In this episode of Eyewitness History, we speak with Jo-Anne Berelowitz, author and art historian, about her captivating auto-fiction memoir Somewhere I Belong. Born in Durban, South Africa, Jo-Anne shares her journey through betrayal, family secrets, and the search for home, tracing her story from her father’s warnings of revolution to uncovering her Jewish grandparents’ history in Lithuania and Russia.

Jo-Anne discusses how identity, displacement, and resilience shaped her life, her career in art history, and ultimately her path to self-discovery. Her story is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the universal quest to find where one truly belongs.

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Our guest today is none other than the incomparable Pat Boone.

With a decades-long career, Pat has graced stages, screens, and airwaves with his golden voice and timeless charisma. From chart-topping hits to silver-screen successes, he's a multifaceted talent who has stood the test of time.

We discuss his career, fame, and why he said no to making a movie with Marilyn Monroe!

Now, I give you Pat Boone!

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On this episode of Eyewitness History, we sit down with Jeffrey Riddick, the screenwriter and producer behind the iconic Final Destination franchise. Riddick shares his journey from aspiring writer to Hollywood powerhouse, revealing the inspirations, challenges, and creative processes that brought one of modern horror’s most enduring series to life.

We dive into:

• The genesis of Final Destination and how Riddick transformed a simple idea into a cinematic phenomenon.

• Stories from the set and behind-the-scenes insights that fans have never heard.

• The challenges of writing suspense, fear, and death in a way that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.

• Jeffrey’s advice for aspiring filmmakers, screenwriters, and anyone chasing creative dreams.

• How horror reflects society’s fears and why it resonates with audiences worldwide.

Whether you’re a diehard Final Destination fan, a lover of film history, or curious about the craft of screenwriting, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Hollywood’s most influential horror storytellers.

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In this episode of Eyewitness History, I speak with Adam Irving, grandson of historian David Irving and head of Irving Books, the publisher managing his grandfather’s works. We discuss David Irving’s career as an author, his legacy in historical debate, and what it means for Adam to balance family ties with the responsibilities of running a publishing house.

Disclaimer: David Irving remains a deeply controversial figure. This conversation is presented for its historical and family perspective and should not be taken as an endorsement of his views.

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In this episode of Eyewitness History, Josh Cohen welcomes actress Lorna Lembeck, who played Randy in the legendary comedy Airplane!. Lorna shares her memories from the set, what it was like to be part of a film that redefined parody, and why the movie continues to resonate with audiences more than forty years later.

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In this special episode of Eyewitness History, Josh Cohen shares the story behind his new book, William F. Buckley Jr.'s Guide to Friendship in a Polarized Era. He explores how Buckley built lasting friendships across deep political divides and why his example of decency, humor, and faith matters in today’s polarized world.

Pre-order now - https://www.amazon.com/William-Buckley-Guide-Friendship-Polarized/dp/1956454926

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In this episode of Eyewitness History, Josh Cohen speaks with Dr. Stephen P. Huyler — art historian, cultural anthropologist, photographer, and author of the new memoir Transformed by India: A Life. For more than five decades, Huyler has traveled across nearly every corner of India, documenting its crafts, rituals, and people while forging lifelong bonds with the communities he encountered.

In this conversation, Huyler reflects on his remarkable journey — from pedaling a rickshaw into India on his twentieth birthday, to curating major exhibitions around the world, to writing a memoir with a foreword by the Dalai Lama and a preface by Dr. Shashi Tharoor. Together, we explore how India transformed his life, the lessons he learned along the way, and what his story can teach us about culture, connection, and humanity.

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On this episode of Eyewitness History, we sit down with acclaimed journalist and author Mark Danner to explore his decades-long career covering war, human rights, and the hidden stories of global conflicts. From his groundbreaking reporting on the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador to his investigations into U.S. foreign policy and the war on terror, Danner shares firsthand accounts, the challenges of reporting from conflict zones, and the ethical questions journalists face when covering violence and injustice.

About Mark Danner:
Mark Danner is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist, author, and professor at New York University. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and The Atlantic, among other outlets. Danner is the author of The Massacre at El Mozote and Torture and Truth, and is recognized for his in-depth reporting on war, human rights, and U.S. foreign policy.

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John Wolfram joined the US Navy in 1967 and graduated from Underwater Demolition Training in Coronado, California in May 1968. As a Navy frogman, he was twice deployed to the war in Vietnam, where he received a Purple Heart from a leg wound inflicted during battle with the Viet Cong. John assisted in the Apollo 10 astronaut and space recovery and was the first frogman in the water to rescue Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins after their historical moon landing. John is the author of Splashdown, The Rescue of a Navy Frogman first published in 2008. He is now involved in missions work around the world, with special interest in the country of Vietnam. In 2018 he raised funds to build a Memorial Bible College in central Vietnam to honor five fallen SEAL teammates and three home town friends. Find out more about John here:https://www.johnwolfram.com/

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Scott Armstrong was one of the lead investigators on the United States Senate Watergate Committee — and one of the four people in the room when Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of Nixon’s secret Oval Office taping system. In this episode, Armstrong walks us through that pivotal moment in American history, how a single document raised suspicions, and what it was like to work behind the scenes on the most consequential political scandal of the 20th century.

We also discuss Armstrong’s early career at The Washington Post, his work with Bob Woodward on The Final Days and The Brethren, and his founding of the National Security Archive, which continues to fight for government transparency to this day.

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