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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
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 |
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Anatomy of a Geo-Block
|
Aug 14, 2025 |
All About Geo-Fencing
|
Aug 13, 2025 |
Amazing video episode
|
Jun 18, 2025 |
Test Audio Episode
|
Jun 18, 2025 |
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 |