Science writer Lindsey Fitzharris joins us to tell the story of Harold Gillies, a plastic surgeon who established one of the first hospitals for facial reconstruction as he worked to heal both body and soul.
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The amazing story of Juneteenth
Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed grew up in Texas, and she joins us to discuss the history of Texas exceptionalism, an economic model based on slavery and race, and the legacy that remains today.
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Imagine you got transplant surgery in the 16th century
Researcher Paul Craddock discusses 16th-century skin grafts, 18th-century tooth transplants, and modern-day medical breakthroughs.
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Scared of nukes? You should be
History professor Daniel Immerwahr discusses why a population that doesn’t remember the horrors of nuclear war bodes ill for the future of warfare, and why modern brinkmanship is now an even more dangerous game.
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How America mythologizes war
West Point English professor Elizabeth D. Samet talks about the picture of American exceptionalism that emerged post-World War II, the ways it has shaped domestic and foreign policy, and the myths it created.
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The trait mass shooters have in common
Journalist Seamus McGraw joins us to discuss the pattern of American mass gun violence – from the 1966 massacre at the University of Texas at Austin to today.
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You may not be in a union, but you’ve benefitted from one
Labor columnist Kim Kelly joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the people who fought for workers’ rights and to offer perspective on the needs of the working class.
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How alphabetical order made the modern world
We take alphabetization for granted, but it’s a relatively new way to classify the things we hold dear.
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Even the ancient Greeks suffered from addiction
Carl Erik Fisher discusses his own struggle with alcoholism and his search to find answers in the policies, people and treatments of both the recent and distant past.
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A dissident Egyptian comic takes on middle school bullies
Bassem Youssef, the heart surgeon turned political satirist, joins us to talk about the unique experiences of immigrant children and what he learned from observing his own family.
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In Mexico, some enslaved people found freedom
Alice L. Baumgartner joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the Civil War and how thousands of enslaved people found freedom in Mexico.
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The evolution of Zora Neale Hurston
Genevieve West joins guest host John McCaa to discuss her extensive compilation of work that features essays, criticism, and articles of the Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston.
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