Archive for August, 2008
I Owe, I Owe: Debt in America
It seems like everyone owes money these days. But two hundred years ago, debt was considered not simply an economic failing, but a moral one. It could even land you in prison! In this hour, we look at how debt became the American way of life. Economic historian Louis Hyman argues that you and I [...]
Environmental Crisis!
It seems that Americans are finally waking up to the reality of climate change, but scientists tell us it may be too little, too late. This may be the most far-reaching environmental threat Americans have ever faced, but it’s certainly not the first. In this hour, we consider the history of American anxieties about the [...]
American Idle: A History of Leisure
T-G-I-F — four of the most beloved letters in the alphabet… but who’d be thankful if Saturday weren’t a day off? In fact, it wasn’t officially part of the American weekend until 1940 (although “St. Monday” was often reserved for nursing hangovers). In this episode: The history of time-off. When did leisure become something for [...]
