Anthropologist Jennifer Raff discusses new research into early migration patterns and what it may say about human history.
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Who we build monuments to and why it matters
Paul M. Farber of the National Monument Audit joins us to discuss a recent study of 50,000 monuments across the U.S. and what the research shows about who we memorialize and who we leave out.
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The ugly history of fast fashion
Sofi Thanhauser of the Pratt Institute discusses her research into linen, cotton, silk, synthetics, and wool, how they shaped civilization and why, today, fashion has become a leading producer of pollution on the planet.
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How jeans became an American wardrobe staple
Michael Bicks talks about the history of jeans, how they’ve swept the globe as a fashion staple, and why they are a touchstone for major moments in our nation’s history.
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The story of America’s last slave ship
Tara Roberts of National Geographic discusses why she quit her job to join a group of Black underwater divers searching for trans-Atlantic slave ship history.
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What it’s really like to be incarcerated
Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are co-hosts of the podcast “Ear Hustle,” and they join us to talk about what they’ve learned about life on the inside from the inmates who shared their stories.
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The many ironies of the 1990s
Author Chuck Klosterman talks about his examination of a decade or so defined by burgeoning tech and 9/11, plus Seinfeld and Oprah.
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Is it time to move on from the Beatles and Stones?
Music historian Ted Gioia talks about why 70 percent of music demand today is for old songs, with publishing companies investing in vintage catalogs while ignoring new, emerging talent.
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Ladies who lift: Women, exercise and power
Danielle Friedman talks about how getting in shape morphed from simply being a beauty tool to a force for physical and emotional well-being, and what that says about feminism.
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For historians, the past Is written in pencil
James M. Banner, Jr. is founder of the National History Center of the American Historical Association, and he joins us to talk about why history is never really set in stone.
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Pharaohs wrote the playbook for today’s dictators
UCLA Egyptologist Kara Cooney discusses her research into the Egyptian pharaohs and why their system of rule and religious beliefs can help us to understand why the many still so often give power to the few.
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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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