How To Be A Historian

By Clyde Brittelle

I'm Clyde Brittelle, a teenage history buff. I've been a fan of history for as long as I can remember. Whenever someone has asked me what I want to do when I grow up, I've said "I want t

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FAQs about How To Be A Historian:

How many episodes does How To Be A Historian have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.

How To Be A Historian episodes:

April 08, 2025 King: A Life
Today I have the honor of interviewing the Pulitzer prize winning biographer and journalist Jonathan Eig about his recent book King: A Life. In the last episode we discussed his career, biographies, and what it means to be a historian. Jonathan Eig is the author of six books, four of them New York Times best sellers. The New York Times hailed King as the "definitive" biography of Martin Luther King Jr. The book was awarded the New-York Historical Society’s 2024 Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize, which is presented annually to the nation's best work of history or biography. King was also nominated for the National Book Award. And last but not least, it won the Pulitzer prize for Biographies and Autobiographies.

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29min
April 06, 2025 A Conversation With Jonathan Eig
On this episode I interview the Pulitzer prize winning biographer and journalist Jonathan Eig. We discuss his passion for journalism, process for writing biographies, what it means to be a historian, and the importance of portraying history in engaging ways. This episode is the first of a two part series of interviews with Mr. Eig, the next one focusing on her book King: A Life.
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36min
March 05, 2025 The Life of a Historian: Prithi Kanakamedala
On this episode I interview Prithi Kanakamedala an author, public historian, and professor at Bronx Community College of CUNY where she teaches US history, African-American history and the history of New York City. We discuss her journey to becoming a historian, the challenges of the job, what her days look like, what excites her about being a historian. This episode is the first of a two part series of interviews with Professor Kanakamedala, the next one focusing on her book Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough.
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35min
February 16, 2025 Brooklynites
On this episode I interview Prithi Kanakamedala an author, public historian, and professor at Bronx Community College of CUNY where she teaches US history, African-American history and the history of New York City. This episode is the second in a two part series of interviews with Professor Kanakamedala. We discuss her book Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough, which is a 2025 Gotham book prize finalist. Last episode, we focused on being a historian, her journey, and what her days look like.
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37min
December 23, 2024 Appeasement Part 3: Ascension
In this episode, Hitler is appointed chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg and his foolish allies. Hitler will use this new position to gain even more power after the Reichstag goes up in flames. Then, to gain the favor of the army he brutally murders his previously loyal SA paramilitary in cold blood. Finally we will see Hitler tragically become dictator of Germany.
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15min
December 08, 2024 Appeasement Part 2: Momentum
This episode will see the tumultuous rise of Hitler and his cronies to national prominence and power. Via luck and skill Hitler's hateful and discriminatory message will sadly became massively popular. This episode we'll see Hitler try to take power forcefully, and then use democracy to create a dictatorship. Additionally, we'll visit Italy to witness Mussolini's meteoric rise to power as the first facists premier ever. I hope you enjoy!
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13min
November 23, 2024 Appeasement Part 1: The Rise of the Monster
Appeasement is taught as one of the most disastrous foreign policies in human history. For half a decade, the great powers of Britain and France bent to the will of a dictator from Berlin. Hoping, just hoping, that this would be the last demand, this time it would be the last concession. But why would they do that? Britain and France, if they had wanted to, could’ve steamrolled the second-rate military power of Germany in the interwar period. So the question is, why? Why didn’t they stomp the upstart fascists? Why didn’t they end the threat to the east? Today we are going to be diving into the fascinating and tragic era of appeasement.

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15min
September 19, 2024 Fire and Rain
On this episode I interview Carolyn Eisenberg an award winning author and professor of US History and American Foreign Relations at Hofstra University about her book Fire and Rain: Nixon Kissinger and the Wars in Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press). Her previous book Drawing the Line: the American Decision to Divide Germany (Cambridge University Press) was awarded the Stuart Bernath Book Prize from the Society of Historians of Foreign Relations, the Herbert Hoover Library Prize and was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize for outstanding English-language book on international relations.

Professor Eisenberg has lectured widely, publishing numerous articles on issues of war and peace. She was the consultant to the New York Historical Society for their exhibition on Vietnam, as well as to visiting historians from Vietnam, interested in using American archives. She has worked with several Congressional offices on foreign policy issues and is presently the legislative coordinator for Historians for Peace and Democracy.

This episode is the second of a two part series of interviews with Professor Eisenberg, the previous being on her journey to becoming a historian, the challenges of the job, and what her days look like.

I hope you enjoy!
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38min
September 19, 2024 The Life of a Historian
On this episode I interview Carolyn Eisenberg an award winning author and professor of US History and American Foreign Relations at Hofstra University. We discuess her journey to becoming a historian, the challenges of the job, what her days look like, and what excites her about being a historian. Her previous book Drawing the Line: the American Decision to Divide Germany (Cambridge University Press) was awarded the Stuart Bernath Book Prize from the Society of Historians of Foreign Relations, the Herbert Hoover Library Prize and was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize for outstanding English-language book on international relations.

Professor Eisenberg has lectured widely, publishing numerous articles on issues of war and peace. She was the consultant to the New York Historical Society for their exhibition on Vietnam, as well as to visiting historians from Vietnam, interested in using American archives. She has worked with several Congressional offices on foreign policy issues and is presently the legislative coordinator for Historians for Peace and Democracy.

This episode is the first of a two part series of interviews with Professor Eisenberg, the next one focusing on her book Fire and Rain: Nixon Kissinger and the Wars in Southeast Asia.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31min
August 08, 2024 The 1876 Election: A House Divided
This November Americans will be deciding the direction our country will be going. In times like these, with literally the fate of the country hanging in the balance, it can be hard to not feel overwhelmed. With so many changes especially in the nature of the race like Biden’s withdrawal, the attempt on Trump’s life we can feel like we are in completely new territory historically. While that is true to an extent, we actually have had an election somewhat like this one in the past, where the fate of the country hung in the balance, where tempers ran high, and a disputed divvying up of electoral votes occurred. No I’m not talking about 2000, but the pivotal election of 1876.
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13min

FAQs about How To Be A Historian:

How many episodes does How To Be A Historian have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.