Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Professor Philip Nash tells us the broader context of America's First Female Ambassadors, the "Big Six," and how they carved out their rightful place in history. He takes the story up to the present day to explain the trajectory of gender parity in US foreign relations.

Professor Philip Nash tells us the history of America's First Female Ambassadors, the "Big Six," and how they carved out their rightful place in history.  He explains how these trailblazers helped pave the way for more gender parity in US foreign relations!

The “Non-Smoker” as a category of person seems obvious in the 21st century. But it wasn’t always this way. Professor Sarah Milov gives the history of the non-smoking movement, including the medical, legal, and political battles that eventually led to smoke-free public places. Hear about pressure groups like GASP, ASH, and the countless local movements that helped clear the air.

Have we all been fooled all the time by people applying this quote to Abraham Lincoln? Where did the quote originate? Honest Abe or someone else? When was it said? During the Lincoln-Douglas Debates? During the 1860 Presidential Election? Find out in this Quote or No Quote episode of Professor Buzzkill!

G. Gordon Liddy is the subject of our second Piece of Sh*t Saturday. An American political operative and extremist, Liddy was one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th century. But why was he so sh*tty? Find out!

On Christmas Eve, 1943. Roughly half-way through the United States’ involvement in World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt reported to the American people about a war that was far from over, and that was about to cost even more Allied and American lives.

“The Wild West,” is one of the strongest conceptions in American history. But “where” was the west? How “wild” was it? “Who” settled it? Did settlers build the west with their hands? How many of the stories about settlers and Native Americans are myths or misconceptions? Professor Edward O’Donnell helps us explain it all, including the central role that Buffalo Bill played in creating and spreading the story of the “wild west.”

This Fireside Chat was FDR’s attempt to assure Americans that, at least in 1940, the government’s main concern was the defense of the United States. But, in “the name of our common humanity,” he also asked Americans to donate to the Red Cross to try to ease the suffering of European civilians. Roosevelt then went on to justify his calls for greater defense production in the United States, obviously because of the increased danger from the Axis powers, but also because it might eventually become necessary for the United States to enter the European war.

Civil War historian, Kevin Levin, explains the history and development of the myth of black soldiers in the Confederate army. He analyses camp servants and slaves during the war, how their service was remembered after the war, and how it became fictionalized and mythologized in the 1970s. Yes, the 1970s, not the 1870s. A fascinating episode on Civil War history and memory!

Today’s show presents FDR’s 1936 Fireside Chat about drought conditions in the US during the "dust bowl" years of the mid-1930s. On September 6, 1936, President Roosevelt addressed the nation about his visits to drought-stricken areas, about the government’s plans for relief, and what he hoped for the future.