BackStory

By BackStory

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Category: History

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Subscribers: 2732
Reviews: 5
Episodes: 261

James Dyer
 Jan 26, 2019


 Dec 25, 2018

A Podcast Republic user
 Aug 5, 2018

Anne
 Aug 2, 2018
if my high school history teachers head presented the material in a delightful way like this podcast does I might have actually paid attentioni

A Podcast Republic user
 Jul 29, 2018

Description

BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities. There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.

Episode Date
Test Episode
Oct 05, 2023
Test Episode
Oct 04, 2023
331: The End of the Road: BackStory and the History of Finales in America
Jul 03, 2020
Teaser: BackStory and the History of Finales in America
Jun 30, 2020
330: Best of BackStory: The Time the People Picked
Jun 26, 2020
Introducing: Seizing Freedom
Jun 24, 2020
329: Great, Small and Other Expectations: Charles Dickens and His History with America
Jun 19, 2020
328: The Clue of the Blue Bottle from "The Last Archive"
Jun 12, 2020
327: Another Burden to Bear: A History of Racial Health Disparities in America
Jun 05, 2020
326: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem: A History of True Crime in America
May 29, 2020
325: American Empire: From Scene on Radio
May 22, 2020
324: Best of BackStory: The Time Joanne Freeman Went to Congress
May 15, 2020
276: Red in the Stars and Stripes?: A History of Socialism in America
May 08, 2020
323: Zooming Ahead: How Virtual Learning is Shaping the College Classroom
May 01, 2020
322: 1980s Environmentalism and How the Reagan-Era Shaped the Natural World
Apr 24, 2020
321: Give Us the Ballot: From LBJ and the Great Society
Apr 17, 2020
320: Best of BackStory: The Time Nathan Connolly Had A Close Encounter
Apr 10, 2020
319: Overcoming An Outbreak: How San Francisco Survived the Plague
Apr 09, 2020
281: Mind, Body and Spirit: The History of Wellness In America
Apr 03, 2020
318: Best of BackStory: The Time Brian Balogh Went to a Monastery
Mar 27, 2020
316: Fighting Jane Crow: The Multifaceted Life and Legacy of Pauli Murray
Mar 20, 2020
Blacks and Indians: From What's Ray Saying?
Mar 13, 2020
Past Pandemics: What Can We Learn That May Help Us Today?
Mar 12, 2020
315: New Stories for an Old Conflict: Rethinking Civil War Narratives
Mar 06, 2020
314: People Making History: The Power and Perils of Telling History Through Individual Stories
Feb 28, 2020
313: Best of BackStory: The Time Ed Ayers Marched Into Richmond
Feb 21, 2020
312: From Music to Madiba: A History of U.S. Relations with South Africa
Feb 14, 2020
311: "The Gay Agenda" from American Hysteria
Feb 07, 2020
310: Seminoles, Retirees and Florida Man: A Brief History of the Sunshine State
Jan 31, 2020
309: Best of BackStory: The Time Peter Onuf Declared Independence
Jan 24, 2020
235: The Real Martin Luther King: Reflecting on MLK 50 Years After His Death
Jan 17, 2020
308: The U.S. and Iran: A Brief History of an Often Tense Relationship
Jan 10, 2020
307: Those Were The Days: Nostalgia in American History
Jan 03, 2020
257: Stuffed - Taxidermy in the History of America
Dec 27, 2019
306: The Best of BackStory 2019
Dec 20, 2019
305: From BackStory to You: A History of Giving and Receiving
Dec 13, 2019
304: Telling Stories About the Past: Historians on Historical Fiction
Dec 06, 2019
225: What's Cooking? A History of Food in America
Nov 29, 2019
303: Sunny Days: The History of Sesame Street in America and the World
Nov 22, 2019
Sponsored: Introducing Clearstory, from This Old House
Nov 20, 2019
302: The End of an Era: History That Was Made - and Unmade - in the 2010s
Nov 15, 2019
301: The Chinese in American History: How Afong Moy, Mayling Soong and Bruce Lee Changed the Narrative About China
Nov 11, 2019
195: Call To Arms: Enlistment in America
Nov 08, 2019
300: Blasts from the Past: A History of Dynamite in the United States
Nov 01, 2019
Coming Up: The History of Dynamite in America
Oct 29, 2019
299: Haunted Histories: A BackStory Halloween Special
Oct 25, 2019
298: Rallying Behind Racism: The Women of White Supremacy
Oct 18, 2019
"The Schizophrenic Sixties" from episode "States of Mind"
Oct 16, 2019
297: How Reconstruction Transformed the Constitution: A Feature Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning Historian Eric Foner
Oct 11, 2019
"Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" from episode #0136 "Where There's Smoke"
Oct 09, 2019
Sponsored: Introducing American Elections: Wicked Game
Oct 08, 2019
296: Darkness Over the Plain: The Bison in American History
Oct 04, 2019
231: Life After the Oval Office: Presidential Legacies
Oct 02, 2019
295: Impeachment Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: High Crimes and Misdemeanors in American History
Sep 27, 2019
Sponsored: Introducing Lost at the Smithsonian with Aasif Mandvi
Sep 26, 2019
294: The Long Shadow of the Plantation: How a Weighted Past Creates a Complicated Present
Sep 20, 2019
218: Close Encounters: UFOs in American History
Sep 18, 2019
216: What’s in a Number?: Thirteen in American History
Sep 13, 2019
"Trade Winds" from episode #0141 “They Might Be Giants: China and the U.S.”
Sep 11, 2019
293: Standing Rock and the History of Indigenous Resistance in the United States
Sep 06, 2019
"What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate" from episode #043 "Weathering the Storm"
Sep 04, 2019
292: BackStory’s Labor Day Special: A History of Work and Labor Relations in the U.S.
Aug 30, 2019
"Let Freedom Ring" from episode #075 "Fierce Urgency of Now"
Aug 28, 2019
291: 1619: The Arrival of the First Africans in Virginia
Aug 23, 2019
Teaser: 1619: The Arrival of the First Africans in Virginia
Aug 22, 2019
"Above the Law" from episode #104 "Serve and Protect?"
Aug 21, 2019
290: Enlightened America?: A History of Buddhism in the United States
Aug 16, 2019
184: Border Patrols: Policing Immigration in America
Aug 14, 2019
289: Man Up: A Look at Masculinity in American History
Aug 09, 2019
“Armed For Freedom” from episode #183 “Taking it to the Streets”
Aug 07, 2019
Sponsored: Introducing Sean Carroll's Mindscape
Aug 05, 2019
252: Thar She Blows Again: The History of Whales and America (Part 2)
Aug 02, 2019
251: Thar She Blows: The History of Whales and America
Jul 31, 2019
288: Making the Team: Sports and Equality in American History
Jul 26, 2019
"Jose Julio Henna & the Invasion of Puerto Rico" and "What is Puerto Rico?" from episode 248 "After Hurricane Maria"
Jul 24, 2019
287: Moon, Man, and Myths: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11
Jul 19, 2019
286: Historians in the Press: Why Citation by the Media is Important, Even if it Rarely Happens
Jul 17, 2019
285: How Silicon Valley Remade America in Its Image: A History of Digital Disruption
Jul 12, 2019
212: The Melting Pot: Americans and Assimilation
Jul 05, 2019
284: A History of Stonewall, the Riot That Started the LGBTQ Revolution
Jun 28, 2019
283: In God We Trust? The History of Religious Identity in America
Jun 21, 2019
Sponsored Promotion: Bleeped
Jun 18, 2019
282: The Many Lives of Roe v Wade: The Little Known History Behind the Famous Ruling
Jun 14, 2019
Sponsored Promotion: Unknown History Podcast
Jun 11, 2019
281: Mind, Body and Spirit: The History of Wellness in America
Jun 07, 2019
280: Song of Ourselves? Walt Whitman and the American Imagination
May 31, 2019
279: Paying for the Past: Reparations and American History
May 24, 2019
Sponsored Promotion: Family Ghosts
May 20, 2019
234: You Have The Right to Remain Silent: A History of the Miranda Warning
May 17, 2019
278: The Year of the Woman: A History of Women in Congress
May 10, 2019
277: The Civil War in the 21st Century: A New Museum Marks an Old Conflict
May 03, 2019
275: Alternative Facts, Falsehoods and Delusions: The Lies We've Told Ourselves and Each Other in American History
Apr 19, 2019
274: Death on the Assembly Line: Industrial Tragedies in American History
Apr 12, 2019
273: All the Presidents’ Vetoes: A Brief History of Saying No to Legislation
Apr 05, 2019
236: Teen Activists: A History of Youth Politics and Protest
Mar 29, 2019
272: Burnt Corks & Cakewalks: The Toxic Legacy of Blackface in American History
Mar 22, 2019
243: Shore Thing: A History of the Beach
Mar 15, 2019
271: Oh, Bloody Hell: BackStory’s History of Profanity in America
Mar 08, 2019
270: Shattering the Glass Ceiling in America: BackStory Celebrates Women's History Month
Mar 01, 2019
269: Man vs. the Machine: Technophobia and American Society
Feb 22, 2019
268: Love Off Limits: A History of the Relationships Once Considered Taboo in America
Feb 15, 2019
267: The Faces of Racism: A History of Blackface and Minstrelsy in American Culture
Feb 08, 2019
266: BlackStory: BackStory Celebrates Black History Month with a Compilation
Feb 01, 2019
265: Nixon Beyond Watergate: A History of the Presidency Before the Scandal
Jan 25, 2019
264: When You Just Want to be Alone: The History of Solitude in America
Jan 18, 2019
263: The BackStory Prize: Our Choice for the Best Public History Project in America
Jan 11, 2019
262: Finding Americana: Butter Sculptures, Tiny Towns and Other Irresistible Gems
Jan 04, 2019
225: What’s Cooking? A History of Food in America
Dec 28, 2018
261: Playing the Past: Video Games and American History
Dec 21, 2018
260: The BackStory Holiday Book Show: 19 History Books for the Holiday Season
Dec 14, 2018
259: Out of the Closet: The LGBTQ Community in American History
Dec 07, 2018
230: Forgotten Flu: America & the 1918 Pandemic
Nov 30, 2018
257: Stuffed: Taxidermy in the History of America
Nov 23, 2018
256: Divided States of America? The History of An Often Disjointed Union
Nov 16, 2018
255: Lincoln the Lawyer: Abraham Lincoln’s Early Life and Career
Nov 09, 2018
184: Border Patrols: Policing Immigration in America
Nov 02, 2018
254: The War to End All Wars: Remembering WWI
Oct 26, 2018
253: To be a Citizen? The History of Becoming American
Oct 19, 2018
250: Land of the Free? The History of Incarceration in the U.S.
Sep 28, 2018
249: Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The History of America’s Wealthy Elite
Sep 14, 2018
248: After Hurricane Maria: The History of Puerto Rico and the United States
Sep 07, 2018
181: Fit to Print?: A History of Fake News
Aug 31, 2018
247: Hot Enough For You? The History of Climate Change
Aug 24, 2018
246: In the Shadow of the Mushroom Cloud: A History of the Atomic Age
Aug 17, 2018
187: A More Perfect Union? The Reconstruction Era
Aug 10, 2018
245: The Battle for Charlottesville's Soul: One Year Later, A Community Looks Back
Aug 03, 2018
244: Elementary Mr. President: Sherlock Holmes, the Supreme Court and Dr. Spock
Jul 27, 2018
212: The Melting Pot: Americans & Assimilation
Jul 20, 2018
216: What’s in a Number? Thirteen in American History
Jul 06, 2018
191: Saving American History
Jun 29, 2018
242: Summer Reading List: 14 History Books You’ll Want to Read
Jun 22, 2018
241: The Camera Never Lies? History Through the Viewfinder
Jun 15, 2018
210: Death Before Dishonor: Shame and Reputation in American History
Jun 08, 2018
205: Are We There Yet? Americans On Vacation
Jun 01, 2018
240: Reflecting on Darkness: Lynching; Americans and the Holocaust
May 25, 2018
239: Upward Nobility: American-Made Royalty
May 18, 2018
238: Shock of the New: The Legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair
May 11, 2018
199: Crowning Glory: A History of Hair in America
May 04, 2018
237: “Dear Mr President…”: Letters to FDR, #twitterstorians, and one man's experience of slavery's legacy
Apr 27, 2018
185: Behind the Bylines: Advocacy Journalism in America
Apr 20, 2018
193: The Habit: Opioid Addiction in America
Apr 06, 2018
235: The Real Martin Luther King: Reflecting on MLK 50 Years After His Death
Mar 30, 2018
233: Wherever Green is Worn: The Irish in America
Mar 16, 2018
52: Turf War: A History of College Sports
Mar 09, 2018
204: Too Good To Be True?: Myths in American History
Mar 02, 2018
232: Billy Graham, Black Panther and Haiti, and Thomas Edison’s Reputation
Feb 23, 2018
231: Life After the Oval Office: Presidential Legacies
Feb 16, 2018
138: Catholics in America
Feb 09, 2018
99: US vs Them: Sports on the World Stage
Jan 26, 2018
229: All that Glitters? Legacies of the California Gold Rush
Jan 19, 2018
228: Presidents in the Public Eye, Slogans, and the Value of History
Jan 12, 2018
227: Schism: The Branch Davidians at Waco
Jan 05, 2018
226: History for the Headlines: 2017 in Review
Dec 29, 2017
133: Untrammeled: Americans and the Wilderness
Dec 22, 2017
224: Man of The People: A New Technology Falls Into the Wrong Hands
Dec 08, 2017
223: Men Apologizing, Alabama Senate Race, Net Neutrality
Dec 01, 2017
222: On the Take: Corruption in America
Nov 24, 2017
221: The Thin Light of Freedom
Nov 17, 2017
220: Red Dawn: Americans and the Bolshevik Revolution
Nov 10, 2017
219: Other People’s Battles: American Volunteer Soldiers
Nov 03, 2017
217: Boy Scouts Welcome Girls, Trump Drums Up Support for War, America as a Judeo-Christian Nation
Oct 20, 2017
215: It is So Ordered: 4 Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court
Oct 06, 2017
214: Enemies: A History of Bad Blood
Sep 29, 2017
213: Longer Commutes, Equifax Data Breach, and Income Inequality
Sep 22, 2017
212: The Melting Pot: Americans & Assimilation
Sep 15, 2017
211: A Conversation with Karl Rove
Sep 08, 2017
Starry-Eyed: A History of the Heavens
Aug 25, 2017
207: Charlottesville: Our Town, Our Country
Aug 18, 2017
Revisionist Climate: Americans & the Atmosphere
Aug 11, 2017
Skin Deep: Whiteness in America
Jul 14, 2017
Hometown History: Local Stories From Across The Country
Jul 07, 2017
Contested Landscape: The Battle over Confederate Monuments
Jun 16, 2017
Prying Eyes: Privacy in America
Jun 09, 2017
Body Politics, JFK at 100 and African American Memorials
Jun 02, 2017
National Lampoon: A History of American Satire
May 19, 2017
The Habit: Opioid Addiction in America
May 12, 2017
Over There: America Enters WWI
Apr 14, 2017
Seeing Red: A History of U.S./Russia Relations
Apr 07, 2017
Border Patrols: Policing Immigration in America
Mar 10, 2017
Taking it to the Streets: Protest in America
Mar 03, 2017
On the Outs: Restricting American Immigration
Feb 10, 2017
Worlds Apart: Urban/Rural Divides in America
Feb 04, 2017
PREVIEW - Worlds Apart
Jan 31, 2017
Best of BackStory Pt. 2
Jan 26, 2017
Preview
Jan 20, 2017
Best Of BackStory Pt. 1
Jan 19, 2017
Four More Years: Presidential Inaugurations [rebroadcast]
Jan 09, 2017
Health Nuts: A History of Nutritional Advice [rebroadcast]
Jan 05, 2017
Judaism In America [rebroadcast]
Dec 21, 2016
Counter Culture: A History of Shopping [rebroadcast]
Dec 15, 2016
Separation Anxiety: Church & State In America
Dec 08, 2016
Short Take: Native Americans, the U.S. Government, and a History of Treaties
Dec 06, 2016
New & Improved: Advertising in America [rebroadcast]
Dec 01, 2016
Short Take: A History Of Rigged Elections
Nov 30, 2016
American As Pumpkin Pie: A History Of Thanksgiving [rebroadcast]
Nov 23, 2016
A Whole New World: A History of Utopias
Nov 17, 2016
American Exodus: A History of Emigration [rebroadcast]
Nov 11, 2016
Short Take: The 2016 Election
Nov 09, 2016
Pulling the Curtain: Voting in America [rebroadcast]
Nov 03, 2016
Short Take: FBI and U.S. Elections
Nov 02, 2016
Bridge For Sale: Deception In America [rebroadcast]
Oct 20, 2016
A History of Manufacturing in 5 Objects
Oct 13, 2016
Fighting Words: A History of Debate in America
Oct 06, 2016
Keeping Tabs: Data & Surveillance in America [rebroadcast]
Sep 29, 2016
Banned: A History of Censorship [rebroadcast]
Sep 21, 2016
Believer-In-Chief: Faith & The Presidency
Sep 14, 2016
Body Politics: Disability in America [rebroadcast]
Sep 08, 2016
Nose to the Grindstone: A History of American Work Ethic
Sep 01, 2016
Untrammeled: Americans and the Wilderness [rebroadcast]
Aug 25, 2016
104: Serve & Protect? A History of the Police
Aug 17, 2016
Wish You Were Here: A History of American Tourism
Aug 11, 2016
Another Man’s Treasure: A History Of Trash [rebroadcast]
Aug 04, 2016
You've Come A Long Way?: A History Of Women In Politics
Jul 28, 2016
Conventional Wisdom: A History of American Political Conventions [rebroadcast]
Jul 22, 2016
The GOP: A History Of The Republican Party
Jul 14, 2016
Rare History Well Done: Meat In America [rebroadcast]
Jul 08, 2016
Independence Daze: A History of July 4th [rebroadcast]
Jul 04, 2016
The Pursuit: A History Of Happiness [rebroadcast]
Jun 30, 2016
Above The Fray?: Ideology & The Court
Jun 24, 2016
Committed: Marriage In America [rebroadcast]
Jun 17, 2016
Hamilton: A History
Jun 10, 2016
Politically Incorrect: Speech In American Politics
Jun 03, 2016
The Beasts Within Domesticated Animals In America [rebroadcast]
May 27, 2016
All Hopped Up: Drugs In America [rebroadcast]
May 20, 2016
Watch The Throne: America & Royalty
May 13, 2016
All In: A History of Gambling in America
May 06, 2016
On The Money: A History Of American Currency [rebroadcast]
Apr 29, 2016
Judaism in America
Apr 22, 2016
Stuck: A History of Political Gridlock [rebroadcast]
Apr 15, 2016
Pass/Fail: An American History of Testing
Apr 08, 2016
TURF WAR [2016]: A HISTORY OF COLLEGE SPORTS [rebroadcast]
Apr 01, 2016
Little Caesars: Local Power in America
Mar 28, 2016
Small Island, Big Shadow Cuba and the U.S. [rebroadcast]
Mar 18, 2016
Well-Regulated Militias: A History Of Armed Protest
Mar 11, 2016
The Middling Sort: Visions of the Middle Class [rebroadcast]
Mar 04, 2016
Hard Times: A History Of Unemployment
Feb 26, 2016
Contagion: Responding to Infectious Disease [rebroadcast]
Feb 19, 2016
Real To Reel 2016: History At The Movies
Feb 12, 2016
New & Improved: Advertising In America [rebroadcast]
Feb 05, 2016
PROMO - New & Improved: Advertising In America [rebroadcast]
Feb 02, 2016
Court Of Public Opinion: Trial Watching In America
Jan 29, 2016
City Upon A Hill: A History Of American Exceptionalism [rebroadcast]
Jan 22, 2016
Color Lines: Racial Passing In America
Jan 15, 2016
The Future Then: Visions of America Yet to Come [rebroadcast]
Jan 08, 2016
Cheers and Jeers: Alcohol in America [rebroadcast]
Dec 31, 2015
History for the Headlines: 2015 in Review
Dec 25, 2015
Islam and the United States [rebroadcast]
Dec 18, 2015
American Prophets: Religions Born in the U.S.
Dec 11, 2015
Counter Culture: A History of Shopping [rebroadcast]
Dec 04, 2015
Three Squares: Mealtime in America [rebroadcast]
Nov 24, 2015
Contested Landscape: Confederate Symbols in America
Nov 20, 2015
Body Politics: Disability in America
Nov 13, 2015
Coming Home: A History of War Veterans [rebroadcast]
Nov 05, 2015
People's Choice: A History of Populism
Oct 23, 2015
Green Acres: A History of Farmers in America [rebroadcast]
Oct 16, 2015
They Might Be Giants: China and the U.S.
Oct 09, 2015
Little Feet: Children Starting Over in America [rebroadcast]
Oct 02, 2015
Banned: A History of Censorship
Sep 25, 2015
Catholics In America
Sep 18, 2015
Fear Tactics: A History of Domestic Terrorism [rebroadcast]
Sep 11, 2015
Rare History Well Done: Meat in America
Sep 04, 2015