The tale of America's wealthiest woman reads like fiction, yet Hetty Green's extraordinary life defied all expectations of Gilded Age wealth. Born in 1834 to a prosperous Quaker family, young Hetty wasn't groomed for society balls—she was trained in finance, reading financial newspapers to her grandfather by age six and managing the family ledgers by thirteen.

While robber barons of her era flaunted their fortunes with mansions and diamonds, Hetty took a radically different approach. The "Witch of Wall Street" amassed a fortune that would make today's billionaires blush while living in cheap apartments, wearing the same black dress until it fell apart, and eating oatmeal warmed on radiators. Her financial philosophy was deceptively simple: buy low when nobody wants something, sell high when everybody does. During the Civil War, she purchased devalued "greenbacks" that others considered worthless, holding them until their value skyrocketed when backed by gold in 1875.

What drove this extraordinary contradiction? For Hetty, money represented something beyond material comfort—it was freedom in a world where women had precious little. By the time she died in 1916 following an argument about milk, her fortune had grown to $100-200 million (approximately $2.5-5 billion today), surpassing the wealth of J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbilts, and the Astors. Her children ultimately rejected her extreme frugality, with her son Ned embracing luxury while her daughter Sylvia became a philanthropist. Beyond the caricature of miserliness lies the story of a financial genius who understood that true wealth isn't what you spend—it's what you keep. Subscribe now to hear more remarkable stories of history's most fascinating and overlooked figures.

Striving for Unity in Your Walk by David Mora

https://www.faithlafayette.org/resources/sermons/striving-for-unity-in-your-walk?location=north#:~:text=The%20family%20was%20deprived%20of,The%20New%20York%20Social%20Diary

Hetty Green – Her Stingiest Stories That Would Make Her a Billionaire Today By Kanza Panhwar

https://openskynews.com/hetty-green-her-stingiest-stories-that-would-make-her-a-billionaire-today/046916/#google_vignette

The Peculiar Story of the Witch of Wall Street By Kat Eschner

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/peculiar-story-hetty-green-aka-witch-wall-street-180967258/#:~:text=,enemy%20of%20Hetty%2C%20called%20her

Another Look at Hetty Green, The Witch of Wall Street By Leslie Landrigan

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/another-look-hetty-green-witch-wall-street/#:~:text=When%20she%20turned%20

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Ever wonder how laughing gas went from Victorian party entertainment to dental offices? Our journey through the life of Humphrey Davy reveals the surprisingly wild origin story behind one of medicine's most unusual discoveries.

Born in 1778 in Cornwall, England, Davy was an unremarkable student from a simple town where wrestling and cockfighting were preferred to intellectual pursuits. After being apprenticed to a local surgeon following his father's death, Davy began conducting chemistry experiments that drove his family crazy – his sister complained about ruined dresses while friends joked he might "blow us all into the air."

The turning point came in 1798 when Davy joined the Pneumatic Institution, a medical research facility studying how gases affected the human body. While other scientists were cautious, Davy took the bold step of regularly inhaling nitrous oxide himself. What followed were what could only be described as the world's first "whippet parties," where Davy invited fellow scientists and poets to experience this mysterious gas. Their reports ranged from feeling "the most pleasurable thing I've ever experienced" to the delightfully bizarre "I feel like the sound of a harp" and "I see God and also I have no toes."

Davy's meticulous documentation of these experiences in a 580-page book included the prophetic observation that nitrous oxide "may probably be used with advantage during surgical operations" – though it would take another 40+ years before American dentist Horace Wells would make the connection between the recreational gas and painless dental procedures. Even then, a botched public demonstration (where the patient woke mid-procedure) temporarily derailed nitrous oxide's medical future.

The story of laughing gas reminds us that the line between recreational substances and medical breakthroughs is often surprisingly thin, and that some of our most valuable medical tools came from scientists willing to experiment on themselves first. Join us as we explore how a young scientist's parties changed the future of pain management forever.

Curious about more bizarre medical discoveries or have a strange historical tale you'd like us to investigate? Email us at historybuffoonspodcast@gmail.com or find us on social media as History Buffoons Podcast.

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This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.

What drives a soldier to charge toward enemy lines one minute before a ceasefire? Henry Gunther's tragic story serves as a haunting reminder of war's senseless waste.

Born to German-American parents and growing up in a predominantly German neighborhood in Baltimore, Gunther was drafted into WWI in mid-1918 after initially avoiding enlistment due to his heritage. As a supply sergeant in France, his fate took a devastating turn after writing a letter home describing the brutal conditions and discouraging his friend from enlisting. Military censors intercepted it, considering it a violation of the Espionage Act. Though not court-martialed, Gunther was demoted to private, casting a shadow of suspicion over him due to his German background.

The humiliation transformed him. Fellow soldiers noticed how he volunteered for dangerous missions and became obsessed with proving his loyalty. Even after being shot in the wrist, he bound the wound and reported for duty without complaint. His opportunity for redemption came on November 11, 1918 – the day the Armistice was signed.

Though the peace agreement had been formalized at 5 AM, Allied commanders insisted fighting continue until 11 AM. At 10:44, Gunther's unit received orders to hold position. When they encountered a German machine gun nest, the enemy soldiers had already stopped firing, waiting for the official ceasefire. Despite warnings from both sides, Gunther suddenly charged forward alone. At 10:59 AM, one minute before peace, he was cut down by machine gun fire.

The military posthumously restored his rank and awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross. His gravestone in Baltimore reads: "highly decorated for exceptional bravery and heroic action that resulted in his death one minute before the armistice."

Gunther wasn't alone in his unnecessary death – nearly 2,738 Allied soldiers died in the hours after peace was signed but before it took effect. His story forces us to confront war's absurdity and the tragic cost of military pride. Join us as we explore this heartbreaking chapter of history that forever changed how we memorialize November 11th.

The Last Official Death of WWI Was a Man Who Sought Redemption by Christopher Klein

herocards.ushistory.com

Armistice left some New York Guard Soldiers with mixed feelings

By Eric Durr New York National Guard

history.comnationalguard.mil

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This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.