From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy
In this episode, BackStory takes on big oil! And big trees, big water, big whales.. How have changing energy sources shaped the growth and decline of cities and towns? What are the social costs and benefits of new energy technologies?
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 [...]
Shenandoah Removals
Jesse Dukes’ story on the Shenandoah was inspired by Justin Reich’s article, Recreating the wilderness: Shaping narratives and landscapes in Shenandoah National Park. Here are two pieces of archival tape, courtesy of the Carrier Library at James Madison University. In this piece, Dorothy Noble Smith, who conducted a private oral history project, reads aloud the [...]
