Prof. Thomas S. Kidd joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the ways Thomas Jefferson diverged from his own moral compass, from owning enslaved people to religion, and how it complicates the portrait of a man we know from history books.
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The power of statues for those who take them down
Historian Samuel Biagetti joins us to talk about the historical patterns of iconoclasm and why he believes many statues honoring controversial figures have been torn down in recent years.
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Black Native Americans work to reclaim their identity
Journalist Caleb Gayle talks about the struggle for Black Creeks to regain tribal recognition, how the government was involved, and how Black Creeks see themselves today.
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Imagine finding a T. Rex
David K. Randall, a reporter for Reuters, tells the story of Barnum Brown’s discovery of the T-rex and how this discovery amazed the world.
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The pioneering plastic surgeons of WWI
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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