What's the Real Story of Disney's "Newsies"?

You may have seen it on Broadway ... or maybe your high school gym. The Tony Award-winning musical Newsies is a favorite for school productions because the story centers around newspaper-hawking kids who stand up to titan-of-industry Joseph Pulitzer.  Of course, we've learned that we shouldn't tak…

John Quincy Adams: From President to Anti-Slavery Firebrand (Live in DC)

John Quincy Adams may have been a failed one-term president, but he had one of the most amazing second acts in American political history. From the House of Representatives, he steered our new nation through one of its most tumultuous eras ... carrying the torch of American democracy from the Found…

Mary Had a Little Typhoid

And everywhere that Mary went, the typhoid was sure to go.  The story of Mary Mallon (AKA Typhoid Mary) is one we're living every day to a small degree: the balance between public safety and personal liberty. Luckily for us, we'll never be imprisoned for being an symptomatic carrier of a disease. …

The Constitution vs. Authoritarianism

It can be scary to learn how much our democracy relies on norms and convention when the rule of law is put to the test. But, at least our Founding Fathers had an excellent understanding of authoritarianism when they drafted the U.S. Constitution. Are the guardrails they created enough to prevent a …

How Did Hollywood Survive the Great Depression?

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans were out of work, but they still managed to make it to the movies. In fact, Hollywood didn't just survive one of our country's greatest economic downturns, it thrived.  So how did movie studios stay afloat when audiences could barely afford food? …

Sybil Ludington: 16-Year-Old Hero of the American Revolution

She was just 16 years old when she rode nearly 40 miles through the night rallying the militia as the British attacked during the American Revolution. Bob calls up Karen Romano Young (Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Hero) to get the story of Sybil Ludington. They explore what parts of her story…

What Happened to Aaron Burr After He Killed Alexander Hamilton?

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in the most infamous duel in American history. But what happened next? Did Burr face murder charges? Was he convicted? And why did he go full Gary Busey? (You'll have to listen to understand that reference!)  Bob calls up Yale …

Why Do We Spring Forward?

No, Benjamin Franklin did not invent Daylight Saving Time. But he did muse about its practicality in a 1784 essay. So, if Franklin didn't invent DST, where did all this springing forward come from?  Bob calls up Chad Orzel (A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehen…

Was Disney’s Balto a True Story?

Was the Disney movie Balto actually based on a true story? A listener wants to know if this heroic snow dog was real—or just a Hollywood invention.  To get answers, Bob calls up Dr. Nicole Burt of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It turns out, the real Balto is actually IN her museum. What…

Did Willy Wonka’s Creator Spy on America?

Roald Dahl is a beloved children’s author. Turns out, he was also a British spy during WWII! So how does one transition from seducing prominent Americans’ wives to writing Matilda?  Well, we’re glad you asked! We called up the creator of a new docu-series called The Secret World of Roald Dahl to g…