bad and what was done to stop it. 
 
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Sources
https://www.historyhit.com/how-victorian-london-became-known-as-the-monster-city/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpzHHbFrHY
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jlsyucUwpo
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NVT6iZP2qg
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cba7di0eL8I
 
https://heritagecalling.com/2019/03/28/the-story-of-londons-sewer-system/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stink#:~:text=The%20smell%20was%20very%20bad,and%20carbolic%20acid%20into%20the
 
https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/how-bazalgette-built-londons-first-super-sewer/
 
https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/great-stink-of-1858/

The Nylon Stocking Craze of the 1940s

Episode 160. The inventions of nylon was immediately purported to produce stockings for women in the 1940s. However, shortly after its invention it was rationed for wartime use during WWII. Women still needed their stockings, though! This episode covers the high demand for nylon stockings, what women did to get through the ration, and what happened when they came back. Spoiler alert: it wasn't pretty! 
 
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Sources
“The 1946 Nylon Riots: Unruly Crowds of Women Battled for Stockings” by Rose Hiechelbech
https://dustyoldthing.com/nylon-riots-of-1946/
 
“The Way It Was - Nylon Wars, 1946” by George Bulanda (Sept 25 2019)
https://www.hourdetroit.com/community/nylon-wars-detroit/
 
“With Nylon Stockings Scarce, Women would Paint their Legs so it Looked like Stockings, 1940s” (Sept 18 2025)
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/nylon-stockings-shortage-1940s/
 
“Nylon: the reason we won World War II - and started shaving our legs” by Shannon Corbeil (Dec 20 2022)
https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/nylon-ww2-why-women-shave/
 
“WWII and the Nylon Riots!” (Oct 1, 2021)
https://rosietheriveter.net/wwii-and-the-nylon-riots/
 
“Nylon Stockings: A Historical Journey from Wartime Rationing to Nylon Riots” by Zuzana (Dec 4 2021)
https://www.lifescienceart.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/nylon-stockings-wartime-rationing-nylon-riots/
 
“The rise, fall and riots of nylons: A sheer success 85 years ago this month” by Monica Zurowski (May 20 2024)
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/the-rise-fall-and-riots-of-nylons-a-sheer-success-83-years-ago-today
 
“How Nylon Stockings Changed the World” by Kimbra Cutlip (May 11 2015)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-nylon-stockings-changed-world-180955219/
 
“The Fascinating History of Nylon Stockings: A Fashion Icon” by Matthew Elliott
https://www.historyen.com/nylon-stockings/#google_vignette
 
“History of Hosiery”
https://www.stockingirl.com/pages/history-of-hosiery
 
“The History of Silk Stockings” 
https://www.girlsandnylons.com/history/silk-stockings.html
 
“The History of Stockings and Pantyhose: From 1900s Silk to Modern Tights” by Ditte J (Sept 26 2025)
https://memery.us/blogs/historical/the-history-of-stockings-and-pantyhose-from-1900s-silk-to-modern-tights
 
“From Silken Threads to Nylon Dreams: A History of Stockings” (Jan 17 2025)
https://missmonmon.com/2025/01/17/from-silken-threads-to-nylon-dreams-a-history-of-stockings/
 
Sound Credits:
 
Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/city-angry-mob-loop-6847/
 
Music by MMAudio from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/modern-jazz-mission-possible-512526/

SS Central America: The Ship of Gold

Episode 160. In 1857, The SS Central America was full of gold rush era treasures when it encountered a category 2 hurricane. After enduring for 3 days, it eventually sank, taking most of the passengers and gold to the bottom of the ocean with it. Emileigh and Morgan look into the sinking and repercussions of the loss of this great steam ship.  
 
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Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89S0JSHinPg
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwPZgrpXe9A
 
https://patch.com/virginia/herndon/remembering-herndons-history-s-s-george-law-0
 
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1990/january/last-cruise-ss-central-america
 
https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/a65210662/tommy-thompson-sunken-treasure/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_pop_md_dsa_comm_org_us_21040602449&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21040602449&gbraid=0AAAAADCyiSkwpYNOTrLnXbk3gV7KYADtv&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlLDQBhDjARIsAPlIefG086bu3NEwmndBL4Oof93SPFoz0uLaECGwBwm997eDuLGg7if75jQaAo-eEALw_wcB
 

Bonus 20: Wacky Cars, Trains, Planes, and Boats.

Life got the better of us this week so instead of a normal episode, we are releasing a bonus episode from the vault! We hope you enjoy! 
 
Join us in diving into some of history's craziest and most famous modes of transportation! Plus Emileigh's Jeep breaks down again.
 
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Find us on YouTube! 
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Sources:
https://slate.com/technology/2022/08/the-dymaxion-car-the-true-history-of-buckminster-fullers-failed-automobile.html
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/goodyear-inflatoplane-ga468/nasm_A19740156000
https://www.jalopnik.com/goodyear-made-a-plane-that-you-had-to-inflate-before-yo-1848456370/
https://planehistoria.com/the-caproni-ca-60-was-a-nine-wing-cruise-liner/
https://simpleflying.com/caproni-ca-60-italy-floating-triplane-story/
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231220-why-the-flying-scotsman-is-a-symbol-of-britishness
https://www.theshipyardblog.com/extreme-engineering-twelve-strangest-vessels-in-the-world/#:~:text=Get%20ready%20for%20some%20numbers
https://www.thedrive.com/news/36692/the-top-10-coolest-trains-of-all-time
https://www.hotcars.com/most-outrageous-cars-ever-that-arent-supercars/
Gyro-X-1967
https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/gyro-x-1967/
“After Heaps of Time & Money the 1967 Gyro-X is Back in Action!”
https://historygarage.com/heaps-time-money-1967-gyro-x-back-action/
“The Inventory of the Rotary Snowplow was… a Dentist?” by Leslie Smith (Jan 14 2025)
https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/heritage/rotary-snow-plow.html
“A Brief History of the Rotary Snowplow” by Andrew Toppan (May 6 2001)
https://www.hazegray.org/rail/rotaries.htm
“Rotary Snowplough” by Laura Neilson Bonikowsky (Nov 20 2011, edited Mar 4 2015)
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rotary-snowplough
“Transport that Never Was” (Feb 18 2020)
https://fabricofparis.com/2020/02/18/transport-that-never-was-aerotrain.html
“New York City’s Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, the country’s last operating prison ship, set to close” (Oct 31 2023)
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/vernon-c-bain-correctional-center-closing-nyc-prison-ship/
“UrbaNerd: The History of the City’s Floating Jail” by Sneha Dey (May 10 2018)
https://citylimits.org/urbanerd-the-history-of-the-citys-floating-jail/
“Vernon C. Bain Christening Ceremony Video” by Kevin T. Harrell (Apr 4 2025)
https://hnoc.org/research-collections/collection-highlights/vernon-c-bain-christening-ceremony-video

Florence Nightingale

Episode 158. Florence Nightingale was a woman of high status who transformed the field of nursing forever. Join Emileigh and Morgan as they shine light on the life of the Lady with the Lamp. 
 
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Sources
 
“Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)” by Kerri Lee Alexander 
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale
 
“Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Lamp”
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/florence-nightingale-lady-lamp
 
“The legacy of Florence Nightingale, the first professional nurse” (May 10 2023)
https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/health-and-social-care/health/how-florence-nightingale-influenced-the-red-cross
 
“Florence Nightingale” by history.com editors (Nov 9 2009, updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/florence-nightingale
 
“The Life of Florence Nightingale”
https://library.uab.edu/locations/reynolds/collections/florence-nightingale/life
 
“Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing” by Hosein Karimi & Negin Masoudi Alavi (Jun 27 2015). Nursing and Midwifery Studies. 4(2). doi:10.17795/nmsjournal29475 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4557413/
 
https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/
 
https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/
Sound Credits
Music by DELOSound from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/classical-string-quartet-emotional-violin-strings-453280/ 
 
Person Coughing 1_1 by Joao_Janz -- https://freesound.org/s/482660/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Noseblow, Cough, Throatclear by qubodup -- https://freesound.org/s/213856/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
 
Footsteps On Tile by IENBA -- https://freesound.org/s/834027/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Groggy Hungover waking sounds - Male by Iceofdoom -- https://freesound.org/s/371558/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
human grunts 3 by Halgrimm -- https://freesound.org/s/218895/ -- License: Creative Commons 0