Weathering the Storm
In New England, 1816 was “The Year Without a Summer.” Snow fell throughout June and July. According to one diarist, the 4th of July saw “ice as thick as window glass” as far south as Pennsylvania. This week on BackStory, we tackle weather in its strangest and scariest permutations.
Sweet and Dangerous: A History of Sugar
In this episode, the History Guys will explore sweetness in American history. How has our national sweet tooth shaped our political and economic priorities?
Energy Gluttons
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian David Nye discusses the origins of Americans’ ample appetites for energy. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Excerpted from: From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy
The Age of Horses
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Ann Norton Greene explains why the “Age of Steam” was also the Age of Horses. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Excerpted from: From Whales to Wind: [...]
Indoor Weather
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Climate Control: A History of Heating & Cooling.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Gail Cooper talks about the early days of air conditioning and the effort to move the outside indoors. Syndey Katz describes movie theaters in the days before A/C. [...]
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 [...]
