History Author Show

January 13, 2015 - It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee.

Today we are visiting with Plato and we are going to discuss political philosophy. This might be a bit of a controversial idea, but Plato believed that democratic government had only one logical outcome-tyranny. How does this happen? Listen in to find out.

Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show.

January 11, 2016 - In this episode, we're going to Charleston our way back to the Manhattan of our theme song, New York Ain't New York Anymore. Yes, it's the Jazz Age of speakeasies and Prohibition -- and our tour guide is none other than the Theater Districts most famous resident ghost, sighted from time to time in the New Amsterdam Theater.

Our guest, author Laini Giles, has written our ticket to one of Hollywood Land's very first scandal in The Forgotten Flapper: A Novel of Olive Thomas. You may not know Olive's name today, but a hundred years ago she was one of the loveliest girls who ever lit up the Ziegfeld Follies or the silent screen. Laini Giles' previous novel is Love Lies Bleeding. You can follow her on Twitter @4GottenFlapper and visit her online at LainiGiles.com.

Laini is also happy to share some other Jazz Age books in this episode. They are Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. Hollywood Babylon, by Kenneth Anger. Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin, by Marion Meade.

 

 

January 8, 2016 - Today, James Tobin -- winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography -- shares one of the greatest stories of defiance and overcoming infirmity in: The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency. When polio robbed Franklin Delano Roosevelt of his legs at age 39, the conventional wisdom agreed that his political career was over. Certainly nobody thought he'd rise to the office of his distant cousin, Eleanor's uncle Theodore Roosevelt.

But Roosevelt kept trying treatments, methods and exercises to cope with his disability -- a method of never giving up and continuing to try that helped him confront the Great Depression, and the Second World War.

History in Five Friday.

It’s the perfect way to kick off your modern weekend… with people from the past.

January 6, 2016 - It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee.

Let me ask you something. How many friends do you have? Are they REALLY your friends? Is it possible that your friends are using you for utility or pleasure. If you’ve never thought of these things, then don’t worry. Aristotle certainly did.

Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show.

January 4, 2016 - In this episode, we're racing the time machine through a bunch of stops around the world and throughout history. Our ticket is The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. We'll be guided along the way by Eric Weiner, author of the New York Times bestseller The Geography of Bliss, as well as the critically acclaimed Man Seeks God.

And along the way, we'll answer the question that's on the minds of every Loony Toons fan: "Was Wile E. Coyote a genius or not?"

You can sleuth out more about him @Eric_Weiner on Twitter, or at EricWeinerBooks.com.

December 30, 2015 - It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee.

Today, we are going to discuss creation myths. See if you can guess this man: after being warned about a deadly flood, he builds a mighty ark and escapes the ensuing deluge. If you guessed the biblical Noah, then you are only half wrong. Listen to today's show to learn about Deucalion, a man who might have been the Greek Noah.

Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show.

December 28, 2015 - Today, we're joined by Stephen F. Knott, who along with co-author Tony Williams brings us Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton's relationship has gotten renewed attention since the smash Broadway musical, ending almost 200 years of being overlooked.

From the early days of the Revolutionary War on the hills of Rutgers University -- where Hamilton's artillery covered Washington's retreat from New York City -- to victory at Yorktown, the Continental Congress and the first presidential administration, Washington and Hamilton had an often difficult, father-son relationship. But one that left a legacy that sustains America, even now into the 21st Century.

Mr. Knott is a Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. You can follow him on Twitter @Publius57, and find his co-author Tony Williams @TWilliamsAuthor. Mr. Williams is a history teacher at the Bill of Rights Institute, as well as the Washington, Jefferson, and Madison Institute and the author of four previous books.

December 25, 2015 - Traditionally, December 25th has been celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. But a variety of historic factors and scholarly discoveries indicate that He was not actually born on that date. Since this isn't really news, just how did most of the Christian world settle on this date for the big celebration?

Amanda Read digs deep into the reason for the season in a special episode brought to you by Luke Historians. You can read more about how Christianity came to peg the birth of the Messiah on this date at LukeHistorians.com: What does Christ have to do with Christmas Day?

Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2015 - It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee.

Today, we are going to relive one of the most epic sea battles from the classical world. It was, at the time, the largest sea battle to every take place between ancient navies. It was the battle of Arginusae.

Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show.

December 21, 2015 - Today we sit down with Barry Strauss, professor of history and classics at Cornell University. A leading expert on ancient military history who counts Mel Brooks as his greatest living inspiration, he has written or edited several books, including The Battle of Salamis, The Trojan War, and The Spartacus War.

Visit him @BarryStrauss on Twitter or at BarryStrauss.com.