Episode #36: The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford & the 1905 Zodiac Back

youaintawoofin
Jul 31, 2024
2 min read

7/31/2024: On today’s episode, Valerie tells the story of the unsolved murder of Jane Stanford, a tale including the founding of Stanford University (a beautiful tribute to her beloved late son), a rivalry with college president David Star Jordan, a university spy named Goebel, two poisonings, and a cover up that nearly buried the truth forever. Valerie outlines the popular suspects, as well as evidence uncovered by authors in recent years which helped bring to light the uncomfortable truth about Mrs. Stanford’s death. Next, Amy Jo’s Zodiac back details what the outer planets were up to in 1905, and for the first time ever we discuss an inner planet. Mercury! And yes, we discuss the most well known (and dreaded?) detail about it - Mercury Retrograde! But fear not. Amy Jo breaks down what Mercury Retrograde is, and how to get through it. Next, she presents German physicist Albert Einstein’s 1905 burst of revolutionary and consequential ideas, known as his Year of Miracles. Seriously, who doesn’t love Albert Einstein!?!?

Cover Photo: Portrait of Jane Stanford

Portrait of Leland and Jane Stanford in 1850.
A portrait of Senator Leland Stanford, Jane Lathrop Stanford, Leland Stanford Jr. taken in 1878. (Image credit: Stanford University Archives).
The Boston firm Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge collaborated with Frederick Law Olmsted to develop the university’s final architectural plan, with its distinctive arches, quadrangles and arcades. (Image credit: Stanford University Archives).
Jane Stanford and her husband, Senator Leland Stanford, help lay the cornerstone of the Quad on May 14, 1887, which would have marked the 19th birthday of their son, Leland Jr.
David Starr Jordan, the university’s first president, in 1911. Jane Stanford had pushed for his ouster in the weeks before her murder. As an ichthyologist, Jordan would have been familiar with strychnine, the poison that killed Stanford.
"Miss Bertha Berner (Mrs. Stanford's secretary at the time of the latter's death as well as for many years previously) in front of the Menlo Park residence." written on back. Digitized by Stanford University Libraries.
-Headline of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin on 1 March 1905, reporting Stanford's death. A portrait of Senator Leland Stanford, Jane Lathrop Stanford, Leland Stanford Jr. taken in 1878. (Image credit: Stanford University Archives).
Mercury Retrograde Cartoon - unable to find original source details
Mercury Retrograde Relief Spritz
Mercury Retrograde Bath Bombs: Mercury Retrograde is a fun and multicolored bath bomb that will leave your bath a fun deep blue color! Scent: A groovy scent of patchouli and musk!
Einstein's 1905 dissertation, Eine neue Bestimmung der Moleküldimensione ("A new determination of molecular dimensions").
Einstein in 1904, age 25
On average, we find the annus mirabilis to be triple to four times higher than each scientist’s typical annual productivity (3.76 for Israeli Prize Awardees, 2.91 for highly-cited physicists, 3.16 for economists).