Roundup

HNN Blogs

HNN History Blogs ActiveCliopatria Liberty & Power Judith Apter Klinghoffer Thomas C. Reeves Mark A. LeVine Revise & Dissent

Niall Ferguson Interview [audio 55min]

The Book Guys -- book appraiser Allan Stypeck and Washington DC radio host Mike Cuthbert -- interview historian Niall Ferguson discusses The War of the World: 20th Century Conflict and the Decline of the West.

After the Shot [audio 29min]

On the night of April 14th 1865, in front of a thousand people at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Shouting ‘Sic semper tyrannis’ -- ‘thus always to tyrants’, Booth believed that he was striking down a tyrant as surely as Brutus struck down Julius Caesar. Twelve days later Booth himself was shot dead in a barn in Virginia. From the moment Booth shot Lincoln, conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination have flourished – and 140 year

Remembering Kent State 1970 [audio 29min]

When 13 students were shot by Ohio National Guard Troops during a war demonstration on the Kent State University Campus on the first week of May 1970, four young lives were ended and a nation was stunned. More than 30 years later, the world at war is a different place. However, those thirteen seconds in May, 1970 still remain scorched into an Ohio hillside. Through archival tape and interviews, Remembering Kent State tracks the events that led up to the shootings.

Fenian Diaspora [audio 12min @16:25]

Dr Gerry Kearns, Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Cambridge, talks about his current research into the Irish abroad and their effect upon terrorist activities at home during the late 19th century. Dr Kearns examines the ‘Fenian Diaspora’ to look for the mechanisms that underly relationships between emigrants and nationalist conflicts at home. Dr Kearns is Senior Lecturer in Geography and director of the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge and Historical Geog

One Irishman's Take on St. Patrick's Day [audio 5min]

March 17th is the day in the United States when many people bloom with green. Most of them are not Irish, but St. Patrick's Day has become a showing of the colors in many American cities. According to the United States Census Bureau, 34.7 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry. This is more than five times the actual population of the entire island of Ireland. One among them who is a true Irishman, and a recent immigrant to these shores, is the writer Frank Delaney, the world's most eloquen

Method or Madness? Jury Decides Hamlet's Fate [audio 3min]

Was Hamlet criminally responsible for mistakenly killing his ex-girlfriend's father, Polonius? That is the question argued in a mock trial Thursday, as part of a Shakespeare festival in Washington, D.C., where lawyers Abbe Lowell and Miles Ehrlich presented oral arguments before a jury. The defense, represented by Lowell, argued "no." Hamlet, they maintained, suffered from something called psychotic affective disorder, and he was a bit bipolar. The prosecution, represented by Ehrlich,

Recalling Basketball Dazzler 'Pistol' Pete Maravich [audio 7min]

Even if you grew up watching Michael Jordan, have been dazzled by Kobe Bryant and floored by LeBron James, you'll still want to see the moves of"Pistol" Pete Maravich, one of the great ball players of all time. Mark Kriegel, a former columnist for the New York Daily News, chronicles the basketball legend's life and career in his new book, Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich. Kriegel speaks with Scott Simon about the basketball icon's record-breaking career, his relationship with his fat

William Wilberforce -- The Man and His Legacy [audio 45min]

Historian, journalist and novelist Melvyn Bragg marks the bicentenary of the Slave Trade Abolition Act. Bragg explores the life and legacy of William Wilberforce, visiting his memorial statue in Westminster Abbey and his birthplace in Hull, Yorkshire, and being shown the original copy of the Slave Trade Abolition Act in the House of Lords. Amongst other experts Bragg interviews are Wilberforce's biographer, the Rt Hon William Hague MP, former leader of the Conservative Party; historian Zoe Laidl

Indigo: ‘A Blue to Dye For’ [audio 11min]

The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, England, is holding an exhibition on the history of indigo. From the traditional dye used in denim jeans to William Morris and textile artists from Europe and Japan. Claire Jenkins speaks to Dr Jennifer Harris, Curator of Textiles at The Whitworth, and to Dr Jenny Balfour-Paul, author of Indigo in the Arab World. The exhibition runs until the 15th of April and then goes on tour across the UK.

An Argument for a New Sort of White History [audio 4min]

Like Black History Month, or Woman's History Month in March, or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, or Hispanic Heritage Month, commentator Eric Copage asks, Why stop there?

The Partisans of Ali: A History of Shia Faith and Politics [audio 5 x 9min]

The United States is immersed more deeply than ever in the Muslim world's sectarian divide. A 5-part series explores the split between Shia and Sunnis, from its origins shortly after the death of Muhammad in the seventh century to the modern-day upheaval in Iraq. Part 1: The Origins of the Shia-Sunni Split -- The division in Islam between the Shia minority and the Sunni majority seems to be deepening, not just in Iran and Iraq, but across the Middle East; the split occurred soon after the death

'Amazing Grace' and the End of the Slave Trade [audio 30min]

Two hundred years ago, the passion and oratory of a man named William Wilberforce drove the British Parliament to abolish slavery. Michael Apted, director of Amazing Grace, talks about the film adaptation of the life of Wilberforce. Guests: Michael Apted, director, most recently, of the film Amazing Grace, which opens in the USA nationwide on Friday, February 23; and Eric Metaxas, whose most recent book is Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery; a

Project Director Discusses Marcus Garvey's Work [audio 6min]

The organization of Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey spread messages of black pride and economic independence around the world. Robert Hill, director of the Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project at UCLA, talks about Garvey's work.

Why Black History Month Matters [audio 4min]

Commentator Carole Simpson reflects on why Black History Month is important. Simpson was a long-time anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight Sunday" and is currently a leader-in-residence at Emerson College in Boston.

Is Black History Month Endangered? [audio 4min]

As Black History Month draws to a close, commentator Betty Baye shares her thoughts on why the concept is vital to the preservation of black culture.

Medieval Mosques Illuminated by Math [audio 4min]

Historic buildings in the Islamic world are often covered with breathtakingly intricate geometric designs. Both artists and mathematicians have long puzzled over them, wondering how the patterns were created. Now, a Harvard physicist has some new ideas about the designs and the advanced math behind them. The research, conducted by Peter Lu of Harvard University and Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University, appears in the journal Science. Webpage includes extended report by Nell Boyce, imag

The Many Messages of Abraham Lincoln [audio 11min]

In his op-ed that appeared in Monday's Washington Post, author Tom Wheeler provides a glimpse into the mind of Abraham Lincoln, through the nearly 1,000 messages he sent via telegram.

A Historic Killing in the Capitol Building [audio 4min]

In 1887, William Preston Taulbee's congressional career ended with this headline:"Kentucky's Silver-Tongued Taulbee Caught in Flagrante, or Thereabouts, with Brown-Haired Miss Dodge." The story was written by another Kentuckian, Charles Kincaid, who was the Washington correspondent for The Louisville Times. The facts of the scandal are still debated. But Taulbee did not seek re-election. Instead, he did what lawmakers often do: He became a lobbyist. Over the next two years, Taulbee and Ki

Letters of Anne Frank's Father Uncovered [audio 4min]

A year and a half ago, Estelle Guzik was indexing some 100,000 Holocaust documents in the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York when she stumbled across something remarkable. Amongst the files were the undiscovered letters of Otto Frank, the father of famed diarist and Holocaust victim, Anne Frank. The documents had been moved there more than 30 years before from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. While indexing, she noticed one of the birth dates was missing from a file.