Revisionist History

A Very Terminator Christmas Dec 18, 2024

What happens when the biggest movie star in the world directs the smallest Christmas film on basic cable? A holiday miracle.

Today on the show: The never-before-published, extremely bizarre story of the making of ‘Christmas in Connecticut’... the remake.

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Get Happier, Help Others: Some Good Ideas About Giving Dec 02, 2024

It's the season of giving: colorful paper and shiny bows, sure, and charitable giving, too. In this special episode, Jacob Goldstein, the host of What's Your Problem, gets smart about donating.

Did you know that spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself? Or that altruistic nerds have discovered four of the most impactful charities in the world (per dollar spent)? Have you ever wondered how poker players think about giving?

Dr. Laurie Santos from The Happiness Lab, Elie Hassenfeld of GiveWell, and Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova from Risky Business talk about how to maximize your giving – and why you’ll be happy you did.

Link to donate: https://givingmultiplier.org/happinesslab

Listen to The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Listen to Risky Business

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Gambling with Michael Lewis Nov 21, 2024

Michael Lewis, host of Against the Rules and author of Moneyball, The Big Short, Liar’s Poker, and Going Infinite, joins Malcolm to talk about the wild world of sports betting. Then, a preview of Against the Rules season 4, which is legal in New Jersey (listen to find out why), or wherever you get your podcasts.

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John Birch vs. the PTA Oct 31, 2024

In the 1960s, a right-wing organization led by a former candy tycoon rose to fame in America for their anti-communist campaigns. They called themselves the John Birch Society. Then, they tried to take over the Parent-Teacher Association. This week, what the battle between the two organizations tells us about the fate of American politics, and the history of your Halloween candy.

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Exploring Life-Saving AI Tech with T-Mobile for Business Oct 29, 2024

How is 5G powering the use of AI to revolutionize life-saving solutions? Malcolm sits with T-Mobile for Business CMO Mo Katibeh, 3AM Innovations COO Ryan Litt, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Dr. Azizi Seixas to find out in this special episode of Revisionist History. Brought to you in partnership with T-Mobile for Business, and recorded live from the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas.

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The Tipping Point Revisited: Broken Windows Oct 24, 2024

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm helped popularize a controversial approach to policing called “Broken Windows Theory” that is often credited for keeping crime rates down. Now, 25 years later, he goes back and audits his chapter on crime. Did he get it right?

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How AI Can Accelerate Cybersecurity Oct 22, 2024

In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell speaks with Jason Kelley, GM, Strategic Partners and Ecosystems at IBM, and Kristy Friedrichs, SVP and Chief Partnership Officer at Palo Alto Networks. They discuss the challenges and opportunities that the rapid development of AI brings to the cybersecurity space. Jason and Kristy also underscore how implementing a zero trust strategy can help enterprises enhance cyber resiliency and simplify operations. Together, IBM and Palo Alto Networks are delivering fully integrated, open, end-to-end security solutions to enterprises.

This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

Visit us at https://ibm.com/smarttalks

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The Tipping Point Revisited: Live with David Remnick Oct 17, 2024

On the very first stop of the Revenge of the Tipping Point book tour,Malcolm sat down with David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, at the 92Y in New York City. The old friends and former colleagues discuss Malcolm’s past work, his new book and how he traces his love of storytelling back to playing endless games of Monopoly as a child.

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The Tipping Point Revisited: Georgetown Massacre Part 2 Oct 10, 2024

What exactly constitutes a bribe? The Georgetown Massacre continues, and the defense calls a surprise witness.

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The Tipping Point Revisited: Georgetown Massacre Part 1 Oct 03, 2024

In the ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal, the government indicted more than 50 people. Business leaders. Celebrities. Actors. Rich people accused of paying millions of dollars to get their children into elite universities. The Department of Justice was successful in all but one case: U.S. v. Khoury. What we’re calling: The Georgetown Massacre.

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The Tipping Point Revisited: An Excerpt Sep 26, 2024

Today, we’re sharing an exclusive preview of the audiobook of Revenge of the Tipping Point. All about bank robbers and doctors. Find Revenge of the Tipping Point wherever you get audiobooks.

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Tim's Tolkien Obsession & Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power Aug 30, 2024

Tim Harford's life has been building up to this moment. In this Cautionary Conversation, he discusses the works of his favorite author J.R.R. Tolkien and the social science at play in Amazon Prime's series The Rings of Power. What do elves and whistleblowers have in common? How can evil hide in plain sight? And where do orcs come from?

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is available to watch on Prime Video from August 29th.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 9: A Plague on Both Your Houses. Aug 22, 2024

In the season finale, we turn back the clock four years, take a side trip to Alabama, meet an extraordinary man named Billy Garland, and ask: What is the right way to reconcile something pure with the messiness of the real world?

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 8: “Vater, It is to be Fayetteville” Aug 15, 2024

In the early 1930s, a young German law student spent a year in Arkansas, studying American “race law.” The fight over the 1936 Games provided Americans with a chance to study Nazi Germany. But it turns out the Nazis were studying us too.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 7: Long Jump, Tall Tale Aug 08, 2024

Jesse Owens spent the rest of his life retelling the story of the 1936 games and his encounter with Luz Long. We trace the evolution of a tall tale, discovering the hidden life of one of America’s iconic sports heroes.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 6: The Jiggle & the Giddy Up Aug 01, 2024

The most famous athlete in Berlin was the American sprinter Jesse Owens, and one of the most famous stories from those Games was the unexpected, heartwarming encounter Owens had with the German long jumper Luz Long. The friendship between the two athletes would serve as a symbol of how sports can overcome national antagonisms. We wonder: What really happened at the long jump pit that day?

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Pushkin Goes to the Olympics Jul 26, 2024

Legends are made at the Olympics and this summer shows across the Pushkin network are bringing their unique takes to Olympic stories. This special episode includes excerpts from a few: a Cautionary Tale about underestimating female marathoners, a Jesse Owens story from Revisionist History’s series on Hitler’s Olympics, and—from What’s Your Problem—the new technology that’s helping Olympic athletes get stronger.

Check out other show feeds as well, the Happiness Lab and A Slight Change of Plans are also going to the Games.

Sylvia Blemker of Springbok Analytics on What’s Your Problem

The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo on Cautionary Tales

Hitler’s Olympics from Revisionist History

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 5: The Amateur’s Hour Jul 25, 2024

A German Jewish high-jumper is determined to get her shot at Olympic greatness. And an idealist faces an existential choice. In the fifth episode of Hilter’s Olympics, Avery Brundage faces the reality for Jewish athletes in Nazi Germany and makes a critical decision.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 4: Outcast in Olympia Jul 18, 2024

The cheerleader-in-chief for the American Olympic movement was a brilliant, self-made Chicago tycoon named Avery Brundage. Brundage did more to ensure the success of the Berlin Games than anyone except Hitler. But what exactly were his motivations? We meet the man behind the curtain and witness his secret shame.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 3: Mustache to Mustache Jul 11, 2024

With the fate of the Olympics on the line, Charles Sherrill travels to Germany to take up the question of Jewish athletes directly with the Führer. We dig through a dusty archive to uncover a long-buried account of their meeting. The wolf met with the chicken. Guess who won?

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 2: Pangloss, Polonius, Prufrock Jul 04, 2024

Charles Sherrill was everything a gentleman of his generation was supposed to be: rich, handsome, charming, Ivy-Leagued. He was impossibly well connected and extravagantly mustachioed. He was also the person who, as much as anything, decided whether American athletes would participate in the 1936 Olympics. Faced with one of the great moral dilemmas of the day, America needed the wisdom of Solomon. Instead, it got the wisdom of Sherrill.

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Hitler’s Olympics, Part 1: The Blue-Eyed Tornado Jun 27, 2024

In the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler granted a rare interview to the American journalist Dorothy Thompson. When Hitler later came to power, and prepared to stage the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Thompson’s warning about the man she’d met would frame the central debate over the games: Should we go?

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Hitler’s Olympics Jun 21, 2024

Adolf Hitler swept to power in Germany in the early 1930s and soon set out to stage the most extravagant and spectacular summer Olympics yet: the 1936 Berlin Games. And countries around the world dutifully put together their teams and made the trip to Germany. Why?

In this new nine-part series Hitler’s Olympics, Malcolm Gladwell and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey explore the games behind the Games, the most consequential Olympics in history. Along the way, they meet a collection of the world’s daffiest aristocrats. A couple of American construction moguls. A legendary triple-jumper. And one discerning journalist.

Heroes and villains. The clear-eyed and the deluded. All of them going to Hitler’s Olympics.

Hitler’s Olympics launches June 27th. Subscribe to Pushkin Plus now to hear the first five episodes on launch day, or listen for new episodes every Thursday for the next nine weeks.

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Vultures from Lost Hills: Dark Canyon Jun 17, 2024

Here's an episode from another Pushkin Industries podcast that you may enjoy. Introducing Lost Hills: Dark Canyon.

This season, host Dana Goodyear investigates one of Malibu's greatest unsolved mysteries. In 2009, 24-year-old Mitrice Richardson was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for failing to pay her bill at a restaurant in Malibu, CA. After being released from Lost Hills Station shortly after midnight, she disappeared. Eleven months later, her skeletal remains were discovered in a canyon some six miles away.

For nearly 15 years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Mitrice’s friends and family, and generations of internet sleuths have tried to crack the case. The truth lies in the remote Malibu community where Mitrice was last seen. And now, finally, people are starting to talk.

Listen to Lost Hills: Dark Canyon wherever you find your podcasts.

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Why We Need Small Talk from The Art of Small Talk May 13, 2024

Here’s a clip from a Pushkin Industries audiobook that you may enjoy: The Art of Small Talk.

Hilarious and practical advice for how to up your small talk game from comedians, actors and self-appointed experts on chit-chat, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair. Casey and Jessica share six simple rules for how to engage in small talk and achieve the connectedness we all crave with any and everyone.

Enjoy this clip from The Art of Small Talk, featuring Malcolm. And if you’re interested in hearing more small talk tips, get the complete audiobook at:

Pushkin: https://www.pushkin.fm/audiobooks/the-art-of-small-talk

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/309by6YVsUZED5MhGlV0H8?si=TDPcSzeWQZKuggmkDRNh9g

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Art-of-Small-Talk-Audiobook/B0CPM98G3J

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-art-of-small-talk-go-shallow-to-go-deep/id1737294114

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The Rumor from Deep Cover: The Nameless Man Apr 29, 2024

Here’s an episode from another Pushkin Industries podcast that you may enjoy. Introducing Deep Cover: The Nameless Man.

This season, host Jake Halpern tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.

Listen to Deep Cover wherever you find your podcasts.

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Malcolm on No Small Endeavor Apr 18, 2024

Malcolm recently sat down with friend and award-winning theologian Lee C. Camp to discuss his journey on the acclaimed podcast No Small Endeavor. In this episode, they explore a host of Malcolm's stories – from receiving permission from his mother to cut class to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult – all which contributed to who he is today.

Produced by Great Feeling Studios and PRX, No Small Endeavor brings thoughtful conversations with bestselling authors, artists, theologians and philosophers – like Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, and Civil Rights hero Reverend James Lawson – about what it means to live a good life.

Listen to more episodes of No Small Endeavor here: https://link.chtbl.com/LN08h4po?sid=RevisionistHistoryEpisode

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Blue Seattle with Cameron Crowe | Development Hell Apr 11, 2024

In 1986, Cameron Crowe, the film director, and Nancy Wilson, of the rock group Heart, got married. They honeymooned in a little cabin in the Pacific Northwest, and while they were there decided to write a musical, about Elvis as a cab driver in Seattle. They wrote and recorded demos of all the songs, and called it “Blue Seattle.” It became a lost masterpiece that never saw the light of day. In our Development Hell season finale, Cameron joins Malcolm to share the songs and tell the story behind “Blue Seattle” for the very first time.

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Labor of Love with M. Night Shyamalan | Development Hell Mar 28, 2024

Before M. Night Shyamalan became a household name for his mind bending thrillers like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs”, he was just a young screenwriter in love. And during those blissful early years of marriage he wrote a love story. The screenplay for “Labor of Love” sold right away, and over the next 30 years or so there would be numerous attempts to make it into a movie. There was a major studio, there were A-list directors, Shyamalan even found his perfect star. In this episode, M. Night Shyamalan tells Malcolm about the script that haunts him.

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I Am Superman with Patty Jenkins | Development Hell Mar 21, 2024

Between her big hits, “Monster” and “Wonder Woman”, Patty Jenkins wrote an R-rated fairy tale, starring a dog. She hoped that the dog would deliver such a great performance that the Academy would — for the first time — give the Best Actor award to an animal. The story was about a dog program in a prison, a perfect set-up for a story of both canine and human redemption, right? Wrong. That’s the kind of story Hollywood loves, but not the kind of story Jenkins wanted to tell. Enter development hell.

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Pushkin Hosts Celebrate World Happiness Day Mar 20, 2024

The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell talks about the benefits of the misery of running in a Canadian winter. Dr. Maya Shankar from A Slight Change of Plans talks about quieting her mental chatter. And Cautionary Tales host Tim Harford surprises everyone with the happiness lessons to be learned from a colonoscopy.

Hear more of The Happiness Lab HERE.

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The Birthday Party with Charles Randolph | Development Hell Mar 14, 2024

Before Charles Randolph won an Oscar for writing “The Big Short,” he adapted a memoir called “The Birthday Party”: the true story of a white man kidnapped by three young Black men. Is there a way to bring a story like that to screen, in a way that's honest and authentic? Randolph gives us a masterclass on a screenwriter's many minefields.

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Bubbles with Isaac Adamson | Development Hell Mar 07, 2024

This is the story behind a biopic about a chimpanzee named Bubbles, sidekick to the King of Pop. Malcolm talks with the writer, Isaac Adamson, about the project’s rise and fall. Netflix optioned the script, a director was attached, and then… everything fell apart. In the episode, Isaac reads from his 2015 Black List winning script, and he and Malcolm consider whether now is the time for “Bubbles.”

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Oscar Season with Talk Easy Mar 05, 2024

Development Hell will return on Thursday with an all-new episode about a chimpanzee. In the meantime, here's a Hollywood-related episode from our friends at Talk Easy. Host Sam Fragoso talks with the New York Times critic Wesley Morris about all things Oscars, his career, and the state of the film industry. Find more Talk Easy at talkeasypod.com.

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The Variable Man with Gary Goldman and Angus Fletcher | Development Hell Feb 29, 2024

Gary Goldman was a writer on “Total Recall”, a Philip K. Dick adaptation directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzeneger. It was a big hit. So why do Gary and his writing partner, Angus Fletcher, have so much trouble selling another Philip K. Dick adaptation? They tell Malcolm that it all came down to a roller coaster ride of plot twists that even A-List action actors couldn’t stomach, and an early attempt at AI that was too dumb to pick a smart script.

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Blink with Stephen Gaghan | Development Hell Feb 29, 2024

It’s the mid-2000s, Malcolm and writer/producer Stephen Gaghan (“Traffic”, “Syriana”) are running around Hollywood pitching their scripted adaptation of Blink. This conversation starts with a failed vampire love story, takes a ride in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Prius, before making an unexpectedly heartbreaking turn that leads Stephen to walk away from the project forever.

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Welcome to Development Hell Feb 23, 2024

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. On February 29th, Revisionist History is returning with Development Hell, a series of untold stories about Hollywood projects that never left the page. There's a Philip K. Dick adaptation with a twist too shocking for the studios, a biopic about an exotic pet, and Malcolm’s own misadventure trying to adapt his bestselling book, Blink. Coming soon!

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Revisionist History LIVE with Nate Berkus Feb 15, 2024

Malcolm Gladwell sits with interior design legend Nate Berkus in a live conversation covering everything from travel, to their moms, prestige TV, and finding the places that can cure us of melancholy. This episode was recorded at the AC Hotel New York Times Square, and is brought to you by AC Hotels.

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The IT Revolution Feb 01, 2024

The digital revolution has been happening for a while now, but with 5G, it’s about to reach a whole new level. IT departments are about to rule the world. So in this paid partnership with T-Mobile for Business, Malcolm sits with leaders in the world of retail and healthcare to discuss how their industries are changing.

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Board Game Season Dec 21, 2023

A young family nearly lost everything in the 1970s farm crisis. Then, they invented a board game. Today on the show, producer Ben Naddaff-Hafrey shares a story about how life shows up in games and what games teach us about risk, life, love, and in this case ... farming.

For more episodes like this, check out Pushkin’s The Last Archive podcast.

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A New Day at the Races Dec 04, 2023

Revisionist History heads to Las Vegas for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, courtesy of T-Mobile for Business. Malcolm talks with T-Mobile and Las Vegas Grand Prix executives about how 5G technology is changing professional sports — from how athletes compete, to how fans watch and even find their seats.

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This Is Your Captain Speaking Nov 16, 2023

What does a pilot sound like? Malcolm and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey take off on a long, strange investigation that takes them from Las Vegas to Family Guy to the airspace over the Mojave desert and the cold waters of the Hudson river.

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The Bear Was Poked With Maria Konnikova Nov 02, 2023

Maria Konnikova returns as Revisionist History’s ombudsman. Today, she talks with Malcolm about assault rifles, tales of the two Matt Dillons, moral hazard, localized mortgage rates, and possible solutions to America’s gun problem.

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Oil and Blood: The Osage Murders from Cautionary Tales Oct 31, 2023

Today, we’re bringing you an episode from another Pushkin show, Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford. This episode is based on Killers of the Flower Moon, with permission from its author, David Grann.

Minnie Smith grew sick quite suddenly. She had been young, fit and healthy; the doctors were baffled when she died. "A peculiar wasting illness," they called it. Then, her sister Anna went missing. She was found a week later, dead, with a gunshot wound to her head. When a third sister, Rita, died in an explosion at her home, the grim pattern was clear: the family was under attack.

Lawman Tom White came to town to investigate, and uncovered a vicious plot.

This episode is the first of two cautionary tales produced in association with Apple Original Films. The Killers of the Flower Moon movie is in theaters now. It's directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone.

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Unlocking Hidden Potential with Adam Grant Oct 26, 2023

Malcolm Gladwell hosts a rollicking live discussion about Adam Grant’s new book, “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things,” which is available now. They explore why we overemphasize innate talent, how Adam grappled with impostor syndrome as a writer and perfectionism as an athlete, and how to chart a path toward achieving greater things. They also discuss the evidence on affirmative action — and riff on topics ranging from humility to psychoanalysis to whether Lions or Bills fans suffer more.

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Silicon Valley on the Couch Oct 19, 2023

Why is Silicon Valley where it is? How did a narrow valley in California become the epicenter of the computer age? People usually say it’s because of Stanford, or the weather. But the answer may be something much more … Freudian. In this episode, Malcolm puts William Shockley—inventor of the transistor, winner of the Nobel Prize, father of Silicon Valley—on the couch.

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Guns Part 6: “Sin is the failure to bother to care” Oct 05, 2023

Abdullah Pratt grew up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, then returned to be an ER doctor in his neighborhood hospital. At the end of Revisionist History’s series on everything Americans get wrong about guns, we offer a final lesson on the obligations and costs of compassion.

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Five Burning Travel Questions with Malcolm Gladwell Oct 03, 2023

Revisionist History hits the road, courtesy of Airbnb. Malcolm shares some travel tips, including music for poolside relaxation, how to find your way around the Carolinas, and what to do about inclement weather. Then, Di Zock and Michael Specter talk about the pros and cons of traveling with your dog.

The finale of our series on guns in America airs this Thursday. Please write in with your comments at revisionisthistory.com.

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Guns Part 5: The Footnote Sep 28, 2023

At the end of a forgotten study of convicted murderers, the author left a devastating footnote. We travel to an old plantation house outside Montgomery Alabama to hear his story — and what it tells us about American gun violence.

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Guns Part 4: Moral Hazard Sep 21, 2023

Robert Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1968, ending his presidential run. Had he been shot today, would he have lived? A what-if story about homicides and medical care and the moral consequences of a world where trauma surgeons have gotten really, really good at what they do.

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Guns Part 3: A Shooting Lesson Sep 14, 2023

Malcolm goes to a shooting range in the woods of North Carolina to get a tutorial on the AR-15. It’s scary. It’s ugly. It’s at the center of the gun control debate. But what exactly makes it worse than other guns?

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Guns Part 2: Getting out of Dodge Sep 07, 2023

The longest running television series of the 20th century was Gunsmoke, a western set in the notorious Dodge City, Kansas. Malcolm sweeps away mountains of legal scholarship to make a bold claim: The simplest explanation for the Supreme’s Court’s puzzling run of gun rights decisions may be that the justices watched too much Gunsmoke when they were growing up.

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Guns Part 1: The Sudden Celebrity of Sir John Knight Aug 31, 2023

In the battles over gun rights, a shadowy English nobleman from the 17th century has unexpectedly taken center stage. Who was he? What did he do that has — 300 years later — endeared him to a generation of legal scholars? Revisionist History explores the cult of personality around the mysterious Sir John Knight.

Sign up for Pushkin+ on the Revisionist History Apple Show page or at Pushkin.fm to binge the entire series now!

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Doctors, Guns, and Money Aug 17, 2023

Coming soon – a six-part series from Revisionist History about everything Americans get wrong about guns.

The series will air weekly, starting Thursday, August 31st. You can binge listen to all six episodes early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin Plus on Apple Podcasts, or by visiting: pushkin.fm/plus.

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Taxonomy of the Modern Mystery Story Jul 27, 2023

Today, another episode from the Revisionist History Live universe. It's an old fashioned lecture, recorded at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. Malcolm talks about a totally real thing he made up—a taxonomy of the modern mystery story—with a focus on murder mysteries and police procedurals. From Dragnet, to John Grisham, to Sherlock Holmes, it's all in there...and all connected to how we view real policing.

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Acting Out Jul 06, 2023

Malcolm talks with Ben Naddaff-Hafrey, host of The Last Archive, about the forgotten origins of a major social science, the missing chapter in Ella Fitzgerald’s life, and what it all has to do with the prison just down the street from Malcolm’s office. Listen, and check out the brand new season from Pushkin’s The Last Archive.

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A Good Circle Jun 29, 2023

This season, Malcolm's covered a lot of the problems in higher education. Today on the show: A solution. A big idea being tested at a little school on the shores of Lake Michigan. A school called Hope College, believe it or not, with an idea so crazy it just might work.

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Feeling A Bit Attacked with Maria Konnikova Jun 22, 2023

Maria Konnikova, Revisionist History’s ombudsman—who's also an author, psychologist and professional poker player—is back for another round. This time she reads letters from the audience on the power of debate, and whether or not certain four letter words belong in Pushkin’s podcasts. Maria and Malcolm also look at the Columbia cheating scandal from a different angle, and hand out one more sparkling Pushkin Prize.

If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts, be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.

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The Pushkin Prize for Egregiously Deceptive Self-Promotion Jun 08, 2023

Consider this your invitation to the greatest award show no one’s ever heard of: the Pushkin Prizes, created to honor the giants of the American education system. This year, Malcolm is celebrating one prominent university that decided to play the US News & World Report at its own dirty rankings game—and smeared themselves in the process. Featuring an eagle-eyed math professor, our favorite data scientist, and the legend of one disgraced congressman.

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The Crisis in Girls’ Sports with Lauren Fleshman and Linda Flanagan May 25, 2023

In a live conversation taped at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Malcolm and his Martian friend consult athletes Linda Flanagan and Lauren Fleshman on how to level the proverbial playing field. What would they ban from youth sports: Coaches? Parents? Uniforms? Whatever it takes to bring the love of the game to everyone.

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The Mystery of Mastery with Adam Gopnik May 18, 2023

In a live conversation taped at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Malcolm chats with his old friend and New Yorker magazine colleague, Adam Gopnik, about Adam’s latest book, The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery. In the book, Adam follows numerous masters of their craft to find out just how they do what they do—and discovers that there is mastery all around us. In this episode, Malcolm and Adam highlight a few of the folks from the book, and what they have to teach us. You can purchase the audiobook version of The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery at Pushkin.fm

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Introducing: So Many Steves, A New Audiobook from Steve Martin and Pushkin May 03, 2023

Today, we’re bringing you a preview of Pushkin's new audiobook, “So Many Steves.” Steve Martin is more candid than he’s ever been about his creative life in this engrossing audio-biography centered around a series of conversations recorded over many afternoons at home with his friend and neighbor, writer Adam Gopnik. You can get “So Many Steves,” an audio-exclusive, now at Audible: http://audible.com/stevemartin

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Malcolm Goes to Debate School Apr 13, 2023

What do you do after you've been humiliated at the Munk Debates? You call in the A-Team.

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Higher Animals with Michael Specter Apr 06, 2023

Malcolm talks with his old friend, the brilliant science writer Michael Specter, about the future of life on Earth. Michael's response to the Covid-19 pandemic was to create a new audiobook on how the mRNA vaccines have sparked a biotechnology revolution: Higher Animals: Vaccines, Synthetic Biology, and the Future of Life. He and Malcolm talk about how this scientific revolution is bigger than many that came before it, about the promise of heritable vaccines for endangered species, and about how a smallpox infection could genuinely have wiped out New York in 1947. Also, we share a portion of Higher Animals' first, thrilling chapter. To purchase your own, complete copy of Michael Specter's Higher Animals, visit Pushkin.fm.

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Started From The Bottom with Justin Richmond Mar 16, 2023

Today, we dig into the fascinating life of someone Malcolm knows very well: fellow Pushkin host Justin Richmond. Malcolm and Justin talk about being the product of biracial marriages, surviving racist bullies, and Justin's chance dinner with a megastar that changed his life.

Justin created his newest show, Started from the Bottom, to talk with successful people who grew up as outsiders about how they made it against the odds. Origin stories of mostly men and women of color and brilliant people who others counted out. How they climbed their way up the ladder, and the obstacles they overcame along the way.

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Rodents and Red Wine with Maria Konnikova Mar 09, 2023

Author, psychologist and professional poker player Maria Konnikova joins the show as Revisionist History’s first ombudsman. Maria advocates for the audience, reading letters from listeners and challenging Malcolm on matters great and small. They discuss how iodized salt is changing lives, the ethics of the Minnesota starvation experiments, and the ever-changing guidance around drinking alcohol. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts, be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.

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A Treat for the Die-Hards Feb 16, 2023

Every writer, podcaster and storyteller obsesses about how they begin a story. But they rarely pay enough attention to endings. Nothing matters more. Malcolm and Mike Birbiglia solve endings for you.

From our first-ever Revisionist History: LIVE events at the Town Hall in New York City and the Fillmore Philadelphia, Malcolm revisits how he’s tried to land the narrative plane.

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From Broken Record: Rick Rubin in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell Jan 26, 2023

In which Malcolm reunites with his colleague, friend and fellow host of Broken Record (not to mention a music icon in his own right), Rick Rubin.

This month Rick released his first book, called "The Creative Act: A Way Of Being." In it he shares practical principles on how anyone can generate creative authenticity and ultimately find their voice.

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The Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon - Part Two Dec 20, 2022

In part two of our special series with Cadillac, we test whether the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ can keep up with the demands of a 21st-century helicopter parent, put a baby to sleep, and impress a collector of immaculate old-school Caddies. Join Malcolm on a test ride like you’ve never been on before. Part two of two.

This episode is sponsored by Cadillac.

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The Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon – Part One Nov 22, 2022

Not long ago, we got a call at Pushkin Headquarters from Cadillac. They knew that Malcolm takes cars very seriously… so they asked if he’d heard of the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ and if he’d like to borrow one for a few days to put it to the test. Yes, yes he did. What resulted was a series of road tests, blindfolded experiments, and head-to-head comparisons. Part one of two.

This episode is sponsored by Cadillac.

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From Inside Voice: Lake Bell and the Sexy Baby Voice Phenomenon Nov 01, 2022

Malcolm's friend, actress/writer/director/producer Lake Bell, is obsessed with voice. Malcolm is a little obsessed with Lake. This excerpt from Lake's new Pushkin audiobook Inside Voice: My Obsession with HowWe Sound, showcases Lake and Malcolm's conversation about the phenomenon of the sexy baby voice (think Paris Hilton or any Real Housewife). Inside Voice is a deep dive into what our voices mean and what they say about us. Go buy yourself a copy at insidevoiceaudiobook.com, Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, or anywhere audiobooks are sold.

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The Creative Power of Misfits Oct 20, 2022

Sharing something from our friends at the TED Audio Collective—an episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant. Adam talks about harnessing the power of frustrated people to shake up the status quo — just like Pixar did. If you'd like to hear more, they've got a brand new podcast out called Re: Thinking with Adam Grant. On the show, get a peek into the minds of some of the world's most creative people. This season they've got entrepreneur Mark Cuban, bestselling author Celeste Ng, Oscar-winning actor and producer Reese Witherspoon, neuroscientist Chantel Prat, Nobel laureate physicist Saul Perlmutter, and death-defying rock climber Alex Honnold. Listen at https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking_with_adam_grant

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The Mennonite National Anthem Oct 06, 2022

Lester Glick’s year in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment cost him his hoped-for career and also left him with an eating disorder for the rest of his life. But like many of the other volunteers, he said he would have done it again in a heartbeat. Revisionist History explores the scientific legacy of this experiment, and asks whether it’s time to reimagine our understanding of sacrifice.

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The Rise of the Guinea Pigs Sep 29, 2022

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment could never be done today. No scientist could get permission to starve 36 healthy people for close to a year. But why? Revisionist History tries to follow the strange logic that governs our thinking about medical experiments.

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The Department of Physiological Hygiene Sep 22, 2022

In the final year of the Second World War, 36 men spent a year in a dingy set of rooms under the University of Minnesota football stadium. They were part of an experiment none of them would ever forget. What happened in the Department of Physiological Hygiene? Revisionist History uncovers a forgotten box of interviews in the archives of the Library of Congress.

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Outliers, Revisited Sep 15, 2022

Did Malcolm Gladwell blow it in his bestselling book Outliers? What if all he did was write a primer for neurotic helicopter parents? To find out, Revisionist History descends on the University of Pennsylvania to run a roomful of eager students through a mysterious experiment, complete with Sharpies, huge white stickers, and a calculator. It does not end well.

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We’re Back … With More Experiments! Sep 12, 2022

Revisionist History returns on September 15th with a saga about self-sacrifice. Plus, Malcolm offers a mea culpa for an unintended consequence of a chapter he wrote in Outliers.

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Tim Harford Cools Us Down This Summer Aug 19, 2022

We’ll be back in September with new episodes of Revisionist History. In the meantime, I got to sit down with my good friend and host of Cautionary Tales, Tim Harford.

We discuss his recent trilogy about the epic race between two explorers to the South Pole and all the challenges they encounter along the way. We draw parallels between the 1920s explorers and Silicon Valley startups, and of course, who of the two explorers we’d prefer to have dinner with. Enjoy!

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“I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me” Jul 28, 2022

Malcolm tells the story of how his parents and their friends sponsored three Vietnamese refugees, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. And wonders: do we underestimate the value of ordinary acts of kindness?

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When Will Met Grace Jul 21, 2022

You thought the antics of Will, Grace, Jack and Karen were just harmless fun. Oh please. Revisionist History dives deep into a television sitcom that you may not have realized even had a deep end.

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Star Struck Jul 14, 2022

A legendary Hollywood mogul, a famous author, a fatal drunk driving accident, and a brilliant bit of screenwriting, left on the cutting room floor. Revisionist History engages in a pop culture what-if experiment about the 1937 version of A Star is Born.

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In Triplicate Jul 07, 2022

A mystery that begins with the half-baked idea of an obscure California bureaucrat in the 1930’s and ends with one of the worst public crises in American history. Chicken Little said the sky was falling. And sometimes Chicken Little is right.

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Way to Go, Ohio Jun 30, 2022

A century ago, a mysterious and disfiguring disease was finally cured by an experiment in Akron, Ohio . . . with a condiment. We ask: it is time to return to Akron, and try the same trick again? Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio.

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The Magic Wand Experiment Jun 30, 2022

What if you could design any experiment you wanted? Without worrying about money, ethics, logistics, or even the laws of nature? Revisionist History kicks off the season by giving some of the world’s smartest scientists a magic wand to create the experiment of their dreams. We hear about the best twins study ever, how to test the effects of iPhone vs Blackberry, and a bizarre plan to get Americans into shape.

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Revisionist History Season 7: The Experiment Experience Jun 16, 2022

Revisionist History is back! And obsessed with ... experiments. Natural experiments. Thought experiments. Failed experiments. Experiments that end up in salt factories and file drawers filled with carbon copies. Not to mention experimental endings to Hollywood classics and a deep dive involving the sitcom Will and Grace. Season 7 gets underway June 30, with episodes available a week early for Pushkin+ subscribers. Find out more at Pushkin.fm.

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Relax and Win from Legacy of Speed Jun 14, 2022

Sharing a new Pushkin show, Legacy of Speed. When two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, it shook the world. More than 50 years later, the ripple effects of their activism are still felt. Host Malcolm Gladwel tells the stories of the runners who took a stand, and the coaches and mentors who helped make them fast enough — and brave enough — to change the world.
In this episode, we hear how coach Bud Winter took what he learned from working with fighter pilots in World War II and created a system for training sprinters at San Jose State. His “Relax and Win” methods used breathing, visualization and other unconventional coaching techniques to create a powerhouse track program. Another thing that made him unique at the time? His focus on recruiting Black athletes to a mostly white school.

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An Ode to the BMW M5: From Car Show! with Eddie Alterman May 18, 2022

Malcolm confesses to being an absolute car nut. And now his dream has come true — the launch of a car show at Pushkin. Car Show! is hosted by Eddie Alterman, the longtime editor of Car and Driver. On Car Show!, Eddie tells the stories behind the most important cars of our lifetimes, cars that transcend their “carness” with a significance beyond horsepower or miles per gallon. We hear about cars that changed how we drive and live: the Jeep Wrangler, the Chrysler minivan, and even the Lunar Rover. In this preview, you’ll hear Eddie going for a ride with Malcolm in his most prized possession: a 2003 BMW M5. Don’t miss this and other Malcolm cameos and ridealongs in upcoming episodes of Car Show! this season. Listen at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/carshow?sid=revisionist

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See Revisionist History Live! May 04, 2022

For the first time ever, Revisionist History is hitting the road! On two nights, Malcolm will be working out an episode from the upcoming season 7—with the help of some very smart friends—on stage. We’ve never pulled back the curtain like this before.Join us on June 6 in New York City or June 8 in Philadelphia. We’ll work on a grand unified theory and make a few digressions together. Get your tickets today at revisionisthistory.com.

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The Revisionist History Holiday Sampler Dec 21, 2021

Sharing special previews of Pushkin’s show Bad Women: Ripper Retold and this month’s Pushkin+ episode, ‘The Dog-tor WIll See You Now’

You know the story: In 1888, five female prostitutes were brutally murdered in a London slum-- attacks so violent the killer earned a nickname: Jack the Ripper. For centuries, we have assumed these women were indeed “Bad Women,” ...but what if everything we know about them is wrong?

Historian Hallie Rubenhold has uncovered the true stories of the Ripper’s victims. Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane all struggled against the misogyny that thrived in Victorian England, until they found themselves in the path of one of the most vicious killers in history.

Bad Women is rich in historical detail and suspenseful enough to satisfy any true crime fan. You can binge the entire season now at https://link.chtbl.com/revisionistbadwomen

Plus, a sneak peek at the fourth in our series of subscriber episodes, an ode to the powerful pups who can sniff out the toughest of viruses worldwide–even at a Metallica concert. To hear the rest, subscribe to Pushkin+ by visiting our show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

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Teaser: Pushkin’s Dirty Laundry Nov 11, 2021

In this month’s subscriber-only episode, the Pushkin staff have something to say about Malcolm’s portrayal of their laundry habits. Plus, an unbiased expert answers our most pressing clothes queries.

This is a sneak peek at the third in our series of subscriber episodes. To hear the rest, subscribe to Pushkin+ by visiting our show page in Apple Podcasts.

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Teaser: The Compromises of Al Levitt Oct 14, 2021

In this month’s subscriber-only episode, a look at the complicated and possibly cursed career of Helen Levitt’s other half.

This is a sneak peek at the second in our series of subscriber episodes. To hear the rest, subscribe to PushNik by visiting our show page in Apple Podcasts.

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The Dog Will See You Now Aug 26, 2021

If recent times have shown us anything, it’s that many problems can not be fixed by humans alone. In the season 6 finale, Revisionist History turns to another species for a little help.

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A Serious Game Aug 19, 2021

The best way to prepare for the unexpected may not be to make plans, or predictions, but to play games. Revisionist History explores imaginary worlds and the people who love finding out what they don’t know.

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Laundry Done Right Aug 12, 2021

Is there a right way to do your laundry? Of course there is. A long look at the science of cleaning your clothes.

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Little Mermaid Part 3: Honestly Ever After Aug 02, 2021

Revisionist History presents: The Little Mermaid...our way. The grand finale of our three-part series. Featuring the voices of Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Dax Shepard, Brit Marling, and many more.

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Little Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist Jul 29, 2021

The quest to revise The Little Mermaid continues. This week, we call in the experts. Part two of three.

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Little Mermaid Part 1: The Golden Contract Jul 22, 2021

Revisionist History takes on The Little Mermaid: a deep dive into a world where merpeople present us with a series of vexing moral conundrums. Part one of three.

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The Judgment of Helen Levitt Jul 15, 2021

Helen Slote Levitt was on her way to the good life in 1950s Hollywood. Then one day, her name appeared on a list. The story of an ordinary woman whose world was upended by extraordinary times.

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Project Dillard Jul 08, 2021

A historically Black university in New Orleans is beloved by everyone – except the US News best colleges rankings. We hack our way back into the algorithm and show how Dillard University can rise to the top. Part two of a two-part series.

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Lord of the Rankings Jul 01, 2021

For 30 years, US News & World Report has been using a secret formula to rank the best colleges and universities in the United States. As a public service to our listeners, we hack the algorithm and discover the dirty little secret of the rankings game.

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I Love You Waymo Jun 24, 2021

Revisionist History travels to Phoenix, Arizona to learn about the future of the automobile. It’s not what you think. It’s much better.

Warning: Some of the actions depicted in this episode are dangerous. Do not imitate Malcolm!

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Presenting: Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi Jun 09, 2021

Presenting a sneak peek of Pushkin’s newest show, Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi. On Be Antiracist, Dr. Kendi discusses policies and practices that sustain injustice in our society, and how we can dismantle racism to build a just, equitable world. To kick off the season, Malcolm called up Dr. Kendi for a conversation on racism, bridging divides, and the power of podcasting. Stay tuned after their conversation for an excerpt of an upcoming episode featuring economic and social policy expert Heather C. McGhee. Dr. Kendi and McGhee discuss the “zero sum” world view, and what racism really costs us as a society. To hear more Be Antiracist, visit http://podcasts.pushkin.fm/gladwellkendi

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Introducing Revisionist History Season Six Jun 03, 2021

The sixth season of Revisionist History is underway, and Malcolm’s finally out of the house. We play chicken with cars, war games with wonks, and travel deep under the sea. Season six of Revisionist History launches June 24th from Pushkin Industries.

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Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant May 28, 2021

Whenever Malcolm and Adam Grant cross paths on the book tour circuit, it's always a good time. Here are pieces of two conversations from Clubhouse: one about Malcolm's The Bomber Mafia and another about Adam's Think Again.

Find out more at bombermafia.com and adamgrant.net.

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Presenting: The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell Apr 27, 2021

Season 5 of Revisionist History included four episodes on the rise of air power during the Second World War. Listeners met Air Force generals Haywood Hansell and Curtis LeMay and heard about the birth of napalm and the firebombing of Tokyo. Malcolm couldn't get that story out of his mind, and so he built an entirely new audiobook around it. The Bomber Mafia.

The Bomber Mafia thought they could re-invent war, in part because of a reclusive genius named Carl Norden. In this excerpt, you hear more about him and his game changing invention, the Norden Bombsight.

If you loved those episodes, you'll be in history heaven with The Bomber Mafia. It features more archival footage, new writing, and enhanced scoring. It's a totally new experience. Purchase the audiobook at www.bombermafia.com, and you'll receive a free Listener's Guide featuring new commentary from Malcolm. Print and ebook editions available wherever books are sold.

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Return to the 404 Dec 17, 2020

We're back in Atlanta - this week with jaunts to Jamaica, Kenya, court-side NBA games, and a deep dive into fine art forgery. Plus, Malcolm finally gets his big break in the advertising industry. LISTENER NOTE: No editors were involved with the writing of this episode of Revisionist History. Proceed at your own risk. Happy Holidays, everyone!

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Druid Hills Dec 10, 2020

Revisionist History takes a trip to Malcolm's favorite city and gets a tour of Emory University, meets 3000 non-human primates and 8000 rodents, and dusts off an old TV pilot for a dramatic reenactment. Oh, and a season three guest returns, but you'll just have to listen to find out who.

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This episode features “Dare To Be Me” by Kaci Bolls feat. The Happy Racers

This bonus episode is sponsored by Emory University.

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A Memorial for the Living Aug 20, 2020

Lessons from the world’s most perfect memorial.

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"Oh Howard, You Idiot!” Aug 13, 2020

A billionaire turned recluse befriends a minor novelist. Together they seize the public’s imagination. Kind of. The true story behind the greatest autobiography you’ve never read.

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Credits:

BBC Motion Gallery / Getty Images

Footage supplied by CBS News

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

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Hamlet Was Wrong Aug 06, 2020

The delicate science of hiring nihilism, examined in five deeply-personal case studies.

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Goodbye, Farewell and Amen Jul 30, 2020

How do we remember one of the deadliest nights in human history? We don't. Part four.

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Bombs-Away LeMay Jul 23, 2020

The arguments, accidents, cold-blooded logic and sheer serendipity that led to the longest night of the Second World War. Part three.

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May the Best Firebomb Win Jul 16, 2020

Basement laboratories. Mad scientists. Sticky gels, and a bake-off in the desert. The strange story behind Curtis LeMay’s weapon of choice. Part two.

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The Bomber Mafia Jul 09, 2020

On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. They failed. Part one on the extraordinary life of the Air Force General Curtis LeMay.

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The Powerball Revolution Jul 02, 2020

In Bolivia, a political activist radically reforms the voting process for... student council elections. Who else does he convince? Revisionist History. And maybe a fancy private school in New Jersey. Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter at pushkin.fm.

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Hedwig’s Lost Van Gogh Jun 25, 2020

An escape from war-torn Germany. Lavish dinners with Hollywood royalty. A Swedish baron and a dime-store heiress: we explore the long journey of a Van Gogh still life — and what it says about the real value of the things we treasure.

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Dragon Psychology 101 Jun 18, 2020

Dragons hoard treasure, deep in their lairs. They don’t show it off to their neighbors. Revisionist History applies dragon psychology to the strange world of art museums, with help from Andy Warhol, J.R.R. Tolkien, a handful of accountants and the world’s leading hoarding expert.

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Introducing Revisionist History Season Five Jun 04, 2020

Andy Warhol. War. Smaug the Dragon. And, as always, digressions of great importance.

Launching June 18 from Pushkin Industries.

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Revisionist History Presents: The Limits of Power Jun 02, 2020

Malcolm has been writing about race and policing for a very long time, going back to the killing of Amadou Diallo in 1999. Sometimes, it is useful to take a step back and consider policing in a broader context. Here we present a chapter from Malcolm's book David and Goliath, which includesan analysis of a riot in Northern Ireland in 1970. Many miles and many years away. About divisions of religion and class and not divisions of race. But the core questions to be asked in 1970 and 1999 and today are the same: if you have power, what does it mean to use it, and use it wisely? And what are the consequences if you don't?

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants was published in 2013 by Little, Brown and Company. Audiobook production by Hachette Audio.

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The Queen of Cuba Aug 29, 2019

On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two small planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an organization in Florida that tried to spot refugees fleeing Cuba in boats. A strange chain of events preceded the shoot-down, and people in the intelligence business turned to a rising star in the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Montes. Montes was known around Washington as the “Queen of Cuba” for her insights into the Castro regime. But what Montes’ colleagues eventually found out about her shook their sense of trust to the core. (In this excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s forthcoming audiobook Talking to Strangers, we hear why spy mysteries do not unfold in real life like they do in the movies.)

To preorder a copy of Talking to Strangers and check out Malcolm Gladwell's book tour, visit www.gladwellbooks.com.

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The Obscure Virus Club Aug 22, 2019

Throughout the 1960s, a biologist named Howard Temin became convinced that something wasn’t right in science’s understanding of viruses. His colleagues dismissed him as a heretic. He turned out to be right — and you're alive today as a result. Season Four ends with a bedtime story about how we should be freed by our doubts, not imprisoned by them.

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Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah Aug 15, 2019

You thought that there was only one kind of chutzpah. Wrong. There’s two. Revisionist History tells the story of the Mafia’s showdown with a legendary Hollywood producer, in a battle of competing chutzpahs.

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In a Metal Mood Aug 08, 2019

Two seasons after its investigation of the decline of McDonalds french fries, Revisionist History returns to fast-food’s high-tech test kitchens. This time the subject is cultural appropriation. The case study is Taco Bell. Oh, and Pat Boone is involved.

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Descend into the Particular Aug 01, 2019

An unarmed man is shot to death by police. How does the Jesuitical idea of “disordered attachments” help us make sense of what happened? Part three of three.

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Dr. Rock’s Taxonomy Jul 25, 2019

John Rock was the co-inventor of the birth control pill — and a committed Catholic. He wanted his church to approve of his invention. What happens when a layman takes on the Vatican? Part two of three.

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The Standard Case Jul 18, 2019

Revisionist History tries to make sense of the conundrum of PED use in baseball, using the 500-year-old philosophical techniques of St. Ignatius. Part one of a three-part series on the moral reasoning of the Jesuit order.

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Good Old Boys Jul 11, 2019

If you disagree with someone — if you find what they think appalling — is there any value in talking to them? In the early 1970s, the talk show host Dick Cavett, the governor of Georgia Lester Maddox, and the singer Randy Newman tried to answer this question.

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Tempest in a Teacup Jul 04, 2019

Bohea, the aroma of tire fire, Mob Wives, smugglers, “bro” tea, and what it all means to the backstory of the American Revolution. Malcolm tells the real story on what happened in Boston on the night of December 16, 1773.

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The Tortoise and the Hare Jun 27, 2019

A weird speech by Antonin Scalia, a visit with some serious legal tortoises, and a testy exchange with the experts at the Law School Admissions Council prompts Malcolm to formulate his Grand Unified Theory for fixing higher education.

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Puzzle Rush Jun 20, 2019

Malcolm challenges his assistant Camille to the Law School Admissions Test. He gets halfway through, panics, runs out of time, and wonders: why does the legal world want him to rush?

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Introducing Revisionist History Season Four Jun 13, 2019

Jesuits. Chess masters. Mafiosi. Lawyers. And a little bit of tire fire.

Launching June 20th from Pushkin Industries.

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Revisionist History Presents: Rick Rubin Nov 13, 2018

Revisionist History presents the first episode of a new podcast, Broken Record. It's a conversation between Rick Rubin and Revisionist History host Malcolm Gladwell, covering everything from Rick’s role in the very beginning of hip-hop to his role in introducing Johnny Cash to a new generation of writers, performers and music lovers. Rick and Malcolm delve deep into Rick’s back catalogue – which is really a history of contemporary music – to reveal more about the artists that defined a new era, and why they are still vital listening today.

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Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis Jul 19, 2018

The one song The King couldn’t sing.

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Strong Verbs, Short Sentences Jul 12, 2018

“She was Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, and Florence Nightingale—all wrapped up in one.”

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The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh Jul 05, 2018

Epidemics of fear repeat themselves. The first time as tragedy. The second time as farce. Margit Hamosh? Definitely farce.

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Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life Jun 28, 2018

Crucial life lessons from the end of hockey games, Idris Elba, and some Wall Street guys with a lot of time on their hands.

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The Hug Heard Round the World Jun 21, 2018

Q: Was there a period where you felt you had something to prove? A: The first 45 years of my life.

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General Chapman’s Last Stand Jun 14, 2018

Good fences make good neighbors. Or maybe not.

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Free Brian Williams Jun 07, 2018

"Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft."

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A Polite Word for Liar May 31, 2018

An early morning raid, a house-full of Nazis, the world’s greatest harmonica player, and a dashingly handsome undercover spy. What could possibly go wrong?

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Burden of Proof May 24, 2018

“He called to wish me ‘Happy Birthday.’ Then he said, ‘I’m failing everything.’”

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Divide and Conquer May 17, 2018

The complete, unabridged history of the world’s most controversial semicolon.

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Malcolm Gladwell debates Adam Grant May 10, 2018

In a special live taping at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Malcolm talks with WorkLife’s Adam Grant about how to avoid doing highly undesirable tasks, what makes an idea interesting, and why Malcolm thinks we shouldn't root for the underdog.

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Introducing Revisionist History Season Three May 03, 2018

Malcolm Gladwell is back with season three of Revisionist History: harmonica players, mass delusion, semicolons, and a constitutional crisis. Launching May 17th on Panoply.

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The Basement Tapes Aug 17, 2017

What is a son’s obligation to his father?

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McDonald’s Broke My Heart Aug 10, 2017

They made the world’s greatest French Fry. Then they threw it away.

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Mr. Hollowell Didn’t Like That Aug 03, 2017

Arrested, arraigned, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair in 24 hours.

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State v Johnson Jul 27, 2017

“Nobody was interested in justice.”

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The King of Tears Jul 20, 2017

Why country music makes you cry, and rock and roll doesn’t: A musical interpretation of divided America.

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The Prime Minister and the Prof Jul 13, 2017

The friendship that changed the course of World War II.

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The Foot Soldier of Birmingham Jul 06, 2017

“Oh, Mac. What did you do?”

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Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment Jun 29, 2017

A landmark Supreme Court case. A civil rights revolution. Why has everyone forgotten what happened next?

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The Road to Damascus Jun 22, 2017

What happens when a terrorist has a change of heart?

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A Good Walk Spoiled Jun 15, 2017

Rich people and their addiction to golf: a philosophical investigation.

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Introducing Revisionist History Season Two May 26, 2017

From bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, season two of Revisionist History launches June 15th.

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The Satire Paradox Aug 18, 2016

In the political turmoil of mid-1990s Britain, a brilliant young comic named Harry Enfield set out to satirize the ideology and politics of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His parodies became famous. He wrote and performed a vicious sendup of the typical Thatcherite nouveau riche buffoon. People loved it. And what happened? Exactly the opposite of what Enfield hoped would happen. In an age dominated by political comedy, “The Satire Paradox” asks whether laughter and social protest are friends or foes.

To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com

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Generous Orthodoxy Aug 11, 2016

A 98-year-old minister takes on his church over the subject of gay marriage—and teaches the rest of us what it means to stand up in protest.

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Blame Game Aug 04, 2016

In the summer and fall of 2009, hundreds of Toyota owners came forward with an alarming allegation: Their cars were suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating. Toyota was forced to recall 10 million vehicles, pay a fine of more than $1 billion, and settle countless lawsuits. The consensus was that there was something badly wrong with the world’s most popular cars. Except that there wasn’t. What happens when hysteria overtakes common sense?

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Hallelujah Jul 28, 2016

How does genius emerge? An exploration of different types of innovation—through the lens of Elvis Costello’s extraordinary song “Deportee,” once utterly forgettable and then, through time and iteration, a work of beauty and genius.

If you're looking to go deeper into the subjects on Revisionist History, visit Malcolm's collection on iBooks at http://www.apple.co/MalcolmGladwell -- iBooks will update the page every week with new recommendations.

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My Little Hundred Million Jul 21, 2016

In the early ’90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not even to his alma mater, MIT. What was Rowan thinking? And why has it proven so difficult for other philanthropists to follow his lead?

To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com

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Food Fight Jul 14, 2016

Bowdoin College and Vassar College are two elite private schools that compete for the same students. But one of those schools is trying hard to address the problem of rich and poor in American society—and paying a high price. The other is making that problem worse—and reaping rewards as a result.

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Carlos Doesn’t Remember Jul 07, 2016

Of the tens of thousands of talented, low-income students who graduate from high school every year in the United States, most never make it to universities appropriate to their gifts. America leaves an enormous amount of talent on the table every year. “Carlos Doesn’t Remember” explains why.

To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com

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The Big Man Can't Shoot Jun 30, 2016

Wilt Chamberlain’s brilliant career was marred by one, deeply inexplicable decision: He chose a shooting technique that made him one of the worst foul shooters in basketball—even though he had tried a better alternative. Why do smart people do dumb things?

To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com

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Saigon, 1965 Jun 23, 2016

In the early 1960s the Pentagon set up a top-secret research project in an old villa in downtown Saigon. The task? To interview captured North Vietnamese soldiers and guerrillas in order to measure the effect of relentless U.S. bombing on their morale. Yet despite a wealth of great data, even the leaders of the study couldn’t agree on what it meant.

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The Lady Vanishes Jun 16, 2016

In the late 19th century, a painting titled The Roll Call, by a virtually unknown artist, took England by storm. But after that brilliant first effort, the artist all but disappeared. Why? And what does The Roll Call tell us about the fate of those first through the door?

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