The 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, offers an opportunity to think about how – and why – we remember and commemorate the war in the ways we do. We’ll take a tour of countries – the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Poland, and Germany – to see how they have held onto differing national memories of a shared conflict. If we look at how others choose to remember the war, we may find that World War II offers meaning for us today as we debate history education, federal funding to cultural and research institutions, and what it means to be patriotic.

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guest: Brian Puaca

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

The past, as revealed on paper documents, does not always tell the entire story. In this case, the people of the past literally narrate our history. To commemorate Black History Month, we will go back to the 1960s and 1970s and listen to the voices of a community of Black students to discover that integration proved to be far more complex than many recall from textbook coverage of the civil rights movement. By doing so, we all gain a more complete picture of our national history. 

Host: Andrew J. Falk

In collaboration with Laura Puaca

This episode is produced in collaboration with the Hampton Roads Oral History Project at Christopher Newport University, which mentors students to document the impact of the civil rights movement on residents living in the Historic Triangle of southeast Virginia. Its director, Dr. Laura Puaca, studies the history of social movements in the United States and collaobrates with community partners at the Newsome House Museum and Cultural Center as well as the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center. Researchers are encouraged to visit the Project’s website to hear more stories and to view digitized documents, yearbooks, and photographs.

The Hampton Roads community members who shared their experiences include Valerie Scott Price, James Lovett, Dwight Spratley, Eula Branch, Janice Larrimore, Brenda Gibson Stewart, Norline Jenkins-DePieza, and Lyndia Johnson.

Students who conducted interviews include Dane Christensen, Devereaux Davis, Nicole Flautt, Aidan Fritz, Cole Fuchs, Sydney Goodman, Keelyn Graves, Orson Lange, Allison Silverman, Dayman Parrish, Jack Perry, Christina Richardson, Dorian Vitale, and Marlena Williams.

And the student-historians responsible for research, narrative writing, and editing are Matthew Johnson, Mia LaRochelle, and Jessica Spencer.

Special thanks to archivist Matt Shelley at the Trible Library, where you can access all the archived interviews online.

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

The new, expanded college football playoffs saw enthusiastic crowds attending bowl games across the country. This year’s NFL Super Bowl is broadcast to millions worldwide. It’s a season when sport and spectacle collide, as stadiums rally civic pride, and athletes compete in a violent struggle for dominance. But the world has seen something like this before when Roman gladiators entered the famous Colosseum. Though separated by centuries, we are closer to the people of the ancient world than we might think. What is the legacy of sport and spectacle, and what can we learn about ourselves as we tune in?

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guest: David Pollio

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

Past is Prologue is a history podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

After fire engulfed the 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019 – destroying the medieval timbers, crushing stone gargoyles and bells, melting the lead roof, causing the spire to collapse, and threatening precious relics and artistic treasures – the restoration has concluded and the cathedral is ready to open its doors once again during the Christmas season. With the help of the latest technology and breathtaking craftsmanship, the quick reconstruction of the cathedral has been an act of faith and a labor of love. Some would say it’s been nothing short of a miracle, but it’s only the latest renovation in its long history. Why invest so much time, effort, and expense to restore a building? What’s the religious, national, cultural, artistic, and cultural significance of this site and other public sites we visit closer to home?

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guests: Michelle Erhardt and Michael Mulryan

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

What’s the backstory to the ingredients and dishes that find their way to your Thanksgiving table? This holiday season, you’re invited to join us in the kitchen for a heaping helping of history because food can be a portal to the past. Cook along with us as we use old recipes from historic cookbooks. We’ll travel back in time and feel a connection to the people of the past and the worlds in which they lived.

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

In this final installment in our miniseries on the election of 2024, we use history to understand the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris and the strategic decisions her presidential campaign has made. Labeled by the Trump campaign as an “extremist” and the “antichrist,” do themes of patriotism and religion affect the way Harris campaigns for the presidency under a banner of “joy and freedom”? A generation younger than Trump, and seeking to become the first woman and woman of color to serve as President of the United States, how do generational, gender, and racial dynamics shape the contest? In other words: In this age of identity politics, how does Kamala Harris make her case to the people?

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guest: Elizabeth Wood

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

This is the second episode in our three-part series on the election of 2024. Today, we’re looking at voters in the battleground states. In a nation of “red” states for Trump and “blue” states for Harris, what are voters thinking in the “purple” bellwether states of the “Rust Belt” and “Sun Belt”? We'll get the historical backstory to shifting political coalitions, economic and racial insecurities, and the selections of J.D. Vance and Tim Walz. If you want to understand why your fellow citizens sometimes view the world so differently from yourself, then maybe this episode is for you. In other words, let’s go to the battleground to find common ground on what matters most to these voters. As always, we’ll ground our discussion in the historical record. 

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guest: James Allison, III

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

The 2024 presidential election in U.S. history is shaping up to be unlike any others… but is it? An incumbent president with health concerns. A former president seeking to regain the office he lost is the target of an assassination attempt. The biased media sets the narrative and stokes partisan fury. Not only are their historical parallels to these and other facets of the election, but there are historical forces that can help us understand what is going on, why the campaigns are conducted in certain ways, and also tell us something about who we are as American voters.

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guest: Phillip Hamilton

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].

Paris is hosting the Summer Olympics and, aside from the athletic competitions, it allows the world to focus attention on the people and culture of Paris. There’s a history to this: The ancient Olympics featured artistic competitions, and the modern Olympics handed out medals to artists in multiple events: music, painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture. What draws us to the great international city of Paris, where athletes compete in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Versailles? We’ll put a spotlight on the City of Light to find out what makes Paris so special.

Host: Andrew J. Falk

Guests: Michelle Erhardt and Michael Mulryan

Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at [email protected].