BackStory with the American History Guys » transportation

Energy Gluttons

cm6ay — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:53:17 +0000

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

cm6ay — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:53:14 +0000

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

Justice on Horseback – Web Exclusive

cm6ay — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:51:21 +0000

A writ of execution issued by Chief Justice John Jay, while riding circuit in New Hampshire.

This is a companion piece to BackStory‘s full-length episode, “Scales of Justice: A History of Supreme Court Nominations,” broadcast in June of 2010.

Long before The People’s Court, there was circuit riding. In this piece, BackStory assistant producer Catherine Moore explores the earliest days of the Supreme Court, when Justices risked life and limb to bring their federal authority to America’s hinterlands. In the process, they would help bind together a new nation. Helping her tell the story are historians Maeva Marcus and 18th Century Guy Peter Onuf.

From Whales to Wind: A History of Energy

VFHwebdev — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:30:40 +0000

Three decades after Jimmy Carter donned his famous cardigan and asked us to go on an energy diet, the US is consuming more than ever. In this episode, BackStory takes on big oil (and big whales, trees and water)! Historian David Nye discusses the origins of our gluttony for energy, and historian Anne Norton Greene explains why the “Age of Steam” was also the Age of Horses. Join us on our power trip!

Show Highlights:

The Age of Horses — Historian Ann Norton Greene explains why the “Age of Steam” was also the Age of Horses.
Energy Gluttons — Historian David Nye discusses the origins of Americans’ ample appetites for energy.

Traffic: How We Get From Here to There

cm6ay — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:10:03 +0000

America’s story is one of migration and expansion. In this hour, we explore the history of America’s highways and byways. We hear from Gridlock Sam, who fights traffic for a living, and Peter Norton, who takes us back to the dawn of the motor age. Then we travel through America’s canalways with batteau reenactors and John Larson, a scholar who explains the delicate issue of who foots the bill for internal improvements. Finally, Susan Rugh reminds us that “freedom of the road” simply wasn’t a reality for black Americans in the 1950s, a period when physical and social mobility seem particularly linked.

Show Highlights

No Vacancies
Historian Susan Rugh describes the discrimination black families faced on America’s highways in the 1940s and 50s. Many of those travelers recounted their experiences in letters to the NAACP – letters that eventually helped convince U.S. Senators to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Taking it to the Streets
Historian Peter Norton speaks with 20th Century History Guy Brian Balogh about how automobile companies in the 1920s managed to re-define streets as a space for cars, rather than pedestrians. And he explains the little-known history of the term “jaywalker.”

Related Links

Read a chapter from Peter Norton’s Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City

Find out more about the history of batteaus and view pictures from the 2008 Batteau Festival

Read more about Susan Rugh’s work on black family vacations and view letters to the NAACP complaining of discrimination on America’s roads: Easterling (PDF) Gresham (PDF) Young (PDF) Williams and Haynes (PDF)

BackStory loves bicycles! Here’s our favorite bicycle history book, by David Herlihy

Carts & wagons in colonial Virginia