On the Clock: A (Brief) History of Time
In this episode, we’ll look at the changing ways Americans have experienced the span of a day, from pre-industrial times up through today’s era of time-shifted media. What did “an hour” mean to people who didn’t have clocks?
Straight Shot: Guns in America
We’re exploring the history of guns in America — who’s had access to guns, who’s wanted access to guns, and what the desire for guns has meant for American democracy.
Climate Control: A History of Heating and Cooling
In this episode, the History Guys consider the advent of air conditioning, and explore its far-reaching implications on everything from architecture and leisure to demography and politics. They also look at what happened when stoves became widely available in the mid-19th century, and how technology altered Americans’ way of life.
Weathering the Storm
This week on BackStory, we tackle extreme weather: how we’ve tried to predict it, control it, make sense of it. Along the way, we discover that our responses to wind, sleet, and rain have said as much about us as about the natural world.
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.
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. 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. Excerpted from: From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy
The Stove Revolution
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 Howell Harris explains why the Franklin Stove was mis-named, and what winter was like in the North before the stove revolution caught fire. Excerpted from: Climate Control: A [...]
“Climate Control” Transcript
This is the transcript of “Climate Control: A History of Heating and Cooling,” broadcast in March 2010. You can listen to the entire episode here.
Climate Control: A History of Heating & Cooling ["In the Works" Discussion]
What was life like before the era of the thermostat? And how did America become the “land of comfort?”
