Posts Tagged ‘Myths’
The Political Ideas of George Washington
Dissecting George Washington George Washington, the general who won the American War of Independence and became the first President of the United States, is probably the most revered politician in American history. People generally consider him the wisest of the founding fathers. Not a heavy duty intellectual like Jefferson or Madison, and not a vote-counter…
Read MoreCocaine & Coca-Cola
Was Coca-Cola’s magic ingredient cocaine? Don’t you just love the jolt you get from Coca-Cola, Buzzkillers? It lifts you up when you’re down. And it gives you energy to get you through the draggy hours of the afternoon. But do you ever wonder where that magic comes from? Well, for decades, a story flew around that…
Read MoreThe Rise of Cowboy Hats
“I never trust a man who doesn’t wear a cowboy hat.”-Professor Buzzkill Everyone loves the cowboy hat. Even if you don’t wear one, you want to see your cowboy movie heroes wearing one. Anything else would be un-American, right? Wrong. The classic, iconic cowboy hat design didn’t appear until 1865 and didn’t become popular until…
Read MoreUS Currency Changes
The times they are a-changin’ Great news, Buzzkillers. The United States Treasury announced on April 21st that Harriet Tubman, the historic fighter for the abolition of slavery and leader of the Underground Railroad, will replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This, of course, is a huge victory for those of us…
Read MoreDr. Samuel Mudd & John Wilkes Booth
Don’t get mudd on your hands The Civil War era has given rise to perhaps more legends and myths than any period of American history (apart from the country’s founding). This is not surprising, given that so many strange things happened during that time, and that emotions about the war have been running high ever…
Read MoreThe Life of General George Patton
“Patton” vs. Patton General George Patton was one of the most famous, colorful, and talked about US generals in World War II. He is also among the most misunderstood military men in history. Famously played by George C. Scott in the 1970 movie, “Patton” (co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, by the way), Patton’s image is…
Read MorePre-Dawn Raid: Palin and Patton
Sarah Palin strikes again Right off the bat, we want to apologize to the international Buzzkillers out there. There’s an election going on in the US this year. That means a lot of our shows and themes are going to be about how history is used and abused in campaign rhetoric, as well as how bad…
Read MoreThe “Twinkie Defense”
Were Twinkies used to defend an assassin? We’re going to take you all the way back to 1978, Buzzkillers. That may be ancient history for some of you, but it’s still current affairs for your favorite Professor. A murder trial in California during late 1978 became famous for something called the “Twinkie Defense.” According to…
Read MoreExamining Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency
The curious case of Woodrow Wilson Professor Phil Nash joins us once again to bust US history myths. This time it’s about President Woodrow Wilson. How much of a progressive was he? What were his real attitudes towards race? How much idealism did he pump into his policies on foreign affairs? How effective was he…
Read MoreGrigori Rasputin: The Mad Monk
The myth of the mad monk I love the Russian Revolutionary period in the early twentieth century, Buzzkillers. It’s one of those exciting and dramatic episodes of modern history that has everything: an out-of-touch and strange royal family, fiery politicians of various stripes trying to reform things, oppressed people rising up, and a mad, but…
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