Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

League of Wives: the Women Who Took on the US Government to Bring Their Husbands Home Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

Historian Heath Hardage Lee tells us the remarkable story of Sybil Stockdale, Jane Denton, Louise Mulligan, and other wives of American Navy and Air Force pilots who pressured the LBJ and Nixon administrations to get their POW husbands freed during the Vietnam War. Listen to this story of highly sophisticated, persistent, and dedicated political activism!

Arleen Lorrance “Be the Change…” Special Episode! Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

Our Quote or No Quote episodes are roaring back with the most important person we've ever interviewed -- Arleen Lorrance, the teacher and social innovator who created the "be the change you want to see happen" idea. As "be the change you want to see in the world," this idea is usually attributed to Gandhi, but Buzzkill Institute historians and quote history experts have proved over and over again that it started with Arleen Lorrance in 1970!

The Fuse that Helped Win World War II Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

The "proximity fuse" was a technological marvel of its time. Produced under enormous time pressure and urgency to save lives, it is often called one of the three most important technological advances that helped win World War II. Award-winning author Jamie Holmes talks to us about it and his new book, 12 Seconds of Silence: How a Team of Inventory, Tinkerers, and Spies Took Down a Nazi Superweapon.

Hitler and Gun Control Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Did Hitler disarm the German citizenry as a way to make it easy to control them? Were Jews and other minorities targeted for gun confiscation so that they could be exterminated? Professor Philip Nash explains this _very_ complicated issue, and busts many myths about Hitler and "gun control."

Ante Pavelic - POS Saturday! Jul 25, 2020

Show notes

It's hard to be a bigger POS than Ante Pavelic, the fascist ultranationalist and dictator who was one of the worst war criminals in Europe during the 1930s and 1940. The Nazi SS even tried to rein in his excesses! Professor Nash explains all! BTW, it's a brutal episode, so don't let the Buzzlings listen.

Ideological Exclusion and Deportation in US History Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Julia Rose Kraut explains the history of American laws used to bar or expel foreigners based on their beliefs and associations. Immigration history is more complicated than most of us think. Listen and learn!

European Nationalists and the Confederacy Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

Professor Ann Tucker explains that white American southerners closely analyzed European nationalist movements 1830-1860. This led them to conceive of a separate southern nation, and helped them try to defend and legitimize the Confederacy. This great episode presents a new angle on Confederate nationalism, and refutes the myth that southern enslavers were intellectually isolated and ignorant of the trends of the time.

Chief Seattle "We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children" Wednesday Wisdom! Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

As a parting piece of wisdom about generational stewardship of land and nature, Chief Seattle supposedly said to American colonizers pushing west, "we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." But, like spiritual quotes that get attached to a great many leaders, this may have complicated origins. Listen and learn, Buzzkillers!

1918 Pandemic Second Wave Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

The second wave of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic was more deadly than the first. In this short episode, Professor Buzzkill explains why, but also wonders whether there are useful parallels for the COVID-19 virus. Listen and learn.

Changes in American Political Parties Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Current debates, protests, tensions, and turmoil in the United States have revived a number of ahistorical rants on social media about all kinds of things, including the history of American political parties. We explain why the Democratic and Republican political parties have the same names, but totally different attitudes and policies over the decades. Essential listening for the 2020 election!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected