Today we’re going to take a look at the explosive legacy of an individual that we’re all familiar with - or at least familiar with his creations. The enigmatic figure that we are about to explore is an inventor, philanthropist, ruthless industrialist, and also a major representative of peace in the contemporary age. This man’s most significant inve…

The history of baseball is the history of our nation… in amongst the innings of America’s Pastime, you’ll find the story lines that define our country. A timeline of people and events that have carried us through countless decades. Of all the great names who have ever played the game, there is one that has been almost completely lost to obscurity. …

Growing up in the country, there was nothing like spending the entire summer day outside. Riding bikes, shooting baskets, playing catch, hide and seek, taking a walk through the woods. There was something about being a kid and coming into the house at night time just being filthy - I’m sure my mom wasn’t too fond of that, but that was what our summ…

Who doesn’t love a good riddle? This episode’s introduction will be a riddle… so listen carefully, have an answer ready, and we’ll unveil the solution after the coffee pour. Ready? Here we go…. An elderly woman sits in her rocking chair knitting, positioned in front of a window, so that she may watch the trains passing by, the warm sun hitting her …

I can’t stand when people misuse the word “literally” - Some people have said, it’s literally raining cats and dogs - what??? No it’s not literally raining cats and dogs because if it were literally raining cats and dogs then I would physically see cats and dogs coming from the sky at terminal velocity, but I don’t see that, why? Because it’s a fig…

Well today, on this episode of the Missing Chapter, we are featuring Richard Graziano, a member of the Army Reserve for over 20 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel prior to his retirement. Richard joins us today, to honor Memorial day by talking about the history of a forgotten story - the Four Chaplains. And apart from all of the tech …

It’s our honor and pleasure to have back to the Missing Chapter, Dawn McKinney. The winner of our Hometown History competition and an exceptional teacher from Lincoln, CA, Dawn is back with us for a follow-up interview - highlighting her experiences with her class, delving deeper into her award-winning story, and reminiscing about what she thought …

In just within the past few years, the population of the world has crested the 8 billion mark. With the heightened advances in medicine, technology, fitness, safety, food production, all of it has contributed to a general rise in life expectancy and life production. It’s quite remarkable! But not in the slowly shrinking village located in the valle…

Humans have worked for centuries to attempt to capture and use the sun’s energy. With the decades-long usage of solar-powered technologies, have you ever wondered how harnessing this power was successful in the first place? Enter Mária Telkes, a hungarian-born biophysicist, chemical engineer and inventor who had a vision for the practical applicati…

The eastern front of World War II brought with it some of the most brutal, unimaginable fighting the world had ever seen. Conditions for both soldiers and civilians alike was “kill or be killed;” the tide of the war was at stake and the fate of the world hung in the balance. In amongst the rubble and the chaos that was Stalingrad, opposing snipers …

I think everyone would agree with me when I say that we’d all like to be better stewards of our money. Maybe we didn’t need that $6.00 latte this past Monday, Tuesday, and uh Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I mean, my goodness, that’s $30 a week in caffeinated beverages, who would ever do that? Certainly, not your caffeine-addicted, coffee aficionados…

His conquests rewrote the history books, as well as the maps of continents. He was feared throughout Europe and his tactics would redefine military strategies for decades to come. Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power out of the French Revolution and the period of upheaval that saw French royalty overthrow, as well as beheaded. Nothing stood in his way,…

Whether you’re from upstate NY like us, a listener from the south, our California friends, or even for some of our international listeners, I would guess that when I mention the Adirondack Chair, that provides a specific style rather than a generalized term. It’s the same instance as if I said the term car vs. a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria - the speci…

Have you ever thought about the unintended consequences of our decisions we make every day, good or bad? Stopping to get a coffee on your way to work has an unintended consequence of seeing an entirely different group of people on the highway. Going back in the house because you forgot something has an unintended consequence of you walking into wor…

Hello listeners, welcome to the Missing Chapter. If you’re familiar to our podcast at all, you know we just introduced a new segment - the MC profile. On today’s episode of the Missing Chapter, we’re highlighting an individual I’m almost certain you’ve never heard of. A brilliant individual that takes science to a level that boggles the mind. His k…

Well, everyone, because of all of our loyal listeners and fans, we have officially surpassed 100,000 plays! It’s hard to believe - 100,000! When we started this podcast 4 seasons ago, we could never imagine we’d be here so quickly, or be here at all! But here we are and we wanted to give you a bonus episode today to celebrate our way to 100k! Welco…

“I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too!” As far as iconic Hollywood quotes and villains go… you would be hard-pressed to come up with two more perfect examples in cinematic history. Not many people would recognize the name or photograph of actress Margaret Hamilton, but just about everyone knows the famous movie role she played, and the s…

The stereotype with today’s youth is that they always have their heads down on their phones, they’re always playing video games, and they never have anything to say. Well, Phil and I decided to put this label to the test and what better place to do it than Canajoharie high school’s very own job fair. Our student contestants sat down for a little im…

You know how the game goes - Start with everyone along the starting line, when you say 'Green Light' everyone will move towards the finish line, when you say 'Red Light' everyone must immediately stop. If players are still moving when you call 'Red Light', they must go back to the starting line. And if you’re thinking about playing this game in a r…

Hollywood’s depiction of pirates, swashbucklers, and buccaneers is often glamorized and fictionalized to the point, where it’s difficult to differentiate between villain and hero. The history and reality of pirates is often much more obvious, but no less thrilling and entertaining. Enter into today’s episode, arguably the most successful but least-…

Welcome to this episode of the Missing Chapter - and the segment we refer to as the Missing Chapter Profile. We’re going to take some time today and highlight someone of great musical stature. He has an immediately recognizable voice, and for any Italian family, his songs are a staple in any household, especially while cooking or baking. And for yo…

I hope to rekindle what it was like as a kid for some of our listeners here - or maybe for our younger audience, trigger more of a recent memory - the Crane Game. You might not know it by name, but the epiphany of what this game is will happen immediately when I say this - the game with the claw! But this isn’t an episode about toys, although we’ve…

Well, here we are in the snow-covered hills of upstate NY. It’s a balmy 14 out this morning, my windshield was covered with an impenetrable microscopic ice, which is somehow impervious to a massive steel and plastic ice scraper, I almost took a header coming down my steps from said ice, and I still can’t feel my hands from pumping gas this morning …

There are great quotes from American history and then there are Mark Twain quotes. There are great writers from American History and then there is Mark Twain. An astonishing and profound author, whose collection of works impacted U.S. history as much as the commentary he was making on it. From his humble upbringing to his amazing journey through li…

From relatives to neighbors, family to strangers, what other response is so commonly known around the world than what happens following someone’s sneeze. God bless you gesundheit, blesh you, salud - whatever your response, this is something so commonly used that it spans across continents, religions, ethnicities, and cultures - how is that possible…

If any of our listeners have flown before, you’ve probably noticed two schools of flying patrons - those that love it and spend their time casually reading their favorite book or appear to have the best slumber of their lives, and those that have to take a valium washed down with a swig of vino to get their heart rates back to normal pumping levels…

History is draped in mystery, speculation, and intrigue and certain events in our nation’s past lend themselves to these fascinations. Maybe none more so than assassinations and, in particular, those of President John F. Kennedy and President Abraham Lincoln. Today’s episode of The Missing Chapter delves into the latter. A renowned actor, a beloved…

John Macarthur, in his book Reckless Faith says, “Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.” How true is that? And what’s behind the note itself. How about this? What’s behind the stor…

Holiday traditions are in the details… Whether it be the specific way you decorate the Christmas tree, the precise angle the wreath is hung on the door, the Christmas card that gets mailed to friends and family has to be perfect. Undoubtedly, a large portion of the holiday season gets spent on… gifts. Finding gifts, buying gifts, and wrapping gifts…

Ahh, it’s almost Christmas. Hear the fire crackle, see the sparkling lights of the decorations inside and out, the smell of balsam around the house, hot chocolate in hand, and the beautiful traditional sounds of one of our favorite Christmas songs of all time - Morse Code. Wait, wait, what? Morse Code? Yup, that confusion that just struck your ears…

Hey, everyone, tis the season! Merry Christmas from the Phils at the Missing Chapter! And with the Christmas spirit, comes the music, the holiday festivities, and the quintessential customs. Our families hold dear to some of our Christmas traditions. Would you be surprised, though, if I told you that some of the more popular traditions don’t have a…

FDR is President, minimum wage is .30/hour, the digital calculator celebrated its first year, a gallon of gas is a hefty .15, and the Allied forces cross the English Channel to invade Normandy…the year? 1944. The place, Mattoon, Illinois, and this small town is experiencing great panic and fear over a mysterious illness that seems to be randomly se…

New territory for The Missing Chapter Podcast – the Vikings. A grizzled, hardened Norseman whose impressive resume warrants an episode in and of itself. It includes the unification of both Denmark and Norway. Reigning as king of these two Scandinavian countries in the late 10th-century, this monarch not only brought these fragmented tribes under hi…

Any financial advisor will tell their clients to strike while the iron’s hot. We’re seeing trends toward a certain stock, it’s low, make sure you buy now, as many as you can! Or eh, not so sure about this investment in this market, you better sell while you still can get something for your investment. For today’s episode, we’re talking some sketchy…

A warm crackling fire, the aroma of a turkey bronzing in the oven… is there a more American holiday than Thanksgiving? I’m not sure if there is, and let me add this to the picture you’re painting for our listeners… What’s on the television? Well, that would be the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, of course! It’s as iconic to this holiday as the mash…

George Washington, Martha Washington, General Philip Schuyler, Lafayette, Benjamin Rush…what do these people have in common? Well, quite a bit, but the known similarities isn’t what our focus is on this podcast. We harness the unknown. Well, in this episode of the Missing Chapter, let’s do just that. We’re going to look at how these individuals fai…

Boy it sure seems like technology is really taking off lately huh? I say that in the most literal sense because now you can go to your local Target or Wal-Mart and buy a toy that uses technology that was unthinkable only a few decades ago. To think when I was a kid that I would be able to take a remote control and manipulate a toy helicopter high i…

History comes in all facets - from artwork, to major accomplishments, huge catastrophes, and everything in between. Historically speaking, the big screen has provided opportunities for history to come alive! And if you're a follower of the Missing Chapter, you know we love our movies! So why not bring back the Top 5 - The Top 5 Historic and Iconic …

3 simple piano keys… used to create one of the most iconic Hollywood scores in history; one that can invoke a response from its listeners, unlike many others of its kind. In 1978, 2 friends set out to create a scary story and, in the process, produced a groundbreaking film that would change the landscape of movie-making forever, as well as the holi…

A superstition, according to Oxford Dictionary, is a widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief. Wow, that’s a mouthful. In essence, it’s something that we do out of habit, or maybe out of fear of bad luck. Don’t step on a crack or you’ll b…

When unearthing evidence of the past, it is unbelievable to read the lengths that governments will go to spy on other sovereign nations. I’m sure your mind went right to Cold War era espionage, which, if you’ve been a listener of the Missing Chapter for any period of time, you would know that’s one of our favorite eras and topics to talk about. Of …

The man was a grudge-holder and today… he was already fuming. The smell of smog, the oppressive heat & humidity, the unmerciful rush hour traffic. The overwhelming tidal wave of sidewalk commuters pushing and bumping into him as he left his office for the day. He was exhausted, frustrated, and simply put…wanted to be home. Standing on the street cu…

If you are new to the Missing Chapter Podcast, first of all, welcome to our classroom! For those of you who are veterans to the Missing Chapter, you know we love our coffee. Specifically, we love our Utica Coffee Roasting Company coffee. Almost every one of our episodes highlights a coffee from our beloved roasters in the heart of downtown Utica. I…

We love highlighting the unknown, the obscure, the forgotten - that has been and continues to be our mission for this podcast. Many of the stories we discover and are amazed and bewildered by their obscurity and their anonymity sometimes. Why don’t we know more about some of these stories? Well, this time, a story came to us - by means of our very …

Chances are that if you apply for a job as a secretary you possess certain skills. Things like: multi-tasking, taking phone calls, and… typing. Bette Graham Nesmith, however, was not a good typist when she accepted her position as executive secretary at the Texas Bank and Trust in 1956. And yes, the job description included extensive typing, especi…

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the term Renaissance man as someone who has wide interests and is an expert in several areas. The discussion in the Missing Chapter classroom today is a man that certainly fits the bill. His knowledge in a variety of fields, combined with his humble beginnings, has given him a mind that many historians have call…

History is full of accidental discoveries, including Teflon, Velcro, x-rays, and plastic. Today we are going to explore the world of music. Rock and Roll music and the electric guitar to be exact. Have you ever wondered how a rock guitarist can get their instrument to howl through a 12 bar blues or scream over top of the thundering bass and drums? …

Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you stumble upon a story that makes you say, no way, come on, really? Has this ever happened to you? Well it just happened to me - and let me tell you, it’s bizarre. Upon researching and studying our country’s origins, I came across a very, uh, peculiar, strange, and I don’t know, puzzling founding father. O…

History iis full of people who set out with grand ambitions – lofty goals of fortune and fame. Others came across these shared desires by chance and their success reached heights even they could never have anticipated. A simple mid-western boy graduated from Purdue University in 1928, with a degree in soil management & crop production. Upon his gra…

In many of our episodes the past 3 seasons, we have kept the main character or punchline hidden until the end. But on this episode, I’m going to hide the main character right out in the open. A guy by the name of Josephus Daniels. Ring a bell? Hmm. Well the story isn’t so much about what this individual accomplished, and I mean, accomplished he was…