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Running time: 29 minutes
And for our commentary we are joined by historian Michael Holt, who gives us another perspective on the events leading up to the Civil War.
History and September 11th, Part 2
This week Fred Nielsen continues our series on History and September 11th, and is joined by Michael Hunt, author of the essay "In the Wake of September 11th." Airdate: September 13, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Marilyn Blatt Young, Professor of History at New York University will reflect on the legacy of September 11th, 2001.
History and September 11th, Part 1
Talking History marks the third anniversary of 9/11 with a two-part series featuring interviews with two contributors to History and September 11th published by Temple University Press. We begin with a brief, introductory interview with the editor, Joanne Meyerowitz. Talking History's Fred Nielsen concludes this first program in the series, in discussion with Melani McAlister, author of the essay, "A Cultural History of the War Without End." Airdate: September 6, 2004.
Lenny Bruce
We conclude our "Best of Talking History" series by revisiting the inimitable comedian--Lenny Bruce. Talking History's Eileen Dugan discussed his controversial career with David Skover, in an interview originally aired March 8, 2004. Airdate: August 30, 2004.
[ Programming Note: We resume our new season of shows on September 6, 2004. ]
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Running time: 29 minutes
And for our commentary Thomas Fleming returned to give us some historical insights into the fate of generals who have sought the White House - General Wesley Clark being the latest of many.
The Wright Brothers
Another of our most popular programs aired the week of December 15th- the 100th anniversary of the first manned flight in a gasoline powered aircraft--by Wilbur and Orville Wright. For that occasion Fred Nielsen interviewed James Tobin the Wright's biographer. Airdate: August 23, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Talking History regular Thomas Fleming joined us with a commentary about the use of propaganda during World War I.
War and Nature
This show originally aired the week of April 26th, 2004 and included an interview with Talking History's Fred Nielsen and Edmund Russell author of War and Nature. Their discussion focused on the connection between technological capabilities advanced over the past century that enabled mankind to destroy both other humans and insects. Airdate: August 16, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Ira Chernus examined the analogy used by some in reference to the nation’s sacrifices in World War II and President Bush’s challenge to Americans in the nation’s involvement in Iraq.
Ladies Rights
The show originally aired the week of September 15th, 2003, and featured an interview with Talking History's Fred Nielsen and Linda K. Kerber, OAH past president and author of No Constitutional Right to be Ladies :Women and the Obligations of Citizenship. In the show Linda Kerber and Fred Nielsen addressed the question: "Do women have the constitutional right to be ladies?" Airdate: August 9, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
In our weekly commentary, Henry Butterfield Ryan joined us to look at the United States' goal of establishing democracy in post-war Iraq.
White City
We begin our "Best of Talking History" series this week with "White City." The show originally aired the week of August 4th, 2003 and included an interview with Talking History's Bryan Le Beau and Erik Larson, author of "The Devil in the White City." Larson's book explored the killings during the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 by H.H. Holmes. Airdate: August 2, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Richard Crepeau gave us a brief history of the sometimes troubled relationship between American sports and the singing of the National anthem.
Voice of America
This week Bryan Le Beau explores the history of Voice of America, with Alan Heil--a long time foreign correspondent for Voice of America, and author of Voice of America: A History--Together they take a look at the inside story of the organization. Airdate: July 26, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Talking History’s regular, Thomas Fleming, joins us to offer his comments on Haiti.
Not Like Us
This week, Talking History's host, Bryan Le Beau, is joined by author and historian, Richard Pells. Together they explore Richard Pells' assertion that contrary to popular opinion the Americanization of Europe is a myth. Instead, Pells argues, Europeans have adapted American culture to suit their own cultural palate. Pells is the author of Not Like Us: How Europeans Have Loved, Hated, and Transformed American Culture Since World War II. Airdate: July 19, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
And for our commentary we are joined by Alice George, who compares President John F. Kennedy's handling of the Cuban missile crisis with President George W. Bush's approach to Iraq.
Salt
This week we look at one of the most basic items in our daily lives –salt. We may take salt for granted--or with a grain of salt--but it has an interesting history. In fact, it was once one of the world’s most valuable commodities. Our guest is Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt:A WorldHistory. Airdate: July 12, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
After that, Michael Bellesiles--in our commentary of the week--takes on America’s confidence in technological superiority as assurance of swift victory in battle. He looks at the military history of the United States and points out that technological advantage does not always shorten wars.
Language Police
This week we take up the hotly contested issue of what history is taught, and how it is taught, in American elementary and secondary schools. Our guest will be Diane Ravitch, the author of Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn. Airdate: July 5, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
And after our conversation with Professor Ravitch, Nikolas Gvosdev, Senior Fellow in Strategic Studies at The Nixon Center, looks at plans to try Sadaam Hussein. He examines the historical precedents for such tribunals and offers us his thoughts on who should be Hussein’s judges.
History
We are exposed to history in documentaries, museum exhibits, numerous best-selling books and radio shows - to name but a few instances. History is a popular, but contested, territory in terms of content, standards and meaning. This week Talking History takes a look at these issues with Fred Nielsen and historian Eric Foner, author of "Who Owns History? Rethinking the Past in a Changing World." Airdate: June 28, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Kathleen McDonough gives us insight into the construction of historical documentary.
WNYE Double Play
Joe Dorinson professor of history at Long Island University, New York, compares the struggles of Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson against segregation in the United States. Airdate: June 21, 2004.
Parental Anxiety
It is not news: parents worry about their children. But according to Fred Nielsen's guest, Peter Stearns, parental anxiety reached new heights in the twentieth century, despite advances in medicine, education and living standards. Peter Stearns is author of Anxious Parents: A History of Modern Childrearing in America. Airdate: June 14, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Historian James Banner joins us to comment on the problems of writing a constitution.
Coal
Talking History's Fred Nielsen and Barbara Freese discuss coal, that unglamorous substance that has not only been the combustible behind industrial and economic expansion, but the divisor in class conflict and the quotient in national economies. Barbara Freese is author of Coal: A Human History. Airdate: June 7, 2004
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: In a commentary he titles "Quagmire Cliché," John Pinheiro exhorts us to look a little further than the Vietnam War for an historical analogy to Iraq.
The Spy Who Seduced America
Before Robert Hanssen and the Rosenbergs, there was Judith Coplon. Beautiful, and brilliant Judith Coplon worked as a political analyst in the U.S. Department of Justice. She was arrested in 1949 and tried on espionage charges. Tom Mitchell, a counterintelligence specialist for the FBI who was close to the case, fervently believed in her guilt. His wife, Marcia, passionately disagreed. Together they relate their search for the truth in this week's program. Airdate: May 31, 2004.
The Corset
It is hard to think of an article of clothing, male or female, that has
excited as much passion and controversy in modern times as the corset. Talking History's Eileen Dugan discusses the history of the corset with Valerie Steele author of The Corset: A Cultural History. Airdate:May 24, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: This week, Talking History regular Henry Butterfield Ryan reflects on what the Vietnam War may tell us about Iraq.
Lewis and Clark
William Clark called his expedition a "vast . . . enterprise." Two hundred years later, the scholarly investigation of Lewis and Clark is itself a vast undertaking. Talking History's Fred Nielsen is joined by James Ronda, the Barnard Chair professor in western history at the University of Tulsa. Ronda's books include Lewis and Clark among the Indians and Voyages of Discovery: Essays on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Airdate: May 17, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Kathy Giangreco joins us to share her thoughts on the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis and asks was it homicide or suicide?
The Brown Case
2004 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to end segregation in public schools.Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in May 1954, and the ruling struck down state-sponsored racial segregation in America's public schools. Talking History's Jim Madison takes a look at the case and its aftermath with historian James T. Patterson, author of Brown v. Board of Education. Airdate:May 10, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Mark Bauerlein joins us to comment on what he calls "the tactical life" of Booker T. Washington.
Tobacco
From the time of its discovery in America, tobacco has been exported to the World, bringing it both pleasure and pain. Our guest this week, Iain Gately, provides us with a history of what he calls the "exotic plant that seduced civilization." Airdate:May 3, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Also joining us will be David Ellwood, who will expose some of the myths surrounding the Marshall Plan and the rebuilding of Western Europe following World War II.
War and Nature
During the twentieth century humans developed technologies of awesome, and tempting, power. Among the most dramatic were weapons of mass destruction and chemicals that seemed to promise the extermination of insect pests. Talking History's Fred Nielsen and guest Edmund Russell discuss these technologies and Russell's assertion that they are linked in ideology, science and organization. Edmund Russell is a professor of technology, culture, and communication at the University of Virginia and the author of War and Nature: Fighting Humans and Insects with Chemicals from World War I to Silent Spring. Airdate: April 26, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: And for our commentary Talking History regular Ira Chernus reflects on lessons for Iraq from WWII.
Bison
Talking History's Fred Nielsen is joined by PrincetonUniversity history professor Andrew Isenberg, author of The Destruction of the Bison:An Environmental History, 1750-1920. We often attribute the near extinction of the bison to their mass slaughter, but according Andrew Isenberg, ecological factors including predatory animals, disease, and drought are a central part of the story, too. Airdate: April 19, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Andrew Schocket joins us to share his thoughts on the historical implications of the recent controversy surrounding gay marriage.
Abraham Lincoln, Esquire
In our monthly broadcast of WNYE's Teacher As Historian series, Alan Spiegel talks about Abraham Lincoln, Esquire. Airdate: April 12, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Jonathan Hansen historian and visiting scholar at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences takes a look at patriotism, dissenters and liberalism.
April Blood
Talking History's Eileen Dugan and author Lauro Martines take us back a few centuries to April 1478 and Florence, Italy and the plot against the Medici that erupted into violence and death during Mass in the Duomo itself. Lauro Martines is the author of numerous books including April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici. Airdate:April 5, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Ruth Rosen, columnist and editorial writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and former professor at UC Davis joins us to share her thoughts on Hillary Rodham Clinton and what the media overlooked.
Richmond Burning
To mark the anniversary of the burning of the city of Richmond,Virginia, on April 2, 1865, Talking History's Bryan Le Beau is joined by Nelson Lankford, author of Richmond Burning. Lankford's book draws upon letters, diaries, memoirs and newspaper accounts of the event. Airdate: March 29, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Andrew Schocket joins us to comment on what he calls "a new low," referring to the White House revelation in summer 2003 of the identity of a CIA agent to columnist Robert Novak.
FannyKemble
This week we take up the story of America’s most unlikely abolitionist--British stage actress turned Georgia plantation owner, Fanny Kemble--with historian Catherine Clinton. Airdate: March 22, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: On the heels of the recent flap over a Ten Commandments monument in an Alabama courthouse, Nathan Abrams talks with us about the history of using the Bible as a political tool in the United States.
Executioner’s Current
Capital punishment is one of the most hotly-debated topics in America, and often at the heart of those debates is the electric chair, which is seen by many as an overly cruel and unusual form of punishment. Our guest this week, Richard Moran, provides us with a history of the electric chair in a conversation with Talking History’s Eileen Dugan. Airdate: March 15, 2004
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: In response to several inquiries, Kelly Schrum will give us some tips on how to sort through the myriad of historical resources on the web, not only to find what we want, but also to sift the good from the bad.
Lenny Bruce
On July 23, 2003, long after four-letter words in standup comedy lost their ability to shock, Lenny Bruce--who started the trend--was pardoned by New York Governor GeorgePataki for his 1964 obscenity conviction. Our guest this week, David Skover, reviews Bruce’s controversial career. He is interviewed by Talking History’s Eileen Dugan. Airdate: March 8, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Following our visit with David Skover, Thomas Fleming returns to give us some historical insights into the fate of generals who have sought the White House--General Wesley Clark being only the latest of many.
The Progressive Movement
Our guest this week, Michael McGerr, has written a book on what many historians believe is the greatest reform movement in American history--the Progressive Movement. President Theodore Roosevelt referred to the time as a period of "fierce discontent with evil." McGerr is interviewed by Talking History’s Jim Madison. Airdate: March 1, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: And after that, Thomas Fleming returns to Talking History to comment on French-American relations. He titles his commentary "Oh My, The French Don’t Like Us--Again!"
Finally, we introduce a new segment this week, "A Moment in Time." Dan Roberts, Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Richmond, will join us each week to explore a wide range of fascinating and relevant episodes in history.
Wall Street
The story of the rise of Wall Street is one John Steele Gordon tells in his book, The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power, 1653-2000. Join Talking History's Fred Nielsen and John Steele Gordon in conversation about Wall Street.Airdate:February 23, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Historian Doug Brinkley will join us to share his thoughts on the social and historical implications of Henry Ford's factory.
The Illusion of Victory
Talking History's Bryan Le Beau and historian Thomas Fleming discuss some fresh perspectives on Woodrow Wilson and World War 1. Thomas Fleming is author of The Illusion of Victory. Airdate: February 16, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
And for our commentary, Bevin Alexander joins us again to reflect on the implications of revolution in warfare.
Cicero
Talking History's Eileen Dugan continues her exploration of ancient Rome, this time, with historian Anthony Everitt. His book about Cicero and his turbulent era is called Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician. Airdate:February 9, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Robin Marantz Henig, author of Pandora's Baby joins us to reflect on the history of public reaction to cloning, and in-vitro fertilization.
New York Loyalists
Talking History continues its programming of regular, monthly broadcasts of programs produced by WYNE and the Teachers and Writers Collaborative. This week The New York Loyalists--an account of the supporters of the British and what happened to them, with Professor Philip Ranlet, Hunter College (University Press of America). Airdate:February 2, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Captives and Cousins: Prize winning author, James Brooks will reflect on the history of captive exchange among native American, and Euramerican communities in the Southwest Borderlands.
Globalization
Talking History’s Drew Bergerson discusses the fate of globalization with Harold James, professor of history at the University of Princeton, and author of The End of Globalization: Lessons from the Great Depression. Airdate:January 26, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Thomas Doherty reflects on Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Suburban Sprawl
Expansionism has ecological consequences, Talking History’s Fred Nielsen joins us in conversation with Adam Rome, author of "The Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism." Airdate: January 19, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: David Ellwood, of the University of Bologna, Italy, reflects on the occupation of Italy during WWII, and asks if there are any parallels with today’s occupation of Iraq.
Mutiny on the Bounty
Join Talking History’s host, Bryan Le Beau, and author, Caroline Alexander as they turn their attention seawards, in discussion of her latest book, The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. Airdate: January 12, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Thomas Schwartz, associate professor of history at Vanderbilt University, will share his thoughts on American policy toward Europe during the Johnson Presidency. Thomas Schwartz is author of Lyndon. B. Johnson and Europe in the Shadow of Vietnam.
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, published in 1845, after Douglass escaped from slavery, became an international best seller, as well as a rallying pint for the abolitionist movement in the United States. Our guest this week, William L. Andrews, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examines Douglass’s autobiography as a source of information on the man and the institution. This segment of the show comes to us courtesy of Talking History’s new partner, The Teacher as Historian, which is produced at WNYE – FM in New York City. Airdate:January 5, 2004.
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Running time: 29 minutes
Commentary: Also joining us will be Doug Wead, who will answer the question: Why have so many Presidents’ kids gone wrong?
