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NOTE: This episode was recorded in 2025. Mr. Rixon and Mrs. Allgood are back! We have travelled through another dimension (and a multi-year hiatus) to bring you another episode of Who Knew? A History Podcast! In this episode, we explore the life and career of Rod Serling, the television creator behind The Twilight Zone. We explore his military service in World War II, his career in both radio and television, how his show has become a landmark in the history of television.

Mary Cassatt is one of the most important artists in American history, and much of her time was spent in Paris, France. But as we return to the Columbian Exposition for our latest Who Knew? episode, Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon will dive into Cassatt's impact and influence in Chicago, her travels throughout Europe, and what makes something a distinct "Cassatt" painting.

As Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon return to Chicago and the Columbian Exposition, we focus on the man who designed its fairgrounds: Frederick Law Olmsted. In our latest episode from Season Two, we explore Olmsted's varied life and career as a businessman, farmer, Union soldier, and what he is best known for, landscape architect and designer of some of America's most celebrated parks and public gardens.

We're back! After months of delays, Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon are pleased to bring you an all-new episode of Who Knew? A History Podcast! And we return to Chicago and the Columbian Exposition of 1893 to take in one of its premier attractions - the Ferris Wheel. This episode is packed with lots of information - design, fair amusements, the proper pronunciation of college names, and quicksand! But at the heart of the episode is one engineer whose singular vision would bring about an attraction that not only bears his name, but would become a hallmark of fairs and amusements around the world. Original music composed and performed by Matthew Brown.

We know many of you have been patiently waiting for our next episodes about the Chicago World’s Fair. We were on track to get them published over the summer, but between vacations, family obligations, and the eventual start of the school year, we fell a little bit behind. But fear not! Mrs. Allgood and I are hard at work editing the remaining World’s Fair episodes, and we hope to have them up in the future. We’re also making plans for our summer season in 2022, when we’ll be exploring a brand new topic, and one we think fans will be very excited about! To stay up to date on the latest episodes, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you so much for your support of Who Knew? A History Podcast.

The Columbian Exposition of 1893 is linked to several famous American food brands, including Vienna Beef Hot Dogs and Hershey's Chocolate. But it was also the debut of Aunt Jemima, the famous mascot for the ready-made pancake mix brand. And in the years since, the mascot and the brand have been the topic of controversy. In our second episode of season two, Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon explore the origins of the pancake company, as well as the troubling roots of the character, how she was portrayed, and how events in the 21st century have forced a reckoning around how history depicts certain figures and eras.

Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon are back for Season Two of Who Knew? A History Podcast! And this season, we're taking the listeners back in time to an event that created modern America - the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. In our first episode, we explore how the fair ultimately landed in Chicago, the construction process, and finally, Mrs. Allgood gives us a tour of what a spectator would see at the "White City." A special shout-out goes to O'Connell student Matthew Brown, who wrote and composed all of the incredible music you'll hear throughout this season!

Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon are back to answer your questions, with special guest and fellow O'Connell Social Studies teacher Mr. Kasakove! In this bonus episode, we answer questions sent in by our current APUSH students. What is the coolest fact we've ever learned from a student? Which president would you least want to have dinner with? Why is there a weird "nub-thing" that's part of Minnesota? We answer these questions and many more!

Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon are back for a bonus Halloween episode! What do dead cows, black cats, and a rat infestation have in common? They're all connected to the "Witch of Pungo," an urban legend in Virginia Beach, VA. In this bonus episode, we'll discuss Grace Sherwood, the first person arrested and tried in colonial America for the crime of witchcraft, and how her story tells us much about life in Virginia in the 1600's and 1700's.

We've reached the season finale of Who Knew?, so Mr. Rixon and Mrs. Allgood are cracking open an ice cold can of knowledge about Coca-Cola! In this episode, we explore how the beverage has origins in the Civil War, as well as the patent medicine craze of the late 1800's and early 1900's. We'll also discuss the shady business dealings around the growth of the brand, and how Diet Coke sold at McDonald's is scientifically proven to taste better!

She's beauty, she's grace, she's....Mrs. Cottrell! Join Mrs. Allgood and special guest Mrs. Cottrell, another Social Studies teacher at Bishop O'Connell High School, as they explore the history of New Jersey's favorite summer tradition, The Miss America Pageant. In this episode we discuss how history is not all cut-and-dry, and how post-war America has constantly reinvented the "American woman."

What do you get when you cross Mr. Rixon's love of sports with Mrs. Allgood's love of the Golden Age of Hollywood? You get Esther Williams! In our latest episode, we discuss some of the double standards that women swimmers faced in the 1920's and 1930's, and how she turned her swimming skills into a movie career.

In March 2020, Joe Biden announced that if he won the Democratic nomination, he would select a woman to be his running mate. In light of that decision, Mr. Rixon and Mrs. Allgood go back in time this week to discuss the first woman ever nominated for a presidential ticket, Geraldine Ferraro. We will explore her childhood in New York, her career as a teacher, lawyer, and Congresswoman, and the factors that put her on the ticket in 1984.

The "Wild West" is perhaps the most romanticized period in American history, filled with cowboys, gun fights, stagecoaches, and saloons. And it has been populated by figures that have become myths and legends, including Calamity Jane. But how much of Calamity Jane's story was real? In our latest episode, Mrs. Allgood and Mr. Rixon will try to reveal the true story of Martha Jane Canary.

Prior to the 1990's, the Internet was the exclusive domain of university professors, as well as "hackers and hobbyists," who built their own computers and had mastered the language of coding. But corporate executive Steve Case had a vision of creating a "bulletin board" that average computer owners could use to "surf the web." His vision eventually became America Online, and the story of its rise and fall is the topic of our latest episode, as Mr. Rixon and Mrs. Allgood reminisce about "dial-up," our AIM screen names, and how the service became a staple of 90's and 2000's culture.