Myths
USS Indianapolis Anniversary Encore
July 30th is the anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II in the Pacific in 1945. One of our early shows was about the stories that have arisen from that now-famous event. Books have been written, there was a Hollywood movie about the Indianapolis in 2016, but most of know…
Read MoreBefore Evil: Lenin, Stalin, and Putin
Professor Brandon Gauthier uses Lenin, Stalin, and Putin as case studies to try to help us understand the reasons why certain political leaders become monsters. By looking further into their pasts and noting the important changes in their attitudes towards other human beings, Gauthier shows how radical ideologies coupled with the erasure of any sense…
Read MorePeople Rarely Bathed in the Past?
You might have heard that people didn’t bathe very often in the past, at least in the distant past. A lot of other stories go along with this. To whit: —Mainland Europeans thought that Vikings were obsessed with cleanliness because they bathed every week. —Brides carried bouquets of flowers at their weddings in order to…
Read MoreCovid Variants? Insurrection Hearings? Tense Elections? Was “May You Live in Interesting Times” a Famous Chinese Curse?
There’s an old Buzzkill curse — may you subscribe to interesting podcasts. If you do, your life will become so gloriously enlightened with new information, presented in such an engaging way, that you’ll forget to feed your cat, you’ll mix your laundry colors, and you’ll neglect taking your medication That reminds me of another “famous”…
Read MoreClare Boothe Luce: American Renaissance Woman, Part 2
Your favorite Buzzkill history professor, Dr. Philip Nash, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of Claire Boothe Luce, an American Renaissance woman if ever there was one. In part two of this two-parter, we discuss her career as a diplomat, and her fascinating personal life. Listen and learn! Episode 462.
Read MoreVenus De Milo Myths!
It’s the 8th of April 1820. On the Greek Aegean island of Milos, a man named Yorgos Kentrotas was collecting stones from an ancient ruin near his farm. He came across a small niche in a wall in that ruin. It caught his attention because it seemed to be concealing something. He removed some of…
Read MoreClare Boothe Luce: American Renaissance Woman, Part 1
Your favorite Buzzkill history professor, Dr. Philip Nash, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of Claire Boothe Luce, an American Renaissance woman if ever there was one. In part one of this two-parter, we discuss her early life and career as a journalist and writer, and her fascinating personal life. Listen and learn!…
Read MoreThe Many Myths About the Declaration of Independence: 4th of July Special Encore!
July 4th is upon us and two things will likely happen, at least for American Buzzkillers. The first is that we will use the July 4th national holiday as an opportunity to take a mid-summer vacation (or extend a weekend vacation). The second thing that will happen is that we will be treated to a…
Read MoreThe NRA: the Unauthorized History
Today’s show is mainly an interview with award-winning journalist, Frank Smyth, whose book The NRA: the Unauthorized History, is the most recent, in-depth history of the National Rifle Association. The book, and the interview, show how the NRA changed very radically in the 1970s and has continued to spin out on a new trajectory, becoming…
Read MoreWhy is it called “The Liberty Bell”?
It’s a dramatic and poignant story. July 4, 1776: the Second Continental Congress had been meeting in Philadelphia for over a year, trying to hammer out how to win the Revolutionary War and establish an independent nation. On that day they agreed to adopt the Declaration of Independence. The news spread quickly across the city,…
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