Chocolate
In this season of feasting and overindulgence what better topic to discuss than chocolate? Marcy Norton joins host Bryan Le Beau to discuss the history of chocolate, specifically its transformation from a sacred good to a secular commodity. Marcy Norton is Assistant Professor of History at George Washington University.
Airdate: December 26, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And Michael Farquhar joins us in the seventh of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book, A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds.
1491
According to John Herron’s guest this week, Charles C. Mann, the Americas before Columbus were very different from the commonly perceived unpopulated pristine wilderness awaiting Manifest Destiny. He explains that new evidence presented in his book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, suggests that before it became the New World, it was more populated and sophisticated than previously thought. Mann is an award winning author and correspondent for Science and The Atlantic Monthly.
Airdate: December 19, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Michael Farquhar joins us in the fifth of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book, A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds.
Debutante
For many of us, the holiday season is a time for parties and celebration. For a select few young women, it is time to preen, groom, and don a dazzling gown. The debutante season for them marks the occasion of their presentation to society. Talking History’s Linna Place is joined by Karal Ann Marling author of Debutante: Rites and Regalia of American Debdom.
Airdate: December 12, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Michael Farquhar joins us for the fourth of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book, A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds.
Public Enemies
Bryan Burrough, joins host Bryan Le Beau Bryan to give us solid facts on the era that has become legendary in the American lexicon for its criminals, the likes of John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd. Burrough is the author of Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.
Airdate: December 5, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Michael Farquhar joins us in the third of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book, A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds.
Shades of Hiawatha
Talking History’s John Herron and Alan Trachtenberg explore the ways that Americans in latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries struggled to define the evolving concept of the American nation and its peoples. Their conversation takes them through Trachtenberg’s analyses of popular culture, photography and poetry, notably Longfellow’s Hiawatha. Trachtenberg is Neil Gray, Jr. Professor of English and American Studies at Yale University and author of numerous books.
Airdate: November 28, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Michael Farquhar joins us in the second of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds. Farquhar is writer and editor at the Washington Post specializing in history. He is the author of the A Treasury of Great American Scandals and A Treasury of Royal Scandals.
Thanksgiving
Host Bryan Le Beau and author Matthew Dennis resume their discussion on the history and origins of American holidays. This time they take a look at perhaps the most celebrated holiday of them all: Thanksgiving. Dennis is Professor of History at the University of Oregon and author of Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: The American Holiday Calendar.
Airdate: November 21, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Michael Farquhar joins us in the first of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Fakes and Frauds. Farquhar is writer and editor at the Washington Post specializing in history. He is the author of the A Treasury of Great American Scandals and A Treasury of Royal Scandals.
Influenza
Talking History’s Fred Nielsen and author John M. Barry discuss the flu epidemic of 1918 that swept across the world killing an estimated 100 million people worldwide. According to our guest, it was the world’s most lethal epidemic- responsible for the deaths of more people in 24 weeks than the Black Death killed in a hundred years. John Barry is author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History.
Airdate: November 14, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Christopher Crenner joins us to tell us about Logan Clendening–the medical doctor who founded the Clendening Library–whose popular medical advice column in the 1930s provided readers with valuable information. Crenner is chair of the Department of History and Philosophy of Medicine at the University of Kansas.
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Talking History’s Fred Nielsen and author Jared Diamond delve into the historical and cultural patterns of catastrophe, and discuss the interdependent relationship between a society’s development and its environment. Jared Diamond is Professor of Geography and Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an award winning author. His latest book, and the subject of our discussion is Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
Airdate: November 7, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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We will air the last in our eight part series adapted from the unpublished manuscript “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession” by T.V. Brown.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
This week Jim Basker and Lesley Herrmann of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History discuss the role of the institute in promoting the teaching of American history.
Airdate: October 31, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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We will continue our special series of readings from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T.V. Brown.
United Nations
The United Nations was established October 24th, 1945, and it is fitting that this week Talking History should air an interview with Stephen Schlesinger. Schlesinger is the Director of the World Policy Institute and the author of Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nation.
Airdate: October 24, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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In the spot reserved for commentary, we will continue our special series of readings from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T.V. Brown.
John Brown
On October 16th, 1859 John Brown led the famous raid on the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. And to mark the anniversary, Talking History offers an interview with host Bryan Le Beau and David Reynolds author of John Brown: Abolitionist.
Airdate: October 17, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Continuing our special series of readings, we’ll listen to excerpts from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T.V. Brown.
Columbus Day
Talking History’s host Bryan Le Beau and Matthew Dennis continue their yearlong look at the American Holiday Calendar. This time they discuss Columbus Day. Matthew Dennis is author of Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Holiday Calendar.
Airdate: October 10, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Continuing our special series of readings, we’ll listen to excerpts from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T.V. Brown.
Alexander Hamilton
This week, Bryan Le Beau is joined by Ron Chernow, whose biography of Alexander Hamilton has gained widespread acclaim. Their conversation reveals not only the familiar highs and lows of Hamilton’s life but its depth and breadth.
Airdate: October 3, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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We will continue our special series of readings from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T.V. Brown
American Secularism
This week Talking History’s Fred Nielsen and Susan Jacoby discuss the history of secularism in America. Journalist Susan Jacoby is the director of the Center for Inquiry Metro New York and the author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism.
Airdate: September 23, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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We continue our special series of readings from the unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During” the War of Secession, by T.V. Brown.
Jesus in America
Richard Wightman Fox and Talking History’s Fred Nielsen explore what Fox calls “America’s national obsession.” Wightman Fox is author of Jesus in America: Personal Savior, Cultural Hero, National Obsession.
Airdate: September 19, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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During our new fall 2005 season Talking History will air a series of readings from an unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of Field Hospital Service During the War of Secession,” by T. V. Brown. The series will replace our weekly commentary and site of the week.
Teaching History
Jacquelyn Hall joins Host Bryan Le Beau to discuss the teaching of American history in the schools. Hall is Julia Cherry Spruill Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and past president of The Organization of American Historians.
Airdate: September 12, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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For our commentary, James Sheehan offers us his thoughts on how we learn from history. Sheehan is Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Modern European History at Stanford University and President of the American Historical Association.
Labor Day
We begin our new season with Matthew Dennis who returns to Talking History to discuss the origins and history of Labor Day with host Bryan Le Beau. Dennis is Professor of History at the University of Oregon and the author of Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar.
Airdate: September 5, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Jenny Thompson joins us to reflect on the motives and performance of 20th century war reenactors.
The Best of Talking History: Program 5: Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. It was short, and to the point–a mere 703 words. In it, he uttered one of his most memorable phrases, when he called on Americans to proceed from the Civil War “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” Ronald White, author of Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, discusses the speech and its impact with Talking History’s Fred Nielsen. This show originally aired the week of March 28, 2005.
Airdate: August 29, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
- Listen Now: MP3 Format And for our commentary Andrew Cayton offers us his thoughts on the ambivalence he sees in American attitudes toward war. Cayton is Distinguished Professor of History at Miami University of Ohio and the author, along with Fred Anderson, of The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America: 1500–2000, published by Viking Press.
Best of Talking History Program 4: Washington’s Slaves
This week Talking History’s Fred Nielsen discussed the complex story of George Washington, and his action of granting freedom to his slaves, with Henry Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. Wiencek’s previous book, The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1999. The show originally aired the week of February 28th, 2005.
Airdate: August 22, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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For our commentary Christopher Paul Moore paid tribute to the service of black American soldiers in WWII. Moore is author of Fighting for America: Black Soldiers – The Unsung Heroes of World War II.
Best of Talking History Program 3: Saboteurs
Host, Bryan Le Beau, was joined by Michael Dobbs author of Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America. They discussed “Operation Pastorius” a Nazi plot to cause havoc on the East Coast of the United States. The show originally aired the week of November 29, 2004.
Airdate: August 15, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Talking History regular, Henry Ryan, joins us for this week’s commentary to look at the historical parallels between Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and our current involvement in Iraq.
The Best of Talking History: Program 2: Einstein
Einstein’s reputation as a genius rests to a large extent on his publication of five major papers in 1905. Talking History marked the centennial by taking up the subject of those papers–and the rest of Albert Einstein’s life–with Assistant Professor of Physics, at the University of Missouri Kansas City, Elizabeth Stoddard. The program originally aired the week of April 18th, 2005.
Airdate: August 8, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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William Ashworth in his commentary provides a historical perspective to the life and works of Albert Einstein. William Ashworth is Professor of History, at the University of Missouri Kansas City, specializing in the history of science.
The Best of Talking History: Program 1: Dr. Seuss
This week we begin our five week Best of Talking History series. The programs have been selected on the basis of listener response to our 2004-5 season. Talking History’s Bryan Le Beau and Philip Nel explored the life and works of the beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss, who was born 100 years ago. Philip Nel is a Professor of English at Kansas State University and author of Dr. Seuss: American Icon. The show originally aired the week of December 27, 2004
Airdate: August 1, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And John Fea joined us to reflect on celebrating a Seusscentennial. John Fea is Professor of American History at Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania.
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
According to Bryan Le Beau’s guest this week, Mark Kurlansky, “There has never been a year like 1968, and it is unlikely that there will ever be one again.” Kurlansky discusses his reasons for this statement and his latest book, 1968: The Year That Rocked the World.
Airdate: July 25, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And Robert Brent Toplin joins us to comment on why the opposition to the war in Iraq seems muted in comparison to the Vietnam era. Robert Brent Toplin is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
The Scopes Trial
On July 10th, 1925, the case of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, better known as the Scopes Monkey Trial opened in Dayton, Tennessee. It was a public clash between proponents and opponents of teaching evolution in the schools. According to John Herron’s guest this week – Edward Larson – the trial took on a life and meaning of its own. Edward Larson, is Professor of History and Law at the University of Georgia, and the author of Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion.
Airdate: July 18, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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William Ashworth joins us to comment on H.L. Mencken’s account of the Scopes trial. Ashworth is professor of history at the University of Missouri – Kansas City and consultant for the History of Science at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering, and Technology.
Revolutionary Mothers
Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Molly Pitcher – their names are prominently linked with the American Revolution. But what about the rank and file of women? Talking History’s Linna Place and Carol Berkin discuss Berkin’s recent book, Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence. Berkin is Professor of History at Baruch College and the City University of New York.
Airdate: July 11, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Christopher Geist joins us to comment on the myth and reality surrounding the minuteman. Geist is Emeritus Professor of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University
Independence Day
This week host Bryan Le Beau and guest Matthew Dennis continue their year long look at the American holiday calendar and discuss the origins and history of Independence Day. Dennis is Professor of History at the University of Oregon and the author of Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar.
Airdate: July 4, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Also joining us will be Max Skidmore who comments on the role of the nation’s ex-Presidents. Max Skidmore is Curator’s Professor of Political Science and Thomas Jefferson Professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City
The Bicycle
Fred Nielsen is joined by David Herlihy author of Bicycle: The History. They retrace the story of the bicycle–a history of disputed patents, brilliant inventions, and missed opportunities. (Please note: In his discussion of the high wheeler, David Herlihy said “solid iron tires” instead of “solid rubber.”)
Airdate: June 27, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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After that, Sam Wineburg makes the case as to why history teachers should have history degrees. Wineburg is professor in the
Treasonable Doubt
This week host Bryan Le Beau and guest Bruce Craig explore the Harry Dexter White Spy case. Craig is author of Treasonable Doubt: The Harry Dexter White Spy Case and executive director of the National Coalition of History.
Airdate: June 20, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary
Cold War, Cool Medium
The Cold War was a period of international, fear and anxiety. And, much of the Cold War was covered on television literally brought into the homes of millions of Americans. Our guest this week, Thomas Doherty, the author of Cold War, Cool Medium, examines one aspect of that phenomenon, television and McCarthyism with Talking History’s Linna Place.
Airdate: June 13, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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After that that Talking History regular Alan Winkler joins us to comment on social security.
William Clark
Fred Nielsen discusses William Clark with his guest, Landon Jones, the author of William Clark and the Shaping of the American West. Jones is also the editor of The Essential Lewis and Clark, an edition of the explorers’ journals.
Airdate: June 6, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Talking History regular, Alan Winkler, joins us to comment on the rise of Senator Barack Obama.
Memorial Day
This week, Matthew Dennis and Bryan Le Beau continue their year long look at American holidays and discuss the origins and history of Memorial Day. Dennis is Professor of History at the University of Oregon, and the author of Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar.
Airdate: May 30, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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David M. Kennedy joins us to comment on the legacy of Wilsonian era foreign policy and current American foreign policy. Kennedy is Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History at Stanford University.
The Death Penalty
Many Western nations view America’s use of capital punishment as being in conflict with its stance on human rights. We examine the paradoxes of America’s death penalty by examining its history with guest Stuart Banner. Banner is professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles and the author of The Death Penalty: An American History.
Airdate: May 23, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And to mark the centennial celebrations underway in Las Vegas, Geoff Schumacher joins us to give an historical perspective to the occasion. Schumacher is author of Sun, Sin and Suburbia.
Liberty: Founders and the Constitution Series, Part II
Bryan Le Beau concludes the series with an interview with Craig Yirush on the notion of liberty as a guiding principle for the Founding Fathers and on the life of George Mason. Yirush is a professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Airdate: May 16, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Equality: Founders and the Constitution Series, Part II
Robert McDonald joins Bryan Le Beau to discuss one of the most commonly misinterpreted ideas expressed by the Founding Fathers–the idea of equality.
Airdate: May 9, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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In his afterword McDonald comments on the life of Thomas Jefferson. Robert McDonald is professor of history at West Point Military Academy.
Limited Government: Founders and the Constitution Series, Part II
We continue our series produced in collaboration with the Bill of Rights Institute on The Founders and the Constitution. This week David Marion discusses the concept of Limited Government with host Bryan Le Beau and comments on the life of James Madison. Marion is Elliot Professor of Political Science at Hampden-Sydney College and Director of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest.
Airdate: May 2, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary, David Marion rejoins us to tell us about the life of James Madison.
Republican Government: Founders and the Constitution Series, Part II
This week Talking History begins its second four part series on the Founders and the Constitution. Stephen Klugewicz rejoins host Bryan Le Beau to discuss Republican Government. The eight week series, the first part of which aired in Fall 2004 is a collaborative effort with The Bill of Rights Institute. Stephen Klugewicz is Executive Director of The Collegiate Network.
Airdate: April 25, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Stephen Klugewicz tells us about the life of Benjamin Franklin.
Einstein
Einstein’s reputation as a genius rests to a large extent on his publication of five major papers in 1905.We are marking the centennial by taking up the subject of those papers–and the rest of Albert Einstein’s life–with Assistant Professor of Physics, at the University of Missouri Kansas City, Elizabeth Stoddard.
Airdate: April 18, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And William Ashworth joins us to give an historical perspective to the life and works of Albert Einstein. William Ashworth is professor of history, at the University of Missouri Kansas City, specializing in the history of science.
Hellfire Nation
Host Bryan Le Beau and James Morone discuss how “America became a nation with the soul of a church.” Morone is author of Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History, and professor of political science at Brown University.
Airdate: April 11, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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On April 12th, 1955 the first successful trials of a vaccine against polio were completed. Anna Rubin joins us to comment on the history of polio, Jonas Salk’s vaccine and an upcoming exhibition at the Smithsonian. Anna Rubin is the Education and Outreach Coordinator with the International Rehabilitation Center for Polio (IRCP) at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Framingham, MA. She is also the Principal Interviewer for the Polio Oral History Project.
A Brilliant Solution
In May 1787, our Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to create a new American constitution. Some have referred to it as a “brilliant solution.” Talking History’s Fred Nielsen discusses the “brilliant solution” with Carol Berkin, professor of history at Baruch College and the City University of New York., and the author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution.
Airdate: April 4, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Election irregularities are nothing new. Tracy Campbell joins us to give an historical perspective. Campbell is professor of history at the University of Kentucky.
Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. It was short, and to the point… a mere 703 words. In it, he uttered one of his most memorable phrases, when he called on Americans to proceed from the Civil War “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” Ronald White, author of Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, discusses the speech and its impact with Talking History’s Fred Nielsen.
Airdate: March 28, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Andrew Cayton offers us his thoughts on the ambivalence he sees in American attitudes toward war. Cayton is Distinguished Professor of History at Miami University of Ohio and the author, along with Fred Anderson, of The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America: 1500-2000, published by Viking Press.
Paternalism Incorporated
The period from the end of the Civil War to World War II was a time of considerable change in the United States. It witnessed an industrial revolution, which transformed not only the American economy and the way Americans worked, but also race, class, and gender relations and, as our guest this week has found, the role and image of the father. He is David Leverenz, the author of Paternalism Incorporated: Fables of American Fatherhood: 1865–1940.
Airdate: March 21, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Raymond Geselbracht joins us and reflects whether President Harry S. Truman’s daughter Margaret was correct in saying that her father was “way ahead on women’s lib” or if she was really a “daddy’s girl.” Geselbracht is supervisory archivist and special assistant to the Director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
Failed Century of the Child
It is often said that children are our most important resource. But how effective has public policy been throughout the twentieth century in improving the well being of the nation’s children? Talking History’s Jim Madison and Judith Sealander discuss this, and more. Sealander is professor of history at Bowling Green State University and author of The Failed Century of the Child: Governing America’s Young in the Twentieth Century.
Airdate: March 14, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Continuing on our topic of child raising, Doug Wead joins us to talk about our rearing of Presidents. Wead is the author of The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation’s Leaders.
No Turning Back
Talking History marks Women’s History Month with an interview with Estelle Freedman. She discusses the gradual social change that continues to bring a realization that women are equal to men, with host Bryan Le Beau. Estelle Freedman is the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University, and author of No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women.
Airdate: March 7, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And as the body count continues to climb in Iraq, Dennis Giangreco will join us to tell us about complications that have arisen in the past from publicly reported casualty figures during wartime. Dennis Giangreco, is author of Spinning the Casualties: Media Strategies During the Roosevelt Administration, which appeared in the December 2004 issue of Passport, the journal of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Policy.
Washington’s Slaves
This week Talking History’s Fred Nielsen discusses the complex story of George Washington, and his action of granting freedom to his slaves, with Henry Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. Wiencek’s previous book, The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1999.
Airdate: March 1, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Christopher Paul Moore pays tribute to the service of black American soldiers in WWII. Moore is author of Fighting for America: Black Soldiers – The Unsung Heroes of World War II.
Presidents’ Day
This week Matthew Dennis and host Bryan Le Beau continue their yearlong look at the American holiday calendar. They discuss Presidents’ Day and the rise of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as national heroes. Matthew Dennis is Professor of History at the University of Oregon and author of Red, White and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar.
Airdate: February 21, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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This week, Ray Geselbracht tells us about a little known, favorite past-time of President Harry S. Truman. Geselbracht is curator and special assistant to the director at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
Rudolf Valentino
Talking History’s Eileen Dugan and author Emily Leider discuss what made the matinee idol Rudolf Valentino such a sensation in life and death. Emily Leider is author of Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolf Valentino.
Airdate: February 14, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary Edwin Black joins us to share some historical insight on the origins of the current conflict in the Middle East. Black is author of Banking on Baghdad
Nat Turner
This month we celebrate Black History. Bryan Le Beau’s guest this week, Ken Greenberg, discusses Nat Turner, leader of the slave rebellion in August 1831, and perhaps one of the least understood figures in American history. Ken Greenberg is author of Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory and writer, co-producer for “A Troublesome Property,” a documentary about Nat Turner.
Airdate: February 7, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary, we are joined by Richard Labunski. He cautions against Congress exercising its power to take cases away from the Supreme Court, as happened last year, in the case involving the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Labunski teaches at the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky. He is currently writing a book about James Madison and the Bill of Rights.
The Chinese in America
Several months before her death in November 2004, author Iris Chang joined Bryan Le Beau in conversation about her work. This week we air the second part of that discussion on her book: The Chinese in America.
Airdate: January 31, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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In 1955 President Eisenhower proposed an “Open Skies” policy that would allow both Soviet and U.S. planes to fly unarmed observation planes over each other’s military installations. The proposal didn’t take, but our guest commentator this week, William Lambers, suggests that this might be a solution today for India and Pakistan.
The Rape of Nanking
Several months before her death in November 2004, author Iris Chang joined Bryan Le Beau in conversation about two of her books The Rape of Nanking and The Chinese in America. This week we air the first of those conversations and focus on the massacre in Nanking.
Airdate: January 24, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary, Jeffrey Kimball joins us to discuss the myths and reality surrounding the Vietnam Antiwar Movement. Kimball is a professor of history at Miami University of Ohio.
Martin Luther King Day
This week we begin the first in a series that will take us through the American holiday calendar year with our guest, Matthew Dennis, author of Red, White and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar. He discusses the youngest of American public holidays, Martin Luther King Day, with host Bryan Le Beau.
Airdate: January 17, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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Jonathan Zimmerman joins us to comment on the dangers of teaching our children “feel good” history. Zimmerman is a professor of education and history at New York University.
Samuel. F. B. Morse
The invention of the electromagnetic telegraph earned Samuel F. B. Morse the name of Lightning Man. But Morse was also a painter, sculptor, and photographer, whose genius produced great inner turmoil. Talking History’s John Herron, a new addition to our team, discusses the life of Morse with Kenneth Silverman, author of Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F. B. Morse. Silverman is Professor Emeritus of English at New York University. He is winner of the Bancroft Prize in American History and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for The Life and Times of Cotton Mather.
Airdate: January 10, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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William Lambers joins us to comment on establishing a nuclear free zone in the Middle East. He compares the efforts necessary today, to those used in the sixties to create the Treaty of Tlatelolco in Latin America. William Lambers is an independent historian and writer for the History News Service.
Boston Marriages
Host Bryan Le Beau begins the year with a discussion of same sex unions in the past with our guest, Estelle Freedman. Her article, “Boston Marriage, Free Love, and Fictive Kin: Historical Alternatives to Mainstream Marriage,” appeared in the Organization of American Historians’ Newsletter of August 2004. Estelle Freedman is Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University.
Airdate: January 3, 2005
Run Time: 29 Minutes
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And for our commentary, Kathleen Dalton joins us to compare today’s moral anxieties over gay marriage with similar concerns held by progressives at the beginning of the 20th century. Kathleen Dalton is codirector of the Brace Center, and instructor of history at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. She is also the author of Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life.