History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

On January 1st, 1818, Mary Shelley, at age nineteen, published the gothic novel Frankenstein. The novel dramatizes the clash of two cultures—the Enlightenment that celebrated reason and science and the Romantic age that celebrated passion and art. Our video highlights how Mary Shelley's family and those around her influenced her creation of the novel.

Written by Stephen Kern. Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/march-2018-mary-shelleys-frankenstein

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has returned to its pre-revolutionary position as a major agricultural exporter of key commodities. With Russia currently controlling a large portion of Ukraine’s cultivated agricultural land in the south, as well as blockading ports on the Black Sea, a significant amount of grain for export is stranded in Ukraine.

Written by Ian M. Sheldon. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/ukraine-food-war-agriculture.

Video production by Svetlana Ter-Gregorian, Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Audio production by the College of Arts & Sciences Academic Technology Services.

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

The Russian government’s rationale for the war in Ukraine is not about oil, coal, or natural resources. It is about asserting specious historical claims. However, It is important to understand the history of Rus to place this conflict in its proper historical context.

Written by Christian Raffensperger. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/kyiv-rus-ukraine-russia.

On December 2, 1980, four churchwomen—Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missionary Jean Donovan—became victims of escalating violence toward church members who sided with the poor in El Salvador.

Written by Stephanie M. Huezo. Narration by Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/murdered-churchwomen-el-salvador.

In 1919, Eugene Christophe was awarded the first yellow jersey, but he did not win the Tour de France that year. Learn about the history of the yellow jersey and why it was adopted as a symbol of the race. [Correction: As of 2022, France has held 7 races solely in France since 1947.]

Written by Darcy Benson. Narration by Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/watch/tour-de-france-and-yellow-jersey

On September 20, 1519, five ships carrying about 270 men sailed westward from the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Their goal was to reach the Spice Islands of Maluku and open a new trading route for Spain.

An in-text version of this podcast episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/magellan-circumnavigation-earth

As the hazards of carbon emissions increase and governments around the world seek to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the search for clean and affordable alternate energies has become an increasing priority in the twenty-first century. However, one nation has already been producing such a fuel for almost a century: Brazil. Its sugarcane-based ethanol is the most efficient biofuel on the global fuel market, and the South American nation is the largest biofuel exporter in the world.

In this talk, Jennifer Eaglin discusses her new book and offers a historical account of the industry's origins. The Brazilian government mandated a mixture of ethanol in the national fuel supply in the 1930s, and the success of the program led the military dictatorship to expand the industry and create the national program Proálcool in 1975. Private businessmen, politicians, and national and international automobile manufacturers together leveraged national interests to support this program. By 1985, over 95% of all new cars in the country ran exclusively on ethanol, and, after consumers turned away from them when oil was cheap, the government successfully promoted flex fuel cars instead. Yet, as she shows, the growth of this “green energy” came with associated environmental and social costs in the form of water pollution from liquid waste generated during ethanol distillation and exploitative rural labor practices that reshaped Brazil's countryside.

Speakers:

--Jennifer Eaglin, Assistant Professor of History and Sustainability Institute

--Nicholas Breyfogle (Moderator), Associate Professor of History, Director, Goldberg Center

Co-sponsors of this episode:

The Center for Latin American Studies, https://clas.osu.edu/

The Sustainability Institute, https://si.osu.edu/

An in-text version of this podcast episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/listen/history-talk/sweet-fuel-remarkable-story-brazilian-ethanol

In February-March 1616, the Catholic Church issued a prohibition against the Copernican theory of the earth’s motion. This led later (1633) to the Inquisition trial and condemnation of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) as a suspected heretic.

Written by Maurice A. Finocchiaro. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/february-2016-400-years-ago-catholic-church-prohibited-copernicanism.

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Audio production by Paul Kotheimer, College of Arts & Sciences Academic Technology Services. The Origins' editorial team includes: Editors Nicholas Breyfogle, Steven Conn and David Steigerwald; Managing Editors Cameron Givens, Damarius Johnson, and Brionna Mendoza; Copyeditor Sarah Brady Siff; Article Layout Kristin Osborne; and Video Production Specialist Laura Seeger.

...And Water For All is an educational documentary about water affordability in Ohio. The film aims to amplify the voices of those who work toward providing clean, affordable water for all. Even though the movie is set in Ohio, many of its lessons will be relevant for those concerned with water affordability in other places.

This project was made possible by the support of the School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ohio Water Resources Center at The Ohio State University.

Ohio State University History Professor David Hoffmann examines some key moments in recent Russian and Ukrainian history, with particular attention to the breakup of the Soviet Union, Putin’s rise to power in Russia, and the 2014 Revolution in Ukraine.

Speaker | David L. Hoffmann, College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of History. Professor Hoffmann is a specialist in Russian and Soviet history, with a particular focus on the political, social, and cultural history of Stalinism.

Moderator | Angela Brintlinger, Professor and Interim Department Chair of the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures and Director of the Center for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies.

This lecture is a part of the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies' "Understanding the War in Ukraine: Weekly Wednesday Speaker Series."

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/listen/history-talk/understanding-war-ukraine-insights-recent-past-1991-present

Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit http://origins.osu.edu.