Welcome to Talking History

"Talking History is a thirty-minute weekly radio program produced by the Organization of American Historians that separates fact from fiction and myth from reality through interviews with nationally recognized historians and writers."

"Whether it is the dramatic history behind the building of the first transcontinental railroad, or an intriguing examination of the American romance with Robert Kennedy, Talking History has something for everyone."

Yes, I know I've been neglecting this blog for a while, but I'm going to make up for it. Promise.

This is a website I'd forgotten about, until i went harddrive cleaning, and run across a folder with some of the shows I'd downloaded. You can download individual shows in MP3, or try their new podcasting. To give you an idea of what they offer:

1491.mp3

"According to John Herron's guest this week, Charles C. Mann, the Americas before Columbus were very different from the commonly perceived unpopulated pristine wilderness awaiting Manifest Destiny. He explains that new evidence presented in his book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, suggests that before it became the New World, it was more populated and sophisticated than previously thought. Mann is an award winning author and correspondent for Science and The Atlantic Monthly. Airdate: December 19, 2005."

Influenza.mp3

"Talking History's Fred Nielsen and author John M. Barry discuss the flu epidemic of 1918 that swept across the world killing an estimated 100 million people worldwide. According to our guest, it was the world's most lethal epidemic- responsible for the deaths of more people in 24 weeks than the Black Death killed in a hundred years. John Barry is author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History. Airdate: November 14, 2005."

Cold War, Cool Medium.mp3

"The Cold War was a period of international, fear and anxiety. And, much of the Cold War was covered on television literally brought into the homes of millions of Americans. Our guest this week, Thomas Doherty, the author of Cold War, Cool Medium, examines one aspect of that phenomenon, television and McCarthyism with Talking History's Linna Place . Airdate: June 13, 2005."

Those are just a few of their past shows. They run about a half hour each, and cover a wide range of American historical topics. I can't believe I forgot about them. (sigh) So much to enjoy, so little time.