Professor Philip Nash explains the extremely complicated background of the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946. We learn how difficult it was to set up these trials, in terms of international law, the establishment of new charges (such as “crimes against humanity”), and even the logistical difficulties in setting the trial in motion. Important legal, philosophical, and…
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Dr. Megan Kate Nelson puts us in the middle of the history and context of the founding of Yellowstone National Park, one of America’s natural glories. She tells us how it was an important part of Reconstruction after the Civil War, how explorers and bureaucrats fought over how the land should be used, and how…
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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 provide us with a great opportunity here at the Buzzkill Institute to talk about the complications of history and memory. It also gives us the chance to…
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Simon Winchester takes us on a fascinating journey through the story of how knowledge has been acquired, stored, and passed on, how that dissemination has evolved with time, and how—in an age where a world of information is just a cell phone away—the thoughtfulness and wisdom that derives from knowledge might be under threat. We…
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The intensifying pandemic of gun violence and murder in the U.S. has prompted the usual, tired, and entirely false reaction from gun fanatics — “the first thing Hitler did was take away everyone’s guns.” Well, did Hitler disarm the German citizenry as a way to make it easy to control them? Were Jews and other…
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Who Was “Seven Job” Anna? Anna Marie Rosenberg was one of the most important Americans of the 20th century. Yet she is not nearly as well-known as she should be. Christopher Gorham’s excellent biography of Rosenberg, “The Confidente,” is essential reading for Buzzkillers. He joins us to relate the fabulous story of her multiple careers…
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What Should Come After Covid? Drs. Keri Leigh Merritt and Yohuru Williams discuss important research and reflection about what happened in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book’s authors document and analyze the effects of the pandemic in ways inspired by the writers who documented American life during the Great Depression. Perhaps most…
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It’s one of the most commonly posted quotes on social media and the internet in general. It’s also one of the longest and most substantial quotes posted on these platforms that, after all, cater mainly to very short attention spans. And it’s one of the most important peacenik quotes of the 20th century. Yet, unlike…
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Income Tax and Inequality in US History Income tax is a troubling issue in American politics and history. We explain its long history, and delve into the even more complicated history of how personal income tax has related to the question of equality and inequality in US society. Professor Nash tells us how the American…
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The Essentials That Make Culture What it Is, and Has Been Dr. Martin Puchner joins us to talk about his new book, Culture: the Story of Us from Cave Art to K-Pop. It’s a very important discussion about some of the crucial elements in creating culture: “storage,” “circulation,” and “mixture.” We talk about lots of…
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