American History Hotline with Bob Crawford
American History Hotline
Playlist by American History Hotline with Bob CrawfordBob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHist…Follow the podcast:
37 clip(s) in playlist
Abraham Lincoln Before the Presidency: What He Learned as a Lawmaker
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent just one term in Congress. So how did "the best known two-time Senate loser in the country" become one of the greatest presidents in American history? Bob calls up historian and author Chris DeRose (Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America’s Gre…
24:21
Are the Olympics an Appropriate Place for Protest?
You gotta keep 'em separated. That's a lot of people's opinion about mixing sports and politics. But as the world turns its eyes to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games, you have to wonder if this is the ideal place to make a political statement. To understand how acts of political activism have playe…
35:40
Who Integrated the NFL?
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. That's a well known piece of history. But who integrated the NFL? Well, it's an amazing story with lots of binge drinking, miraculous comebacks and hot dog eating. Seriously. Just in time for the Super Bowl, we're calling up David Fleming, au…
42:18
Can the President Tear Down the White House?
Who owns the White House? Is it the American people or the person who lives inside of it — AKA, the president? If the President of the United States of America controls the White House, does ANYONE have say over what he does with it (we're looking at you, preservation societies and Congress)? He…
42:55Abraham Lincoln Before the Presidency: What He Learned as a Lawmaker
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent just one term in Congress. So how did "the best known two-time Senate loser in the country" become one of the greatest presidents in American history? Bob calls up historian and author Chris DeRose (Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America’s Gre…
24:21
Did Montezuma Surrender? Debunking the Myth of the Spanish Conquest
For centuries, the story has been told the same way: Montezuma surrendered to Hernán Cortés, and a small band of Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire. But that story has always seemed a bit ... fishy. To get the TRUE story, Bob calls up historian Matthew Restall to debunk one of the most endurin…
32:08
America Loves Trains. Why Can’t We Build Them Anymore? Inside NYC’s Second Avenue Subway
It takes decades to build a new subway line in the United States. Meanwhile, China is building entire high-speed rail networks in just a few years. So, how did America's once-great love of trains get derailed? We use New York City’s Second Avenue Subway as a test case to answer this bigger questi…
34:34
Can We Add a Fifth Face to Mount Rushmore? The History and Future of the Monument
Could a new president ever be carved into Mount Rushmore? It depends on who you ask. We call up historian Matthew Davis (author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore) to learn about the history of the monument and what its future might hold. It’s a story with a lo…
38:00
Are These Really the Best Movies of the 21st Century? Debating the NYT’s Top 100
What is the greatest movie of the 21st century? The New York Times says it’s Parasite, but not everyone agrees. We call up Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Mark Ellis to debate the NYT’s list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century and explore how cinema has changed in the past 25 years. Mark says…
29:10
Death by Lightning: What Netflix Got Right (and Wrong) About a Presidential Assassination
Netflix’s Death by Lightning is gripping, dramatic and TRUE. Or is it? We call up historian and New York Times bestselling author Alexis Coe for a lightning round fact check of Netflix’s new James A. Garfield series Death by Lightning. What does the series gets right? What does it bend for dramat…
55:03