The History of Slavery, Part 2: The Medieval Slave Trade to Arabia
The term "slave trade" conjures up images of a white slaver capturing African tribesmen, packing them like corkwood into a ship, selling them in the Antebellum South, and having a plantation owner wor...
24 Jul 20181h 2min
The History of Slavery, Part 1: Shackled and Chained in the Ancient World
When asked “what is slavery?” most Americans or Westerners would respond with a description of an African slave in the antebellum South, picking cotton and suffering under the whip of a cruel master. ...
19 Jul 20181h 16min
Prohibition: How it Happened, Why it Failed, and How it Still Affects America Today
America has a strange relationship with alcohol. Certain drinks represented the darkest parts of the national psyche. Rum was once associated with slavery because sugar cane plantations that made rum ...
17 Jul 20181h 5min
What Did People Eat in the Middle Ages?
Welcome to an anthology episode where I ask six short questions about the Middle Ages from you, the listener. Here they are in order of appearance:What Did People Eat in the Middle Ages?How Did You Co...
12 Jul 201850min
Almost Everything in American Politics has Happened Before, Even Donald Trump—Bruce Carlson from My History Can Beat Up Your Politics
Cable news pundits tell you everything is “breaking news.” TV pundits discuss politics in a vacuum. But in nearly every case, the politics of today have long roots in history. This includes media cele...
10 Jul 201858min
The Quest to Make Information Free Forever: Copyright Battles From Venetian Printers in the Renaissance to 21st Century Hackers
The © symbol (or "Copyright") is a completely forgettable character ignored by all but lawyers. It is buried at the bottom of legal notices that your brain reflexively skips over. But this little symb...
5 Jul 201857min
How a Rivalry Between Two Cherokee Chiefs Led to the Trail of Tears and the Collapse of Their Nation
A century-long blood feud between two Cherokee chiefs shaped the history of the Cherokee tribe far more than anyone, even the reviled President Andrew Jackson. They were John Ross and the Ridge. Today...
3 Jul 20181h 13min
If It Weren't For Two Iowans, Billions Would Have Died of Starvation or Been Left in a Technological Dark Age
Norman Borlaug and Robert Noyce aren't household names. But these two Iowans influenced the 20th century more than anyone else on Planet Earth. Borlaug created drought and disease-resistant varieties ...
28 Jun 20181h
