Collecting Historical Evidence,

Busting Myths,

Taking Names.

Collecting Historical Evidence, Busting Myths, & Taking Names.

The Professor Buzzkill podcast is a weekly romp through some of the history myths that are most deeply embedded in our culture.

Latest Episodes

Image and the Nixon-Kennedy 1960 Election Debates

September 3, 2024

It’s September 3rd, and we’ve been told that there’s going to be a debate between the Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump, and the Democratic candidate for President, Kamala Harris, on September 10th. Given all the changes that have taken place during this tumultuous campaign, and the frankly unhinged nature of one of the candidates,…

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An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South

August 27, 2024

Slave trading continued in the south during the Civil War. Between Fort Sumter to Appomattox, Confederates bought and sold thousands of African American men, women, and children. These transactions in humanity made the internal slave trade a cornerstone of Confederate society, a bulwark of the Rebel economy, and a central part of the experience of…

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Women in Nazi Germany, Part 2

August 20, 2024

Professor Nash tells us about wives and lovers of leading Nazis, women who participated in Nazi crimes, and women who worked against the Nazi regime. We look at everyone from Eva Braun, Hitler’s partner, to Sophie Scholl, one of the leaders of the White Rose resistance to the Nazi state. This episode shows that German…

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Women in Nazi Germany, Part 1

August 13, 2024

The treatment and status of women under Hitler and the Nazis is fascinating, in all the wrong ways. If the Nazi reputation wasn’t bad enough, the detail presented in this episode shows that there’s no bottom to their depravity. Professor Philip Nash explains all in the first part of a major two-part series. These are…

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Pat Nixon

August 6, 2024

The real Pat Nixon bore little resemblance to the woman so often described as elusive, mysterious and “plastic” in the press. Heath Hardage Lee takes us through Pat Nixon’s life and career. And myths are busted left and right. Learn how Pat Nixon, the supposed quiet housewife, was actually a career woman, and an important…

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The USS Indianapolis and the Famous Shark Attack – 2024 Encore

July 30, 2024

Today I am not going to bust many myths (although there are a few of those in this tale). Rather, I’m going to tell you a straight history story. But it’s also one that shows the value of diligence in historical research and the importance of righting the wrongs from the past. And those themes,…

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Meet Your Host

Professor Buzzkill

Historian for the Public

In real life, “Professor Buzzkill” is Dr. Joseph Coohill, a historian of Britain and Ireland. Coohill’s first experience with the audio realm occurred while studying modern history at Oxford. He hosted “The History Show” on Oxford Student radio, which lasted almost four episodes; “The History Show” was an instant failure and Coohill feels shame.

Yet, the spark of enthusiasm for history and the desire to inform remained, and the Professor Buzzkill podcast was born. Coohill works tirelessly to explain complicated yet compelling historical analysis to diverse audiences. By explaining how misunderstanding history hurts public discourse and policy decisions, he offers clear and concise solutions to such problems, using examples from history.

A Word from Our Listeners

Great history podcast!

Love the detail and complexity that the host goes into–so many popular history podcasts flatten the past for an easy story but this one shows that the reality is always more interesting.

—Mr.Gal, Submitted via Apple Podcasts

I'm hooked!

Great mix of historical facts and pop culture. Prof Buzzkill delivers a well-paced informative podcast.

—sixfloors, Submitted via Apple Podcasts

It's that good.

It’s not everyday you come across a podcast that has great information that you can relate to from someone who is so passionate about sharing it with the world. So glad to have discovered Professor Buzzkill and to learn a little bit more of something I didn’t really know a lot about.

—Dependent_Nick, Submitted via Apple Podcasts

Won’t kill your buzz, history lovers!

This is a really fun podcast with a fresh take on history. Produced and researched by professional historians with a sense of humor, the podcast takes on subjects all over the historical map. The only point of commonality is a goal to bust popular preconceived myths about the subject. Making the podcast even more lively is the format, which takes the form of a freeform conversation among several people instead of a monologue or lecture. Recommend!

—FrenchTurk, Submitted via Apple Podcasts

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