Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Code Name Puritan: Norman Holmes Pearson, Super Spy Professor Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

Norman Holmes Pearson actually did what a great many professors dream about doing. He was an expert in his field, but he also worked as an Intelligence Officer for the US military during World War II and the Cold War. And he wasn’t a desk jockey, but an active spy. Despite a major physical disability, he parachuted into Europe during the height of World War II for espionage reasons. Oh, and he was a literature professor too, by the way. So, as a spy, recruiter, and cultural diplomat, he connected the academy, the State Department, and even the CIA, all at the same time! Episode 568.

Understanding the Cuban Missile Crisis: 2024 Encore Oct 05, 2024

Show notes

Buzzkill Genius Dr. Philip Nash brings us a fabulous (and very relevant) show on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. There's so much more to those events than the standard "eye-ball-to-eye-ball" story would have us believe. Among many other things, we learn why the Cold War was so cold. You'll understand so much more after listening. Encore Episode.

Why Was World War II So Bad: 2024 Encore Oct 04, 2024

Show notes

All wars are bad. But why was World War II so extreme? Coming less than 20 years after World War I (the most extreme war up until that time), the Second World War’s death toll is _conservatively_ calculated at 60 million people. And some estimates are higher than that. Professor Phil Nash joins us to explain why the death and destruction were so severe, and to give us grim statistics on some overlooked facts. These include the number of civilian deaths outnumbering military deaths, and the number of Allied deaths far exceeding Axis deaths. If this episode doesn’t bring the peace-nix in you out into the open, we’ve failed to convince you. Listen and learn!

Battle of Stalingrad, Part 2 Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Professor Philip Nash continues his excellent analysis of the famous Battle of Stalingrad. The grim complications in the details of the history of this battle give us perfect insight into the nature of warfare during this period. Dr. Nash finishes up by explaining how the Battle of Stalingrad fits into the larger period of late 1943-1943, when the war started to turn against the Axis powers. Episode 567.

Battle of Stalingrad, Part 1 Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Stalingrad. Even just the name of the city conjures up images of a brutal, months-long battle that helped change the course of the war. Professor Nash discusses the background of the battle, Hitler’s intent in attacking that part of the Soviet Union, and how the Red Army defended the area and built up the resilience to counterattack. Part 1 is fascinating, and will leave listeners yearning for Part 2. Episode 566.

German POWs in the USSR Sep 17, 2024

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German soldiers were kept in the Soviet Union until the late 1950s. Professor Grunewald explains why the Soviets kept the POWs after the war, what they did with them, and why they were incarcerated for so long. Was it retribution for the millions of Soviet war dead? Were the German POWs used as a necessary labor force, helping to rebuild the Soviet Union? Or were there multiple other reasons? Dr. Susan Grunewald explains all! Episode 564.

Birthright Citizenship: 2024 Election Special! Sep 10, 2024

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This 2024 Presidential election has brought the question of “birthright citizenship” up again in the United States, because Donald Trump has questioned whether Kamala Harris is a citizen. Her parents were not born in the United States, and he thinks that disqualifies her to be President. This episode explains birthright citizenship and how it developed in the United States and in the western hemisphere. And, of course, it explains the complicated history of the tradition, especially how it was applied to Native Americans and freed slaves. It wasn’t as simple as you might have thought. Listen and learn! Episode 564

Image and the Nixon-Kennedy 1960 Election Debates Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

Did “image” play a role in the famous presidential debates of 1960? Did Richard Nixon appear sick and frail, compared to a hale and healthy John Kennedy? The standard story is that he did; and that it affected the way people perceived him, and how they voted. But how much of this is true, and how much in urban legend? We examine the whole thing, with an eye to what might happen if there’s a debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during this election. Episode 563.

An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Slave trading continued in the south during the Civil War. Between Fort Sumter to Appomattox, Confederates bought and sold thousands of African-American men, women, and children. These transactions in humanity made the internal slave trade a cornerstone of Confederate society, a bulwark of the Rebel economy, and a central part of the experience of the Civil War for all inhabiting the American South. Professor Robert Colby explains all! Episode 562.

Women in Nazi Germany, Part 2 Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

Professor Nash tells us about wives and lovers of leading Nazis, women who participated in Nazi crimes, and women who worked against the Nazi regime. We look at everyone from Eva Braun, Hitler’s partner, to Sophie Scholl, one of the leaders of the White Rose resistance to the Nazi state. This episode shows that German women as a whole were a representative slice of Nazi ideology and practice, as well as opposition to Nazism. Episode 562.

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