Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Ray Boomhower joins us to discuss how the most unlikely of war correspondents, Malcolm W. Browne, became the only Western reporter to capture Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức's horrific self-immolation on June 11, 1963. Thích Quảng Đức made his ultimate sacrifice to protest the perceived anti-Buddhist policies of the Catholic-dominated administration of South Vietnam's president Ngo Dinh Diem. And Browne’s photographs shocked the world. Episode 551.

Professor Richard Toye explains the background and context of Winston Churchill's famous World War II speeches, from how they were written, to how they were delivered, to how the public reacted. Not only is it much more complex than the legend has it, the full history provides us with a much greater understanding of World War II.

“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.”

Dr. Jesse Curtis discusses how white evangelicals in the US used Christian colorblindness to solidify their power, while black evangelicals challenged racism. The podcast explores the intersection of religion and race in the civil rights era, Billy Graham's evolving stance on racial justice, and the rise of colorblind theology in the evangelical movement.

Donald Trump talks about Americans being "suckers" to their allies. Is Uncle Sam really "Uncle Sucker"? Did the United States really “bail the French out in two world wars,” or is it a blustering, bigoted myth? Professor Philip Nash joins us to discuss what happened in World Wars I and II, and whether the United States was “bailing out” the French or repaying a major debt from the American Revolution. Join us as we discuss all the issues. Lafayette, the Buzzkillers are here! Encore Episode.

Well-dressed men have played a distinctive part in the cultural and political life of Britain over several centuries. But unlike the twenty-first-century hipster, the British dandies provoked intense degrees of fascination and horror in their homeland and played an important role in British society from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Dr. Dominic Janes reveals to us how the scandalous history of fashionable men and their clothes is a reflection of changing attitudes to style, gender, and sexuality. Episode 550.

Jane Marguerite Tippett discusses her new book about Edward VIII, the English king who abdicated the throne in 1936 for the woman he loved, the American socialite Wallis Simpson. She describes the complexity of his life and the almost innumerable myths about his political views, his hopes for the British monarchy, and his famous meeting with Hitler before World War II. This is fascinating new historical research. Listen and learn! Episode 549.

Professor Adam Domby explains why the Lost Cause of the Confederacy is full of fraud, fabrication, and white supremacy. And he analyzes how it is expressed in statuary, memory, and commemoration in the American south in the Jim Crow era. This is a complete examination of the Lost Cause and its destructive effect on American life and culture. Encore Episode.

We examine the many myths surrounding Adolf Hitler’s rise from Chancellor to the outbreak of World War II. These include: how Nazi Germany functioned; the myth of his purely tyrannical dictatorship; and the myth of an efficient, orderly dictatorship. We also explore Hitler’s genuine popularity, and explain the successes of Hitler’s diplomacy and expansionism. It’s very deep and complicated, Buzzkillers! Encore Episode.

Professor Terri Finneman explains how the press has portrayed women politicians running for high office in the United States. From Victoria Woodhull in the 1870s to Kamala Harris in 2020, she enlightens us about how the media treatment of women politicians has and hasn’t changed over this long period! Encore Episode.