Author Erik Larson joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the presidential election of 1860, how Southerners labeled it a “hostile act,” and the chaotic months that followed before the first bullets flew at Fort Sumpter.
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Living the Constitution’s many contradictions
Author and journalist A.J. Jacobs joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his year of following the Constitution as closely as possible.
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A cultural history of UFOs
Greg Eghigian, professor of history and bioethics at Pennsylvania State University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of America’s fascination with UFOs — an obsession that spread globally — and what it all means for our civilization back here on Earth.
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Congress is not gridlocked. No really.
Despite the charged rhetoric to the contrary, there actually is work getting done in Washington.
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Life, liberty and the pursuit of grievances
Frank Bruni, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Americans are finding identities in grievances, why hardships have become so performative, and how we are missing out on what’s working for the country, collectively.
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The ancient inventions that made the modern world
Roma Agrawal, an engineer, author and broadcaster, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss simple inventions such as the rivet and string that we don’t think of as particularly revolutionary but which carry all the innovations of today on their shoulders.
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The grief of institutionalizing a child
Jennifer Senior, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the story of her aunt Adele, who was sent away at age 6 because of intellectual disabilities.
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Why prisoners rarely get furloughed
Reiko Hillyer, associate professor at Lewis & Clark College, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of prison furloughs in this nation.
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From Charley Pride to Beyoncé: The Black roots of country music
Alice Randall, the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Black roots of country music.
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Feathers, fur and freedom: The birth of the animal rights movement
Bill Wasik from The NY Times Magazine joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a late 19th century wave of activism that moved our culture away from seeing animals as just property to a new way of viewing their lives with compassion.
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Why no third-party candidate has won the White House
Jeffrey Engle, Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of third-party candidates and how they’ve impacted – or not – presidential elections.
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Medical science is still catching up on women’s health
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist specializing in breast cancer, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of sexism in medicine and why lingering stereotypes still affect women’s medical care.
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