Family Plot

• Episode 278 Beatrice 'Tillie' Shilling - Engineer, Motorcycle Maven and Saviour of the Spitfire

  A shorter episode this week but that makes it the perfect length to listen to on your way to Holiday Shopping.  This week we go uplifting as we dig into the life of Beatrice 'Tillie' Shilling.  The child of a master butcher and one of thre girls born and raised in the South of England, she spent her pocket money on tools and penknives, deconstructed devices to see how they fit together and worked and played with Meccano sets, early construction toys allowing children to build working models of cars and cranes.  She would even win a competition for building from these kits.  By the age of 14, she bought her first motorcycle originally to beat her sisters in bike races.  But she tuned, tinkered and replaced every single part remaking the machine and soon was speeding around on it everywhere.  She began to study practical electronics and work in the field as young as 15, even going on to become an Engineer (in the 1930's when women just didn't do such things).  We cover the life of this amazing woman and how she saved both the Spitfire and the Hurricane, earned an OBE and hit the ton at Brooklands as a motorcycle racer in this uplifting, girl powerm yes it's in Surrey but there's no fringe on top episode of the Family Plot Podcast!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

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• Episode 277 Hot Stuff - The History of Spontaneous Human Combustion with Author Dan B. Fierce (Patreon Edition)

  We begin with a trigger warning, this week we talk about the results of people apparently catching fire spontaneously and the gruesome remains that sometimes leaves behind.  We attempt to go easy but still if you find yourself challenged by some of these descriptions, feel free to skip the episode.  You matter.  What a week!  This week we tackle the burning subject (quite literally( of spontaneous human combustion.  We dig into historic cases both fairly mundane and incredibly strange.  We discuss cases and theories from ancient to modern, including the wick effect and how it literally demands the person sit in one place, unmoving while they burn to mostly ash.  We discuss the very strange case of Mary Reeser and so much more and we also talk to author, and friend of the show, Dan B. Fierce about his upcoming plans.  Check it out!https://linktr.ee/danbfiercehttps://a.co/d/2wRgwvcBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

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• Episode 276 The Mysterious Death of Mitchell Siegel and the Secret Origin of Superman

  Boy, do we have a show for you.  It's Thanksgiving and Arthur is feeling rowdy and wants to fist fight at the back of a Denny's. plus he's hyper fixating on the new LPS!  We dig into the mysterious death of Ohio immigrant and businessman Mitchell Siegel and how that unsolved death led to the creation of the character of Superman.  We also find that Superman has a lot in common with a character named Doc Savage and how Superman, and other costumed superheroes grew out of the pulps.  We talk modern takes on the character, and all the pop culture feels and friends.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

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• Episode 275 Storme DeLarverie - Queer Icon and American Hero

  We have so much to tell you about!  In this episode, we dig into the life of Storme DeLarverie, a man who was born to a black mother and white father.  Mom was a servant and Dad was wealthy.  Because he was a child of black and white parents he was never issued a birth certificate and chose to celebrate his birthday on December 24th.  His dad paid for his education but he was raised mostly by his grandfather.  He joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as a show rider and began to get on stage at Jazz Clubs at only 15.  He would travel Europe with a jazz ensemble before returning to the United States where he joined the Jewel Box Revue.  The Jewel Box was at the time the only interracial drag show and it toured all over the country even to military bases.  And Storme became the show's lone drag king and emcee.  He was on hand at the Stonewall when the infamous uprising began in New York City aand may have been the one to kick off violence.  He later went on to become the Guardian of Greenwich Village in this, wow this was a true American episode of the Family Plot Podcast.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

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• Episode 274 The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake or How the City by the Bay learned to Shake Rattle and Roll.

  So many things in this episode.  Arthur discusses his new mask, Poppi Playtime, and hanging out with his brother who visited from college in this corner and then we dig into the tragedy that was the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, what happened, how it happened and the people who lived through it.  We cover their response and the hope for humanity when this city, founded as part of Mexico in 1776, was 80 percent destroyed and built back up just four years later.  We learn about how the American Red Cross partnered with the US Army to help create refugee camps and distrubute supplies to a needy populace.  All this and so much more in this earth-shaking episode of the Family Plot Podcast.  (Previous episodes referenced include episodes 135, 183, 188, 225 and 260.)Dean's Book - Map of Hollows is available at Amazon.com!https://a.co/d/gJzsv7CBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

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