Say It With History: Stories That Shaped the Past with Holley Snaith

To the world, Eleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady, diplomat, humanitarian, and one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. To Nina Roosevelt Gibson, she was Grandmère. Drawing from her memoir Growing Up Roosevelt, Nina shares personal memories of life with her grandmother at Val-Kill, their travels together, and the family experiences that reveal a more intimate side of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Key Topics

• Growing up with Eleanor Roosevelt at Val-Kill
• Val-Kill as a family home and important place in Eleanor’s life
• Traveling with Eleanor as a child and teenager
• Eleanor’s relationships with family, friends, and world leaders
• The private woman behind the public figure
• Eleanor’s compassion, humanitarianism, and commitment to others
• The values and lessons Nina carries from her grandmother

Guest Bio

Nina Roosevelt Gibson is an author, psychologist, and granddaughter of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The daughter of their youngest son, John Roosevelt, she spent formative years living at Val-Kill and traveling with Eleanor Roosevelt. In her memoir, Growing Up Roosevelt, Nina shares personal memories of her grandmother, family life, and the remarkable people and experiences that shaped her childhood.

Growing Up Roosevelt

Amazon: Hardcover | Kindle

Bookshop: Hardback | Ebook

The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill: https://ervk.org/growing-up-roosevelt/

The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill: Learn More About Their Work & Mission

Books Mentioned

Exodus by Leon Uris: Bookshop Paperback

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn 

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Edwin Booth was one of America’s most celebrated Shakespearean actors, but his life and legacy were forever altered by his brother John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Historian Elizabeth M. Reese explores Edwin’s remarkable theatrical career, the burden of the Booth family name, and his efforts to rebuild his life and reputation amid grief, fame, and a nation struggling with the aftermath of the Civil War.

Key Topics

• Edwin Booth’s rise as one of America’s leading Shakespearean actors
• The Booth family and nineteenth-century American theater
• The impact of Lincoln’s assassination on Edwin’s life and career
• Edwin’s relationship with his brother John Wilkes Booth
• Rebuilding his career and the Booth family reputation
• Grief, public memory, and national healing after the Civil War
• Edwin Booth’s lasting influence on American theater

Guest Bio

Elizabeth M. Reese is a historian whose work explores public memory, family, and grief. A longtime public historian, she is the author of Marquis de Lafayette Returns and has written for TIME, The New York Times, and the Journal of the American Revolution. She is currently writing a book examining Edwin Booth’s influence on American theater and his life in the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination.

Books Mentioned 

America’s Original Sin by John Rhodehamel: Amazon Hardback | Kindle | Bookshop

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler: Bookshop Paperback | Bookshop Ebook

Othello Recording from Edwin Booth: YouTube

Connect with Elizabeth: Website | Instagram | Bluesky | Substack

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn  

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Before Fred Astaire became a Hollywood legend, he shared the stage with his equally talented sister, Adele Astaire. Author Eliza Knight explores Adele’s remarkable career as a celebrated performer in New York and London, her partnership with Fred, and the life she built after stepping away from the stage at the height of her fame.

Key Topics

• Adele and Fred Astaire’s early career as a brother-sister act
• Adele’s success on Broadway and the London stage
• Her personality, talent, and appeal to audiences
• Adele’s relationship and partnership with Fred
• Her decision to leave the stage and marry Lord Charles Cavendish
• Researching Adele’s life for historical fiction
• Recovering Adele’s place in twentieth-century entertainment history

Guest Bio

Eliza Knight is an award-winning USA Today and international bestselling author of historical fiction. She is the creator of the history blog History Undressed, host of the History, Books and Wine podcast, and author of Starring Adele Astaire, a historical novel inspired by the life and career of Adele Astaire.

Starring Adele Astaire

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle

Bookshop: Paperback | Ebook

Books mentioned

The Frozen River by Ariel Lohan: Bookshop Paperback | Bookshop Ebook

Connect with Eliza: Website | History, Books & Wine Podcast | Facebook |  Instagram | Amazon Author Page

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn 

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Holley is excited to announce that Season 2 of Say It With History will be here on Friday, January 2, 2026. This season, Holley will be exploring a wide range of stories spanning entertainment, political, and military history—from Broadway and Hollywood to Washington, D.C., and Italy. Each Friday, she will bring listeners thoughtful, engaging conversations filled with stories, scholarship, and the voices keeping history alive today. 

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn 

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Women played a central but often overlooked role in building and administering America’s social safety net. Historian Alycia Asai explores how women transformed traditions of community care and charity into professional social work, the influence of figures such as Frances Perkins, and how debates over welfare and public assistance have evolved over time.

Key Topics

• Women’s role in the development of America’s social safety net
• The evolution of charity work into professional social work
• Welfare administration as a career path for women
• Frances Perkins and the Social Security Act of 1935
• Gender and the history of public assistance
• How historical debates over welfare continue to resonate today

Guest Bio

Alycia Asai is an independent historian and host of Civics and Coffee: A History Podcast. She earned her master’s degree from Sonoma State University, where she studied the evolution of the American social safety net with a focus on women in welfare administration. Trained in oral history, her writing has appeared in Inside History and Nursing Clio.

Alycia's Masters Thesis: Beyond Bureaucrats: The Sonoma County Women Behind Implementing Welfare Reform & the Affordable Care Act

Nursing Clio Piece: Hidden Casualties

Books Mentioned

Creating a Female Dominion in American Reform, 1890-1935 by Robyn Muncy: Bookshop

Connect with Alycia: Website | Substack | Bluesky | Instagram | Facebook | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Patreon | YouTube  

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn 

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Ancient Egypt was about far more than pharaohs, pyramids, and monumental tombs. Egyptologist and museum educator Melissa in De Nile explores the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians, the role of animals in Egyptian culture, the fascinating history of Amarna, and how historians and archaeologists separate evidence from enduring myths.

Key Topics

• Daily life in Ancient Egypt
• Dogs and animals in Egyptian society and culture
• The history and mysteries of Amarna
• Common myths and misconceptions about Ancient Egypt
• How archaeology helps reconstruct everyday life
• Making Ancient Egyptian history accessible beyond academia

Guest Bio

Melissa in De Nile is an Egyptologist, archaeologist, museum educator, and history content creator. She launched Melissa in De Nile in 2020 to make Ancient Egyptian art, archaeology, and history engaging and accessible to wider audiences through social media, digital content, and museum education.

Books mentioned

⁠Mummies in the Morning⁠ by Mary Pope Osborne: Amazon | Bookshop

⁠Mummies and Pyramids⁠ by Mary Pope Osborne & Will Osborne: Bookshop

⁠Come, Tell Me How You Live⁠ by Agatha Christie Mallowan: Bookshop

Nefertiti: A Novel ⁠by Michelle Moran: Amazon | Bookshop

Connect with Melissa: ⁠Website ⁠| ⁠TikTok ⁠| ⁠Instagram ⁠| ⁠YouTube ⁠| ⁠Twitch⁠ | ⁠Facebook ⁠| ⁠Patreon⁠

Connect with Holley: ⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠ | ⁠Website ⁠| ⁠LinkedIn

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Civic education shapes how Americans understand their government, history, and role in democracy. Educator and writer Paul Rader explores the importance of civics, the roots of modern political polarization, and how a stronger understanding of history can encourage more informed and constructive civic engagement.

Key Topics

• The importance of civic education
• Understanding American government and democracy
• The historical roots of political polarization
• How polarization affects civic participation
• The role of history in understanding contemporary politics
• Encouraging informed and constructive civic engagement

Guest Bio

Paul Rader is an educator, writer, and host of the Politics with Paul podcast. He is the author of Why Independents Rarely Win Elections: And How They Could Become More Competitive and founder of Detoxify American Politics, a nonpartisan civic education initiative focused on strengthening civic awareness and engagement.

Connect with Paul: Linktree | Website | Detoxify American Politics | Politicswith Paul Podcast | LinkedIn

Paul’s Book: Why Independents Rarely Win Elections: And How They Could Become More Competitive | Kindle Version

Reads mentioned: Why Parties?: The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America by John Aldrich | The Federalist Papers

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn

Listen on YouTube: Channel

Episode Description

Music can preserve powerful connections to memory, place, and the people who shape our lives. Historian and curator Melissa Ziobro explores the legacy of Bruce Springsteen, from preserving his archives and curating Springsteen: His Hometown to researching his connections to the Vietnam War, while examining the broader relationship between music, memory, and American history.

Key Topics

• Preserving and interpreting Bruce Springsteen’s legacy
• The creation of Springsteen: His Hometown
• Springsteen’s personal connections to the Vietnam War
• Music as a source of memory and historical storytelling
• New Jersey history and the legacy of Fort Monmouth
• The role of archives and museums in preserving music history

Guest Bio

Melissa Ziobro is a historian, curator, and Director of Curatorial Affairs at Monmouth University’s Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. She previously worked as a historian, archivist, and curator for the U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth and later joined the faculty at Monmouth University. Her work explores music, military, and New Jersey history.

Connect with Melissa: LinkedIn | Springsteen Archives | Monmouth Profile

Melissa’s Books: Fort Monmouth: The U.S. Army’s House of Magic (2024) | The Battlin’ Bastards of Bravo (2025)

Books mentioned: Don’t Stop: Why We (Still) Love Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours by Alan Light

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn

Women played important but often difficult-to-document roles in intelligence gathering during the American Revolution. Historian and author Aly Riley explores female espionage, Revolutionary intelligence networks, the mystery surrounding Agent 355, and the challenges of reconstructing the lives of women whose contributions were rarely preserved in the historical record.

Key Topics

• Women and espionage during the American Revolution
• Revolutionary-era intelligence networks
• The enduring mystery of Agent 355
• Recovering women’s stories from limited historical records
• Separating evidence from legend in the history of espionage
• Bringing overlooked women back into the Revolutionary narrative

Guest Bio

Aly Riley is an American historian and author who earned her master’s degree in history from Monmouth University in 2021. She is the author of She Spies, which explores women and espionage during the American Revolution, and Spirits and Secrets.

Connect with Aly: LinkedIn | Instagram | She Spies

Books mentioned: Invisible Ink: Spycraft of the American Revolution by John A. Nagy | 1776 by David McCullough

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn

Listen on YouTube: Channel

History does not always fit neatly into political, social, or cultural categories. Historian Matthew Hild discusses his wide-ranging work, from the labor struggles and political movements of the Gilded Age to researching popular figures such as Andy Gibb and Olivia Newton-John, and what these subjects reveal about the many ways we understand and tell the American story.

Key Topics

• Labor, politics, and society during the Gilded Age
• Why the Gilded Age continues to resonate today
• Connecting academic history with popular storytelling
• Researching the life and career of Andy Gibb
• Olivia Newton-John and popular culture
• Making history accessible to broader audiences

Guest Bio

Matthew Hild is the Civic Education and Learning Initiatives Manager and a Lecturer of History at Georgia Tech. He is the author or co-author of seven books covering American labor, political, and cultural history, with work spanning the Gilded Age to modern popular culture.

Connect with Matt: LinkedIn | Georgia Tech Profile | Amazon Author Page | Andy Gibb Book

Book mentioned: Equality: An American Dilemma, 1866-1896 by Charles Postel

Connect with Holley: Buy Me A Coffee | Website | LinkedIn

Listen on YouTube: Channel