The AskHistorians Podcast

/u/mikedash, also known literally as Mike Dash, author of a number of books, answers the question In the Godfather part II, the mafia emerged only after a proto-organized crime group, the Black Hand, was superseded. Was there anything that distinguished the mafia from this group, other than who was giving orders?   © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we are joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. Together with guest host Bernardito, we talk about a conflict with many misconceptions: The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864). We explore the myths, the realities and the actual history behind the rebellion to explore this critical moment in 19th century Chinese history. Is it true that over 20 million people were killed in this conflict? Who truly was the leader of the Taiping? This, and much more, in this fascinating episode.

Today, we are releasing part two of our two-part series of interviews of historians at the American Historical Association this year.   On this episode we have an interview with G Patrick O'Brien (@historia_passim) about his dissertation, tentatively titled “Unknown and Unlamented: Loyalist Women in Exile and Repatriation, 1775-1800,” examines loyalist women in Nova Scotia and addresses questions of identity, community formation, and the maintenance of kinship networks in the late-eighteenth century.   We also have an interview with Nathan Tye (@Hobo_History), a historian of the nineteenth and twentieth century United States. His research documents the fascinating but misunderstood lives of hobos, tramps, and others transient populations that traveled the country by freight-hopping from the 1870s through 1930s.   We also have @hmcbee87, who is a Public History PhD Candidate at Middle Tennessee State University, about WWII relics brought back by soldiers and what they tell us about war, people, and museums.   © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today, the always-fantastic lcnielsen combines a number of his previous answers on Manichaeism to give us a fantastic overview of what it is and what it entails! See his answers on the topic here: Manichaeism is the only major world religion I could think of to be completely destroyed across multiple national boundaries as the result of severe persecution. What about Manichaeism was so terrifying to every single polity in late antiquity that caused such persecution? Why did Zoroastrianism stop spreading?, was it because the Persian Empire was conquered? Has there ever been a movement to unite Islam, Christianity and Judaism? If so, did any of its proponents draw a similarity between the Holy Trinity and the three branches of Abrahamism?  

Today we are joined by a number of historians at the recent American Historical Society Conference in Chicago. First up, we have our very own Corey Bowen, aka /u/Commodorecoco, a PhD student at UIC and the Field Museum, and an archaeologist in his own right! Then it is Eric G.E. Zuelow is chair of the Department of History and Philosophy and an associate professor of European history. He specializes in modern Britain and Ireland, with a particular emphasis on the histories of tourism and national identity. Zuelow is author of SO MANY BOOKS and editor-in-chief of Journal of Tourism History which is published three times per year by Routledge. Zuelow is editor of the Histories and Cultures of Tourism book series, published by Cornell University Press and he is a member of the editorial board for the Britain and the World book series which is published by Palgrave; he deals with titles covering the period after 1688. In addition, he is currently co-editing the Oxford Handbook to the History of Tourism and Travel. He is on twitter at @EZuelow. After that we have Amy-Elizabeth Manlapas a high school history teacher, podcaster and consultant She says talked with writers about what high school is like in the 21st century, how dual-enrollment works, and how a kid might just get away with hiding a secret identity. She has a Master’s Degree in History from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Mercer University. She is on twitter at @amymanlapas Finally, we have Jason Herbert!. He is a historian interested in the relationships between Southeastern American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in the 18th and early 19th centuries. His dissertation examines the social, political, demographic, and ecological transformation of Florida following the introduction of livestock in the sixteenth century through the expulsion of much the region's native inhabitants in the nineteenth century. In addition, He is the creator of Historians At The Movies, a multimedia experience that connects historians and others each week via their favorite films. You can find him on twitter at @herberthistory or look for the hashtag #HATM.     Discussion thread is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ahamgy/askhistorians_podcast_128_askhistorians_asking/   © 2019 Brian M. Watson

/u/mimicofmodes answers the question "How did women get to wear the pants around here?"   Link to answer. 

Today we are joined by /u/kaisermatias, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on 20th c. Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Hockey.  kaisermatias is better known to his friends and family as Matt Lerner, and he is here today to talk to us about the history of hockey! We talk about the history of hockey--it's rules, equipment, styles. Then we talk about hockey's important role in Canadian culture and history before turning to the 1972 Summit Series between the USSR and Canada--the first Miracle on Ice--and what it meant then and still means today. Finally, we conclude with the strangest and wildest thing about hockey--the Stanley Cup. Discussion thread here.   © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today one the AskHistorians Aloud podcast, cleopatra_philopater discusses the history of lesbianism in the medieval Middle East.   Link to answer.   © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on AskHistorians Aloud -- /u/mimicofmodes answers the question "when did it become acceptable for women to smoke too?   Link to answer here.

This week on the AskHistorians Podcast we managed to sit down with three of the wonderful women of @dig_history to talk history podcasting, #twitterstorians, Jill Lepore, What to Expect When You're A History-Loving Highschooler, what #history can learn from #librarylife and so much more! Find Dig - A History Podcast here: https://digpodcast.org/ Historians joining us today: *Averill Earls, PhD* Averill is an historian of modern Ireland and sexuality, and writes about same-sex desiring men, policing, and Dublin’s queer urban spaces. She is an Assistant Professor of History at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, where she teaches everything except American History. In addition to making podcast episodes with the amazing women of Dig, she is the Assistant Layout Editor at Nursing Clio. She’s published a range of pieces on teaching, literature, and the history of gender and sexuality with collaborative history blogs like Notches and Nursing Clio. When she’s not teaching, podcasting, or moonlighting as a member of the Cabot Creamery Co-operative social media team, she enjoys board games, baking, and puppy snuggles. Averill tweets from @aearls. *Sarah Handley-Cousins, PhD* Sarah is an historian of disability and gender in the American Civil War. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of History at the University at Buffalo. Her forthcoming book, to be published with the University of Georgia Press, is about disabled Union veterans during and after the Civil War. In addition to a PhD in History from the University at Buffalo, Sarah holds a BA from Wells College and an MSEd from Niagara University, and is an alum of the New York State Council for the Humanities Public Humanities Fellows. You can find her writing on Nursing Clio, where she is also an Editor, and various digital news outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. She enjoys unresolved romantic tension (in books and movies), visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park, and heated blankets. Sarah tweets from @sarahbelle721. *Marissa C. Rhodes* Marissa is an independent information professional and PhD candidate in History at UB. Her dissertation tells the stories of lactating women for hire in the Atlantic world during the Revolutionary era. In addition to a BA in History from Niagara University, Marissa has an MLS from UB. She is a former fellow at APS, The Library Company/HSP & the Lapidus-Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. But most importantly, she’s super into running, red wine, British television, and murder (as much as someone can be into murder without actually doing them). Marissa tweets from @iLURVhistory. (and in spirit) *Elizabeth Garner Masarik* Elizabeth is an historian of the welfare state and women in Progressive Era America. She is currently completing her PhD in History at the University at Buffalo, working on her dissertation and teaching American History. Elizabeth holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from UB. She is a 2017-18 Fellow in the University at Buffalo Institute for the Research on Women and Gender and 2018-2019 Humanities Institute fellow. She was recently featured by the Texas Tribune as an authority on Mexican-American relations in the borderlands of Texas. She had a forthcoming article, “Por la Raza, Para la Raza: Jovita Idar and Progressive-era Mexicana Maternalism in the Texas-Mexican Border,” in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly . Somehow she also has time to be a savvy blogger, and a totally badass powerlifter. Elizabeth tweets from @EGMasarik.   © 2019 Brian M. Watson