Myths
Fireside Chat on National Defense: FDR Friday!
Hello, Buzzkillers. There’s no need to explain the reasons for these FDR Fridays anymore. The contrast between FDR’s Fireside Chats in the 30s and 40s, and whatever it is that we’re calling what’s coming out of the White House these days, is blindly obvious. There’s no need for me to keep saying things like “shocking,”…
Read MoreBlack Confederates: the Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth
Civil War historian, Kevin Levin, explains the history and development of the myth of black soldiers in the Confederate army. He analyses camp servants and slaves during the war, how their service was remembered after the war, and how it became fictionalized and mythologized in the 1970s. Yes, the 1970s, not the 1870s. A fascinating…
Read MoreFireside Chat on Drought and Dustbowl: FDR Friday!
I never wanted this podcast to be about contemporary politics, much less contemporary American politics. And the history courses I have taught always stopped at the end of the 20th century. I’ve done this because there’s so much that people and students need to know about the last few centuries, that I didn’t feel that…
Read More“May You Live in Interesting Times” – Chinese Curse? Quote or No Quote?
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 MoreFireside Chat on WPA and SSA: FDR Friday!
This is the second of our special shows on President Franklin Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats from the 1930s and 1940s. We started these episodes because an important member of the Buzzkill Braintrust (Lady Buzzkill’s socialite friend, Sandy) recommended the idea. She thought that you might like to listen to some of FDR’s original Fireside chats, so…
Read MoreSpanish Civil War Part 2
Find out why the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was one of the most significant conflicts of the 20th Century, and why it’s been overlooked. Listen as we explain how complicated and brutal the war was, and why it should be studied more!—Buzzkill Bookshelf Antony Beevor, The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 The…
Read MoreFDR’s Fireside Chat 1 – Banking
A few weeks ago, several of you Buzzkillers asked us to create episodes about President Franklin Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats from the 1930s and 1940s. You asked if we could play the full audio from these chats with minimal introductory remarks, so that you could hear what it was like to have a President address the…
Read MoreSpanish Civil War Part 1
Find out why the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was one of the most significant conflicts of the 20th Century, and why it’s been overlooked. Professor Phil Nash explains the background and the first half of this dreadful episode in European history. —Buzzkill Bookshelf Antony Beevor, The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 The…
Read MoreThe Myth of Seneca Falls
Nearly every history book, encyclopedia entry, and news items pins the exact origin of the women’s rights movement in the United States to the meeting at Seneca Falls, New York in July 1848. But can a movement as big as the women’s rights one have one specific geographic origin at only one meeting? It turns…
Read MoreIrish Symbols and Hidden Hibernians
Ever wonder how the shamrock, the Celtic Cross, and the Claddagh Ring became symbols of Irish culture? And which Irish people deserve more historical attention and shouldn’t remain “Hidden Hibernians”? Professor Edward O’Donnell explains all in this St. Patrick’s Day episode! —Buzzkill Bookshelf Edward T. O’Donnell, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish-American History
Read More