Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Major Samuel Tucker - Man Crush Monday! Feb 13, 2022

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General Ty Seidule tells us about Major Samuel Tucker, civil rights champion and American hero. Listen to his amazing story and why we should look around us to find the history of the heroes in our own communities. Episode 441.

The Pizza Effect on National Pizza Day! Feb 10, 2022

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Feb 9th is National Pizza Day in the USA! This is a good time to learn about the "pizza effect." It helps explain why assumptions about the history and development of certain cultural practices and traditions help build hardy historical myths. Learn about the "pizza renaissance" in Italy, the "Hindu renaissance across India, the "Cornish pasty renaissance" in south-west England, and the "Clancy Brothers" or "traditional music renaissance" in Ireland! Listen while enjoying your favorite pizza pie!

Hitler, Jesse Owens, FDR, and the 1936 Olympics Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Hitler storming out of the stadium after Jesse Owens won the 100-meter dash in the 1936 Berlin Olympics is one of the most enduring images we have of the tumultuous history of Nazi Germany. Hitler famously “snubbed” Jesse Owens and all African-American athletes because of his ideas of Aryan racial superiority. But did it actually happen? And did it happen the way we usually think? Find out, Buzzkillers!

Before #MeToo: The History of the 9to5 Job Survival Hotline Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Emily Twarog enlightens us about the "9to5 Job Survival Hotline," an early effort to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. We bust the myth that women were passive in their reactions to workplace abuse, and show how sophisticated organizations, like 9to5, had a huge impact on American culture. Episode 440.

Red Cloud - Man Crush Monday! Jan 31, 2022

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Heather Cox Richardson tells us about Red Cloud, a Native American leader who deserves more fame and glory. Dr. Richardson gives us a sophisticated understanding of why Red Cloud was important and what he means for American history as a whole! Episode 439.

How the South Won the Civil War Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Heather Cox Richardson explains the historical issues that have underpinned oligarchy, democracy, and the continuing fight for the soul of America. She traces the story of the American paradox – the competing claims of equality and subordination woven into the nation's fabric and identity. One of our very best shows, and essential listening for every engaged citizen! Episode 438.

Family Names Changed at Ellis Island? Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Did your great granny tell you that your family name was Americanized at Ellis Island? Well, either she was mainlining the after-dinner sherry, or she had bought into an old historical myth. Join Professor Buzzkill as he walks Vito Corleone and other immigrants through the halls of the Ellis Island processing center and find out whether their ethnicity gets mangled! Episode 437.

Nixon's 1960 Southern Strategy Jan 20, 2022

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Historian Timothy Galsworthy explains the details and complications of the famous Republican "Southern Strategy" in the election of 1960. He tells us how this strategy was developed much earlier than most people realize, and how Nixon had to use a tense balancing act to woo southern voters who traditionally hated the Republican party. Episode 436.

Winston Churchill, Alexander Fleming, and Penicillin Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

One of the absolute best stories flying around the web is the one where a young Scottish farmer boy saved a young English aristocrat from drowning. The aristocrat's grateful father paid for the farmer boy's education. That young farmer boy grew up to become a doctor and to discover penicillin. In later life, he received an emergency call to save a prominent politician's life. The farmer boy's name was Alexander Fleming. The life he saved twice? That of Winston Churchill. But listen to the real story! Episode 435.

The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox tells us how the rise of mass media culture made fashion a vehicle for women to assert claims over their bodies, femininity, and social roles. As women employed new clothing styles, they expanded feminist activism beyond formal organizations and movements and reclaimed fashion as a realm of pleasure, power, and feminist consciousness. Episode 434.

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