Archive for 2012
Best of Times: BackStory Year in Review
In May of 2012, we re-launched BackStory as a weekly program. In this special year-end episode, we listen back to some of our favorite moments from the show since then. Do you have a favorite BackStory segment that wasn’t included in this show? Let us know below, and we’ll provide links so that others can [...]
Naughty & Nice: A History of The Holiday Season [rebroadcast]
The History Guys trace the evolution of Christmas in America from a public festival of rowdy excess to a child-centered celebration of church and family.
Apocalypse Now & Then: A History of End-Times
12/21/12 marks the end of the “Mayan Long Count” calendar, and has triggered a round of prophesies about the end of the world. And so we figured we’d take the opportunity to look back on all the good times we’ve had… worrying about end-times.
You’ve Got Mail: A History of the Post Office [rebroadcast]
For many Americans, the post office has become largely a conduit for bills and junk mail. But for more than 200 years, it played a central role in American life. In this episode, we explore the rise—and fall—of the USPS.
Cheers and Jeers: Alcohol in America [rebroadcast]
The American History Guys explore the twists and turns of our country’s relationship with alcohol. From the founding era through the temperance movement, Prohibition, and beyond, they look at when and why drinking has ebbed and flowed.
Three Squares: Mealtime in America
The History Guys recover from their Thanksgiving feasts with a look back at the history of mealtime in America. From Victorian table manners to the school lunch program, how have our ideas about what, when, and how we eat our meals evolved?
Straight Shot: Guns in America
On this episode, the History Guys look at who has had access to guns in the U.S., and what those guns have meant to the people who have owned them.
Coming Home: A History of War Veterans [rebroadcast]
How have war veterans been treated in the aftermath of America’s past wars? How much depends on the politics of the war? Are vets only as popular as the wars they’ve fought in?
Pulling the Curtain: Voting in America
On this special Election Day episode of BackStory, the History Guys put current voting trends in historical perspective, and explore the changing face of voting in America.
American Spirit: A History of the Supernatural [Rebroadcast]
With Halloween in the air, the History Guys set out to explore Americans’ relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation’s history.
