Myths
The 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 MoreDid Abner Doubleday Invent Baseball?
Not only did Abner Doubleday not invent baseball, it wasn’t even invented in Cooperstown (the site of the Baseball Hall of Fame). Put away your hankies, Buzzkillers, America will survive this revelation. According to legend, a young man named Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York in the summer of 1839. But Doubleday was…
Read MoreRonald Reagan and Ann Sheridan for the Lead Parts in Casablanca?
Ronald Reagan was already a successful actor by the time Hal Wallis was getting around to producing Casablanca (which went on to become one of the most famous and best-loved movies of all time, Buzzkillers). And an early press release from Warner Brothers, the film’s studio, listed Reagan and Ann Sheridan in the lead roles. …
Read MoreRace and the US Supreme Court: Justice Deferred
Professor Vernon Burton joins us to explain the long and tortured history of the ways in which the United States Supreme Court has handled race. The Supreme Court is usually seen as the protector of our liberties: it ended segregation, was a guarantor of fair trials, and safeguarded free speech and the vote. But what’s…
Read MoreManhattan for $24? Best Real Estate Deal Ever! Or Was It?
Have you heard the one about 17th-century Europeans buying the entire island of Manhattan for $24 worth of beads and trinkets? It would have been the best real estate deal in history. Manhattan property now goes for close to $2,000 per square foot. But it’s an urban legend–and a myth ripe for the Professor Buzzkill…
Read More3-year-old “Chimney Sweep” Video
Jason Steinhauer of the History Communications Institute joins us to explain the veracity of the film clip of a “3-year-old chimney sweep” from the 1930s that’s gone viral on social media. Is it heart-breaking evidence of child labor, or is it something else? He also explains how it went viral and what that means for…
Read MoreVikings Didn’t Wear Horned Helmets
A Viking horned helmet would have been very impractical, and perhaps dangerous, in battle. A sword blow to the head might glance off a smooth helmet. But it would surely catch on a horn and send the helmet flying, leaving the Viking bareheaded and highly vulnerable to a death blow to the skull. There is…
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