Origin of Everything

When you hear "Latino" you probably think of people from Latin America - places like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, etc. But where exactly did the history of that word come from, and has it always meant Central America and South America as well as the Caribbean? Danielle traces the origin of the term "Latino" and the debates that still surround it as well as the term "Hispanic" and "Latinx."

June is Pride Month and if not for coronavirus streets around the world would be filled with the LGBTQIA Community living loud and proud. But how did the New York City Stonewall Riots turn into a month-long celebration? And specifically, how did we get from picketed protests like the Annual Reminder in Philadelphia to massive parades and parties around the world?

The history of the World War II concentration camps extends back to the late 19th. century and the invention of barbed wire and the automatic rifle. Danielle looks at the grim origin of concentration and internment camps and the various countries (including Spain, Great Britain, and the United States), who used similar tactics long before the Nazi Regime.

Humanity didn't always know about the invisible viruses, bacteria, and microbes that can cause disease. But that doesn't mean we didn't come up with some truly bizarre ideas. From the four humors and miasma theory to bloodletting and trepanation, Danielle traces humanity's winding road to the Germ Theory of Disease that revolutionized the medical profession.

2020 marks 100 years of National Suffrage for women in the United States! Today Danielle looks back on the long road to ratification for the 19th Amendment. She explains how the Seneca Falls Convention wasn't seen as important at the time and how some of the most famous suffragists of the time wrote a whole history book to ensure they were remembered.

Today, Danielle (from the safety of her Chicago flat) looks back at a few of the world's biggest pandemics. From the Black Death of the 1300s to the 17th c. Plague and the 1918 Spanish Flu, Danielle explores the human and economic tolls of past pandemics and what we can learn to prepare for life during and after COVID-19.

Writing to a complete stranger about your most pressing, personal issues seems a bit odd. But that's exactly what the advice column is! From their origin as the Google of the 1600s to the booming renaissance of today, Danielle examines the strange history of advice columns.

What does it mean to say someone is a "good" student? Today Danielle breaks down the stereotype of the perfect student and why grades alone don't define children. She also examines the systems and barriers that stop young girls and students of color from reaching their fullest potential.

When picturing a jury, you probably imagine 12 people - no more, no less. But did you know there is no hard and fast rule about how many members are required on a jury? Today, Danielle looks at the differences between petit and grand juries and the historical accidents that have lead many to believe that juries MUST have twelve members.

E-Cigarettes are everywhere. Vaping has become so ubiquitous that "vape" was Oxford Dictionaries word of the year in 2014. Today, Danielle looks at how and why vaping took off. She examines the early 20th century prototypes for electric vaporizers and smokeless, non-tobacco cigarettes. She also compares the marketing and debates surrounding e-cigarettes to that of their tobacco counterparts.

When did we start defining sexual orientation and how did that result in "straight" becoming a synonym for "heterosexual"? Today Danielle follows the winding history of the word through medical terms, lavender linguistics, and community slang.

Everybody, rock your body and get ready to scream! Today Origin is looking at all things boy band! Danielle traces the history of boy ensembles from early Beatlemania to today, examines the markers of a classic boy band, and explains the science behind this particular type of fandom.