Revisionist History

By Malcolm Gladwell / Pushkin

Society & Culture

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. From Pushkin Industries. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.

4.8

15,258 ratings

	EPISODES LIST
		Nashville Revolution: Bobby Braddock, Don Schlitz, and Don Henry Malcolm Gladwell talks to three songwriters who helped transform country music in the 1970s. Gone were cowboy hats, train whistles and church suppers. In came songs about desperation, loss, changes, and regret that changed how Nashville made music and spoke to a new generation of audiences. Bobby Braddock, Don Schlitz and Don Henry talk about their influences, trade stories, and play acoustic versions of their classic hits.	12.04.2018
		Rick Rubin Revisionist History presents the first episode of a new podcast, Broken Record. It's a conversation between Rick Rubin and Revisionist History host Malcolm Gladwell, covering everything from Rick’s role in the very beginning of hip-hop to his role in introducing Johnny Cash to a new generation of writers, performers and music lovers. Rick and Malcolm delve deep into Rick’s back catalogue – which is really a history of contemporary music – to reveal more about the artists that defined a new era, and why they are still vital listening today.	11.13.2018
		Revisionist History Presents: Broken Record From Revisionist History host Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam: Conversations. Arguments. Stories. Remembering old music. Discovering new music. Broken Record: Liner notes for the digital age. Revisionist History will be airing the first episode of Broken Record on November 13th. Listen here or in the Broken Record feed.	11.06.2018
		Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis The one song The King couldn’t sing.	07.19.2018
		Strong Verbs, Short Sentences “She was Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, and Florence Nightingale—all wrapped up in one.”	07.12.2018
		The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh Epidemics of fear repeat themselves. The first time as tragedy. The second time as farce. Margit Hamosh? Definitely farce.	07.05.2018
		Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life Crucial life lessons from the end of hockey games, Idris Elba, and some Wall Street guys with a lot of time on their hands.	06.28.2018
		The Hug Heard Round the World Q: Was there a period where you felt you had something to prove? A: The first 45 years of my life.	06.21.2018
		General Chapman’s Last Stand Good fences make good neighbors. Or maybe not.	06.14.2018
		Free Brian Williams "Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft."	06.07.2018
		A Polite Word for Liar An early morning raid, a house-full of Nazis, the world’s greatest harmonica player, and a dashingly handsome undercover spy. What could possibly go wrong?	05.31.2018
		Burden of Proof “He called to wish me ‘Happy Birthday.’ Then he said, ‘I’m failing everything.’”	05.24.2018
		Divide and Conquer The complete, unabridged history of the world’s most controversial semicolon.	05.17.2018
		Bonus: Malcolm Gladwell debates Adam Grant In a special live taping at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Malcolm talks with WorkLife’s Adam Grant about how to avoid doing highly undesirable tasks, what makes an idea interesting, and why Malcolm thinks we shouldn't root for the underdog.	05.10.2018
		Introducing Revisionist History Season Three Malcolm Gladwell is back with season three of Revisionist History: harmonica players, mass delusion, semicolons, and a constitutional crisis. Launching May 17th on Panoply.	05.03.2018
		The Basement Tapes What is a son’s obligation to his father?	08.17.2017
		McDonald’s Broke My Heart They made the world’s greatest French Fry. Then they threw it away.	08.10.2017
		Mr. Hollowell Didn’t Like That Arrested, arraigned, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair in 24 hours.	08.03.2017
		State v Johnson “Nobody was interested in justice.”	07.27.2017
		The King of Tears Why country music makes you cry, and rock and roll doesn’t: A musical interpretation of divided America.	07.20.2017
		The Prime Minister and the Prof The friendship that changed the course of World War II.	07.13.2017
		The Foot Soldier of Birmingham “Oh, Mac. What did you do?”	07.06.2017
		Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment A landmark Supreme Court case. A civil rights revolution. Why has everyone forgotten what happened next?	06.29.2017
		The Road to Damascus What happens when a terrorist has a change of heart?	06.22.2017
		A Good Walk Spoiled Rich people and their addiction to golf: a philosophical investigation.	06.15.2017
		Introducing Revisionist History Season Two From bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, season two of Revisionist History launches June 15th.	05.26.2017
		The Satire Paradox In the political turmoil of mid-1990s Britain, a brilliantyoung comic named Harry Enfield set out to satirize the ideology and politicsof Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His parodies became famous. He wrote andperformed a vicious sendup of the typical Thatcherite nouveau riche buffoon. Peopleloved it. And what happened? Exactly the opposite of what Enfield hoped wouldhappen. In an age dominated by political comedy, “The Satire Paradox”asks whether laughter and socialprotest are friends or foes. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	08.18.2016
		Generous Orthodoxy A 98-year-old minister takes on his church over the subject of gay marriage—and teaches the rest of us what it means to stand up in protest. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	08.11.2016
		Blame Game In the summer and fall of 2009, hundreds of Toyota owners came forward with an alarming allegation: Their cars were suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating. Toyota was forced to recall 10 million vehicles, pay a fine of more than $1 billion, and settle countless lawsuits. The consensus was that there was something badly wrong with the world’s most popular cars. Except that there wasn’t. What happens when hysteria overtakes common sense? To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	08.04.2016
		Hallelujah How does genius emerge? An exploration of different types of innovation—through the lens of Elvis Costello’s extraordinary song “Deportee,” once utterly forgettable and then, through time and iteration, a work of beauty and genius. If you're looking to go deeper into the subjects on Revisionist History, visit Malcolm's collection on iBooks at http://www.apple.co/MalcolmGladwell -- iBooks will update the page every week with new recommendations. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	07.28.2016
		My Little Hundred Million In the early ’90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not even to his alma mater, MIT. What was Rowan thinking? And why has it proven so difficult for other philanthropists to follow his lead? To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	07.21.2016
		Food Fight Bowdoin College and Vassar College are two elite private schools that compete for the same students. But one of those schools is trying hard to address the problem of rich and poor in American society—and paying a high price. The other is making that problem worse—and reaping rewards as a result. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	07.14.2016
		Carlos Doesn’t Remember Of the tens of thousands of talented, low-income students who graduate from high school every year in the United States, most never make it to universities appropriate to their gifts. America leaves an enormous amount of talent on the table every year. “Carlos Doesn’t Remember” explains why. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	07.07.2016
		The Big Man Can't Shoot Wilt Chamberlain’s brilliant career was marred by one, deeply inexplicable decision: He chose a shooting technique that made him one of the worst foul shooters in basketball—even though he had tried a better alternative. Why do smart people do dumb things? To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	06.30.2016
		Saigon, 1965 In the early 1960s the Pentagon set up a top-secret research project in an old villa in downtown Saigon. The task? To interview captured North Vietnamese soldiers and guerrillas in order to measure the effect of relentless U.S. bombing on their morale. Yet despite a wealth of great data, even the leaders of the study couldn’t agree on what it meant. To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	06.23.2016
		The Lady Vanishes In the late 19th century, a painting titled The Roll Call, by a virtually unknown artist, took England by storm. But after that brilliant first effort, the artist all but disappeared. Why? And what does The Roll Call tell us about the fate of those first through the door? To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit www.RevisionistHistory.com	06.16.2016
		Introducing Revisionist History Coming soon, a new podcast series from bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell.	06.03.2016

LAST EPISODE

Nashville Revolution: Bobby...

12.04.2018

Malcolm Gladwell talks to three songwriters who helped transform country music in the 1970s. Gone were cowboy hats, train whistles and church suppers. In came songs about desperation, loss, changes, and regret that changed how Nashville made music and spoke ...