Posts by Professor Buzzkill
Abraham Lincoln “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Quote or No Quote?
Voting rights are being taken away in 2021. So we should listen again to Honest Abe. Right? But did he actually say, “…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”? Was it his phrase originally? The background of the quote will fascinate you. Listen and learn, Buzzkillers!…
Read More“Nazi” “Socialist”: What’s in a Name?
Marjorie Taylor Greene has brought up the Nazi-Socialist thing to defame certain left-wing American politicians in 2021. Obviously, she doesn’t know history. But why was Hitler’s fascist party named the “National-Socialist German Workers’ Party”? “Socialist” and “Fascist” usually have totally different, indeed opposite, meanings. How did they get combined and what did the “National Socialist”…
Read MoreNewt Gingrich and the Burning Down of American Politics
There’s so much talk these days about the radicalism of the Republican Party. Politics has often been nasty in American history, but when did this particular style of Republican extremism start? Professor Julian Zelizer from Princeton University shows us how Newt Gingrich helped create the new Republican party, and in the process, burned down American…
Read MoreEvangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations
Dr. Lauren Turek gives us the history of American Christian evangelical influence on foreign affairs, as well as their direct efforts to change American foreign policy. It’s all so much deeper and more interesting than most people think! Listen to her explain their “evangelizing” in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe in the late…
Read MoreRonald Reagan “Most Terrifying Words – ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Quote or No Quote?
At a press conference on August 12th, 1986, US President Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” So many short statements, quotes, and even off-hand phrases and jokes become engraved in stone as wisdom when they’re uttered by someone whom…
Read MoreOtto and Elise Hampel: “Ordinary” Resisters to Hitler’s Regime
Otto and Elise Hampel were a working-class German couple who wrote postcards denouncing Hitler’s government and left them in public places around Berlin during World War II. Professor Philip Nash explains their significance in a combined Man Crush Monday/Woman Crush Wednesday! Episode 415 —Buzzkill Bookshelf Hans Fallada, Alone in Berlin Alone in Berlin takes place…
Read MoreThe Historical Novels of Anna Lee Huber – Fiction Friday!
Historical novelist Anna Lee Huber gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be a historical novelist. She discusses her famous Verity Kent series (set in Britain during the WWI period) and her Lady Derby series (set in 1830s Britain). It’s a Fiction Friday and let’s have fun!! Episode 414 —Buzzkill Bookshelf: Check out…
Read MoreMary Ware Dennett – Woman Crush Wednesday!
Mary Ware Dennett was an American women’s rights activist, pacifist, and pioneer in the areas of birth control, sex education, and women’s suffrage. Yet, she is largely unknown to the general public. So, she’s our Woman Crush Wednesday this week! Listen as historian Sharon Spaulding explains Mary’s important life and work! Episode 413. Click here…
Read MoreMother’s Day
Mother’s Day is nearly here. The holiday has a fascinating history of its own, but the ways people have thought about the origins and history of Mother’s Day provides us a great opportunity here at the Buzzkill Institute to talk about the complications of history and memory. But it also gives us the chance to…
Read MoreDinner in Camelot: When Art, Literature, and Science Mattered in the United States
Joseph Esposito tells us about “the night America’s greatest scientist, writers, and scholars partied at the White House in April 1962. Listen to us discuss this glittering event, including the untold stories of controversy, protest, and personality clashes before, during, and after the famous dinner. This is a fascinating look at the workings of the…
Read More