Saxophonist Johnny Hodges

Guest: Con Chapman, author, "Rabbit’s Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges"

The story of the life and music of legendary blues saxophone player Johnny Hodges, a member of Duke Ellington’s orchestra for more than 40 years.

 

The Friendship Between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison Lives On

Guest: Marc Gruether, Vice President, Historical Resources and Chief Curator, The Henry Ford 

A dynamic and influential pair, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford shared a decades-long friendship. They were so close, in fact, Henry Ford is said to have received a test tube with Edison’s final breath trapped inside. Why?

 

The 75th Anniversary of French Liberation from German Occupation

Guest: Hanna Diamond, Senior Lecturer, French History, University of Bath, UK 

It’s been a big year for WWII memories. The 75th anniversary of D-Day was in June, followed by related milestones. Battles in France, Holland and Belgium continued into the fall of 1944. Calais itself was not liberated until September 22. The world is paying close attention to this anniversary, as it is the last time that any actual WWII veterans will be around to see it.

 

Will the Zeppelin Fly Again?

Guest: David Grossman, science journalist and staff writer, Popular Mechanics

The infamous 1937 Hindenburg accident was like an airborn Titanic, but after the tragedy at sea, people still continued to travel by boat, while airships have been abandoned. A recent study however claims that using modern Zeppelins can help reduce global warming and serve as cargo vessels. Is it time to let Zeppelins fly again? Or are we flirting with disaster?

 

World’s First Civilization 

Guest: Eckart Frahm, Professor, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations/Assyriology, Yale University

There are striking similarities between our modern lives and those of the Mesopotamians thousands of years ago: they sang lullabies, kept cookbooks, complained about their parents. Their leaders wanted to build walls to keep out foreigners. Find out how that went.