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iHeartPodcasts

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Holly talks about the unsubstantiated stories associated with the Villa de Vecchi in northern Italy. Tracy talks about getting angry about a passage she read in Wednesday's show. 

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Villas and Tirades

Hi, Stuff You Missed in History Class listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Health Stuff!
 
Health Stuff: On Health Stuff, hosts Dr. Priyanka Wali and comedian Hari Kondabolu tackle all the health questions that keep you up at night with hilarity and humanity. Together, they demystify the flashy trends, and keep you informed on the latest research. You can rely on Health Stuff to bring you real, uninhibited, and thoughtful health talk of the highest caliber, and a healthy dose of humor.
 
 
 
Listen to Health Stuff on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Introducing: Health Stuff

In late 1803, accounts of ghost sightings began to circulate in Hammersmith, England. This led to a tragic event, and a legal case that revealed some limitations in existing English law. 
 
Research:
 
 • “The case of the murdered ghost.” BBC News. January 3, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3364467.stm
 • “Fears of a Ghost and the Fatal Catastrophe.” The Morning Chronicle. Jan 5, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/394016127/?match=1&terms=Francis%20Smith
 • Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. “The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years.” Library of Congress Blog. In Custodia Legis. Law Librarians of Congress. Oct. 30, 2015. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/10/the-case-of-a-ghost-haunted-england-for-over-two-hundred-years/
 • Castle, Terry. “Phantasmagoria: Spectral Technology and the Metaphorics of Modern Reverie.” Critical Inquiry. Autumn, 1988, Vol. 15, No. 1.pp. 26-61. The University of Chicago Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1343603
 • “FRANCIS SMITH. Killing; murder. 11th January 1804..” Proceedings of the Old Bailey.
 • “The Hammersmith Ghost: London’s Paranormal Murder.” Discovery UK. Jan. 7, 2025. https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-hammersmith-ghost-londons-paranormal-murder/
 • “The Hammersmith Ghost.” Cambridge Chronicle and Journal. Jan. 14, 2804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/975790052/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
 • Kirby, R.S. “Kirby's Wonderful and Scientific Museum: Or, Magazine of Remarkable Characters, Volume 2.” 1804. https://books.google.com/books?id=ggMhkDz-33EC&source=gbs_navlinks_s
 • Medland, W.M. and Charles Weobly. “A Collection of Remarkable and Interesting Criminal Trials, Actions at Law, &c: To which is Prefixed, an Essay on Reprieve and Pardon, and Biographical Sketches of John Lord Eldon, and Mr. Mingay, Volume 2.” Badcock. January 1804. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=c5YuAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-c5YuAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1
 • Mitchell, Edwin Valentine, ed. “The Newgate calendar :

 • comprising interesting memoirs of the most notorious characters who have been convicted of outrages on the laws of England.” Garden City Pub. Co. 1926. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006759756
 • “Murder – Hammersmith Ghost.” The Bury and Norwich Post. Jan. 18, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/394552157/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
 • “The Reath Hammersmith Ghost.: The Bath Journal. Jan. 16, 1804. https://www.newspapers.com/image/975620428/?match=1&terms=Hammersmith%20ghost
 • “Regine v. Gladstone Williams.” Transcript of the Shorthand Notes of Marten Walsh Cherer Ltd., 36-38 Whitefriers Street,

 • Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8BH. Telephone Number: 01-583 7635, Shorthand Writers to the Court. https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/1983/4.html
 
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Hammersmith Ghost Murder

Today’s topic is an abandoned mansion, but it was once a gorgeous and luxurious home designed for a prominent citizen of northern Italy. It’s often described as haunted and as having a dark history, but there are some interesting contradictions regarding that story.
 
Research:
 
 • “Caravan Journal, the rediscovered manuscript. The Orient through the eyes of a forgotten Milanese patriot: Felice De Vecchi.” Arte.IT: The Map of Art in Italy. https://www.arte.it/calendario-arte/milano/mostra-giornale-di-carovana-il-manoscritto-ritrovato-l-oriente-attraverso-gli-occhi-di-un-patriota-milanese-dimenticato-felice-de-vecchi-4835
 • “Cesare Maria De Vecchi in Rhodes.” Palace of the Grand Master. https://grandmasterpalacerhodes.gr/cesare-maria-de-vecchi/
 • Claus, Patricia. “Mussolini's Old Villa on Rhodes Still on Real Estate Market.” Greek Reporter. July 17, 2020. https://greekreporter.com/2020/07/17/mussolinis-old-villa-on-rhodes-still-on-real-estate-market/
 • Britannica Editors. "Aleister Crowley". 
Encyclopedia Britannica • , 11 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleister-Crowley
 • Frigo, Marco. “Villa De Vecchi: the haunted mansion inhabited by ghosts not far from Milan with a mysterious, dramatic and fascinating past.” Milano Segreta. Oct. 6, 2025. https://milanosegreta.co/en/villa-de-vecchi-ghost-mansion/
 • Linstrom, Emily. “Villa de Vecchi.” Atlas Obscura.
 • Lecco, Alberto, Foot, John. "Milan". 
Encyclopedia Britannica • , 13 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Milan-Italy
 • Linstrom, Emily. “Villa de Vecchi.” Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/villa-de-vecchi
 • “History of Milan.” Civitatis Milan. https://www.introducingmilan.com/history
 • Imam, Maham. “ATHENAEUM: Adaptive reuse of Villa De Vecchi into a public Library.” University of Management and Technology, Lahore. 2023. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j3dhAHK8v4i-vV_IkAB8WXWMXpCEP_BQ/view?pli=1
 • Philip, Lizzie. “The Real Story Behind Northern Italy’s Abandoned ‘Ghost Mansion.’” Atlas Obscura. Oct. 17, 2018. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ghost-mansion-in-northern-italy#:~:text=Place-,Villa%20de%20Vecchi,explore%20more%20Atlas%20Obscura%20videos.
 • Pitzalis, Bruno. “Step Inside an Abandoned ‘Ghost Mansion’ of Northern Italy. Atlas Obscura. Oct. 9, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTP2erZ7CBc&t=38s
 • Santarelli, Enzo. “DE VECCHI, Cesare Maria.” Biographical Dictionary of Italians. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/de-vecchi-cesare-maria_(Dizionario-Biografico)/
 • “Sidoli, Alessandro (1812-1855), Architekt, Maler und Graphiker.” Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon. Austrian Center for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage. (Translated.) https://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_S/Sidoli_Alessandro_1812_1855.xml
 • Smee, Taryn. “The Red House – Italy’s Most Haunted Villa Which Lies Abandoned and Off Limits.” The Vintage News. Nov. 20, 2018. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/11/20/villa-de-vecchi/
 • “Villa De Vecchi, Italy: A Timeless Masterpiece of Architectural Splendor.” Rethinking the Future. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/articles/villa-de-vecchi-italy
 
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Villa de Vecchi

This 2021 episode covers Aleister Crowley, a truly prolific and deliberately transgressive occultist whose practices included sex and drug use. He influenced modern Satanism, as well as other new religious movements.

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SYMHC Classics: Aleister Crowley

Holly and Tracy talk about ghost experiences in their lives. Tracy thanks all the listeners who suggested ghost towns for this week's episode.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Ghosts and Their Towns

We've had a lot of listener requests related to ghost towns, so this Halloween season, we've got six places in the U.S. that could be labeled as such. But not not all are empty today.
 
Research:
 
 • Knutson, Julie. “The End of Centralia’s Abandoned, Colorful, Anarchic ‘Graffiti Highway.’” Atlas Obscura. 9/14/2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/centralia-graffiti-highway-buried
 • California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
 • California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/BodieSHPFinalWebLayout2016.pdf
 • Severn, Carly. “This Ghost Town’s 'Curse' Isn't What You Think.” KQED. 7/12/2018. https://www.kqed.org/news/11640709/how-this-ghost-towns-curse-backfired-on-park-rangers
 • Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail. “The Mound at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.” https://alabamamoundtrail.org/mound-site/old-cahawba/
 • Alabama Historical Commission. “History of Old Cahawba.” https://ahc.alabama.gov/CahawbaHistoryFacts.aspx
 • Jones, James. “Cahawba Listed as One of World’s 10 Spookiest Ghost Towns.” Selma Times Journal. 10/19/2023. https://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2023/10/19/cahawba-listed-as-one-of-worlds-10-spookiest-ghost-towns/
 • Pykles, Benjamin C. “Iosepa, Utah’s Pacific Islander Pioneers.” Utah Historical Society. https://history.utah.gov/iosepa-utahs-pacific-islander-pioneers/
 • Chapman, Hannah. “Iosepa: Utah’s Little Hawai'i.” Intermountain Histories. https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/388
 • Fitisemanu, Nafanua. “Iosepa: Utah Ghost Town.” https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a9e6a54ef1124c4e80d8eecfac09263d
 • Schirer, David L. “Iospa.” Utah History Encyclopedia. https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/i/IOSEPA.shtml
 • Utah American Indian Digital Archive. “History: The Goshutes.” https://utahindians.org/archives/goshute/history.html
 • Atkin, Dennis H. “A History of Iosepa, the Utah Polynesian Colony.” https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4489/
 • Heinrich, Kieth. “Pithole City.” Pennsylvania Heritage. Fall 2015. https://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/pithole-city/
 • Comet, Jorge Navarro. “Pithole: The Rapid Rise and Sudden Fall of an Oil Boomtown.” AAPG. 7/1/2022. https://www.aapg.org/news-and-media/details/explorer/articleid/63602/pithole-the-rapid-rise-and-sudden-fall-of-an-oil-boomtown
 • Town of Jerome. “Jerome: Then and Now.” https://jerome.az.gov/jerome-then-and-now
 • Penn State. “Anthracite Coal Mining Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.” https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/anthracite
 • Turino, Mitchell. “Centralia Mine Fire.” Environment and Society. https://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/centralia-mine-fire
 • Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “The Centralia Mine Fire” https://files.dep.state.pa.us/mining/Abandoned%20Mine%20Reclamation/AbandonedMinePortalFiles/Centralia/CentraliaFrequentlyAskedQuestions.pdf
 • Blakemore, Erin. “This Mine Fire Has Been Burning For Over 50 Years.” History. 5/27/2025. https://www.history.com/articles/mine-fire-burning-more-50-years-ghost-town
 • Currie, Tyler. “Zip Code 00000.” Washington Post. 4/2/2003. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2003/04/02/AR2005033108150.html
 • Lewis, Herbert J. “Cahaba.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 5/20/2008. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/cahaba/
 • Shahin, Alexandra Kennon. “Alabama's Ghost Capital.” 9/21/2018. https://countryroadsmagazine.com/travel/getaways/alabama-s-ghost-capital/
 • Alabama Tourism. “Tour of Old Cahawba.” 10/25/2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L18GAP-vQY
 • Splain, Shelby Weaver. “Pithole or Bust!” 7/24/2024. https://pahistoricpreservation.com/pithole-bust/
 
 

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Six Impossible Episodes: U.S. Ghost Towns

This episode features several ghosts all associated with one place. And that place is a specific building with its own interesting history – the Theater Royal Drury Lane of London.
 

Research:
 
 • Appleton, William Worthen. “Charles macklin: An Actor’s Life.” Cambridge, Harvard University Press. 1960. https://archive.org/details/charlesmacklinac00appl/page/n11/mode/2up
 • Benjamin, Victor D. “The history of the theatres of London, from the year 1760 to the present time. Being a continuation of the Annual Register of all the new tragedies, comedies farces, pantomines that have been performed within that period. With occasional notes and anecdotes.” London. Printed for T. Becket. 1771. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/historyoftheatre00victiala/page/n7/mode/2up
 • Cibber, Colley. “An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber.” Chiswick Press, London. 1889. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/44064/pg44064.txt
 • “Dan Leno: A Victim to Overwork.” The People (London.) June 7, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/811209994/?match=1&terms=dan%20leno
 • “Dan Leno Dead.” New York Times. Nov. 1, 1904. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/01/101241446.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
 • Dickson, Andrew. “Inside the world's most haunted theatre.” The Guardian. Oct. 29, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/oct/29/most-haunted-theatre-ghosts-superstitions-theatre-royal-drury-lane
 • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Colley Cibber". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Colley-Cibber
 • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Dan Leno". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dan-Leno
 • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Drury Lane Theatre". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Drury-Lane-Theatre
 • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Thomas Killigrew". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Killigrew
 • “Ghost of Dan Leno.” The Register. (Adelaide, SA.) Dec. 15, 1923. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65060035
 • Hoge, Warren. “A Major New Role As Theater Mogul For Lloyd Webber.” New York Times. Jan. 10, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/10/arts/a-major-new-role-as-theater-mogul-for-lloyd-webber.html
 • "The humorous lieutenant, or, Generous enemies a comedy as it is now acted by His Majesties servants, at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A39804.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections.
 • “Interregnum (1649-1660).” The Royal Family. https://www.royal.uk/interregnum-1649-1660
 • “Leno, Dan, 1860-1904.” University of Sheffield Archives. https://archives.sheffield.ac.uk/agents/people/308?&filter_fields[]=subjects&filter_values[]=Wild+west
 • Lloyd, Arthur. “The Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Main Entrance situated on Catherine Street, Westminster, London.” Arthur Lloyd’s Music Hall. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DruryLane.htm#1
 • Maitland, Hayley. “Murder, Musicals, and Royal Romance: The History of Drury Lane, London’s Oldest—And Most Haunted—Theater.” Vogue. Sept. 14, 2023. https://www.vogue.com/article/the-history-of-drury-lane-londons-oldest-and-most-haunted-theater
 • Milhous, Judith, and Robert D. Hume. “The Drury Lane Actors' Rebellion of 1743.” Theatre Journal , Mar., 1990, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Mar., 1990), pp. 57-80. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3207558
 • Morley, Sheridan. “Theatre's Strangest Acts.” Robson Books. 2014.
 • Mullan, Kevin. “Charles Macklin (McLaughlin/MacLochlainn): The Donegal theatre radical and playwright who revolutionised Covent Garden in the 1700s.” Derry Journal. Sept. 24, 2024. https://www.derryjournal.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/charles-macklin-mclaughlinmaclochlainn-the-donegal-theatre-radical-and-playwright-who-revolutionised-covent-garden-in-the-1700s-4795038
 • “The Newly Renovated Theatre Royal Drury Lane Wins At The Stage Awards.” Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals. https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/news/the-newly-renovated-theatre-royal-drury-lane-wins-at-the-stage-awards
 • Planer, Nigel. “The Ghosts of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.” Huffpost. Feb. 10, 2014. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nigel-planer/nigel-planer-drury-lane-ghosts_b_4426092.html
 • Simon, Ed. “Here We Are Again!—How Joseph Grimaldi Invented the Creepy Clown.” JSTOR. May 4, 2022. https://daily.jstor.org/here-we-are-again-how-joseph-grimaldi-invented-the-creepy-clown/
 • Shand, John. “Drury Lane: London’s Oldest Theater. A Tercentenary?” The Guardian. July 8, 1939. https://www.newspapers.com/image/259462987/?match=1&terms=drury%20theatre%20ghost
 • Shipp, L. “Charles Fleetwood, the 1744 Drury Lane Riots, and Pricing Practices in Eighteenth-Century British Theatre.” Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 47: 405–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/1754-0208.12956.
 • “The Story So Far.” LW Theatres. https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/theatre-royal-drury-lane/about-theatre-royal-drury-lane/
 • “The Story So Far …” Theatre Royal Drury lane. https://thelane.co.uk/the-history
 • Wyatt, Benjamin Dean. “Observations on the design for the Theatre royal, Drury lane, as executed in 1812: accompanied by plans, elevation, & sections, of the same.” London, printed for J. Taylor. 1813. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=o58NAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-o58NAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1
 • Zagha, Muriel. “The Puritan Paradox.” The Guardian. Feb. 15, 2002. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/feb/16/artsandhumanities.highereducation
 

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Drury Lane Ghosts

This 2020 episode covers three of the many supernatural canines and hellhounds in our collective storytelling. Two are similar and from England, and one is a fun figure from southern Louisiana.

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SYMHC Classics: Three Hellhounds

Holly asks follow-up questions about a paper Tracy mentioned in the episodes this week. Tracy talks about the use of the Nintendo 3DS as a Louvre guide. 

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Bias 3DS

Tracy shares a funny confusion about Unitarians and the University of Utrecht she kept having during research. Holly talks about how often escape stories to claim the escaper was never heard from again, even if that's not true.

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Behind the Scenes Minis: Learned Women and Sharkey

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