Ill-Equipped History

129: The Winchester House

Sarah Winchester was the heir to the massive Winchester fortune after her husband died. Not only was she a kind philanthropist and environmentalist, but she built one of the most famous structures in North America: The Winchester House of Mystery. Join Emileigh and Morgan as they wind through stairs that go to nowhere as they unwind the legends surrounding the Winchester mansion. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
 
Sources: 
https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/timeline/
 
https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/history/
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+winchester+house+documentary&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1087US1087&oq=the+winchester+house+documentary+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCggAEEUYFhgeGDkyCAgBEAAYFhgeMggIAhAAGBYYHjIICAMQABgWGB4yCAgEEAAYFhgeMggIBRAAGBYYHjIICAYQABgWGB4yCAgHEAAYFhgeMggICBAAGBYYHjIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCDU0ODlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:731b8d7b,vid:RVbxOWZFI5w,st:0
 
https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a27481666/winchester-mystery-house/
 
https://www.history.com/articles/winchester-house-haunted
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=winchester+house+doc+&sca_esv=da19ebeccc14b1b9&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1087US1087&sxsrf=AE3TifMRquxBO2hEfaKP_13DBzD6rT6YqA%3A1760495353389&ei=-QbvaN-7F8HAp84Pw66i6QM&ved=0ahUKEwifnKuhlKWQAxVB4MkDHUOXKD0Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=winchester+house+doc+&gs_lp=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-UGwgcJMi0xLjMuMi4yyAfDAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5c96a739,vid:5DVEPBlZknk,st:0
 
 
Sound Credits: 
 
Keys Jingling Car House by deleted_user_7146007 -- https://freesound.org/s/383765/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
FootstepsOnaDock.wav by mmaruska -- https://freesound.org/s/180650/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
 
Silent Spooky Halloween by SOUND_GARAGE: https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-silent-spooky-halloween-395467/ 

128: Victorian Spiritualism and Seances

We're continuing spooky month talking about seances! The phenomenon spread like wildfire as people were entertained by productions and found peace in connecting with lost loved ones. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources
 
“Spiritualism”
https://library.umbc.edu/specialcollections/garrett/spiritualism/
 
“Understanding the 1920s Spiritualism Revival” by Rose Staveley-Wadham (Oct 14 2021)
https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2021/10/14/understanding-the-1920s-spiritualism-revival/
 
“The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism” by Abbott Kahler (Oct 30 2012)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-fox-sisters-and-the-rap-on-spiritualism-99663697/
 
“Hypnosis in History” 
https://hypnosis.edu/history/the-birth-of-mesmerism
 
https://swedenborg.com/emanuel-swedenborg/for-swedenborg-starters/
 
“Why did so many Victorians try to speak with the dead? By Casey Cep (May 24 2021)
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/31/why-did-so-many-victorians-try-to-speak-with-the-dead
 
“Victorian Spiritualism” by Susan Krysiak (2023)
https://www.capemaymag.com/arts-and-entertainment/victorian-vignette/victorian-spiritualism/
 
“Spiritualism, Science, and the Supernatural in Mid-Victorian Britain” by Richard Noakes 
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/43093582.pdf
 
“Seeing is Believing: Spiritualism in the Victorian Era-Part 4” by Julie Mathias (Aug 1 2019)
https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/seeing-is-believing-spiritualism-in-the-victorian-era-part-4/
 
“Seeing is Believing: Spiritualism in the Victorian Era-Part 2” by Julie Mathias (Aug 1 2019)
https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/seeing-is-believing-spiritualism-in-the-victorian-era-part-2/
 
“Victoran Spiritualism - Proponents and Opponents” by Dr. Andrzej Kiniejko (Nov 14 2013)
https://victorianweb.org/religion/spiritualism2.html
 
“Spiritualism and a Mid-Victorian Crisis of Evidence” by Peter Lamont (2004). The Historical Journal, 47, 4. pp. 897-920. doi:10.1017/S0018246X04004030
https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/11872202/Spiritualism_and_a_mid_Victorian_crisis_of_evidence.pdf
 
“History of the Golden Dawn: A Timeline” 
https://hermeticgoldendawn.org/history-of-the-golden-dawn/
 
“Ghost Club: Yeats’s and Dickens’s Secret Society of Spirits” by Peter Hoskin (Oct 31 2017)
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/10/31/ghost-club-yeats-dickens-secret-society-spirits/
 
“The Victorian Occult Obsession | Seances and Scammers” by ASMR Historian 
 
“Victorian Spiritualism” by Dr. Andrzej Kiniejko (Nov 14 2013)
https://victorianweb.org/victorian/religion/spirit.html 
 
Sound Credits:
 
Dinner table shaking by YannSauvin -- https://freesound.org/s/778107/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Knocking.wav by morganaflynn -- https://freesound.org/s/561853/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 

Bonus 25: Old South Pittsburg Hospital Paranormal Research Center Investigation

The girls have done it again! Another paranormal investigation has come to a close and what a great one it was! This episode is free for everyone but sign up for our Patreon in the month of October and receive an exclusive Investigation sticker and more content for only $5 a month! 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources:
https://osphprc.com/about-osphprc
 
Information given to us by our guide
 
https://southernplacesandfaces.com/2023/07/17/a-shootout-a-famous-actress-and-a-cornbread-festival-explore-south-pittsburg-tenn-2/
 
https://historicsouthpittsburgtn.com/ 
 
 

127: The Dancing Plague of 1518: The Curse of St. Vitus

Emileigh and Morgan kick off the October spooky episode with one of our favorite curse stories! In the Holy Roman Empire all the way in 1518, a town was swept up in a frenzy that occurred more than you think. Happy Spooky Season everyone! 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources:
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-dancing-plague-of-1518/
 
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220512-the-people-who-danced-themselves-to-death
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania#
 
https://connection.newmanministry.com/saint/saint-vitus/
 
https://www.stvituscatholicschoolofdance.com/st-vitus
 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-students-twitcnew-york-h/schools-end-clears-up-new-york-students-mystery-twitching-idUSBRE85M0DF20120623/
 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paracelsus
 

126: The History of Drag and Ballroom Culture

Ballroom culture is a community of drag made for queer people of color to express themselves in an accepting, safe environment. But the history of drag and ballroom culture goes back farther than you'd think in history! Join Morgan and Emileigh as they explore the amazing queens and kings that made this culture what it is today. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources:
Paris is Burning documentary (1990), directed by Jennie Livingston
 
“The fabulous history of drag” (May 2019)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbkmkmn
 
“Understanding Drag: As American as Apple Pie”
https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-drag
 
https://www.royalhouseoflabeija.com/history 
 
“Subcultures and Sociology” 
https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/underground-ball-culture/
 
“Living the Fantasy: A Brief History of Baltimore Ballroom” by Joseph Plaster
https://peabodyballroom.library.jhu.edu/home/ballroom-history/
 
“44 Stunning Photos Of The Ballroom Scene, The Vibrant Queer Subculture Known For Its Underground Drag Balls” by Kaleena Fraga, edited by Maggie Donahue (Sept 6 2024)
https://allthatsinteresting.com/ballroom-culture
 
Sound Credits:
 
Crowd ambience.wav by IllusiaProductions -- https://freesound.org/s/249939/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
https://freesound.org/people/IllusiaProductions/sounds/249939/?
 
Cheer 4 yas kween get it girl.wav by jayfrosting -- https://freesound.org/s/333410/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
https://freesound.org/people/jayfrosting/sounds/333410/
 
Audience Applause/Clapping by FynFyn -- https://freesound.org/s/458535/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
https://freesound.org/people/FynFyn/sounds/458535/ 
 
Music by Marvellous Francis from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-beach-party-254359/

125: Frank Lloyd Wright: The Life Behind the Designs

Fresh from a trip to Chicago, Emileigh was inspired to cover the life and career of America's greatest architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The girls are then thrown into a story of a life full of scandal, inspiration, and creativity. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T4UOOtSdRQ
 
https://flwright.org/sites/default/files/ckfinder/userfiles/files/The-Wright-Family.pdf
 
https://franklloydwright.org/frank-lloyd-wright-and-japan/
 
http://www.steinerag.com/flw/Artifact%20Pages/PhMiriam.htm
 
https://flwright.org/sites/default/files/ckfinder/userfiles/files/The-Wright-Family.pdf
 
https://architectsandartisans.com/blog/the-life-of-olgivanna-lloyd-wright/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright#Midlife_problems
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olgivanna_Lloyd_Wright#The_Taliesin_Fellowship
 
https://franklloydwright.org/frank-lloyd-wright/

124: Vercingetorix, the Man Who Stood Up to Caesar

Vercingetorix was a Gallic king who united discordant tribes to fight against Roman conquest. The only problem was that his adversary was Julius Caesar. Today's episode discusses the political climate leading up to the Gallic Wars, Caesar's conquest, and one man's attempt to win back freedom for his people. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
 
Sources:
“Who were the Gauls?”
https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/gauls/
 
“Gallic Wars” 
https://history-maps.com/story/Gallic-Wars
 
“The Gallic Wars: How Julius Caesar Conquered Gaul (Modern France)” by Robert Holmes (Jan 16 2021)
https://www.thecollector.com/gallic-wars-how-julius-caesar-conquered-gaul/
 
“The Untold Truth of Vercingetorix” by Engrid Barnett (Feb 3 2023) 
https://www.grunge.com/759710/the-untold-truth-of-vercingetorix/
 
“Meet Vercingetorix, the Chieftain Whose Gallic Warriors Beat Caesar” by Leyla Alyanak (June 2 2025) 
https://www.offbeatfrance.com/gallic-warriors.html
 
“The Gallic Chieftain Vercingetorix and His Famous Revolt Against Caesar” by Hayden Chakra (Apr 15 2025)
https://about-history.com/the-gallic-chieftain-vercingetorix-and-his-famous-revolt-against-caesar/
 
“Vercingetorix (82 BC-46 BC): Heroic Galic Chieftain and His Struggle Against Rome” by Vladimir Vulic 
https://roman-empire.net/people/vercingetorix-heroic-galic-chieftain 
 
“Vercingetorix: the Gallic warrior who defied Julius Caesar’s legions and almost succeeded” 
https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/vercingetorix/
 
“Vercingetorix: The Ancient Freedom Fighter Who Nearly Beat Caesar” by Katie Serana and John Kuroski (Jun 2 2019, updated Nov 6 2019)
https://allthatsinteresting.com/vercingetorix
 
“Vercingetorix” 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vercingetorix
 
“Siege of Avaricum, 52 BC” by John Rickard (Mar 23 2009)
https://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_avaricum.html 
 
“Battle of Gergovia” (Dec 28 2015) 
https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/battle-of-gergovia
 
“Battle of Gergovia” 
https://romangeek.com/wiki/battle_of_gergovia/
 
“Siege of Noviodunum, March 52 BC” by John Rickard (Mar 23 2009)
https://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_noviodunum.html 
Sound Credits:
 
G29-54-Men Yell  Riot.wav by craigsmith -- https://freesound.org/s/438414/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Battle drums action by Land_of_Books_YouTube https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-battle-drums-action-223566/

123: The Cod Wars: Fish and Communiam

Emileigh and Morgan dive into some of the pettiest 20 year span of history. You could say that something fishy was going on. The Cod Wars were a series of conflicts between Iceland and Great Britain. This story of how the underdogs used the threat of Communism to win isn't one to be overlooked. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources: 
https://www.nhdca.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/23014-Jr_HistoricalPaper_Miller-Alexander-Miller.pdf
 
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-cod-wars-explained-the-conflict-between-iceland-and-britain
 
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Cod-and-Communism---The-Story-of-the-Cod-Wars/0H7MATBQQWMVSHVWHQB58XNLWZ
 

122: Ignaz Semmelweis: The Savior of Mothers

Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian doctor who made the revolutionary discovery that handwashing saves lives. However, his research results were rejected by the medical community. Learn how he persisted in his fight to mandate sterilizing handwashing techniques to reduce maternal deaths in childbirth. 
 
*CONTENT WARNING*
This episodes contains discussion of death in childbirth, as well as infant mortality. Please take care of yourself while listening. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
Sources: 
 
“Life of Ignác Semmelweis” 
http://semmelweis200.hu/english/life-of-ignac-semmelweis/
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis” by Imre Zoltán (updated Aug 9 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ignaz-Semmelweis
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis: The Saviour of Mothers” by Katrina Johnson (Aug 20 2022)
https://museumofhealthcare.blog/ignaz-semmelweis-the-saviour-of-mothers/
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis: ‘The Savior of Mothers’ on the 200th Anniversary of the Birth” by Nicholas Kadar, Roberto Romero, and Zoltán Papp (Dec 1 2019) for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 219(6), pp 519-522. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2018.10.036 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6333090/
 
“In 1850, Ignaz Semmelweis saved lives with three words: wash your hands” by Dr. Howard Markel (May 15 2015)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/ignaz-semmelweis-doctor-prescribed-hand-washing
 
“The Doctor Who Championed Hand-Washing And Briefly Saved Lives” by Rebecca Davis for NPR (Jan 12 2015)
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/12/375663920/the-doctor-who-championed-hand-washing-and-saved-women-s-lives
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis” by Sam Wong 
https://www.newscientist.com/people/ignaz-semmelweis/
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis: How One Doctor’s Radical Ideas Transformed Hygiene in Medicine” by Arthur Marquis (Feb 2 2025) 
https://scientificorigin.com/ignaz-semmelweis-how-one-doctors-radical-ideas-transformed-hygiene-in-medicine
 
“Ignaz Semmelweis 1818-1865” 
https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/mission/ignaz-semmelweis/
 
“Ignác Fülöp Semmelweis (1818-1865)” 
https://semmelweis.hu/english/about-semmelweis-university/semmelweis200/
Sound Credits:
 
Deeply Emotional Orchestral Violin - L'Unico Che Amo
https://pixabay.com/music/nostalgia-deeply-emotional-orchestral-violin-lx27unico-che-amo-270824/
 
Somber Piano Composition 2 - With Melodic High Notes by TopSecretMusicNetwork
https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-somber-piano-composition-2-with-melodic-high-notes-10093/
 
 

121: Theft of the Scream and the life of Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch lead a tragic childhood and a talent that forever changed the world of art. His art became so legendary that it has been the target of art thieves multiple times over the years. Today, Emileigh and Morgan dive into his life and stolen art. 
 
Follow us on Instagram! 
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
 
Join our Facebook group! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
 
Email us! 
illequippedhistory@gmail.com
 
Check us out on TikTok! 
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
 
Find us on YouTube! 
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory 
 
Donate to our Patreon! 
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
 
 
Sources:
https://www.edvardmunch.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85jPRQYxUrI
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-7/the-scream-recovered
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-11/scream-edvard-munch-art-heist/103423910
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/art-crime/0/steps/11879