

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics
Bruce Carlson
Since 2006, this podcast has been using history to elevate today's political debates. "The perfect antidote to bloviating talking heads, My History is thoughtful, nuanced, and highly engaging." -Columbia Journalism Review
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 3, 2025 • 1h 45min
ARK OF COMMERCE: LOCO -A HISTORY OF LAND COMMERCE
A mysterious crash. A strange contraption. A fateful race, an outbreak of violent activity and a crafty watch-seller. A look at the railroad history of America and the changes the railroad brought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 27, 2024 • 56min
THE ARK OF COMMERCE: TERRIBLE TUESDAY 1987 ("It Was Almost as Bad as Black Monday") THE ARK OF COMMERCE
For Wall Street Insiders, Black Monday was not the worst day. The next day, Terrible Tuesday was an agonizing test of the financial system. As part of our series on the commercial history of the United States, we examine the events of Tuesday the 20th. And we look at the history of insurance in America, the reasons there is a stock market, what was learned and not learned from 1987 and a few other things. A Note - We are pleased to be part of the Airwave Media Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 23, 2024 • 1h 39min
THE ARK OF COMMERCE - IF BY SEA
Discover the innovative solutions to commerce challenges in early America, including a unique boat crafted for transporting goods. Dive into the rise and fall of whaling, revealing its socio-economic impacts. Explore how literature intertwined with commerce during significant historical events, like the Erie Canal's construction. Learn about the transformative journey of steamboat technology and the vibrant ice trade, while reflecting on the communal values of early settlers amid the critiques of industrialization.

Dec 19, 2024 • 59min
ARK OF COMMERCE: BLACK MONDAY
What's the stock market crash of 1987 got to do with the price of eggs/ Plenty, in a historical context. We look at the infamous crash of 1987 and how the computers did not save us. Nor did insurance which has a lot do with eggs, and eggs have a lot do with feeding Americans and making Americans a little money, and they have a lot do with needing markets - and sophisticated markets - so we'll talk about that.Those who listened to this series in 2019 may notice that I am changing the order. With time, i've found placing the two stock market crashes together works. In the fourth episode of the revised order, we'll get to the next day of the crash - Terrible Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 17, 2024 • 1h 36min
THE "ARK" OF COMMERCE - CRASH PARTY 1929
We are replaying our series on American business history with an eye to its inseparable effect on politics. In this look at American commercial history we discuss the Black Thursday Stock market crash, the early career of Thomas Edison, how a popular game evolved from a anticorporate activist, and how Wall Street was once in Philadelphia, so to speak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 15, 2024 • 59min
VALLEY FORGE: MYTH AND REALITY - Interview with Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
Valley Forge Myth and Reality - Interview with Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, Authors of Valley Forge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 2, 2024 • 45min
JIMMY CARTER EPHEMERA
Random, yet relevant stories about Jimmy Carter as a candidate, a governor and President Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 2, 2024 • 32min
THEY WILL JUBILATE! - WHAT IT WAS LIKE AFTER CLEVELAND'S SECOND NON-CONSECUTIVE ELECTION, NOV 1892.
Viewing newspapers from November, 1892 we get a sense of what was being said the last time a former president came back and the "ex" was switched from the former President to the current President. From parades to sour notes and recriminations, from stories of how the election was lost, to predictions that it would be a quick 4 years for the winner, to lots of post-election sniping over tariff policy, we find some notes of today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 29, 2024 • 24min
The Forgotten Forage War of 1777: Realities of the Revolution
Did New Jersey Save the Revolutionary Cause? Maybe. Amid a sea of troubles, irregular units fight off the British and make their stay in New Jersey less than hospitable. A bit about George Washington's offensive campaign to be sure that the new nation would not be garrisoned. And it happened in New Jersey (we should be clear with a large contingent of soldiers from all across the Eastern Seaboard).
Sponsored by:
The University of Aberdeen:
https://on.abdn.ac.uk/online-history-courses/
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Nov 26, 2024 • 41min
I WAS BORN IN 1869: GENERATIONS IN POLITICS
What was it like to be born in 1869?
A generation defined by a technology that shook off the yoke of their parent's Civil War and took on the world, and took over the country by the turn of the century. This cast, which was previously recorded. It is as he reveals, Bruce's own favorite cast that he recorded in the show's 12-year history. Music from Lee Rosevere and KieLoKaz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


