The Tattooed Historian Show

Are we witnessing a new digital dark age? The internet can be a great place to share thoughts and memories, but nothing you place online is guaranteed to be there in the future. Ian Milligan stopped by to chat about concepts and thoughts from his new book, Averting the Digital Dark Age, and offered a glimpse into our contemporary situation with digitally-based information.

With the deletion of various concepts, identities and ideas online that came with the changing of the guard in Washington D.C., this is a timely episode!

For the first episode of the new season of the podcast, I sat down with Matthew da Mota, senior research associate and program manager for the Global AI Risks Initiative at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. We discussed his opinion piece, "Libraries and Research Institutions Will Need Strong AI Governance," and advice he would share with students and librarians on AI usage and ethics.

This is an important beginning to a season of podcasts that will highlight the work on the front lines of the history field and beyond.

Frank Cirillo has given Civil War Era historians something fresh to ponder. Frank's book, The Abolitionist Civil War: Immediatists and the Struggle to Transform the Union (LSU Press), showcases how we must not make generalizations about a group and it's our job to look beyond what we tend to see in our research.

Frank highlights the various factions within the abolitionist movement before, during, and after the Civil War. This is one book you'll definitely want on your shelves and this is an episode that you'll want to tune in to!

Step into the shadowy streets of foggy London as I speak with Simon Read, author of Scotland Yard (Pegasus Books). From the early 19th century to the eve of WWII, Scotland Yard revolutionized crime-solving with cutting-edge forensics, the first criminal profiles, and detective feats straight out of fiction. Simon used official case files, trial transcripts, and first-hand accounts to dive into notorious murders and landmark investigations that shaped modern policing.

If you’re fascinated by true crime, this is the podcast episode for you!

In this episode, we delve into Lori Ginzberg's newest book, "Tangled Journeys: One Family's Story and the Making of American History." Ginzberg unravels the complex history of the Cogdell-Sanders family, a story spanning generations and intertwining slavery, freedom, and the tangled web of history. From the forced enslavement of Sarah Martha Sanders in Charleston to her family's unexpected rise in Philadelphia, this episode explores the hidden narratives and challenges us to confront the complexities of our past.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Lori's book from your local, independent book store!

For far too long, traditional historians have failed to engage with the impact video games can have on how we "see" the past. Patrick A. Lewis and James "Trae" Welborn III joined me for a live stream chat on my YouTube channel to discuss how games can be viewpoints into contemporary historical memory.

You can find their edited work, Playing at War: Identity and Memory in Civil War Video Games, wherever you purchase your favourite books.

Jim Ambuske, Co-Head of R2 Studios, joined me to discuss the latest in the world of podcasting. Storytelling in the digital age has never been more accessible or more easily created, and we chatted about all of these qualities and more. Jim brought up a lot of great points in this event and if you're a podcaster, or thinking of podcasting, I'm sure you'll get some value out of this.

You can see the video version of this chat on my YouTube channel!

This is a small segment of a longer chat I had with Jim Ambuske, Co-Head of R2 Studios, concerning AI use in the podcasting world. You'll hear the whole conversation on a later, full-length episode of The Tattooed Historian Show!

Did you know that infamous American aviator, Charles Lindbergh, was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's harshest critics before the Second World War? Lindbergh's beliefs about isolation and alliance with the America First movement put him in stark contrast with FDR.

Paul M. Sparrow, author of Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words with Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy, joins me to discuss these two men and the messages they highlighted for all who would listen.

In this episode of the podcast, we delve into the life of David Henry White, a free Black sailor from Delaware who was kidnapped and forced into captivity on board the Confederate raider CSS Alabama.

Andrew's book, Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White, is available from Johns Hopkin's University Press and is worthy of a thorough read. Pick up your copy today!

Don't forget to head over to thetattooedhistorian.com to find out where you can find me online!