Historically Speaking Podcast
Uncommon history with an unconventional pair. Join married hosts Rebecca Robbins (a Broadway actress) and Kim Kimmel (her college history instructor) as they delve into topics that run the historical gambit. A gifted storyteller, Kim taught history at the collegiate level for 29 years while as a student, Rebecca always sat in the front row of his Western Civilizations class soaking up every word he said. For the record, she made an A in his class. She went on to pursue a Broadway career (The Phantom of The Opera, A Tale of Two Cities) while he continued to teach at her alma mater (Curtis Institute of Music). Though you couldn't get more different than these two with their 23-year age difference, together they bring history to life with their unique perspectives, entertaining banter, and shared love of the past. Sometimes quirky, sometimes obscure, this is the kind of history you’ll actually want to remember. Now in our Second Season. New episodes bi-weekly on Wednesday mornings.
Historically Speaking Podcast
A Handful of Holiday Histories
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Rebecca Robbins & Kim Kimmel
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Season 1
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Episode 30
Everyone has their favorite holiday, but do you know how your favorite holiday came into being? The answers may surprise you. For instance, in 12th century England, New Year’s Day was celebrated on March 25th, but the ancient Celts celebrated their New Year (Sumhain) on November 1st. So why do we now celebrate the New Year on January 1st? And why do we now use the Gregorian Calendar as opposed to the Julian Calendar? Also, did the Druids really use human sacrifices during their celebrations? And why would shepherds be tending their flocks in the middle of December? Did slavery still exist after June 19, 1865? Here in our 30th episode we answer every single one of those questions and much more!
Episode Notes:
- King Numa Pompilius (c. 700 BC) is credited with adding January and February to the old 10-month Roman calendar, but March 1st remained New Year’s Day for Romans until the Julian calendar was developed around 45 BC.
- President Abraham Lincoln did not, in August of 1862, write to Horatio Seymour, former and future Governor of New York, about slavery and the Union, but rather to Horace Greeley, editor of The New York Tribune.
- As promised, here is Rebecca’s Spotify playlist, “October Songs”.
Books:
- A Brief History of the Calendar by David Harper, PhD, FRAS
- New Year’s Day Wikipedia article
- The Civil War Day by Day by E.B. Long
- Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
- Halloween by Ruth Edna Kelley
- A Brief History of the Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis
- The Christmas Encyclopedia by William Crump
- Historical Dictionary of Catholicism by William J. Collinge
Film:
- The Wicker Man (1973) – with Edward Woodward, Diane Cilento