Episodios

  • 73. FOOD: The Newport Man Who Ate… Tomatoes?

    73. FOOD: The Newport Man Who Ate… Tomatoes?
    Apr 27 2025

    Episode Description:

    While today, tomatoes are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in the United States, that wasn’t always the case. For much of history, tomatoes were not only ignored, but feared. So, what changed? And is it possible a Newport man played a role in introducing the tomato into the American diet?

    Episode Source Material - Michel Felice Corne

    • Cornè House - Atlas Obscura
    • Michele Felice Cornè - Wikipedia
    • Michel Felice Corne, Summer Exhibit 1972
    • February Meeting, 1941 - Colonial Society of Massachusetts
    • Laura E. Richards, Maud Howe, Florence Howe Hall, Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910, in two volumes, with portraits and other illustrations: volume 1
    • Michele Felice Cornè

    Episode Source Material - Tomato History

    • The Tomato in America, Early History, Culture and Cookery | Andrew F. Smith
    • 10 Tomatoes That Changed the World | William Alexander
    • Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years | Smithsonian
    • Sixteenth-century tomatoes in Europe: who saw them, what they looked like, and where they came from
    • How a ‘Strange,’ ‘Evil’ Fruit Came to Define Italy’s Cuisine
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    32 m
  • 72. DAREDEVILS: Sam Patch

    72. DAREDEVILS: Sam Patch
    Feb 22 2025

    The first famous American daredevil got his start leaping from Pawtucket Falls.

    Episode Source Material

    • Sam Patch The Famous Jumper | Paul E. Johnson
    • The Real Simon Pure Sam Patch | Rochester History
    • The Last Leap of Sam Patch | Headlines & Heroes
    • The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, October 28, 1829, Image 2 « Chronicling America «
    • Cherokee phoenix, and Indians' advocate. [volume], January 06, 1830, Image 3
    • Cherokee phoenix, and Indians' advocate. [volume], January 06, 1830, Image 3
    • Mineral Point tribune., February 24, 1870, Image 3
    • Sam Patch's Last Leap
    • The Daredevils of Niagara Falls | Library of Congress
    • Leaps of Fame: The Rise of Sam Patch and a Changing Industrial Landscape - Not Even Past
    • Sam Patch: a 19th Century Rhode Island Daredevil Worth Remembering
    • 1824 Strike - Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)
    • Labor History: The First Factory Strike - In These Times
    • “4 or 5 Active Lads to Serve in Cotton Factory” - Child Labor at Slater Mill | Rhode Tour
    • Pawtucket Falls - Blackstone River Valley
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    35 m
  • 71. HOUSES: Octagon Houses

    71. HOUSES: Octagon Houses
    Dec 19 2024
    In 1848, a man named Orson Squire Fowler ignited a homebuilding fad when he dreamed up a bold new home design, one that might be cheaper, more efficient and even make you happier. Inventory of Octagonal Houses in RI - One’s I’ve found to still be there:Lemuel C Richmond Octagon House, 41 High Street, BristolCranston (Battey) Octagon House, 80 Phenix Avenue. The only surviving of 3 once in Cranston. Built around 1854. Today there are four apartments in the buildingEast Providence Octagon House, 21 Sunnyside Avenue. Built around 1900 as a bandstand for the short-lived Boyden Heights Amusement Park, and converted to a private residence by 1916.Providence, 36 Crescent Street. Eliza H. Dix House, built 1855. Providence, 63 Elmwood Ave. Built 1857 for Silas M. Field, jeweler. Is now a 4 family residence. Providence, 669 Public Street. Now a 4 family residence. Providence, 76 Harrison Street. Modern house. Warwick, 25 South Fair Street, Pawtuxet Village. Built in the 1830s? Albert S. Potter House, 4 Carolina Main Street, Carolina. Riverside, 163 Halleck Avenue. Custom built in 1990. Smithfield, J. S. Sweet Octagon House. Built 1865. 108 Farnum Pike. Need to check this one. Olneyville Octagon House, built in 1988Houses that appear to have been torn down:Bristol Octagon House, Wood Street. No longer there. Central Falls Octagon House, built around 1877 - don’t think it’s still thereCranston Ezra Read Octagon House, on Pontiac Avenue. Demolished in the 1970s.Cranston Octagon House on Wayland Avenue, on a 1882 map but gone by 1895Johnston Octagon House. Built before 1880, located at 745 Hartford Ave near Killingly St. Demolished in the 1960s. Pawtucket Octagon House, located at 42 Park Place. Built in 1856, demolished in the 1950s. Providence, Gano Street. 1906 newspaper article references it. Gone now. Possibly meant another one a street over on Ives. Providence, 343 Williams Street. No longer there. Built pre 1875. Check this one again.Providence, Stewart Street. No longer there. Providence, 241 Ives Street. Razed in the 1980s. Providence, Locust Street. No longer there. Providence, 307 Knight Street. Built 1855. Thought to be the earliest octagon house built in the city. Built by Benjamin Merril Hubbard. Went looking for it, but couldn’t find it. Likely gone. Woonsocket, Sabin Pond House. Built 1849. At 315 Grove Street. Gabled Octagon House, very interesting looking. Demolished in the mid 1980s. Woonsocket, 21 (?) Fountain Street. No longer there. South Kingstown, no longer there. Block Island?Prudence Island - Not sure of the address!Episode Source MaterialAlbert S. Potter Octagon House - WikipediaThe Octagon House Inventory BookOctagonal pegs in a square landscape76 Harrison Street, Unit#76, Providence, RI 02909 | MLS #1176582 | Lila Delman163 Halleck Avenue, East Providence, RI 02915 | CompassWaltham Watch Company - WikipediaOrson Fowler, the Phrenologist Who Started the Craze for Octagon Houses - New England Historical SocietyThe Octagon Houses of Orson Fowler | Amusing PlanetPhrenology | Thompson | Encyclopedia of the History of SciencePhrenology in Victorian America (U.S. National Park Service)Phrenology – Library NewsFacing a Bumpy History | SmithsonianThe Fowler BrothersThe abolitionist, vegetarian, octagon-obsessed utopia that never was | by Meagan Day | Timeline | MediumAn Eccentric Victorian, His Book and the Giant Pink Pastry of a House He InspiredOrson Squire Fowler - Wikipedia. American Phrenological Journal and Miscellany, Volume 11When Heads Were HeadlinesOrson Squire Fowler: Phrenology and Octagon Houses 1809-1887 by John H. MartinHistory of watches - WikipediaBattle of the Giant Watchmakers - Business HistoryCarolina: Old mill town now a scenic gem
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    30 m
  • 70. IDA LEWIS: The Keeper of Lime Rock

    70. IDA LEWIS: The Keeper of Lime Rock
    Nov 6 2024

    This week, we’ll meet Ida Lewis, the fearless lighthouse keeper of Newport, Rhode Island, who became a national hero for her daring rescues at sea.

    Episode Sources:

    • The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter: The Remarkable True Story of American Heroine Ida Lewis by Lenore Skomal
    • Women who kept the lights : an illustrated history of female lighthouse keepers : Clifford, Mary Louise : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
    • Ida Lewis, The Heroine of Lime Rock | George D. Brewerton - Published 1869 (Ida 27)
    • Excerpts Books From With Ida Lewis Chapters or Sections
    • Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine
    • Ladies Home Journal | July 1890
    • The Outing Magazine | January 1910
    • The American Magazine | January 1910
    • A Half-Forgotten Heroine; Putnam's Magazine | February 1910
    • Beacons of History: The Women Lighthouse Keepers of National Marine Sanctuaries
    • National Woman Suffrage Association - Wikipedia.
    • Media and the Rise of Celebrity Culture
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    39 m
  • 69. GYMS: The Providence Ladies’ Sanitary Gymnasium

    69. GYMS: The Providence Ladies’ Sanitary Gymnasium
    Oct 5 2024
    Episode Description:

    Weird Island is back! In the first episode in over a year and a half, we’ll uncover the story of a gym for women in 1880s Providence, begun by feminist philosopher, lecturer and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

    Episode Sources:
    • “As Near to Flying as One Gets Outside a Circus”: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Providence Ladies’ Sanitary Gymnasium, 1881-1884 - Online Review of Rhode Island History
    • The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman
    • Papers of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1846-1961
    • Feminist Gothic in "The Yellow Wallpaper" |
    • CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (1860-1935) from The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman Suicide Note, August 17, 1935 from The Right to Die
    • 'Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Letters to Martha', by Abigail Rabinowitz
    • The Philanthropist and the Physical Educator
    • Catharine Beecher | National Women's History Museum
    • Catharine Beecher, Champion of Women’s Education - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project
    • Physiology and Calisthenics. For Schools and Families | Catherine Beecher
    • The Origins of American Women’s Exercise – The New Inquiry
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    38 m
  • 68. ANIMALS: Oscar, the Cat Who Could Predict Death

    68. ANIMALS: Oscar, the Cat Who Could Predict Death
    Feb 28 2023
    Oscar seemed like an ordinary kitten when he was adopted by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Providence, RI. But the staff and residents at Steere House quickly suspected Oscar had a unique ability. He seemed to be able to predict when someone was going to die. Heads up, this episode is more speculative than usual. And it includes a lot of talk of death. Keep that in mind while listening. Episode Source Material - OscarA Day in the Life of Oscar the CatMaking Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat - Kindle edition by Dosa, David. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.Classic cases revisited: Oscar the cat and predicting death - PMCMeet Oscar, the Cat that Predicts Death and Provides ComfortThis Cat Sensed Death. What if Computers Could, Too? - The New York TimesCan animals predict death? | HowStuffWorksOscar (therapy cat) - WikipediaCat's 'Sixth Sense': Predicting Death?General on CatsA Brief History of House CatsCats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA ShowsThe Taming of the Cat - PMCStress, security, and scent: The influence of chemical signals on the social lives of domestic cats and implications for applied settings - ScienceDirectDogs Vs. Cats: A Comparison of the 5 Senses – MIDORICIDEDeath and Diseases, further infoWhat to expect when someone is in the last few days of life | Hospice UK.Core body temperatures during final stages of life—an evaluation of data from in-hospital decedents | SpringerLinkHeart attack - Symptoms and causes - Mayo ClinicIdentifying human diamine sensors for death related putrescine and cadaverine molecules | PLOS Computational BiologyProgrammed cell death and apoptosis in aging and life span regulationPredicting DeathDevelopment of multivariable prediction models for institutionalization and mortality in the full spectrum of Alzheimer’s diseasePredicting Death: An Empirical Evaluation of Predictive Tools for Mortality | Medical Journals and Publishing | JAMA Internal MedicineStudies on ScentsScents and Senescence: "Old Person Smell" Is Real, but Not Necessarily Offensive - Scientific AmericanThe Scent of Disease: Human Body Odor Contains an Early Chemosensory Cue of SicknessSick People Smell Bad: Why Dogs Sniff Dogs, Humans Sniff Humans, and Dogs Sometimes Sniff Humans - Scientific American Blog NetworkSweat smells like ammonia: Causes and treatmentDisease and odor: An intriguing relationshipThe electronic nose technology in clinical diagnosis: A systematic review12 Diseases Doctors Can Actually Detect Through SmellBio-Detection DogsDiagnostic Accuracy of Canine Scent Detection in Early- and Late-Stage Lung and Breast CancersDogs can discriminate between human baseline and psychological stress condition odours | PLOS ONE  How Do Dogs Sniff Out Diseases? | Discover MagazineThe science of sniffs: disease smelling dogs :: Understanding Animal ResearchTherapy Animals / Our Relationship with AnimalsThe difference between dead and away: An exploratory study of behavior change during companion animal euthanasia - ScienceDirectAnimal-assisted therapy in adults: A systematic review - ScienceDirectAn Evaluation of the benefits that animal-assisted therapy provide to the terminally iII and their familiesAnimal-Assisted Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review | SpringerLinkMeasuring the Effects of an Animal-Assisted Intervention for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Their ParentsPet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk | CirculationOther Animal AbilitiesToads able to detect earthquake days beforehand, says study | Animal behaviour | The GuardianSharks use Earth's magnetic field to navigate the seas | Science | AAAS. Fire-chasing beetles sense infrared radiation from fires hundreds of kilometres away. 
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    37 m
  • WEIRD ISLAND CHECK IN: Taking a (Little) Pause

    WEIRD ISLAND CHECK IN: Taking a (Little) Pause
    Jan 24 2023

    Hey all! I’m taking a tiny pause on new episodes for a little while to work on some other things that inspire me. I’ll be back before you know it! And, in the meantime, I still have a couple of episodes to drop. So, I hope you’ll stick around. 

    If you’re looking for something new to listen to while I’m taking a breather, I wanted to share some of the podcasts that I've been loving recently. Some local (see list 1!) and some that are just incredible podcasts I think will be up your alley. I have 100% forgotten some (Spotify history needs to go back farther!), so I’ll keep adding!

    Local Stories:

    • Crimetown (If you haven’t already listened to this one, this is a MUST)
    • Mosaic (amazing)
    • The Memory Palace (One of my ALL TIME favorite writers. Not every episode is local, but you’ll stumble across many that are)
    • New England Legends
    • The Bowery Boys (New York, but lots of crossover) 

    Not local, but I think you love them:

    • Heavyweight (This is my favorite podcast of all time.)
    • Sidedoor
    • Unexplainable
    • Not Past It
    • Nice Try (highly recommend the episode on bidets)
    • HISTORY This Week
    • Ologies
    • Lore
    • Meet your Heroes
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    3 m
  • 67. MILLS: From Cotton Cloth to Space Age Textiles

    67. MILLS: From Cotton Cloth to Space Age Textiles
    Jan 3 2023
    While researching RI mills, I came across this one little snippet about the Ashton Mill in Cumberland, and had to know more: “Owens-Corning Fiberglas Company bought the mill... They operated in the mill until 1983. They made tire cord, drapery, and beta cloth for spacesuits for the Apollo Moon missions.”Episode Source Material:Address at Rice University in Houston, Texas on the Nation's Space Effort, 12 September 1962 | JFK LibraryWe choose to go to the Moon - WikipediaBeta cloth - WikipediaBA 500BC / CF500 F (Beta Cloth, Beta Fabric) – Bron AerotechPopular Science | November 1967Comparison of Observed Beta Cloth Interactions with Simulated and Actual Space EnvironmentBeta Cloth Durability Assessment for Space Station Freedom (SSF) Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) Blanket CoversApollo Applications of Beta Fiber GlassLunar Dust Effects on Spacesuit SystemsMan in Machine: Apollo-Era Space Suits as Artifacts of Technology and Culture | Douglas N. LantryAPOLLO SPACE SUITJourneying to the Moon in a Suit of Glass | Behind the GlassTensile Fabrics Enhance Architecture Around the World | NASA SpinoffOwens Corning 2019 Sustainability ReportOur HistoryOwens Corning - WikipediaOwens-Corning Records, 1938-Present , MSS-222OWENS-CORNING MILESTONESCoated Membrane Materials for Use in Construction of Stressed Membrane StructuresBeta Cloth Patches50 Years on, Apollo 11 Spacesuit Continues to Influence Imaginations and New Designs | KQEDTextiles in space - Textile Technology SourceSpace Mission Patches - About PatchesToledo's Owens Corning made Apollo 11 spacesuits possible | The BladeIf you want to know more about: Playtex and Space SuitsPlaytex - WikipediaWhat Did Playtex Have to Do With Neil Armstrong? | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian MagazineThe seamstresses who helped put a man on the moon: When NASA needed a lunar spacesuit, they turned to the women who sewed girdles and bras for Playtex - CBS NewsHow Playtex Helped Win the Space Race | Mental FlossThe Apollo 1 & the Space Race:Apollo 1 - WikipediaThe Legacy of the Apollo 1 Disaster | Science| Smithsonian MagazineApollo to the Moon: A History in 50 ObjectsThe Space Race: Timeline, Cold War & Facts - HISTORYApollo | History, Missions, Significance, & Facts | BritannicaHow Apollo 11 Raised The Flag On The Moon, And What It Means TodayWhere No Flag Has Gone Before:How the race to the Moon–with an assist from pop culture–changed the meaning of the word 'technology'Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform AudiencesAshton MillAshton - Blackstone River ValleyLabor news clippings, 22 scrapbooks, 1867-1902National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form
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    24 m
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