Professor Buzzkill: History 101

Were there special, secret meanings behind the lyrics in the famous Christmas song, The 12 Days of Christmas? Ten Lords a Leaping and Nine Ladies Dancing sounds like a pretty good party! But why wasn’t Professor Buzzkill invited? We explain it all and wish all you Buzzkillers out there a happy holiday season! Encore episode.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Candy canes are a well-known symbol of the holiday season, but what is the origin and meaning of this peculiar candy? Some say it was invented by a German choirmaster in the 17th century. Others say it was invented by an Indiana confectioner in the 19th century. Or maybe it was a Catholic priest? Is the candy cane is full of religious symbols that represent the blood of Christ, the nativity, and the strength of the Christian church? Listen and learn!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

The film “Amadeus” was a huge hit in the mid-1980s. It depicted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri as musical rivals in the Austrian court in the late 18th century, which ultimately ends with Mozart's early death. But was anything in the film accurate? Did Salieri plot to kill Mozart? Was jealousy over musical genius really that serious? Dr. Kristin Franseen explains it all. Rather than being a buzzkill, she shows us that the real story is actually more interesting than the film version! Episode 540.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Listeners have asked me to post the 1947 Lux Radio Drama version of "It's a Wonderful Life," starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. Enjoy this great story in a different format!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

One of the most popular movies of all time, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed) is a holiday classic. It has also given us a cornucopia of history myths and urban legends. Lend an ear as the Professor analyzes these stories, talks about how the movie was received when released in 1946, and highlights many overlooked supporting actors in the film. And you learn why the Professor thinks he also has a “wonderful life”!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Released in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives became an immediate success. Life magazine called it “the first big, good movie of the post-war era” to tackle the “veterans problem.” Today we call that problem PTSD, but in the initial aftermath of World War II, the modern language of war trauma did not exist. Award-winning author Alison Macor illuminates the film’s journey from script to screen and describes how this authentic motion picture moved audiences worldwide. And Professor Buzzkill gushes about the film. Episode 539.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Did FDR know about the Pearl Harbor attack ahead of time? And who was the attack more devastating for - the United States or Japan? Professor Phil Nash joins us to explain the myths and misconceptions about December 7th, 1941, as well as the complexities of the cultural importance of the attack since then. You’ll learn more about an event that you thought you already knew well by listening to us! Encore Episode!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

When thinking of campus protests, most Americans think of left-wing students marching and shouting. Dr. Lauren Lassabe Shepherd shows, however, that right-wing students and groups have protested very frequently on college campuses, even if they haven’t received as much attention from the media. In part, right-wing student protests in the 60s and 70s were a reaction to left-wing protests. But we also talk about how right-wing campus politics built political movements of their own, and promoted their causes directly. Episode 538.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, come and sit here by me,” is one of the best snarky-isms ever uttered. But who said it? Dorothy Parker? Joan Crawford? Lady Buzzkill? Hear the full story, and learn what in the world Teddy Roosevelt, Nellie Taft, and Thomas Dewey have to do with it all! Listen and learn! Wisdom Wednesday Encore!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Veteran journalist and commentator, Scott Martelle, describes the fevered political year of 1932. Farmers’ strikes, industrial difficulties, marches and protests by military veterans, women’s rights protestors, tension over prohibition, and much more made this among the most politically active years in American history. Episode 537.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Who invented American Thanksgiving, and when did they invent it? The Pilgrims in 1621? Abe Lincoln in 1863? FDR in 1939? Turns out there were a lot of cooks involved in making the traditional American feasting holiday. The Professor gives a brief overview of Thanksgiving's history and myths.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

As both American and French revolutionaries sought to fashion representative government in the late 1780s, they faced a dilemma. In a context where gaining public trust seemed to demand transparency, was secrecy ever legitimate? In Philadelphia and Paris, establishing popular sovereignty required navigating between an ideological imperative to eradicate secrets from the state and a practical need to limit transparency in government. Unveiling modern democracy’s surprisingly shadowy origins, Professor Katlyn Carter helps us understand how government by and for the people emerged during the Age of Revolutions. Episode 536.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

One of the legendary stories that reappear during Thanksgiving season is that no less a luminary and Founder than Ben Franklin thought that the bald eagle was an improper choice as the national bird and a national symbol. Franklin preferred the more “dignified” turkey, and tried to convince the Founding Fathers to agree. Apparently, they thought Ben was a senile old sentimentalist, and so they ignored him. But is any of this story true? Listen and find out!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

As the pilgrims pushed their chairs back from the first Thanksgiving table, their stomachs full of turkey and potatoes, Squanto appeared with bushels of popped corn and spilled it out on the tables for the Pilgrims to enjoy. That's how Americans got popcorn, right Buzzkillers? Well, maybe not, but you'll have to listen to this Buzzkill favorite to find out!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Did medieval people have bad teeth and poor hygiene? Did they all die before they were 40? And what was the actual story about Lady Godiva? Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, the Fake History Hunter, takes us on a great tour of medieval Europe, busting myths and taking names! A great show about a completely misunderstood era! Episode 535This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

In the wake of yet another gun tragedy in Gun Country USA, we interview Dr. Andrew McKevitt, whose new book is a must-read this year. He shows why so many guns flooded onto the American market after World War II, and how this developed into “gun consumerism.” We discuss the various attempts to stem the tide of gun violence in the US since World War II, and why gun capitalism and gun culture have defeated them every time. Essential listening. Episode 534This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Halloween is a demonic holiday chock full of sin, and endangered by razor blades in trick-or-treat candy, right? Wrong. Nothing about the origins of Halloween can be called demonic, satanic, or anti-Christian. And the adulterated candy thing is an urban legend. Get the full story from the Buzzkill Institute.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Dracula tales, legends, and myths fly around faster than a vampire fleeing from sunlight. Dr. Gemma Masson explains Bram Stoker’s famous novel, “Dracula,” and then goes on to explain the various histories behind Dracula’s namesake – Vlad Dracula, the Romanian Prince. Along the way, she discusses how attributes from Count Dracula have been attributed to Vlad Dracula ahistorically. But we talk about more than that – including the ways in which fiction helps “create” history. Episode 533This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

Professor Richard Toye talks about a pivotal year in British history – 1945. The end of the war, a landslide election for the Labour Party under Clement Attlee, and the start of the modern British welfare state. He explains why Labour won the election, why Churchill and the Conservatives lost, and what the Labour government of 1945-1951 tried to accomplish. Episode 532.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

The story of Columbus and the Taino people is fascinating, and is made even more fascinating by Kate Messner’s analysis of it in this episode. She explains who the Taino people were, how they discovered Columbus, and what happened during and after their encounter. Kate’s “History Smashers” series is a fantastic way to understand history and how history myths have been embedded in our culture. Episode 531.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement