In this podcast, we focus on the human side of the Bataan Death March, and how the survivors coped with the physical and psychological traumas of the march and the imprisonment. We share the voices and memories of some of the survivors, who describe their ordeals, their fears, their hopes, and their resilience. We also analyze the broader context of the march and the war, and how they shaped the experiences and attitudes of the prisoners and their captors. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities of preserving and promoting the legacy of the survivors, and why it is important to honor and learn from their stories.

In this episode, we dive into the life of Dr. Mary Jane Safford, a pioneering physician who dedicated her career to providing healthcare services to underserved communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite being Florida's first practicing female physician and a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, few people know much about her. Born in Vermont in 1842, she was inspired to pursue medicine after witnessing the dire need for healthcare in rural areas. Dr. Safford was often the only physician available to treat patients in remote areas, and her dedication and tireless efforts helped to bring much-needed medical attention to these areas and improved the health and well-being of countless residents. Her legacy serves as a reminder of the important role that doctors play in improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities, and she continues to inspire healthcare providers today.

Hedy Lamarr was a Hollywood actress known for her beauty, but she was also a brilliant inventor who helped create the technology for Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Born in Vienna in 1914, Lamarr had a curious mind and an early interest in how machines worked, and her mother introduced her to the arts. She gained fame as an actress in Europe and Hollywood, but her unhappy marriage to an Austrian munitions dealer led her to flee to London and eventually to Hollywood, where she met billionaire Howard Hughes. Hughes fueled her innovative spirit and gave her equipment to use on set, and they worked together to develop faster planes for the military.

However, Lamarr's most significant invention was a communication system she developed with composer George Antheil to guide torpedoes during World War II. The system used frequency hopping, which switched between radio frequencies in an unbreakable code that prevented radio waves from being intercepted. Although their invention was initially dismissed by the military, it became the basis of modern wireless communication technology. 

Meet the unsung hero of the Apollo 13 mission whose work helped save the lives of the astronauts. You may not have heard of Judith Love Cohen, but she was a dancer with the New York Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company, a children's book author, and a brilliant engineer who worked on the Abort Guidance System that played a crucial role in the Apollo program. When disaster struck during the Apollo 13 mission, Cohen's invention came to the rescue and allowed the astronauts to return safely to Earth. 

Picture this: it's 1945 and soldiers on the frontlines are eagerly waiting for a letter from their loved ones back home. But their letters are undelivered, stuck in a backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail. Enter Major Charity Adams, a trailblazing African-American woman who led the all-black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion to clear that massive backlog and boost the morale of soldiers fighting for our country.

Born into slavery, Robert Smalls’ determination and bravery led him to become a hero of the Civil War. Working as a pilot on a Confederate military cargo ship, he saw an opportunity to escape slavery and bring his family to freedom. Robert and his crew seized control of the ship and navigated past the Confederate gun range and into Union territory. It was then that he approached Union soldiers, and said, “Good morning Sir. I’ve brought you some of the United States' old guns, Sir!” 

Smalls' gained his freedom and went on to be elected as Congressman. 

If I told you two politicians were so infuriated with one another that one would challenge the other to a duel, you would be forgiven for thinking it is a recent news story. Or, if you realized that no one has publicly challenged anyone to a duel for over 200 years, you might be thinking of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. In either case, you’d be mistaken. I’m talking about President Abraham Lincoln and Senator James Shields. Of course, this was before either were elected to those offices.

In August of 1842, the Illinois State Bank went bankrupt. It announced that it would no longer accept its own paper currency from private citizens. The only acceptable currency would be gold and silver. Something most citizens did not have. Shields, then the State Auditor, became a target of the opposition party. Lincoln, a self-described “prairie lawyer” at the time, wrote a scathing editorial in the Springfield newspaper about Shields. And because he was friendly with the editor of the paper, he was able to write it under an alias.

Hear the full story on Historic Footnotes

A Christmas Miracle?

Maybe.

It was the unexpected temporary truce between England and Germany started by Christmas carols and leading to a (temporary) pause for one battlefield during World War I.