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

In the last year, tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, a false nuclear missile alert in Hawaii, and debates over the Iran nuclear deal have renewed public attention to the development of nuclear weapons and armament and the potential for war. But from the Cold War, to the Cuban Missile Crisis, to Chinese nuclear tests in the 1960s, the U.S. and the world have frequently faced these fears, and attempted to place particular countries’ access to nuclear weapons technology under international control. So how concerned should we be about nuclear weapons and who has them? How did the U.S. become so central in efforts to control them? And how can past attempts to limit nuclear proliferation inform how we address these questions today? On this episode of History Talk, hosts Brenna Miller and Jessica Viñas-Nelson speak with experts Christopher Gelpi, Dakota Rudesill, and Matt Ambrose to discuss the history of nuclear armament and control.

An in-text version of the episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/nuclear-tensions-nuclear-weapons-and-long-history-nuclear-war

This year, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice—the nation’s first memorial to the over 4,000 African American victims of lynching—opened in Montgomery, Alabama. The opening of the memorial, however, coincides with a recent intensification in debates over Confederate monuments. How do these two trends in commemorating our nation’s past relate to one anther? What messages do these differing monuments send? And what’s at stake in the battle over them? On this episode of History Talk, hosts Jessica Viñas-Nelson and Brenna Miller speak with Professors Hasan Jeffries, Sarah E. Gardner, and Steven Conn to discuss the controversies surrounding monuments and memory in America and how we reconcile the history behind them.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at:https://origins.osu.edu/article/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-confederate-monuments

The Trump administration has taken a hardline on immigration. News from the U.S. border that asylum seekers are being turned away, that parents are being separated from their children, and the termination of Temporary Protected Status for 57,000 Hondurans currently living in the U.S. has drawn widespread public attention. But why are people fleeing? What is life like in their home countries? And what role does the U.S. play in creating the conditions that spur migration? On this episode of History Talk, we zero in on Honduras, as hosts Brenna Miller and Jessica Viñas-Nelson speak with two experts, Professors Dana Frank and Katherine Borland, to learn why so many Hondurans are seeking refuge in the U.S., the political, economic, and social challenges faced by people living in Honduras, and the dynamics of migration and U.S. foreign policy at the heart of today's debates.

Guests:

Dr. Dana Frank - Professor in the History Department at the University of California Santa Cruz, and expert in Modern Honduran History and Contemporary Honduras and U.S. Policy in Latin America.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/honduras-tps-and-us-policy

Dr. Katherine Borland: Professor at The Ohio State University and director of the Center for Folklore Studies, specializing in ordinary life and activism and solidarity in Honduras and Latin America.

Recent mass shootings have turned American attention to the nation’s mental health system, its perceived failings, and it's potential to stem the tide of mass violence. However, Americans have a long history of pointing to mental illness as a panacea for solving social problems and an equally lengthy history of criticizing the treatment of those considered mentally ill. On this episode of History Talk, hosts Jessica Viñas-Nelson and Brenna Miller speak with two experts, Dr. Susan Lawrence and Zeb Larson, to discuss the history of mental health in the U.S. and the realities of providing meaningful care.

Guests:

Zeb Larson - Ph.D. candidate at The Ohio State University and author of "America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System": http://origins.osu.edu/article/americas-long-suffering-mental-health-system

Dr. Susan Lawrence - Professor of History at The Ohio State University, specializing in the history of medicine.

An in-text version of this article can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/mental-health-and-american-society

In the last year, college campuses have seen growing currents of activism around issues ranging from free speech and controversial speakers, to sexual assault and campus-corporate partnerships. But how does political engagement on campuses today compare to the history of American campus activism, particularly in the 1960s? What sparks campus protests? How do they grow? And what can they achieve? On this episode of History Talk, hosts Brenna Miller and Jessica Vinas-Nelson talk to two guests—Bill Shkurti and David Steigerwald—to learn what the history of campus protests can teach campus activists, administrators, and communities today.

Guests:

Bill Shkurti - The Ohio State University’s former Vice President for Business and Finance, and author of The Ohio State University in the Sixties: The Unraveling of the Old Order: https://ohiostatepress.org/books/titles/9780814213070.html

Dr. David Steigerwald - An Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and a specialist on twentieth century American history, the Vietnam War, and the sixties.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/politics-and-protest-college-campuses

From Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood tapes to the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, sexual harassment and sexual violence seem to have suddenly burst into the news cycle. Nearly every day, new allegations against powerful men emerge as more women come forward. But, while many are heralding the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements as an opportunity for change, many of those who are raising awareness about these issues today have protested them in the past. So what’s different now? And how does contemporary activism fit into the longer history of awareness? On this episode of History Talk, hosts Jessica Viñas-Nelson and Brenna Miller invite three experts—Professors Treva Lindsey, Kimberly Hamlin, and Martha Chamallas—to discuss the social and legal histories of sexual assault and harassment in the US, past movements to fight it, and how the conversations going on today fit into the broader story of gender and sexual equality.

Guests:

Dr. Kimberly Hamlin - Miami University in Ohio specializing in gender, women, and science in the United States.

Dr. Martha Chamallas - Professor at the Moritz College of law at Ohio State University and a leading scholar on torts, employment discrimination law, and legal issues affecting women.

Dr. Treva Lindsey - Specialist in African American women’s history, black popular and expressive culture, black feminisms, critical race and gender theory, and sexual politics at The Ohio State University’s Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/long-history-metoo

This month marks the 100-year anniversary of U.S. entry into World War I. But, as the world commemorates the centennial of the war, U.S. events have been few and far between. Why is the war remembered so differently in Europe versus the United States, and what legacies might we be forgetting? In this episode of History Talk, we speak to three experts—Jennifer Siegel, Aaron Retish, and Julie Powell—about the war that shaped the course of the 20th century. Join us to learn why World War I is remembered so differently in combatant countries, what the war's most important geopolitical and human impacts were, and how its legacies continue to affect us today.

Guests: 


Dr. Jennifer Siegel - Specialist in Modern European Diplomatic and Military History in the Department of History at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Aaron Retish - Associate Professor of Russian and Soviet History at Wayne State University.

Julie Powell - Ph.D. candidate in Modern European History at The Ohio State University and specialist on interwar French culture and the impact of war on personal and national identities.

An in-text transcript can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/legacies-great-war

In 2016, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. When President Donald Trump weighed in by condemning such actions, the focus dramatically expanded to questions of free speech, patriotism, and respecting the flag. While many lament the entrance of politics into their Sunday football, we speak with three historians and sports fans—Hasan Jeffries, Robert Bennett, and Marc Horger—to discuss the long history of sports protests, why they are so controversial, and the historical issues at the heart of today's conversation. Listen in, as we learn how sports have never been immune from politics or protest.

Guests:

Dr. Hasan Jeffries - Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and specialist in 20th century African American History.

Dr. Robert Bennett - Program Specialist with a dual appointment with The Ohio State University’s Office of International Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. He also researches education opportunities for student athletes.

Marc Horger - Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University specializing in the history of American sports.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/long-view-sports-protests

In February 1917, the 300-year reign of the Romanov dynasty ended. Eight months later in October, Bolshevik forces led by Vladimir Lenin seized power, establishing the world's first state operated on Marxist principles. In the aftermath, a myriad of political, economic, social, and cultural changes reshaped life inside Russia as the establishment of the Soviet Union upended the global order. To mark the 100-year anniversary of the Russian Revolutions, hosts Brenna Miller and Jessica Viñas-Nelson interview expert guests Drs. Angela Brintlinger, Nicholas Breyfogle, and Stephen Norris. Join us to explore the causes of the Russian Revolutions, their profound consequences, and how the world is remembering their centennial anniversary today.

Guests:

Angela Brintlinger - Professor of Russian Literature and Culture in the Ohio State University Department of Slavic and East European Studies.

Nicholas Breyfogle - Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Ohio State University specializing in Russian Imperial History.

Stephen Norris - Professor of History at Miami University in Ohio specializing in Russian and post-Soviet studies.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/romanovs-reds-russias-revolutions-100

As the effects of climate change, toxic pollution, and over-exploitation of resources increasingly dominate the news, there may be an even larger threat on the horizon. By the end of this century, scientists are warning that nearly 25-50% of all species on earth could be lost, in what they are calling a "sixth extinction." Are humans on the cusp of a global extinction event of our own making? And if so, what will this mean for humanity and what can we do about it? Listen in as hosts Jessica Viñas-Nelson and Brenna Miller take a long view of environmental history with two esteemed guests, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert and historian Sam White. Learn more about how human actions have reshaped ecosystems in the past, their consequences for animal and plant diversity, and what this may mean for the future of life on earth.

Guests:

Elizabeth Kolbert - Journalist and author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe and the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winning book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.

Sam White - Associate professor at the Ohio State University specializing in environmental history, and author of A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe’s Encounter with North America.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/sixth-extinction-and-our-unraveling-world