History Dispatches

With the discovery of Radium in 1898 it began to be used in numerous applications. The most famous was a glow in the dark paint. Thousands of women applied for jobs painting watch dials and other instruments, and to keep their paint brush extra fine, they were instructed to lick the brush. This would all be fine, if a bit unsanitary, except that radium is radioactive, and dozens of these women started to die. This is the story of the Radium Girls. Sources https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2018/01/04/the-radium-girls-at-the-national-archives/ https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2019/03/radium-girls-living-dead-women/ https://www.britannica.com/story/radium-girls-the-women-who-fought-for-their-lives-in-a-killer-workplace Images: https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045462/1928-05-13/ed-1/?sp=58 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:All_women_or_girls_using_radium_paint_with_no_protection_or_warnings_in_1922,_from-_USRadiumGirls-Argonne1,ca1922-23-150dpi_(cropped).jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The French Revolution would bring about many, many changes in Europe. One of the most radical was the dechristianization of France - including the banning of religious holidays. Will Clark, the host and creator of Grey History - a French Revolution Podcast - joins us to tell the story of How the French Stole Christmas. Sources Learn more about Will Clark and his podcast, Grey History, at https://greyhistory.com History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the outset of World War II, the United States faced a shortage of pilots. As a result, a plan was launched to help ease the situation. This was the creation of a unit of women to fly non-combat duties - such as delivering airplanes to bases. More than 1,000 female pilots would go on to deliver over half of newly made military aircraft during the war to bases all over the nation. This is the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots - better known as the WASPs. Sources https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458964/womens-airforce-service-pilots-wasp/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots https://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/wasp-women-airforce-service-pilots Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_L._Remba_Gardner,_Women%27s_Airforce_Service_Pilots,_NARA-542191.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you fight a disease with no known cure - and spreads by just drinking water? This disease is no fantasy but rather Dracunculiasis, or Guinea Worm Disease. While not necessarily fatal, it is extremely painful, and can leave the infected crippled for the rest of their life. But this being a parasite means there are no vaccines or antibiotics to fight it. In 1985, the disease infected more than 3.5 million individuals, and the global community decided it was time to eliminate the disease. And by 2024, there were just 15 cases. This is the story of the eradication of Dracunculiasis. Sources https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02306-8 https://www.cartercenter.org/programs/guinea-worm/ https://www.who.int/activities/eradicating-dracunculiasis Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guinea_Worms_in_Carter_Museum.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1970s, in a small town in Southeastern Wisconsin, two young gaming enthusiasts, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, would concoct an idea for a new game. Little did they know they would create something that would revolutionize the industry - and to this day - remains the biggest role-playing game in the world. This is the story of the origins of Dungeons & Dragons. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Arneson https://medium.com/@louis-fiori/dungeons-dragons-the-history-impact-and-legacy-of-a-cultural-phenomenon-b6a6b8c9e3af History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices