History
Krygyzstan, Galicia, Tinian
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It’s been a good couple of weeks for show segments with historical angles. How We Got Here features three of them on Episode 47. First you get a Marco Werman Q & A on the background to the violence in Kyrgyzstan with Peter Zeihan of the global intelligence company Stratfor, then Gerry Hadden on the legacy of a 2002 oil spill of the coast of Spain, and finally Mary Kay Magistad with an evocative piece about the Pacific Island of Tinian and its outsized role in U.S. military history.
World Cup History
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How We Got Here takes on soccer this week. We speak with Duke history professor Laurent Dubois, author of Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France.
Soccer spread so quickly. A lot of sports spread along the sinews of empire, you can think of cricket or rugby or even baseball in the U.S. case. What happened with soccer is it did spread via English–it was created and codifed in England and it spread with English people who crossed into other countries but very quickly it took root in those other countries. France is one case among many where in the early 20th-century English communities brought it there and then very quickly it became just part of the social fabric of every day life and very quickly it became an extremely important pastime for many many people. – Laurent Dubois
Dubois explores the roots — in Empire — of the diversity of the French national team, long celebrated but also maligned for its preponderance of players of African and Caribbean descent. And he profiles two players in particular, Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane, in his tale of how soccer and French identity are intertwined. Download MP3
Iran’s nuclear defiance
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Iran’s tough stance on its nuclear program got a little tougher today. Iran’s President Ahmadinejad said today his country will not agree to talks on the issue if the UN Security Council imposes new sanctions. Stephen Kinzer is the author of “Reset: Iran, Turkey and America’s Future.” Marco Werman talks with him. Download MP3Missing in America, Alissa Quart in Berlin, Oil Spills in WWII
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On this week’s history podcast we replay three stories from our Memorial Day broadcast on May 31, 2010. Here’s the lineup: Marco Werman’s interview with Major Fred Salanti of the Missing in America Project, Alissa Quart‘s essay on the Neues Museum in Berlin, and reporter Molly Murray on oil spilled in the Atlantic during WWII. Download MP3
The Cairo Genizah
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Rabbi Mark Glickman introduces us to the Cairo Genizah, the former storehouse for hundreds of thousands of medieval Jewish manuscripts. He’s writing a book about the place and the trove of documents it housed for centuries. On this week’s history podcast you get the long version of my interview him. A shorter version ran on the radio show on April 23rd. Download MP3The Meaning of Katyn
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On this episode of How We Got Here, historian John Connelly of the University of California at Berkeley tells us about the Stalin-era massacre of 20,000 Polish officers in a place called Katyn during World War Two. The Polish delegation killed in a plane crash in Russia last weekend was on its way to a 70th anniversary commemoration of that crime. The tragedy made Katyn seem doubly cursed and underscored its meaning in Polish history and also Polish-Russian relations. Download MP3
Elections in Sudan
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This episode of the history podcast features a conversation with historian Justin Willis of Durham University in the U.K. He tells us about Sudanese elections past and present and why this particular election seems like a lost opportunity that will likely lead to the persistence of authoritarian forms of government in Sudan. Download MP3
Revisiting the Kosovo Air War
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On this week’s episode a former Clinton Administration insider shares his recollections of U.S. policymaking during the Kosovo conflict. Greg Schulte witnessed and participated in some of the key decisions before, during, and after the U.S. bombing of Serbia in 1999.
Japan’s Non-Nuclear Principles, Revenge in Nigeria, Sargent and Velazquez at the Prado
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On this week’s history podcast we look at the reality of Japan’s “non-nuclear” policy; we discuss the possible role of revenge in the massacre in Jos, Nigeria on March 7, and we go behind the scenes at the Prado Museum in Madrid to explore the relationship between a 19th century American masterpiece and a 17th century Spanish one. Download MP3
Amazon geoglyphs, Nelson Mandela, Japanese-Peruvians and WWII
There were lots of good history angles on The World this month so here’s a compilation of three very different stories–an exciting discovery in the Amazon, memories from Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990, and a little-known aspect of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two. (photo: Sanna Saunaluoma)
Haiti Part 2
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We continue our exploration of Haiti’s history into the 19th and 20th centuries. Kate Ramsey of the University of Miami tells us about the diplomatic isolation Haiti faced after independence. She also describes the U.S. occupation of Haiti between 1915 and 1934. Chantalle Verna of Florida International University tells us about the period after the U.S. occupation, sometimes called “Haiti’s Second Independence.” And finally, sociologist Alex Dupuy of Wesleyan University tells us about Haiti under the Duvaliers.Download MP3
Maziar Bahari An Iranian Odyssey
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Journalist and filmmaker Maziar Bahari discusses his new documentary, An Iranian Odyssey: Mossadegh, Oil, and the 1953 CIA Coup. The film premiered at the Boston Festival of Films from Iran at the Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday January 9th.
Berlin Wall Anniversary
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This week’s history podcast compiles the best of our stories commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. Alex Gallafent chases down pieces of the original wall; Gerry Hadden returns to a border town he lived in before the wall came down; Susan Stone finds out what young Germans are learning about their past; Laura Lynch gives us Hungary’s version of tearing down the Iron Curtain; and finally, Gerry Hadden takes us to former East Berlin for a night of nostalgia.
Night Witches, Hostage Crisis, Pakistan
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Who knew there were Soviet women combat pilots in WWII? The BBC’s Lucy Ash tells us how she came to know some of these women and produce a radio documentary about their lives and exploits. Also, we revisit the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. Hard to believe it’s been 30 years since the 444-day ordeal began. And we try to understand the complicated motivations of Pakistan’s military leaders by looking back at how Pakistan was formed and what its early years were like. Lots to chew on this week, much of it riveting.
Nazi Traitors, Hamid Karzai, Guinea
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On the history podcast this week a compilation of recent stories. Gerry Hadden tells us the story of a Nazi traitor who finally had his conviction overturned. Alex Gallafent tells us about changing U.S. views of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. And Marco Werman interviews Loyola University historian Elizabeth Schmidt about the significance of the September 28th stadium in Guinea. Download MP3
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