The AskHistorians Podcast

Tyler Alderson talks with Michael O'Malley about his new book The Beat Cop, exploring the life of Irish music collector (and Chicago police chief) Francis O'Neill. O'Malley details O'Neill's life as well as his influence on our concepts of "Irish music." He also examines the power dynamics at play when a well-connected police chief collects music from his community, and the biases apparent in O'Neill's work. 58m.

Jennifer Borgioli Binis (EdHistory101) talks with Lydia Moland about her new book on suffragist, poet, author, and abolitionist Lydia Maria Child. They discuss Child's complicated life, the ways she sought and used the power accessible to her, and the choices she made as a well-educated white woman with a fierce commitment to social justice. 50 mins.

/u/Steelcan909 talks with Bret Devereaux and our own Roel Konijnendijk about public history, the changing role of historians both inside and outside of the academy, and of course on proper ditch digging tecninques. 82m,

Tyler Alderson talks with Rebecca Simon about the difference between fact and fiction in the Golden Age of Piracy. Simon also discusses the challenges and opportunities of public-facing history work, including social media like TikTok. 54m

In this episode, Morgan Lewin talks to Darren Colbourne about the origins of Northern Ireland's People's Democracy Party, its early days, motivations, its connections to the United States civil rights movement, and its eventual gradual dissolution.

Jeremy Salkeld (EnclavedMicrostate) talks with /u/mikitacurve about the creation and development of the Moscow Metro under Stalin, its origins in Soviet debates over urban planning, and how the art and monumentality of the underground railroad reflected the utopian ideals of the Soviet Union, even amid the ongoing Terror on the surface. 70 mins.

Jeremy Salkeld (EnclavedMicrostate) talks with /u/PartyMoses about the life and times of robber knight Götz von Berlichingen, who fought in various conflicts in the Holy Roman Empire in the early sixteenth century, and most famously did so with a prosthetic right hand. Topics discussed include martial culture, the politics of the Holy Roman Empire in the reign of Charles V, and disability in Early Modern Europe. 49 mins.

Morgan Lewin (u/aquatermain) talks with Elle Ransom (u/anthropology_nerd) about the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada. Ransom explores why these schools were built, what went on in them, and their lasting impact on indigenous communities in Canada. 63m.

Jeremy Salkeld (EnclavedMicrostate) talks with /u/the_gubna about the field of historical archaeology and the latter's research on the Camino Real in the colonial Andes, discussing the history of this highway and of the people who used it. 32 mins. 

Jeremy Salkeld (EnclavedMicrostate) talks with /u/Dongzhou3kingdoms about the effect the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has had on online discourse about the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, and how discussions of the period's history continue to be framed in relation to the literary tradition. 45 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with u/Valkine, otherwise known as Stuart Ellis-Gorman, about his new book The Medieval Crossbow. Ellis-Gorman discusses what we do and don't know about its origins, its history as a weapon "fit to kill a king," and the many legends and tall tales surrounding the crossbow. He also talks about continuing to do academic research outside of traditional academia. 55m.

For the 200th episode, guest host Jennifer Borgioli Binis (EdHistory101) spoke with one of the country's pre-eminent scholars on American higher education and McCarthism. Dr. Schrecker shares her experiences as a researcher, historian, and woman in academia. 1 hour, 11 minutes.

Fraser Raeburn talks with Jason Steinhauer about how the internet has shaped the consumption and production of historical knowledge, as detailed in Jason's new book, History Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past. 40 minutes.

A transcript of this episode will be forthcoming.

Morgan Lewin talks with Stegan Aguirre Quiroga about his new book, White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War, and Battlefield 1, and about the construction of idealized representations of whiteness in the histories of Argentina and Chile. 1 hour.

In this special episode of the AskHistorians podcast, /u/hannahstohelit and /u/EnclavedMicrostate talk about one of the more unusual history-related conspiracy theories of recent years: Tartaria. Why are thousands of internet users convinced of the existence of a lost empire in Eurasia? Where does post-Soviet nationalism come into it? And why are they so obsessed with big buildings? All this and more will be revealed in this special. 60 mins.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Tyler Alderson talks with GRAMMY-Award winning pipe organist and Juilliard professor Paul Jacobs about the history of the instrument and his upcoming recital series of the music of César Franck. 34 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks to fellow moderator u/Steelcan909 about the religion of the Norse, often called "Norse mythology." They discuss what we do and don't know about religious practice, the truth behind popular conceptions of the Norse gods, and why this religion has continued to feature heavily in pop culture. 

In this episode, Morgan Lewin (u/Aquatermain) talks with Dan Howlett (u/dhowlett1692) about disability in early America.  In this conversation, they cover how to define disability historically, how to find disability in the archives, and how disability shaped events like the Salem Witch Trials. 53 minutes.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with Trevor Culley about the Cyrus Cylinder, an inscription dictated by the first ruler of the Persian Empire. Aside from the text of the cylinder and its historical context, also discussed is the use of the cylinder in modern Iranian nation-building. 48 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/DGBD, better known as Tyler Alderson, about the history of the banjo. Discussed are the instrument's origins and development, on the cultural place of the banjo on both sides of the Atlantic, and of its relationship to issues of racism and identity. 70 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Alex Fox Rudinski, who is looking into the intergenerational effects of the trauma veterans experienced in World War II. From the veterans themselves through to their children and even grandchildren, this trauma has had an impact on many families' lives. Rudinski also talks about the challenges of researching the effects of trauma in a time period when these effects were little understood or recognized. 

In this Conference Special, Morgan (u/Aquatermain) speaks to Claire Aubin about her study of Holocaust perpetrators immigrating to the US, the emotional strain of studying a horrific period of history, and the work of the Emotionally Demanding Histories Group.

In this episode, Morgan Lewin talks with /u/Starwarsnerd222 about the ways that the origins of the First World War are discussed in textbooks aimed at students of international secondary school curricula. What do they do well? What do they not? How far do they adhere to contemporary historiography, and how far do they hold onto older tropes? And where do we go from here? Find out all this and more in this episode. 58 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Brynn Derwen, whose research into the history of footwraps includes wearing them most days! Derwen talks about why and how footwraps were used in many cultures around the world, particularly in militaries, and offers some pointers for how to try them yourself!

Tyler Alderson talks to Laura Castro-Royo about her research on Jinn, the source of Hollywood's "genie" trope. She also talks about presenting history in non-traditional spaces, including streaming on Twitch as Las Plumas De Simurgh.

In this episode, /u/Gankom talks with Dr. Lauren Lefty, Dr. Andrew Feffer, and /u/Kugelfang52 about the assault on the anti-racism programs of New York City teachers between 1930 and 1960. Notably, these efforts, often led by communist teachers, were opposed not only by conservative educators, but by liberal groups as well. The ultimate destruction of these efforts wrecked community building projects, removed or coerced into silence some of the system's most outspoken anti-racist educators. 77 minutes. Discussion on this episode can be found here.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/starwarsnerd222 about great power politics of the late nineteenth century, focussing on British foreign policy from the end of the Crimean War in 1856 to the eve of the First World War in 1914. How did British officials and diplomats react to changing world circumstances, if they did at all? What sorts of crises did they respond to, or not depending on the situation? Find out all this and more on this fortnight's episode. 67 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Lubyak about the Second Sino-Japanese War, discussing its background, its wider context, and the question of why Imperial Japan was unsuccessful in achieving its aims. 32 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Iphikrates about the beginnings of academic military history in 19th century Prussia. Why, in a state so strongly associated with its military traditions, was the academic study of military history so heavily opposed both from the academy and from the army? How did the field emerge despite this opposition? Who were the big names? What sorts of controversies were fought over? Find out all this and more on this fortnight's AskHistorians Podcast. 60 mins.

In this episode, /u/Kugelfang52 talks with /u/Toldinstone about various topics of interest from his upcoming book on Greek and Roman society, Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants. Included are the following questions:

• "Did they believe in monsters, ghosts, and/or aliens?"
• "Why are so many of their statues naked?"
• "Why didn't the Greeks or Romans wear pants?" 
• "What were the greatest delicacies?"
• "What happened to the city of Rome after the empire collapsed?"

43 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Hergrim about women in medieval warfare, and at how their actual roles diverged from those prescribed by the authorities of the day and many today imagine them. Discussed are how women fought in combat, performed critical supporting roles for armies, and indeed led them in war; also considered are how warfare affected civilian women and how women were involved in the reading and writing of military theory. 34 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/IlluminatiRex about veterans of the First World War who, either before or after the war, lived in one town in Connecticut, and about how the local histories of small towns fit into the history of the wider world. 18 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Dr. Jacob Baum, Dr. Sydnor Roy, and John T Conrad about their project translating Adam Contzen's Ten Books of Politics. The Ten Books has never been translated out of its seventeenth-century neo-Latin, and the project is one that will be open to the public who wish to provide commentary, advice, or simply practice with untranslated Latin, as they continue to build a corpus of translation. 64 mins.

Morgan Lewin and Tyler Alderson discuss the popular urban legend that classical music composer Ludwig van Beethoven was actually Black. While the answer is a definitive "no," the reasons for this myth's enduring popularity say a lot about race, class, and the prestige attached to classical music. 39 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with the authors of the book We Are The Land: A History of Native California about the struggles and triumphs of indigenous people, and what lies ahead. Also discussed is the process of writing a wide-ranging history, and how to approach commonly-told narratives from a different perspective, upending stereotypes and generalizations. 49 min.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with Seb Lewin ( /u/aquatermain ) about the circumstances surrounding the May Revolution of 1810 against Spain, and how the road to independence started for the United Provinces of Río de la Plata and the subsequent Republic of Argentina.

In this episode, Jess Munoz talks to u/Aquatermain about his new album of Catalan art songs. Munoz discusses the history of the Catalan language and its suppression, and how you learn to sing in a language that you don't speak.

More information about Visca L'Amor can be found on Jess' website at www.jessmunoz.com

In this episode, Morgan Lewin (/u/aquatermain) talks to Avan (/u/Starwarsnerd222) about the geopolitical causes of the First World War. 29 mins.

In this episode, Dr Darren Layne (u/Funkyplaid) talks to u/Aquatermain about the 275th anniversary of the battle of Culloden and the end of the Jacobite uprising. Topics include Darren's work on the digital history of Jacobitism, the myth and reality of the Jacobite uprising, and why the battle of Culloden remains so compelling for so many people.

In this episode, u/Lubyak and u/Kugelfang52 discuss Lubyak's recent answer on the Japanese-German alliance

Tyler Alderson talks to Robert C Ritchie, author of The Lure of the Beach, about the rise of the beach resort. Class, health, and (of course!) sex all play a part in the story of our fascination with the sandy shoreline. 57 mins.

Jeremy Salkeld (EnclavedMicrostate) talks with Trevor Culley (Trevor_Culley) about an answer the latter wrote on the subreddit about depictions of Alexander the Great in Persia. Building from that answer's discussion, this episode takes us from the fragmentary bits and pieces of the Alexander legend in Babylonian inscriptions and Middle Persian papyrus fragments, up to the developed form found in Sasanian letters and medieval epic poetry. 20 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Jason Dyer about the public computing movement and early computer games, including the seminal "Hunt the Wumpus." 64 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with u/EnclavedMicrostate about an answer he wrote on the European influence (or lack thereof) on the Taiping Rebellion. Rather than looking at the Opium Wars as a root cause, he discusses other uprisings in China at the time, and examines the effect of ethnic, economic, and other tensions. 38 min.

In this episode, P.H. Jones and Johannes Breit discuss one of the largest publishing hoaxes of the 20th century: The Hitler Diaries. When German journalist Gerd Heidemann entered a world of Nazis, old and new, WWII memorabilia, and collectors of Hitler paintings in the 70s, he never expected to find the alleged diaries of Adolf Hitler. Allegedly smuggled out of East Germany, this was the find of a lifetime. While Heidemann and his employer, Stern, already had dollar signs in their eyes, they didn’t expect to find themselves at the centre of one of the largest journalistic and publishing scandals of the last century that would ruin them, make the forger a star and humiliate Rupert Murdoch. Jones and Breit will take you through the whole story that involves everything from Hermann Göring’s Yacht to a forger of German lunch vouchers to David Irving and that ends with several millions Mark missing and several people in prison.

Tyler Alderson talks with with Cristina Groeger, whose new book The Education Trap: Schools and the Remaking of Inequality in Boston explores how education has been used to both alleviate and exacerbate inequality. Using 19th and 20th century Boston as a case study, she takes a critical look at how our concepts of education and the institutions that provide it have been shaped by those in and out of power, and gives us an idea of what we can do to work towards a more equitable society today.

Tyler Alderson talks will Bill Taylor, author of the new book Fugitive Freedom: The Improbable Lives of Two Impostors in Late Colonial Mexico. Taylor pieces together the lives of two men who impersonated priests, and discusses how they fit with the ideal of the vagabundo in popular culture of the time. How and why did they operate on the margins of society, and what does it say about that society? 

In this episode, Seb Lewin (u/aquatermain) discusses Meg Hyland's (u/Kelpie_Cat) research into work songs sung by itinerant herring gutters from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Topics include the similarities between herring work songs and the Tango, the surprisingly not-safe-for-work lyrics and why one heritage boat captain refuses to led nuns aboard.

In what is perhaps a first for an AskHistorians Podcast episode, we are also treated to a live rendition of one of these songs by Meg.

In this episode, Naama Cohen joins us to discuss the British mandate in Palestine from 1922 to 1932, when memoirist and children’s author Douglas Duff served as a policeman there. How did British servicemen view Palestine, their role in it, and the local populations? Find out this and more.

In this episode, /u/Kugelfang52 joins us to discuss the topic of censorship in Texas history textbooks before and after the Second World War. How were decisions made about what or what not to include? How did the rhetorical tools used to counter fascism get turned on anything deemed 'Communist'? Find out this and more on this week's episode.

In this episode, four members of the AskHistorians panel discuss Vikings, their popular culture portrayals and how the legend of the looting, pillaging bearded norsemen is far from an accurate portrayal of these historical figures.

Tyler Alderson talks with Richard Templeton, author of Across the Creek: Black Powder Explosions on the Brandywine. Templeton tells the story of the workers who made the powder that turned DuPont into one of the world's largest chemical companies, and the deadly accidents that cut many of their lives short. 56m.

Warning: This episode contains frank discussion of the aftermath of a gunpowder mill explosion and its physical effects on victims.

Tyler Alderson is joined by four researchers who looks at the lives and experiences of women in medieval and early modern Scotland from a variety of angles. Guests are Marian Toledo Candelaria from the University of Waterloo, Lucy Hinnie from the University of Saskatchewan, Rebecca Mason from the Institute of Historical Research in London, and Chelsea Hartlen from the University of Guelph. 92 min.

In this episode, Jenn Binis (u/edhistory101) and Ryan Abt (u/Kugelfang52) discuss gender, inequality and rhetoric in US Education history. Topics include the unexpected consequences of integrating schools, gendered expectations of teachers, and the Committee of Ten.

Tyler Alderson talks with author Adrian Goldsworthy, whose new book Philip and Alexander explores the lives of the two men who turned ancient Macedonia from a fringe Greek state into a powerful empire. While much of the focus has been on Alexander, Goldsworthy discusses the vital role that Philip played in setting his son up for the successes that earned him the name "Alexander the Great." 67m.

Tyler Alderson talks with Dr. Bea Lewkowicz and Daisy Abboudi from Sephardi Voices UK, records the oral histories of the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews from the Middle East, North Africa and Iran who settled in the UK. While narratives of history often paint with a wide brush, individual oral histories create a stunning portrait of everyday life amid the upheavals of the 20th century. The episode also includes clips from various interviews in the Sephardi Voices UK archives. 91 minutes.

This panel seeks to disrupt historically dominant narratives about the imperial systems of religion, settler colonialism, slavery, and the documentation of the populace. Spanning across time and regions, from colonial era Britain to the nineteenth-century United States, our panelists give voice to historical actors who disrupted systems of oppression while simultaneously utilizing digital quantitative data analysis to complicate the traditional archive itself. How can we repurpose quantitative data to re-humanize historically marginalized groups? How do we combat systemic erasure that quantitative data can produce? What do we make of historical resistance where there are scant sources available?

Historical Experts:

Laura Brannan - "Mobility in Slavery and Freedom: Mapping Paths of Escape, Enslavement, and Freedom in the U.S., 1830-1850"

Georgia Farrell - "Running From Cultural Genocide: Carlisle Indian Boarding School Runaways and Hidden Resistance, 1890-1900"

Caitlin Gale - "Mapping Itinerancy: George Fox's Journal" Janine Hubai  - "Revelation and Erasure: IPUMS USA Datasets and New Mexico’s Population 1850-1920"

​

This panel was moderated by Dan Howlett (/u/dhowlett1692)

In this episode, Juan Sebastián Lewin interviews Gaby Berman, who's focusing her Master thesis research on the presence of Sassanian male hufu clothing in the Tang Dynasty in China and its usage by elite women of the period, in her paper called "Tang Elite Women and Hufu Clothing: Persian Garments and the Artistic Rendering of Power". We explore topics relating to textiles, social class and female gender roles in the Tang Dynasty, and the intercultural exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and the Sasanian Dynasty.

The panelists aimed to explore different historiographical perspectives relating to: the current political climate in Brazil and the challenges the Bolsonaro administration poses for historians and scholars of the humanities; outlining essential considerations when designing universally accessible academic resources and archives; introducing an open-source, peer-reviewed collection of digital resources pertaining to the history of the LBGTQIA+ community; and producing an oral history collection that showcases student and faculty experiences in learning and teaching during the COVID19 pandemic.

Historical Experts:

Kirsteen MacKenzie - "The Importance of Universal Access Principles in Digital History"

Brian Watson - "Building an LGBTQIA+ archive" (More info at https://histsex.org/)

Mário Rezende - "Writing History in a country that chases historians"

Summer Cherland - "More and More Every Day: An Oral History Collection of Teaching and Learning in the COVID19 Era" (More info at https://southphoenixoralhistory.com/more-and-more-every-day/)

The roundtable was moderated by Juan Sebastián Lewin.

Tyler Alderson interviews Dr. Sally Foster about an overlooked group of objects: replicas. Far from being just a copy of an original object, replicas can have their own lives and value. Dr. Foster discusses her research and new book on the St. John's Cross replica on the Scottish island of Iona, as well as a set of principles and guidance she has helped prepare for working with replicas. 61 minutes.

Tyler Alderson interviews Seb Lewin about a region of the world often overlooked when it comes to classical music: Latin America. The interview covers the lives and music of several important composers, discussing how their music is a reflection of musical and societal trends in their countries. 77 minutes

In this episode, Johannes Breit interviews historian Daniel Lee about his new book “The SS-Officer’s Armchair”. In his book Lee, a specialist on the history of Jews in France and North Africa, follows the trail of several documents found sewn into an armchair. Weaving together historical work with his own process of uncovering information about Robert Giesinger, mid-level German bureaucrat and owner of the papers, Lee crafts a gripping account about both the nature of Nazi perpetrators as well as a historian’s hunt for answers.

In this episode, u/EnclavedMicrostate interviews Michael Bonner on the subject of the Sasanian Empire, which ruled Iran and its environs from the fall of the Arsacid (Parthian) empire in the early 3rd century AD to the rise of Islam in the 7th century. This covers the politics of the empire, its religious landscape, and the geopolitics of Eurasia in Late Antiquity, with discussion of connections and conflicts with Rome, Armenia, the steppe, and China.

In this episode, P.H. Jones and Johannes Breit discuss their research on the death of Adolf Hitler in 1945. Although Hitler’s suicide and subsequent cremation has always been widely accepted within the historical community, it nevertheless spawned numerous conspiracy theories about his survival and escape. Backdropped against the tensions of the Cold War, and internal distrust between Soviet intelligence groups, Jones and Breit trace the origins of these rumors, and the developing historiography concerning Hitler’s final day.

In this episode, u/EnclavedMicrostate interviews Brian Dott about the history of the chile pepper in China. This covers the pepper's introduction and spread, its integration into existing Chinese cuisine and understandings of culinary theory, its use as a medicine, as a cultural metaphor, and as a marker of regional identities.

In this episode, u/Sunagainstgold interviews Keagan Brewer about atheism in the Medieval period. The interview covers examples of medieval atheists, their treatment by the church, and the historical controversy over their very existence.

Guest-host Max (/u/Commustar) speaks with Reuben A. Loffman about his book "Church, State and Colonialism in Southeastern Congo; 1890-1962" (2019, Palgrave-MacMillan). This wide-ranging interview covers pre-colonial history of the Kongolo region; the role of White Fathers and Spiritan missionaries; and the experience of decolonization and the Katanga secession. 

You can find Reuben Loffman on twitter as @ReubenLoffman, 

This is the second part of the discussion between myself, /u/Steelcan909, and /u/EnclavedMicrostate, wherein we discuss the Opium Wars themselves, the actual role of opium in the wars, and the fallout that these events had on subsequent Chinese and European history.

Welcome to the first of our two part series on the Opium Wars!  Today I, /u/Steelcan909, am joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate in a discussion about the development of the opium trade and the tensions between the Qing government and British merchants that erupted into two wars between these Imperial giants. 

We have the privilege to speak with Dr. Anya Jabour about her recent biography, "Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America." Breckinridge was a university professor in the early 20th century who played a major role in nearly every area of social activism you can fathom--and here, you have the chance to learn all about her, and to use her as a window into the history of social activism in the 20th century United States.

In this episode, Jeremy (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) interviews then-flaired-user (now newly-minted moderator) /u/Steelcan909 on the matter of the Christianisation of England during the Early Middle Ages. What happened to Christianity after the Romans left? How did it come back? Were attempts made to syncretise Christianity with paganism? And where does horse meat come into it all? Find out all this and more on this episode of the AskHistorians Podcast.

On January 4, members of the AskHistorians mod team spoke as a panel at the annual American Historical Association conference in New York City. We recorded that panel, "Historians on the Battleground of Social Media: Lessons from Eight Years of AskHistorians," to share with our listeners at home!

(Some audience questions at the end were edited out, as they were too quiet to hear or amplify in post-production. The answers are still in the podcast, though!)

You can read our papers here: https://askhistorians.com/conferences/aha2020.html

Today /u/Drylaw talks with Professor Nicholas Buccola, author of "The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America" (Princeton University Press, 2017), about the important 1965 debate on race between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. We cover their influences on the civil rights and conservative movements respectively, and their ideas' continuing relevance.

You can find Professor Buccola on Twitter as @buccola_nick.

For his debut as an interviewer rather than as a guest on the podcast, Jeremy Salkeld (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) is joined by flaired user /u/dandan_noodles to discuss warfare and its changes and continuities from the mid-eighteenth century and the wars of Frederick the Great up to the early nineteenth century and the wars of Napoleon. Why were wars fought? Who joined the armies? How did they fight? Did the revolution in French politics create a revolution in French warfare? Find out all this and more in this episode.

(Total length: 102 minutes)

Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Cassidy Percoco is joined by Lyndsey Craig, MS candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to chat briefly about the study, "Pubic Hair Removal Practices in Cross-Cultural Perspective," of which she was lead author. The study's anthropological in nature, but involves some descriptions of historical practices!

You can follow Lyndsey on twitter as @lyndseykcraig. You can follow Cassidy on twitter as @mimicofmodes and at A Most Beguiling Accomplishment. 

Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Brian M. Watson is joined by Saniya Lee Ghanoui, PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in order to examine the intersections of media and technology studies, gender and sexuality, and medicine and public health--which is to say the sexual education film in America and Sweden. Come relive your awkward (or non-existing!) highschool memories of sex-ed class and learn about the history leading up to that cringeworthy film and why it why it takes the form it does today. This is a transnational and transdisciplinary media event however, and we discuss Alfred Kinsey, condoms, and that time Dwight Eisenhower insulted the entire country of Sweden.

You can follow Saniya on twitter @Saniya1 and at https://www.saniyaleeghanoui.com/. You can follow Brian on twitter @brimwats and at http://brimwats.com/. 

Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Fraser Raeburn, our very own /u/Crrpit, to talk about the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War with a specific emphasis on Scottish volunteers. Who joined? Why did they join? What were the politics of the International Brigades? Hear about this, and much more, in this episode.

You can find him on Twitter as @FraserRaeburn.

Today we're joined by Robert M. Sarwark, Visiting Fellow in Publishing History at Harvard University's Houghton Library, to talk about librarianship and his research into the history of the book during the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. 

You can find him on Twitter as @RaMerrix.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Professor Joshua Specht of Monash University to talk about his new book Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America (Princeton University Press, 2019).

You can find him on Twitter as @joshspecht. 

Today we have Dr. Eric Rauchway, a professor at the University of California, Davis. Professor Rauchway has expertise on U.S. policy, social, and economic history from the Civil War through the Second World War. He has consulted for government and private agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice and a major Hollywood studio.  

Professor Rauchway's recent research focuses on the New Deal and the Second World War. He has written several books on how federal policy affects the US economy, and how the economy —international and domestic— influences U.S. policy. His research has been featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. He has just finished a book on the conflict between Republicans and Democrats over how to combat the Depression at its worst, in 1932-1933. 

You can find him fighting the good fight on Twitter @rauchway and his books here https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Rauchway/

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

On today's episode we're talking with Professor Tamara Walker (Assistant Professor of History at the University of Toronto), about her book Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing and Status in Colonial Lima (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

You can find her book here.

In another return visit, Doug Priest, /u/TenMinuteHistory stops by!

You can last hear him on Episode 95 talking about the revolution before the revolution in Russia and Episode 86 where we talked about what it takes to be a historian, the tools and background you need

Doug has his PhD in Soviet History from Michigan State University. Currently, he is the Digital Managing Editor at Townsquare Media and the incoming president of H-Net which is the OTHER largest academic history and social sciences forum online. Today we are going to continue our discussion on methodology. We want to tackle a topic we’ve seen come up a lot lately - bias.

You can follow Doug on Twitter @10MinuteHistory and Brian @brimwats.

You can find the Jill Lepore piece we discuss here. Discussion thread here. 

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on the pod we're chatting with (tenured) Professor Daniel Bessner about the adjunctification of academic life: both its impact on academia and ways that people are fighting back. 

You can follow Professor Bessner on Twitter @dbessner

Today we are joined by a flaired member of the AskHistorians community, /u/PartyMoses! Better known to his friends and family as Adam Franti, who got his MA at Eastern Michigan University. We will be talking today in general terms about the War of 1812 and focusing on the argument of his masters thesis, which centers around nationalistic historical narratives of the war that unfairly criticize the militia. Adam also used to give tours about the war of 1812 at Fort Mackinac so he has great insight into the interesting stories!

Discussion thread.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on the AskHistorians podcast, we're joined by ante-bellum slavery expert, moderator and contributor extroardinaire Pat (or Freedmenspatrol), to discuss the Missouri Compromise of 1820. In this episode we look at the nature of slavery in the United States in the early 1800s, the explosive tension between pro- and anti-slavery advocates, and the enormous political battle which unfolded over slavery and the statehood of Missouri. 

You can follow Pat as /u/freemenspatrol on Reddit, or join us in the podcast discussion here!

~96 minutes

Today on AskHistorians Aloud we have a fantastic answer by /u/mimicofmodes, fka /u/chocolatepot, who answers In the late 19th century, what was a "sports corset"?

Today we're talking with Dr. Roel Konijnendijk about the career of Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson began as a scholar of Ancient Greek warfare but in recent decades he has transformed himself into a pundit. We discuss the implications that this transformation had on his reputation and later work.

You can follow Roel on twitter at @Roelkonijn or on Reddit as /u/Iphikrates. 

You can follow the conversation on the subreddit here.

/u/mikedash, also known literally as Mike Dash, author of a number of books, answers the question In the Godfather part II, the mafia emerged only after a proto-organized crime group, the Black Hand, was superseded. Was there anything that distinguished the mafia from this group, other than who was giving orders?

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we are joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. Together with guest host Bernardito, we talk about a conflict with many misconceptions: The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864). We explore the myths, the realities and the actual history behind the rebellion to explore this critical moment in 19th century Chinese history. Is it true that over 20 million people were killed in this conflict? Who truly was the leader of the Taiping? This, and much more, in this fascinating episode.

Today, we are releasing part two of our two-part series of interviews of historians at the American Historical Association this year.

On this episode we have an interview with G Patrick O'Brien (@historia_passim) about his dissertation, tentatively titled “Unknown and Unlamented: Loyalist Women in Exile and Repatriation, 1775-1800,” examines loyalist women in Nova Scotia and addresses questions of identity, community formation, and the maintenance of kinship networks in the late-eighteenth century.

We also have an interview with Nathan Tye (@Hobo_History), a historian of the nineteenth and twentieth century United States. His research documents the fascinating but misunderstood lives of hobos, tramps, and others transient populations that traveled the country by freight-hopping from the 1870s through 1930s.

We also have @hmcbee87, who is a Public History PhD Candidate at Middle Tennessee State University, about WWII relics brought back by soldiers and what they tell us about war, people, and museums.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today, the always-fantastic lcnielsen combines a number of his previous answers on Manichaeism to give us a fantastic overview of what it is and what it entails!

See his answers on the topic here:

Manichaeism is the only major world religion I could think of to be completely destroyed across multiple national boundaries as the result of severe persecution. What about Manichaeism was so terrifying to every single polity in late antiquity that caused such persecution?

Why did Zoroastrianism stop spreading?, was it because the Persian Empire was conquered?

Has there ever been a movement to unite Islam, Christianity and Judaism? If so, did any of its proponents draw a similarity between the Holy Trinity and the three branches of Abrahamism?

Today we are joined by a number of historians at the recent American Historical Society Conference in Chicago. First up, we have our very own Corey Bowen, aka /u/Commodorecoco, a PhD student at UIC and the Field Museum, and an archaeologist in his own right!

Then it is Eric G.E. Zuelow is chair of the Department of History and Philosophy and an associate professor of European history. He specializes in modern Britain and Ireland, with a particular emphasis on the histories of tourism and national identity. Zuelow is author of SO MANY BOOKS and editor-in-chief of Journal of Tourism History which is published three times per year by Routledge. Zuelow is editor of the Histories and Cultures of Tourism book series, published by Cornell University Press and he is a member of the editorial board for the Britain and the World book series which is published by Palgrave; he deals with titles covering the period after 1688. In addition, he is currently co-editing the Oxford Handbook to the History of Tourism and Travel. He is on twitter at @EZuelow.

After that we have Amy-Elizabeth Manlapas a high school history teacher, podcaster and consultant She says talked with writers about what high school is like in the 21st century, how dual-enrollment works, and how a kid might just get away with hiding a secret identity. She has a Master’s Degree in History from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Mercer University. She is on twitter at @amymanlapas

Finally, we have Jason Herbert!. He is a historian interested in the relationships between Southeastern American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in the 18th and early 19th centuries. His dissertation examines the social, political, demographic, and ecological transformation of Florida following the introduction of livestock in the sixteenth century through the expulsion of much the region's native inhabitants in the nineteenth century. In addition, He is the creator of Historians At The Movies, a multimedia experience that connects historians and others each week via their favorite films. You can find him on twitter at @herberthistory or look for the hashtag #HATM.

Discussion thread is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ahamgy/askhistorians_podcast_128_askhistorians_asking/

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

/u/mimicofmodes answers the question "How did women get to wear the pants around here?"

Link to answer. 

Today we are joined by /u/kaisermatias, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on 20th c. Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Hockey.  kaisermatias is better known to his friends and family as Matt Lerner, and he is here today to talk to us about the history of hockey! We talk about the history of hockey--it's rules, equipment, styles. Then we talk about hockey's important role in Canadian culture and history before turning to the 1972 Summit Series between the USSR and Canada--the first Miracle on Ice--and what it meant then and still means today. Finally, we conclude with the strangest and wildest thing about hockey--the Stanley Cup.

Discussion thread here.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today one the AskHistorians Aloud podcast, cleopatra_philopater discusses the history of lesbianism in the medieval Middle East.

Link to answer.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on AskHistorians Aloud -- /u/mimicofmodes answers the question "when did it become acceptable for women to smoke too?

Link to answer here.

This week on the AskHistorians Podcast we managed to sit down with three of the wonderful women of @dig_history to talk history podcasting, #twitterstorians, Jill Lepore, What to Expect When You're A History-Loving Highschooler, what #history can learn from #librarylife and so much more!

Find Dig - A History Podcast here: https://digpodcast.org/

Historians joining us today:

*Averill Earls, PhD*

Averill is an historian of modern Ireland and sexuality, and writes about same-sex desiring men, policing, and Dublin’s queer urban spaces. She is an Assistant Professor of History at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, where she teaches everything except American History. In addition to making podcast episodes with the amazing women of Dig, she is the Assistant Layout Editor at Nursing Clio. She’s published a range of pieces on teaching, literature, and the history of gender and sexuality with collaborative history blogs like Notches and Nursing Clio. When she’s not teaching, podcasting, or moonlighting as a member of the Cabot Creamery Co-operative social media team, she enjoys board games, baking, and puppy snuggles. Averill tweets from @aearls.

*Sarah Handley-Cousins, PhD*

Sarah is an historian of disability and gender in the American Civil War. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of History at the University at Buffalo. Her forthcoming book, to be published with the University of Georgia Press, is about disabled Union veterans during and after the Civil War. In addition to a PhD in History from the University at Buffalo, Sarah holds a BA from Wells College and an MSEd from Niagara University, and is an alum of the New York State Council for the Humanities Public Humanities Fellows. You can find her writing on Nursing Clio, where she is also an Editor, and various digital news outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. She enjoys unresolved romantic tension (in books and movies), visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park, and heated blankets. Sarah tweets from @sarahbelle721.

*Marissa C. Rhodes*

Marissa is an independent information professional and PhD candidate in History at UB. Her dissertation tells the stories of lactating women for hire in the Atlantic world during the Revolutionary era. In addition to a BA in History from Niagara University, Marissa has an MLS from UB. She is a former fellow at APS, The Library Company/HSP & the Lapidus-Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. But most importantly, she’s super into running, red wine, British television, and murder (as much as someone can be into murder without actually doing them). Marissa tweets from @iLURVhistory.

(and in spirit) *Elizabeth Garner Masarik*

Elizabeth is an historian of the welfare state and women in Progressive Era America. She is currently completing her PhD in History at the University at Buffalo, working on her dissertation and teaching American History. Elizabeth holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from UB. She is a 2017-18 Fellow in the University at Buffalo Institute for the Research on Women and Gender and 2018-2019 Humanities Institute fellow. She was recently featured by the Texas Tribune as an authority on Mexican-American relations in the borderlands of Texas. She had a forthcoming article, “Por la Raza, Para la Raza: Jovita Idar and Progressive-era Mexicana Maternalism in the Texas-Mexican Border,” in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly . Somehow she also has time to be a savvy blogger, and a totally badass powerlifter. Elizabeth tweets from @EGMasarik.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Join us today as Terminus-Trantor answers how maps were made in medieval times.

(44:35)

Today we talk with Dr. Edward J. Watts, author of Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny (Basic Books, 2018) about how Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire, and the politics of economics and social accountability.

You can find his book here.

The /r/AskHistorians discussion thread for this podcast can be found here

A special release podcast today: interviews that Brian Watson did with Brant Ellsworth of Children's Folklore Review and Willa C. Liburd Tavernier for Open Access week at Indiana University. This podcast episode is licensed under CC-BY. 

This week we are joined by Caitlin Smith-Oyekole, a Ph.D. candidate in American literature at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on doubt in American literature from the Great Awakening to the Civil War. Previous projects have focused on print culture and musical practice in colonial New England, the incipient crisis of authority in 16th -century radical Protestant rhetoric, and more. She is here today to talk to us about the history of the superhero narrative, from Golden Age Superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Discussion thread here. 

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on AskHistorians aloud, hillsonghoods answers the question "How did people throughout ancient history explain static electricity?"

Link to question and answer: here.

In this week's podcast, we talk to AskHistorians flaired user u/rusoved, a historical linguist with a special focus on Slavic and Albanian linguistics. We discuss how historical linguists work backwards from modern language and dialects to work out how things used to be, as well as how the field itself developed and where it may be going on the future.

Today we have on askhistorians flaired user /u/nilhaus, better known as James McAllister to his friends and family. He has worked in a variety of fields including journalism, IT and government, but he returned to grad school and got his MA and his PHD (ABD) in American History and public history. He is working on his dissertation with an aim of beginning work in a museum afterwards.

He talks to us today about the nature of doing history, what it would have been like to be a soldier in the American Civil War, and the UNTOLD sexual history of the American Civil War. You wont get this story anywhere else!

Please take the podcast improvement and opinion poll here. 

Discussion thread is here.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

New interview episode on Friday! For now, enjoy an AH Aloud episode! I often hear people say that the Irish Potato Famine was more a genocide than a true famine. How accurate is this claim?

Link to answer.

Today on AskHistorians Aloud, hillsonghoods answers the question : Is the concept of mental ilness a modern phenomenon?

Link to question and answer: here. 

In this episode of AskHistorians Aloud, we talk about conscription in the Ancient Greek world. Iphikrates answers "I'm a farmer in 500 BC in a typical Greek city-state. How often will I get called to mobilize for a battle?"

Link to answer: here.

Update: Someone has pointed out that a bit of the outro got recorded over the answer! Terribly sorry about that. Here is the missing text:

How much of the time was wartime is an open question. But even during the Peloponnesian War, there were several uneventful years, in which Sparta did not call out the levy of the Peloponnesian League and Athens had only men from the Lists in various expeditionary forces. In such times you, as a regular farmer, might escape military duty altogether. And if your city-state wasn't a member of the League or a subject of the Athenian Empire, you might be fighting your own petty wars, but otherwise you'd be left mostly alone.

It is anyone's guess how often you would actually be involved in a battle. Given all the factors I've mentioned, regardless of your city-state's foreign policy, I am of the opinion that the answer is probably closer to "once or twice in a lifetime" than "every year". However, given the lack of comprehensive source coverage, and the fact that historical accounts sometimes casually mention several battles in the course of a single campaign, my guess may well be wildly off the mark.

This week we are thrilled to have the host of EdHistory 101 podcast, and great AskHistorians flaired member UrAccountabilityBuddy, who is better known as Jenn Binis! In this episode we literally trace the entire history of education in America, diving deep into some weeds of discussion. I think you will enjoy it greatly. Please do go and subscribe to Ed History 101 wherever you get your podcasts and also please support us on patreon.com/askhistorians as it really does help to keep this show going

Join us here for a discussion thread.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're talking with fellow mod u/Georgy_K_Zhukov about dueling in the 19th century United States.

Today, a history of the condom from /u/AnnalsPornographie / @HistoryOf Porn. Link to answer.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we are joined by AskHistorians user /u/mimicofmodes, flaired in the History of Western Fashion. She is better known to her friends and family as Cassidy Percoco, an independent historian of fashion, textiles and material culture. She is the author of Regency Women's Dress: Techniques and Patterns 1800-1830, the host of A Most Beguiling Accomplishment podcast, and a collections manager at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association and talks to us today about  some aspects of history in public life--what it is like to work in a museum and to teach history to the public

You can also catch her on Episode 45 talking about Regency Era Fashion and on Episode 100 talking about AskHistorians under the hood, as in what it is like to moderate and run an academic history subreddit on the internet.

 © 2019 Brian M. Watson

In this episode of AskHistorians Aloud, sunagainstgold answers "Were women voters subject to vote suppression campaigns in the 1920s like those forced on African-Americans after Reconstruction?"

Link to question and answer: here. 

Today we talk with Dr. Timo Schaefer, author of Liberalism as Utopia The Rise and Fall of Legal Rule in Post-Colonial Mexico, 1820–1900 (Cambridge University Press, 2017), about how Liberal projects and ideals affected the legal system in 19th century Mexico.

You can find him on Twitter as @TimoHSchaefer

You can find his book here.

Today's episode is a little bit different! Instead of your regularly scheduled episode we are coming out with a preview of a new AskHistorians Podcast feature, AskHistorians Aloud! This feature is meant to bring some of the amazing work being done on the subreddit everyday to your ears here. 

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we talk with Dr. Roel Konijnendijk (@Roelkonijn on Twitter) about the myths surrounding the Battle of Thermopylae in popular culture. In particular, we compare scholarship on the battle with the mid-aughts film 300, Directed by Zack Snyder.

Today we talk with /u/UncoveredHistory, better known as Jason Aglietti. He is a public librarian in Baltimore and he just finished his Master’s thesis from University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he wrote and defended his thesis The Friends They Loathed: The Persecution of Maryland Quakers During the Revolutionary War.

Jason will tell us all about the lives of the Quakers in the American colonies from their founding to their persecution in the revolutionary war. This is NOT the history you usually hear about the revolutionary war, and Jason gives us a lot of new things to think about!

Finding The Maryland 400, the history project Jason worked on and talks about can be found here. Jason's blog is here.

Discussion thread.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we talk with Max (AKA u/Commustar on Reddit) about tribes, tribalism, and nationality in Africa.

You can find the discussion thread here.

Today on the AskHistorians Podcast we are joined by Dr Adam Rodman of the BedsideRounds Podcast! Prepare for the ultimate crossover episode as we discuss the history of the body, of medicine, and of physicians. This is a great episode and please enjoy it, love it, rate and review it!

You can find Adam @AdamRodmanMD and his podcast at http://bedside-rounds.org/.

Discussion thread is here. 

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're talking about the ways in which 17th and 18th century Russia gathered intelligence on the Far East with Professor Gregory Afinogenov, who is currently Assistant Professor of Russian Imperial History at the University of Georgetown.

He's on Twitter as @athenogenes.

Today we are joined by /u/amandycat, who is flaired on AskHistorians as Early Modern English Death Culture, which has to be one of the more stark and interesting flairs we have on the subreddit. She is better known to her friends and family as Amanda Brunton, a PhD student at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK. Today we discuss all sorts of interesting and morbid things, like deaths, funerals, and how people liked to talk shade about the dead. An hour on the culture and history surrounding death and death culture in Early Modern England and it's not even Halloween!

 © 2019 Brian M. Watson

In today's episode we talk with u/CommieSpaceInvader about Marxist historiography and contemporary academia. This episode isn't a systematic analysis of the Marxist school within History so much as it is a broader reflection on the evolution of Marxist historiography and the ways it is perceived in contemporary academia and beyond.

Today we are joined by a member from the AskHistorians Community, /u/Coinsinmyrocket, flaired as Mid-20th Century Military | Naval History . He is joining us today to talk about the Phoney War, which touches on Dunkirk but also surrounds several of the events around it. Also included: discussion about the recent *Dunkirk* movie!

Discussion thread here

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we chat with Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt about the topic of her new book, Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

Dr. Merritt is on Twitter as @KeriLeighMerrit and her professional website is https://kerileighmerritt.com.

You can join the discussion on the subreddit here.

Today we are lucky to be joined by /u/depanneur, who is flaired on AskHistorians as Pre-Norman Ireland & European Fascism until 1945. He is better known to his friends and family as Pat Reed, and he is a Masters Student at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in Medieval Studies. Today’s episode is a superb micro history of a macro topic-Bigfoot. Where does he come from? Where does he go? The world has questions but our guest today has answers.

Discussion thread is here.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we talk with Dr. Emily Dufton, author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America. We talk about the decades long struggle between proponents of legalizing marijuana and those who defend laws criminalizing its possession and use. (56 min)

You can find our guest on Twitter as @emily_dufton.

Today we have on /u/link0007, better known as Lukas Wolf, who is flaired on AskHistorians for 18th Century Newtonian Philosophy. This is an interesting and in depth episode because it talks about a couple of fields that do not get a lost of interest--history of philosophy and history of science. In this episode Lukas describes how the early scientists dealt with the questions of where god was in the research they were doing, and how creationism plays into early scientific arguments. We also cover Robert Boyle, David Hume, the Royal Society (the first scientific organization) and many more interesting people. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

In today's episode we hear from u/Sowser about resistance and rebellion in the British Caribbean. Using Jamaica as a case study, we talk about the different uprisings which shaped Jamaican history, both before and after the abolition of slavery. (81 minutes)

Feel free to join the discussion of this episode on the mainsub here!

Today we have an episode and discussion on the history of libertinism in the 18th century between me, your host, Brian Watson (@historyofporn), and Thomas Froh (@T_Froh), who is officially now Dr. Thomas Froh! Thomas' dissertation is on libertinism, specifically in 18th century anglo-french literature--a very dry phrase for sexy books and erotica in the 1700s! He is here today to talk with me and us about transgression and erotica in the long 18thC! We have a great discussion on various libertine authors, ideas, and sexy books of the 18th century and even include a bit on BDSM.

Discussion Thread!

 © 2019 Brian M. Watson

In this episode we hear from Professor David Fouser (u/agentdcf on the subreddit and @journeymanhisto on Twitter) about what it is like to be an adjunct professor in today's academic job market. (62 minutes)

 Discussion thread

Today we are welcoming OwlOfDerision AKA Danielle Thom to the AskHistorians podcast. This conversation today will be about 18th century visual culture and the life of various artists and the the invention and popularization of the satirical print and caricature. We also discuss what it is like to work inside a museum and how to get a job inside a museum!

You can see some of Danielle's Work at the Museum of London, and she tweets from @Danielle_J_Thom. 

Discussion thread

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today as it is our 100th episode (and we are fast approaching 700,000 subscribers) we have decided to do something a little different! We have a panel of AskHistorians Moderators to talk about AskHistorians Under the Hood--what it is like to moderate and run the worlds largest academic history forum. AskHistorians has grown a lot in its six, nearly 7 years of existence, spawning several articles, helping several careers, several academic panels (which you can hear on earlier episodes) and this podcast! So if you have no interest in AskHistorians as a reddit community, this podcast might be of less interest to you. But regardless we have a great lineup today. The format today will be brief discussions of individual moderators about different aspects of AskHistorians followed by period of comment by the whole panel!

Today we are joined by

1) /u/bernardito, better known as Stefan, flaired in Modern Guerrilla and Counterinsurgency, to talk about the development of the subreddit and his own development. You can also catch him on episodes 39 and 40 talking about Algeria and Counter-Insurgency.

2) /u/commiespaceinvader, also known as Joe, flaired in to Holocaust  Nazi Germany and Wehrmacht War Crimes, to talk about holocaust denialism, the academic theories underpinning academia and AskHistorians, and the emotional labor of working on a very difficult topic. You can also catch him on episodes 91 and 57 talking about fascism and Intentionalism and Functionalism in the Holocaust

3) /u/snapshot52, known as Kyle, flaired in Native American Studies | Colonialism, to talk about theory in a non-western and subaltern points of view, and the difficulties and pleasures of this. You can also catch him on episodes 75 and 80 talking about Indian Policy and Indian Sovereignty and Cultural Genocide against American Indians

4) /u/chocolatepot, known to her friends and family as Cassidy Percoco, flaired in the History of Western Fashion, to discuss what it is like having interests that are contrarian to the reddit hivemind and culture, and what it is like to bring women's history to life. Catch her on episode 45 talking about Regency Era Fashion

5) /u/Iphikrates, known as Roel, flaired in Greek Warfare, to talk about being an expert in a field where the academic view is diametrically opposed to the public one, and how AH is a perfect opportunity to do something about it because the questions come from the public. Catch him also on episode 81 discussing Iphikrates and His Reforms

Finally we will have

6) /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov, flaired in Post-Napoleonic Warfare & Small Arms | Dueling, to talk numbers and statistics and the state of the sub as a whole.

Discussion thread

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we are once again joined by Kyle Pittman - AKA u/Snapshot52 on the subreddit - for a discussion of the concept of sovereignty in the context of indigenous nations. (66 minutes)

Today, we are lucky to be joined again by /u/freedsmenspatrol! He is here to talk to us about about the entire history of the assault on Charles Sumner on the senate floor on May 22, 1856. He also give a detailed account of the events leading up to the caning, including episodes from the battle over the Fugitive Slave Act so a listener can understand how events lead up to the Civil War. It will give us an amazing background and history of a really important moment in american history. This is a really gripping and narrative podcast, and definitely shines as a great episode to listen to or to recommend to friends interested in the topic, which please do!

Feel free to come by our discussion thread for this episode!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Professor Lorien Foote (Texas A&M University) to talk about Union prisoners in the Civil War South. Specifically, the prisoner exchange system, the role of 19th century concepts of honor, and how these prisoners escaped as the Confederacy broke down towards the end of the war.

You can check out the discussion thread in the subreddit here.

A special bonus episode: a microhistory of the military orders in Scotland!

A special bonus episode: a microhistory of the military orders in Scotland!

This week we have a great interview with /u/Rhodis on the military orders, like the Knights Templars, Hospitallers and others!  Today he will be gong us a thorough and factual history of these military orders, which often swirl with myth and legends and provide fodder for thousands of fantasy authors. Expect a special bonus episode next week on the military orders in Scotland.

Come Join us In the Discussion Thread!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today Doug Priest (u/TenMinuteHistory on the subreddit) will explain the 1905 Revolution. This less well known precursor to the 1917 Revolutions, illustrates how the repeated failure to resolve Russia's most pressing economic, political, and social issues would set the stage for the overthrow of the Tzar over a decade later. (61 minutes)

You can find the discussion thread in the mainsub here.

Today we are joined by Andrew Mangham, an Associate Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Reading, UK. He writes about the intersections between literature and the history of medicine, with a particular interest in crime, death, and the darker sides of humanity. His most recent book is a study of Dickens and Forensic Medicine entitled Dickens’s Forensic Realism. It a study of the ways Dickens’s writing drew upon forensic techniques, and images of death and violence. This podcast covers some of his current research, future research, and how Victorian ideas of crime and criminality are still with us today.

Discussion thread here!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

In light of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, Professor Peter Wilson talks with us about the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century.

You can find the discussion thread here.

Today we are joined again by /u/Commiespaceinvader here to tell us about the history of fascism, what it and how it works, and really giving us context for how a fascist system is born, works, and dies. (52m)

Discussion thread here!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

We talk with Dr. Matthew Nicholls, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Reading, and the creator of the Virtual Rome project. We discuss the difficulties of creating a 3-D, street-level map of Ancient Rome, as well as the upcoming massive open online course based upon it. (33min)

Dr. Nicholls' previous AMA on AskHistorians.

The next session of the online course of Rome: a Virtual Tour of the Ancient City will begin October 9th. You can learn more and sign up for free here.

Join the discussion on AskHistorians!

On today's episode we have Professor Cindy Ermus, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Lethbridge, explaining the Plague of Marseille in terms of the (relatively) new field of Disaster History. (56 min)

You can find the discussion thread on the subreddit here.

This podcast is a recording of the AskHistorians presentation at the National Council of Public History this past April. You can read the full-text of the speeches here: https://redd.it/682ta1

As usual, here is the discussion thread for the episode on the AskHistorians subreddit.

You can read our papers here: https://askhistorians.com/conferences/ncph2017.html

In this concluding episode, we discuss the aftermath and fall-out from the Battle of Jutland, including the debate over the actions of the British commanders of the Grand Fleet. Also included is discussion over whether British ship designs at the time were flawed, leading to increased casualties. We conclude by putting the role of the battleship in naval warfare, particularly after WWI, in context. (37min)

In this first of two episodes we cover the lead-up and ultimately the clash between battleships at Jutland. We discuss the changing technologies and tactics of naval warfare at the time, before moving on to the battle itself. (51min)

Join us for a special bonus episode in conjunction with our Weekly Monday Methods threads where we discuss theory, history and the practice of historians. This is an extra little bit of our last episode where we spent some time debating postmodernism, where history is today, and where we go from here. (34m)

Come join us in the discussion here!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Doug Priest (/u/TenMinuteHistory) gives an absolutely fascinating and in-depth look at the ‘meta’ of history--that is, a conversation on historiography and historical thinking. This is an episode that will be really focused on the nuts and bolts of doing history and how historians think and the places they come from. You can consider it your own personal grad school theory crash course! This week's podcast will be followed by a special bonus episode on Monday in our weekly Monday Methods thread, so please check back and join us there! Visit our guest at www.tenminutehistory.com (77m)

Join us for a discussion on AskHistorians!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

Antonio Curet, archaeologist and curator at the Museum of the American Indian, in Washington, DC, talks with us about the Taíno civilization of the Greater Antilles. (99min)

Please leave us your thoughts and questions in the discussion thread in the subreddit, which can be found here.

Dan Howlett discusses the Salem Witch Trials and his approach to them using social network analysis. While the focus of the episode is on a digital humanities approach to historical research, the episode also covers the underlying social and political tensions, as well as the general atmosphere of paranoia, in the Salem area at the time. (36min)

In part two of a two-part series on the European Armoring Industry, WARitter joins us to discuss just exactly how the knights in shining armor got their shining armor. Wrapping up from a discussion of how exactly metal ore was transformed into armor, WARitter takes us onwards through a whirlwind tour of the history of the guilds, peoples and places that made up the armoring industry, and how armoring eventually declined and fell. (58m)

Visit us at AskHistorians to discuss this podcast!

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

In part one of a two-part series on the European Armoring Industry, WARitter joins us to discuss just exactly how the knights in shining armor got their shining armor. The first half of this two part series explores the techniques and the strategies from turning raw ore into beautiful armor, and how some of these techniques shifted over time. Next episode will bring an hour-plus long discussion on the entire arc of the armoring industry history—and the families, cities, and people that built it. (35m)

For further discussion, come visit us at AskHistorians here.

© 2019 Brian M. Watson

We explore the life and legacy of the Classical Greek general, Iphikrates with AskHistorians user Iphikrates. Famous for his use of light troops and for military reforms related to those troops, we trace the surviving evidence of Iphikrate's life and career to investigate the timing, scope, and even existence of those reforms. Along the way, the conversation touches upon the Athenian socio-political system of the time, the non-hoplite parts of Greek warfare, and a tantalizing connection between Iphikrates and Alexander the Great. (71min)

Join the Conversation!

Snapshot52 joins us to discuss the concept of cultural genocide in the context of the US government’s American Indian policy. In particular, we look at the creation and evolution of obligatory boarding schools for American Indian children. (75 min).

Join the discussion!

Andres Pertierra joins us to discuss the interactions between Cuba and the United States starting in the Colonial Era and extending through the mid-20th Century with the Batista regime. Along the way we discuss Americans changing their names to fit in, the plantation economy, the problem of slavery, American shipping concerns, and the tensions between independence and annexation. (85min).

AnnalsPornographie discusses morality and immorality in late 16th and 17th Century England, as urbanization, population increase, and a growing middle class combined to form new approaches to controlling the morality of society. We discuss the debauchery of the court of Charles II, the moral backlash of the Glorious Revolution, and finally delve deep into the workings of the Society for the Reformation of Manners before reflecting on more modern debates over obscenity. (63min)

The conversation with CptBuck continues as we move south from Anatolia and the new state of Turkey into the regions of Mesopotamia, Syria, and the Levant. The politics and conflicts which led to the borders and formation of the modern states of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Israel/Palestine are all discussed, as well as a quick digression into Egypt. We end with a discussion on whether the borders of these nations predestined them for future conflicts. (60mins)

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CptBuck gives us the first of two episodes looking at WW1 in the Middle East, discussing the political intrigue and wrangling between the Ottomans, British, French, and Russians, among others. This episode focuses primarily on the Turkish area of the Ottoman Empire, and the various plans hatched both before and after Armistice to divvy up the Ottoman state. Along the way we talk about the Sykes-Picot, the Young Turks, the Greco-Turkish War, and Lawrence of Arabia. (59min)

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Snapshot52 discusses Federal Indian Policy in the United States, with a particular focus on the Termination Era of the mid-20th Century. The evolution of how the Federal government approached sometimes disparate goals of exclusion and assimilation, as well as Tribal sovereignty, over the decades are covered from pre-Dawes Act to the current day. (69min)

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KoineLingua discusses the practices and purposes of sacrifice in the Ancient Near East. The conversation covers the various forms of animal sacrifice, as well as the understanding of the divine being sacrificed to, before turning to the question of human sacrifice in the region and Biblically. (50min)

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The conversation on the Kansas-Nebraska Act continues with the political wrangling in Washington. The discussion moves from the passage of the Act on towards Bloody Kansas and the opposing sides (and constitutions) vying to be recognized at the legitimate government of the newly formed Kansas. We conclude with a brief historiographical commentary on the importance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. (70min)

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Freedmanspatrol discusses the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gave us "Bloody Kansas" and paved the way to the Civil War. The focus is on the political (and geographic) landscape as well as the Washington DC wrangling over the deal. Along the way we also discuss the transcontinental railroad, the Second Party System of the Whigs and Democrats, and the ambitions of Stephen Douglas and men of the F Street Mess. (77min)

Read more from our guest at the blog Freedmen's Patrol: Exploring the Civil War Era.

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DryLaw discusses the society of early Colonial Mexico (aka New Spain), particularly the interrelations between American and European peoples. The focus is primarily on the historical writings produced by Nahua and Mestizo writers producing histories of thier own societies and lineages, as well as those works by Spanish friars focusing on indigenous culture and history. Major literary works by Tezozomoc, Ixtlilxochitl, are Chimalpahin covered and put into context, as are works by Sahagun and Duran. (59min)

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SunshineBag discusses the intersection of sport and nationalism, as we cover both the rise of Mussolini's Fascists and the growth of the sport of calcio in Italy. The ways the Fascists attempted to use football as a medium for building a national spirit and demonstrate Italian strength on the world stage is discussed, as is the backdrop of Italian national disunity and regionalism. (59min)

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Alvise Falier discusses medieval communes, a term for a complicated and heterogeneous system of local rule in the 11th through 13th centuries. The focus is on the city of Milan, and northern Italy in particular, under the dominion of the Holy Roman Empire, but with a distinct political and cultural difference from that entity. In this conversation we trace the development of the communal system in Milan from the end of Charlemagne up through the end of the system with the establishment of the Duchy of Milan by the Visconti dynasty. Issues of Italian disunity, with local identification taking precedence over a singular national identity are discussed. (68min)

Historian of nuclear weapons and secrecy, Dr. Alex Wellerstein, discusses the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Specifically, the conversation focuses on the high level, and highly classified, debates over how best to employ these new weapons. From there, the episode segues into the inherent difficulties of doing historical research on classified materials and how that has shaped the historiography of the bombings. (75min)

Dr. Wellerstein is the author of Restricted Data: the Nuclear Secrecy Blog, where his NUKEMAP can also be found (among many other items of note). He and his work have also appeared NPR, FOX News, and The Daily Show, as well as in The New Yorker, where his article, "Nagasaki: The Last Bomb," can be found.

Tim Byron (aka /u/hillsonghoods) drops in to discuss the popular music of the mid and later 20th Century, tracing the development of guitar driven rock and roll from its diverse origins on through to its musical dominance. Included in the conversation is the changing physical and technological environment of the mid-20th Century, as well as the significance of the Baby Boom. (85min)

Falafel1066 discusses interactions between American communism (particularly the CPUSA) and Black workers against the Great Migration. The focus is on events in the Midwest, as Black workers and the CPUSA mobilized to claim labor rights, fight evictions, and obtain relief during unemployment. Special attention is paid to the role of women, both as laborers and as caretakers of the family. The episode concludes by tracing how a tradition of radicalism persisted through the early 20th into the 60/70s and on to modern day. (53min)

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Jime Dorje discusses the founding of the modern state of Bhutan and its relationship to Tibet. The conversation covers the relationship between various sects of Buddhism, Mongol patronage, the political and economic role of monasteries, and ultimately the conflict which would lead the Zhabdrung to head south, putting in motion the events which would lead to the formation of Bhutan. (91min)

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Apologies, but due to a personal loss, there will be no episode this week. We will be back next week (7/1) with JimeDorje discussing Bhutan.

The conversation with AgentDCF continues, as pick up with talking about how milling and baking relates to the scientific revolution, before moving into to discussing the industrialization of mills and the connection to the golden age of microbiology. We then discuss adulteration and food purity and the role of The Lancet in reforming bakeries. The conversation concludes with a discussion of bread in the context of the British Imperial system. (60min)

AgentDCF discusses the changes in styles and technologies in how grain was milled and bread baked as Britain moved into the modern era. The conversation spans from feudal laws and privileges to industrialization and global shipping, as we examine how a basic staple like bread reflects the larger changes to society and the world. (65min)

ColeVintage talks about how people used to get clean and stay fresh. The conversation begins with bathing, then moves into hair care, deodorants, and underwear, before segueing into how personal hygiene transformed into both a social status marker and public health concern. (53min)

Iphikrates discusses the largest hoplite battle in known history, after a substantive overview of hoplite tactics and equipment. Covered are the changing interpretations of ancient Greek warfare, the usefulness of the famous "push" and deep ranks, the role of cavalry and auxiliaries, and the evolving equipment used. Also discussed is the vaunted Spartan military prowess. (68min)

Chris Stewart of The History of China podcast discusses the Three Kingdoms period of China. Specifically, the conversation focuses on Wei, also known as Cao Wei, the polity would eventually bring about an end to the Three Kingdoms, though that unification would not last. We discuss the rise of Cao Cao and the decline of the Han, as well as the famous northern expeditions of Zhuge Liang. Also covered is the ascent of the Sima family, who would eventually supplant the Cao lineage and conquer the rival states of Shu and Wu. (78min)

Sowser discusses the end of slavery in the British Caribbean. We cover ideas held now (and then) about the death rates in the area, misconceptions about the role of the Irish, the 1807 abolition of the slave trade, and the political movements leading up official emancipation. Also covered are the failure of the apprenticeship system, payments made to slave owners, and the lasting legacy of slavery in the Caribbean. (73min)

Yawarpoma explores the 16th Century colony in what is now Venezuela, granted by Charles V to a German banking family, the Welsers. The colony, established in the same period as Spanish successes in Mexico and Peru, struggled to meet those successes by searching for a quick route to the Pacific and for the fabled city of gold, always just one more valley over. Yet, at the same time, the Germans led some of the first European expeditions into northern South America, though they would occasionally race against and even clash with Spanish rivals in an attempt to stake a claim to wealth and territory.

Commiespaceinvader explores the academic debate over the causes and the development of the Holocaust. We discuss the early steps taken by the Nazis to make Jewish life untenable within Germany, ghettoization, the Madagascar Plan, and finally, the transition to mass murder. These actions are viewed through the lens of the intentionalism and functionalism debate, which has at its core the question of not just of why the Holocaust came about, but also the question of assigning culpability for its development. (73min)

For those who missed the live stream (and for posterity), the presentation by AskHistorians at the 2016 American Historical Association meeting in Atlanta, GA is presented here in full. The title of the panel session was “AskHistorians”: Outreach and Its Challenges in an Online Space and featured five presentations on how AskHistorians has created, grown, sustained, and moderated an online space for historical discussion.

See also, an article in the AHA's magazine about the panel. 

You can read our papers here: https://askhistorians.com/conferences/aha2016.html

Ronald James, a historian and folklorist with 30 years of experience with the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, Inductee into the Nevada Writer's Hall of Fame, former chair of the National Historic Landmarks Committee, and author of more than a dozen books, including The Roar And The Silence: A History Of Virginia City And The Comstock Lode and Introduction to Folklore: Traditional Studies in Europe and Elsewhere, takes some time to speak to the AskHistorians Podcast. 

This episode looks at the development and practice of folklore as an academic discipline, while also exploring folkloric traditions from Cornwall, particular those spirits known as "Knockers." The importance of folktales and legends in everyday life are discussed, as well how those tales can change over time and in different situations, such as immigration from Cornwall to the American West. (59min)

Shlin28 sheds light on the relationship between the eastern and western regions of Europe/Mediterranean in the centuries following the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire. This episode particularly focuses on the political nature of the interactions, while also discussing Justinian's restoration of Imperial control, religious schisms of the era, and the expansion of Muslim power in the latter part of the 7th Century. (70min)

The podcast takes turn for the anthropological as Firedrops discusses Haitian Vodou, including some of her own fieldwork. This episode starts by asking what distinguishes it from "cousin" practices in the Caribbean and American South before moving into Vodou's role in Haitian society from the Colonial era to Independence and up through to today. We also look at the way American society has been exposed to Vodou, though the 1915 US Invasion of Haiti, sensationalist media, early scholarly works, and Haitian immigration. Zombies are discussed. (74min)

cordis_melum discusses the group led by Jim Jones known as the People's Temple. We explore its development from a integration minded church in Indianapolis with socialist tendencies to it's final chapter of mass suicide in the jungles of Guyana. This episode aims to look at the People's Temple not as an inexplicable cult, but as an extreme response to the social and political situation of America at that time, set against the backdrop of the Cold War. (83min)

We wrap up our conversation with Rhodes regarding Zimbabwe. This episode picks up in the mid-20th century, as decolonization sweeps across Africa. We examine the efforts of the white minority to hold on to power, leading to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence and onwards to the Bush War. We continue through the Lancaster Agreement into post-independence Zimbabwe, the rise of Mugabe, and the Gukurahundi. The disastrous land reforms and hyperinflation are also discussed in the context of Zimbabwe as a symbolic state as much as it is a new one. (89min)

ProfRhodes educates us on the history of the modern nation of Zimbabwe starting by introducing the Shona and Ndebele, and proceeding forward with Cecil Rhodes, the British South Africa Company, the Rudd Concession, and the Pioneer Column. This episode, the first of two, takes us through those late 19th Century events up until the formation of the Central African Federation and post-war decolonizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. (67min)

Mictlantecuhtli gives an archaeological perspective on the burial practices and monumental architecture of West Mexico, focusing particularly on shaft tombs and later on guachimontones. The discussion also digs into the current archaeological knowledge of West Mexico and gives insight into the processes of performing archaeology, including the problem of looting. (54min)

The aptly named CanadianHistorian gives a crash course in Canadian history, starting from the British seizure of New France in the Seven Years War and proceeding up until multiculturalism in "Trudeau's Canada." By covering the heavy drinking Charlottetown Conference, the symbolism of Vimy Ridge, and the traumatic October Crisis, this episode looks at the interplay of English and French groups and how a unique Canadian identity was forged out of their shared history. (90mins)

Vonadler discusses the French plans and preparations for World War 2. The purpose and efficacy of the Maginot Line, the problem of the "hollow classes," and the overall strategy are discussed along with side tangents into the French influence on American artillery tactics and geopolitics.

Kittydentures goes in depth on the chemise à la reine, the dress worn by Marie Antoinette that was as scandalous as it was emblematic of the age. Starting from the background of the dress as coming to France via an Italian painter hired by the English to spy on the French West Indies, but who spent more time painting the local Creole women, this episode then segues into experimental archaeology and the importance of authenticity in historical depictions.

ChocolatePot discusses clothing and the fashion scene in late 18th and early 19th Century France and England. Covering everything from links to the philosophy of Rousseau to nascent fashion magazines, this episode also examines how clothing and fashion fit into the overall discipline of history.

Anthropology Nerd guests on the podcast to discuss topics anthropological. The conversation begins with discussing what bioarchaeology is, before moving to the methods used to identify human remains with regards to such traits as ancestry. The conversation then widens in scope to talk about the osteological paradox and preservation bias in using cemetery samples to draw conclusions about the past health of populations. A discussion of Inca Mummies concludes the talk, touching on isotope analysis and imaging technology in bioarchaeological investigations.

Commustar gives co-host Jasfss a continent-wide, millenia-spanning overview of the development, influences, and functions of urban society in Africa. Starting in ancient Egypt and rolling down the coast and through time, the episode continues into the Horn of Africa, the Swahili Coast, Great Zimbabwe, and Ghana, before addressing the growing colonial influence of European states. The episode then doubles back to talk about Kongo, Kanem-Bornu, and the Hausa states.

The conversation with Celebreth continues, picking up after the 2nd Punic War. This episode covers the 3rd Punic War, Marian reforms, and the ascent of Julius Caesar. The discussion ends, as did the Republic, with Octavian becoming Augustus and establishing the principate.

Celebreth covers the history of the Roman Republic through its military development and campaigns, reflecting on how conquest, politics, and society are intertwined. With host Jasfss, they cover everything from the initial militias of the city of Rome, up through the battles against Hannibal in the Second Punic War.

The conversation with Bernardito continues, picking up with the aftermath of the Phillipeville Massacre. This episode covers the rest of the Algerian War, including the quadrillage, the Battle of Algiers, and the coup that brought the 4th Republic to an end. Also discussed are the spiral of violence in collective reprisals, David Galula's writings on counterinsurgency, and the importance of air mobile tactics.

Bernardito explores the rise of modern tactics of counter-insurgency through the lens of decolonialism and nationalist movements. Starting in French Indochina, the first half of this episode gives an overview of the efforts of the French to maintain colonial control in that region. Their defeat sets the stage for conflict in Algeria, where France was determined not to lose control of what they considered part of Metropolitan France. The latter half of the podcast covers key Algerian grievances, the formation of the FLN, and early actions on both sides, concluding with Phillipeville. Part 1 of 2.  

RioAbajo discusses the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, in which the indigenous people in what is now the Four Corners region drove out the Spanish colonizers. Starting with a discussion of Pueblo social, political, and religious organization we move from there into the arrival of the Spanish and the institution of the Mission system and encomiendas. Antagonism leads to a unified Pueblo force driving the Spanish from Santa Fe and initiating a decade without European intervention. The episode concludes with a discussion of how this event helped to shape a common and persistent Pueblo cultural identity.

DonaldFDraper drops in to give a broad overview of how European politics and military tactics changed in the extended century running from the end of the 30 Years War up into the ascent Napoleon. Starting with Gustavus Adolphus, the development of line infantry, and the resuscitation of cavalry tactics, the episode progresses there into the War of Spanish Succession and the dynastic gamesmanship that dictated the pace of war and peace. The episode proceeds from there into the War of Austrian Succession, the rise of Prussia, the Diplomatic Revolution, the Seven Years War, new artillery tactics, and the relative merits of muskets vs. rifles.  

The conversation with Elos continues. The changing tactical nature of the Great War during and after the Somme is the focus of this episode. Increasing precision in artillery strikes and impletation of infiltration/stormtrooper tactics are covered as we progress towards armistice with stops at Ypres and the 1918 German counter-offensives along the way.

Elos discusses some of the prominent and popular ideas about The Great War, particularly in the anglosphere. Covered are the notion of "lions led by donkeys" and the idea of marching lockstep into machine gun fire, as well as the expected time an average soldier would spend in a combat zone. Key, however, is challenging the idea that WWI was a static and senseless conflict, instead of a dynamic engagement whose tactics and strategy were rooted in practical considerations.

Caffarelli composes a special episode on Alessandro Moreschi, the famous castrato opera singer whose voice was preserved by early recording technology. She discusses his life, his music, limitations on recordings, and the practice of musical castration. This solo episode is followed by a short Q&A session.  

Usual host 400-Rabbits takes a turn as the interviewee, speaking on the relationship between the sister cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco. The early history of the Mexica, the founding of the cities, and their different trajectories in Mesoamerican history are covered, culminating in the 1473 CE war between the two polities. In the background of the episode is the problem of interpreting primary sources, their biases and inconsistencies.

Dr. Jennifer Evans, lecturer in history at the University of Hertfordshire, and Dr. Sara Read, lecturer in English at Loughborough University, make a special appearance on the AskHistorians podcast to discuss women's health in England during the early modern era. Covering the medical schema and standard of care of the time, Drs. Read and Evans touch on fertility, infections, menstruation, and the lived experience of women at the time. 

More of their work can be found on their blog, Early Modern Medicine. In addition, both have works of interest: Dr. Evans' Aphrodisiacs, Fertility and Medicine in Early Modern England is available from Boydell & Brewer, and Dr. Read's Menstruation and the Female Body in Early Modern England is available from Palgrave-MacMillan. 

Cordis_Melum discusses the ambitious mid-20th Century modernization program in mainland China known as the Great Leap Forward. The ideology behind the push to establish a self-sufficient communist utopia; the steps and mis-steps taken in industry and agriculture; the political blowback; and the aftermath covered.

Continuing the conversation with Husky54 about the Book of Daniel. In this episode we cover the later chapters of Daniel before moving on to chapters and additional text considered apocryphal in some traditions. 

Till 18:38 - Chapters 8-12

18:38 - Prayer of Azariah

26:28 - Susanna and the Elders

33:37 - Bel and the Dragon

43:14 - Interpretations of Daniel

Husky54 returns to the podcast for an in-depth delve into Daniel, the Book of. Approaching the work as a historical text, this episode -- the first of two -- covers the relationship of Daniel to other works in the Hebrew Bible; the language and content of the first seven chapters; and situates the book within the historical context of the time it was written. 

3:20 - Background and Dating the Text

16:50 - Chapters 1 & 2

33:35 - Chapter 3

41:17 - Chapter 4

48:53 - Chapter 5 

54:20 - Chapter 6 & Darius the Mede

1:05:17 - Chapter 7 

James Brooks, city editor of the Juneau Empire and author of 9.2: Kodiak Island and the World's Second-Largest Earthquake, talks on four natural and manmade disasters in Alaska. Through the 1912 Katmai-Novarupta volcanic eruption, the 1925 Nome Serum Run, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, we get a picture of how the state of Alaska changed throughout the 20th century.

Keyilan takes on the topic of official language policy in China (both PRC and Taiwan), North and South Korea, and Japan. Dispelling some myths about languages in East Asia, he goes on to cover efforts at character simplification; efforts to promulgate "proper" language; modern linguistic differences stemming from political divisions; and why Taiwan spoke Japanese for a while, among much more.

One of our longer single episodes, China takes up most of the show, with Korea being covered around minute 56 and the section on Japan around 1 hour 20 minutes in.

AsiaExpert provides an overview of the politics and social unrest of South Korea since the end of the Korean War. Starting from the meteoric rise of Syngman Rhee and continuing up to the establishment of the 6th Republic, this episode covers everything from the April Revolution, to Park dictatorship, to the chaebol system, to some reasons why South Koreans today may be less familiar with the smell of tear gas than their parents and grandparents.

Jasfss continues our examination of the Mongols, this time on the Eastern side of Asia. We start with the socio-political -- even artistic -- state of China on the eve of the Mongol advance before moving on to Kublai's establishment of the Yuan Dynasty and the final fall of the Song. We then move on to how the Mongols dealt with finding themselves as the ruling dynasty of China and their eventual downfall.

Rakony discusses the Ilkhanate, the portion of the Mongol Empire in Persia and the surrounding areas. The reasons for the Mongol push into the area, why it did not go farther, and how the local peoples and the Mongols accomodated to each other, somewhat ironically leading to a resugence of Persian culture. Also, a surprising amoung of digging up graves.

Bemonk, host of the History of Alchemy Podcast (among others), speaks on how the practices and concepts of alchemy relate to the development of modern scientific methods and ideas. Covered in the talk are some basic pointers about what alchemy is, how long it has been around, differences between "Western" and "Eastern" alchemy, notable figures, and urine.

l_mack relates the strange tale of the Principality of Outer Baldonia, a micronation founded off the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-20th Century by an American businessman seeking freedom from "question, nagging, shaving, interruption, women, taxes, politics, and monologues," as well as the right to stay up all night drinking, swearing and gambling. The tiny island nation ended up recieving international notice, with write-ups in a California paper and a denunciation in a Soviet journal. 

Ambarenya wraps up the Komnenian dynasty, covering Alexios I finally securing the borders of the Empire, stabilizing the economy, and turning towards the West for help in the form of the First Crusade. The Crusader States, relations between the Byzantines and the Latins, and attempts to recapture lost territory are all covered as we move towards the bloody end of the Komnenian Dynasty. 

Ambarenya discusses with 400-Rabbits the two dynasties that formed the golden age of the medieval Byzantine Empire, albeit a golden age that was fraught with internal dissent and encroaching enemies on all sides. Part 1 covers the Macedonian dynasty, primarily examining their later period and decline, before seguing ino the turmoil that eventually gave rise to Alexios Komnenos as the first of the Komnenian dynasty.

Daeres speaks to 400-Rabbits about a collection of cuneiform documents known as the Assyrian State Archives. The interview delves into texts relating to everything from high level political arrangements to land purchases to hectoring bureaucratic memos to one poor official who was simply not very good at spelling. Insights into Assyrian life and historiography occur amidst this textual conversation. 

Husky54 speaks to 400-Rabbits about the Hebrew Bible. They cover what exactly the "Hebrew Bible" really is, when it was written, who was doing the writing, the historical precursors, corresponding epigraphy, textual intricacies, and, of course, Richard Dawkins.

DavidAOP and EternalKerri continue their talk on all things piratical. This second of two parts focuses more on the meta-conversation of the study of pirates, their portrayals in popular media, the place as cultural icons, and, of course, that famous accent, before wrapping up with why and how this era came to an end.

400-Rabbits moderates a discussion with DavidAOP and EternalKerri over the Golden Age of Pirates. Did a Pirate Code exist? What about pirate cities? What did pirates actually do all day and how did they go about finding booty for plunder? Just how common was being made to walk the plank? Why is EternalKerri so excited about keelhauling? All these topics and more get covered. Part 1 of 2.

AC_7 speaks to 400-Rabbits on the topic of the infamous early action of World War 2, the Battle of France. The preparations for the Nazi invasion of France, the vaious plans, opening moves, the motivations of both sides, and the ultimate aftermath are all covered. 

Snickeringshadow and 400-Rabbits continue their discussion on the topic of the Mesoamerican group commonly known as the Tarascans. In this second of two parts, the expansion of the Tarascan state, their clashes with Aztecs, and the eventual arrival of the Spanish are all covered.

Snickeringshadow is interviewed by 400-Rabbits on the topic of the Mesoamerican group commonly known as the Tarascans. In this first of two parts, the origin of the Tarascans, their initial settlement in Michoacan, and their rise to power are outlined along with dramatic details and archaeological asides.

AskHistorians Podcast Episode 12: TasfromTAS sits down with Domini_canes and tobbinator to discuss The Spanish Civil War, organizing anarchist movements, fascism, and the drama and horror of war. 

Tas interviews Shakespeare-Gurl about a topic that has nothing to do with Shakespeare: Medieval Japan. The Heian period and particularly the "pirates" of that time are covered, along with the Tale of the Heike and some general notes about working with Japanese primary sources.

Trying something new this week! Tas, AnOldHope, 400-Rabbits & caffarelli got together to talk alcohol, reddit, moderator lyfe and upcoming episodes. AnOldHope did an impromptu AMA too, which was hilariously informative.

This week Tas interviews Margaret Harris from the ANZAC Remembered project at Monash University. They cover the Gallipoli Campaign and the different ways in which Australia, New Zealand and Turkey remember the events of WWI.

This week 400-Rabbits interviews Gingerkid on Jewish Languages.

This week Celebreth gives us a closer look at the ancient Roman system of government.

This episode has been removed at the request of the original guest.

Part 2 of the interview with /u/400-Rabbits on the Aztec Conquest. Cortez is enters Tenochtitlan. What happens next will amaze you!

This week we interview 400-Rabbits and talk tequila, anthropology and the Aztec Conquest.

This week we look at the role of human sacrifice in Mesoamerican cultures. Tas and idjet read a series of answers from snickeringshadow on the topic.

TasfromTAS tells the dreadful tale of the cannibal convict of Van Diemen's Land, Alexander Pearce. Also talks Tasmanian Gothic literature and sings a song.

Welcome to the AskHistorians Podcast, created by the moderators of the largest history forum on the internet, AskHistorians.reddit.com. For the pilot episode, Artrw and Celebreth talk about Julius Caesar.