BackStory
BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Each week we take a topic that people are talking about and explore it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversation with our listeners, we make history engaging and fun.
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Man vs. the Machine: Technophobia and American ...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Nathan explore the strain of technophobia in American society.
40 min
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Love Off Limits: A History of the Relationships...
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Brian and Nathan discuss stories of love that challenged social norms and transcended class, race and gender.
49 min
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The Faces of Racism: A History of Blackface and...
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan talks with historian Rhae Lynn Barnes about the long and disturbing history of blackface minstrelsy.
35 min
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BlackStory: BackStory Celebrates Black History ...
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan showcases some of BackStory’s best content about African American history in honor of Black History Month 2019.
51 min
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Nixon Beyond Watergate: A History of the Presid...
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Ed and Brian discover that Richard Nixon ran a more imaginative and ideologically flexible administration than its ignominious ending might suggest.
64 min
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When You Just Want to be Alone: The History of ...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Joanne examine the reasons Americans seek solitude.
53 min
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The BackStory Prize: Our Choice for the Best Pu...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, Joanne, Nathan and special guest judges author Margot Lee Shetterly (Hidden Figures) and actor Chris Jackson (“Hamilton” on Broadway) discuss the BackStory prize competition and first winner.
35 min
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Finding Americana: Butter Sculptures, Tiny Town...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Nathan explore the best of Americana,
53 min
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What’s Cooking? A History of Food in America
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan discuss many homegrown culinary traditions and what the food we eat says about American identity.
50 min
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Playing the Past: Video Games and American History
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Ed explore the relationship between history and video games in America.
56 min
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The BackStory Holiday Book Show: 19 History Boo...
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed, Nathan and Joanne, along with special guests, share their recommendations of the history page turners you should read and gift for the holidays.
61 min
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Out of the Closet: The LGBTQ Community in Ameri...
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne explore the history of the LGBTQ community in the U.S.
79 min
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Forgotten Flu: America & the 1918 Pandemic
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan, and Joanne look back at the so-called “Spanish Flu,” how it affected the U.S., and why it’s often overlooked today.
43 min
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Stuffed: Taxidermy in the History of America
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Nathan explore the history of American taxidermy.
69 min
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Divided States of America? The History of An Of...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne look at other times in history when Americans were split.
57 min
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Lincoln the Lawyer: Abraham Lincoln’s Early Lif...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed and guest host Lindsay Graham of the American History Tellers podcast explore the career of Abraham Lincoln the lawyer.
54 min
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Border Patrols: Policing Immigration in America
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne consider the origins of illegal immigration and look at how the government’s deportation powers have grown over time.
37 min
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The War to End All Wars: Remembering WWI
On this episode of BackStory, Brian and Nathan reflect on how, 100 years later, “the war to end all wars” is still with Americans.
48 min
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To be a Citizen? The History of Becoming American
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne discover that the path to American citizenship has never been easy.
53 min
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Thar She Blows Again: The History of Whales and...
On this episode of BackStory, Ed joins Brian, Nathan and Joanne as they continue to explore the history of America’s relationship to the largest marine mammals.
63 min
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Thar She Blows: The History of Whales and America
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne explore the history of America’s relationship to the largest marine mammals.
43 min
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Land of the Free? The History of Incarceration ...
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne reflect on the history of prison labor and learn more about the challenges facing those behind bars.
38 min
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Close Encounters: UFOs in American History
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, and Ed discuss things in the sky we can’t explain - unidentified flying objects.
61 min