The Dictionary Wars! with Gabe Henry
Host Sarah talks with writer and lexicography enthusiast Gabe Henry about the "dictionary wars" between Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and rival lexicographer Joseph Worcester, and how these battles shaped modern English spelling and national identity. They trace the messy history of English, the rise of Americanisms that offended British elites, Johnson's and Webster's massive dictionary projects, and the petty, decades-long feud between Webster/Webster's heirs and Worcester. The conversation also explores why radical spelling reform failed, how small spelling changes were quietly smuggled into American English, and what these stories reveal about obsession, failure, and the politics embedded in language.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: How The Great Train Robbery Worked
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant walk through the 1963 Great Train Robbery in the UK, in which a gang robbed the Glasgow-to-London mail train of around £2.6 million without using guns. They explain how the plan came together, how the heist was executed, the role of the inside man, and how forensic mistakes at a rural hideout helped police track the robbers. The hosts also cover the dramatic trials, harsh sentences, escapes and long years on the run-especially Ronald Biggs-along with the robbery's cultural legacy and a closing listener segment about fermented horse milk (kumis).