Historias Unknown

Episodes

March 6, 2025

Lolita Lebron: Part One

On March 1, 1954, four Puerto Rican Nationalists opened fire on the house of Representatives chamber at the US Capitol. They were led by Lolita Lebron, a woman who some see as a hero and others as a terrorist. Cristina tells Carmen about Lolita...

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Feb. 27, 2025

The Failed Expedition of Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba

Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba was the captain of an expedition that left Castilla del oro (Cuba) in 1517, with the intent of finding more indigenous people to enslave. But none of it went as planned. Cristina tells Carmen about this failed...

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Feb. 20, 2025

A Brief History of the Panama Canal Zone (Part Four)

The Panama Canal is now controlled by Panama, but before that, France and then the United Stated coveted and gained control of the zone, to develop the canal. Many lives were lost during the development of the canal, and many were displaced for the...

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Feb. 6, 2025

A Brief History of the Panama Canal Zone (Part Three)

The Panama Canal is now controlled by Panama, but before that, France and then the United Stated coveted and gained control of the zone, to develop the canal. Many lives were lost during the development of the canal, and many were displaced for the...

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Jan. 23, 2025

A Brief History of the Panama Canal Zone (Part Two)

The Panama Canal is now controlled by Panama, but before that, France and then the United Stated coveted and gained control of the zone, to develop the canal. Many lives were lost during the development of the canal, and many were displaced for the...

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Jan. 16, 2025

A Brief History of the Panama Canal Zone (Part One)

The Panama Canal is now controlled by Panama, but before that, France and then the United Stated coveted and gained control of the zone, to develop the canal. Many lives were lost during the development of the canal, and many were displaced for the...

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Jan. 9, 2025

El Estudio de Sifilis en Guatemala

Los experimentos de sífilis de Guatemala se llevaron a cabo entre 1946 y 1948. Fueron dirigidos por John Cutler, quien luego participaría en los experimentos de Tuskegee. Esto no fue descubierto hasta que la historiadora y profesora Susan Mokotoff...

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Jan. 2, 2025

a Beloved Beverage and their not so Great History in Mexico

If you search Mexico and Coca Cola, there’s no doubt you’ll be flooded with content about how much Mexicans love it, as well as the sky rocketing rates of diabetes in the country.  You might see the alarmin statistic that in Chiapas, Mexicans drink an...

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Dec. 19, 2024

Monsanto, Mexico and Leydy Pech

Monsanto started as a chemical company founded 1901. Later, the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops.  In part three, Cristina talks about how Monsanto affected towns surrounded by agricultural fields in Autlan, Jalisco, as...

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Dec. 12, 2024

Monsanto and Argentina

Monsanto started as a chemical company founded 1901. Later, the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops.  In part two of this series, Cristina shares some of the devastating effects Monsanto and roundup have had on Argentina,...

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Dec. 5, 2024

A Brief History of Monsanto and the Horrible Things They've Done

Monsanto started as a chemical company founded 1901. Later, the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops.  In this episode, Cristina shares a brief history of Monsanto, to get all of us up to speed on the topic she wants to...

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Nov. 21, 2024

Operation Wetback

In 1954, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who were in the country illegally. The program was called a success and claimed to have rounded up 1 million people, though that number is now contested....

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Nov. 14, 2024

The Puerto Rico Birth Control Pill Trials

The birth control pill revolutionized women’s independence in the US and everywhere, but came at the cost of Puerto Rican women who were experimented on without consent in the birth control trials of the 1950’s, overseen by Gregory Pincus and John...

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Nov. 7, 2024

Esterilización Forzada En California (in Spanish)

Leyes de esterilización en los Estados Unidos desproporcionadamente afectaron a personas Morena, Indígena, y Latina. Sterilizaciones masivas se llevaron en 32 estados y también en Puerto Rico. Entre 1930 a 1970, un tercio de las mujeres...

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Oct. 24, 2024

Cesar Chavez Part 5

Cesario Estrada Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist.. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, along with Dolores Huerta, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United...

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Oct. 17, 2024

Cesar Chavez Part 4

Cesario Estrada Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist.. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, along with Dolores Huerta, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United...

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Oct. 3, 2024

Cesar Chavez Part 3

Cesario Estrada Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist.. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, along with Dolores Huerta, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United...

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Sept. 26, 2024

Cesar Chavez Part Two

Cesario Estrada Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist.. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, along with Dolores Huerta, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United...

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Sept. 19, 2024

Cesar Chavez

Cesario Estrada Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist.. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, along with Dolores Huerta, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United...

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Sept. 12, 2024

The Lemon Grove Incident

On January 5, 1931, Mexican students were turned away from the Lemon Grove Grammar School and were told to attend a barnyard for school. As a result, the Mexican community gathered and faced off with the school board, in Roberto Alvarez v. the Board...

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Sept. 5, 2024

Mendez v Westminster

When Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, both US citizens tried to enroll their chidren to the 17th street school in Westiminster, CA, they were denied. They were told 17th street school was for White children only and their children had to attend the...

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Aug. 29, 2024

Culebra Island

The US Navy tried to take over the island of Culebra, but after years being displaced and harmed, the Culebrenses fought back. This is the story of how the US Navy was kicked out of Culebra Island. If you have topic suggestions, feel free to email...

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Aug. 22, 2024

Los Motines de los Baños de 1917 (Spanish episode)

El 28 de enero de 1917, Carmelita Torres, de diecisiete años, se negó a bajarse del tranvía en el puente de Santa Fe y seguir a los funcionarios de salud estadounidenses hasta un baño químico. 30 mujeres la siguieron. Pronto, esas 30 se convirtieron...

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Aug. 15, 2024

The 1948 Los Gatos Crash

The worst plane crash in California history happened in 1948, in Los Gatos. 32 died. 28 of those 32 were Mexican workers who were being deported. These workers were all put in a mass grave together and the grave was marked with the words “Mexican...

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