Posts by Professor Buzzkill
US Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Pincus exposes the darkest secret in American nuclear history―sixty-seven nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands that wiped out a people and their land. This is an overlooked aspect of the Cold War, and one of the most shameful acts in history. Episode 481.
Read MoreObama: the Black President
Professor Claude Clegg’s new book, The Black President, is the first interpretative, comprehensive history of Barack Obama’s presidency in its entirety. He explains some of the major themes in the book in his first appearance on our show. This is contemporary history at its finest! Episode 480.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Cuban Missile Crisis
Buzzkill Genius Dr. Philip Nash brings us a fabulous (and very relevant) show on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. There’s so much more to those events than the standard “eye-ball-to-eye-ball” story would have us believe. Among many other things, we learn why the Cold War was so cold. You’ll understand so much more after…
Read MoreOperation Torch: The Battle for Tunisia during World War II
Dr. Philip Nash tells us about the under-appreciated and little-understood battle for Tunisia during the North African campaign in World War II. Operation Torch was vital to the eventual Allied victory, but the reasons and explanations are complicated. These “peripheral” operations need more attention in history! Episode 478.
Read MoreHugh Thompson: Man Crush Monday!
Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson stopped the My Lai Massacre from continuing and saved hundreds of civilian lives. A true hero of the Vietnam War, Thompson was someone whose humanitarian actions have been noted, but not celebrated enough. Professor Philip Nash tells us why Hugh deserves a Man Crush Monday and so much more! Episode 477.
Read MoreThe Roots of Johnny Cash
Long-time Buzzkiller, Dr. Colin Woodward, discusses his new book, Country Boy: the Roots of Johnny Cash. Woodward dispels many myths about Cash, but also about the culture he grew up in, as well as the ways his music developed over his long career. Episode 476.
Read MoreMartin Niemöller “First They Came…” Encore: Wisdom Wednesday!
The other night I went to see “Born on Third Base,” the new stand-up comedy show by Gary Gulman, who is one of my favorites. Rather than just tell jokes, Gulman organizes his new shows around a theme. The theme for “Born on Third Base” was empathy, and Gulman did a masterful job of weaving…
Read MoreEarly Baseball: History and Myth
Baseball began as a schoolyard game, brought to America by the colonists. It evolved rapidly over the second half of the nineteenth century, with innovations and rule changes continuing throughout the twentieth century and into the modern era. But why and how did these changes take place? In Strike Four: The Evolution of Baseball, Richard…
Read MoreHatshepsut: the Female Egyptian Pharaoh. Woman Crush Wednesday Encore!
Who was Hatshepsut? Were there female pharaohs in ancient Egypt? I owe the idea for a Woman Crush Wednesday show on Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, to my fellow history promoters at the Deviant Women podcast (check them out on your favorite podcast app or go to https://deviantwomenpodcast.com/) Yes, you…
Read MoreHeather Cox Richardson explains Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech
Did Abraham Lincoln actually say “a house divided against itself cannot stand”? We place that quote in its historical context. And Dr. Heather Cox Richardson gives us a wonderful analysis of its meaning in American history, and its importance for our times. Episode 474. Heather Cox Richardson’s Facebook Live Page https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters…
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