America’s divided. And it always has been. Uncivil, Gimlet’s new history podcast, takes you back to a time when America was so divided that it split in two. In each episode hosts Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika ransack the official history of the Civil War… that boring, safety-first version you were taught in school. They’ll bring you untold stories of covert ops, mutiny, counterfeiting, and the 1860s version of drone warfare. And give you a better sense for how these forgotten struggles connect to the political battlefield we’re living on right now.

In this first episode of Uncivil, The Raid, a group of ex-farmers, a terrorist from Kansas, and a schoolteacher attempt the greatest covert operation of the Civil War.

New episodes of Uncivil come out every week. Listen now on:

Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Pocketcasts

A 93-year-old man takes a DNA test, and everything changes.

Jean Grae is a rapper, comedian, producer, writer, and much more... and her genealogy is as wide-ranging as her career. But Jean doesn't know very much her family's past. So we help her out. We take Jean through South Africa’s complicated racial history, the birth of a political movement in Cape Town, and the pivotal role of carnivorous plants in science. And then, we’ll introduce her to a mystery relative.

Tell us what you think of the show by filling out this survey!

CREDITS:

Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just and Alex Blumberg. Michelle Harris is our fact checker. Music and sound design by Haley Shaw with additional mixing by Martin Paralta.

Special thanks to Basil George, Colin Fox, Damien Samuels, the Archives on St Helena, CeCe Moore, Andy Kill, Tanja Hammel, Patricia McCracken, Dr. Sean Field, Mark Adams, Cherie Bush, Adam Brown, Eowyn Langholf, Brian Willan, and Andrew Lumby. Voice casting by NYC VO Coach Shelly Shenoy. Carol Muller is the author of Musical Echoes: South African Women Thinking in Jazz.

Extra thanks to Caitlin Kenney, Stevie Lane, Ale Lariu, Kevin Turner, Kelly Coonan, Katelyn Bogucki, and all of the lovely people around Gimlet who helped us get this show off the ground. Plus, Harrison Topp, Chris Wright, Rebecca Heymann, Jon Anderson and Terri Raymond. Bonnie Antosh and Jeremy Lloyd sing our jingles.

You can email us at [email protected]. We tweet @TwiceRemoved. We’re also on Facebook. Get in touch! Seriously. We’d love to hear from you.

If you’re a fan of the show, we would love it if you could rate or review us on iTunes. It makes a big, big difference and is really one of the best ways to help others find out about the show. So hop into iTunes or your podcast app and let us know what you think of the show.

Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. I’m AJ Jacobs. Thank you for listening, it's been wonderful to get to know you this season.

OUR SPONSORS

23 and Me - To order your kit, visit 23andme.com

Adobe Video Tools - Download free trials and learn more at adobe.ly/twice

Audible SincerelyX - To listen go to audible.com/sincerelyx. Audible and Amazon Prime members listen free

Blue Apron - Get your first three Blue Apron meals delivered for free by going to blueapron.com/twice

Family Tree Magazine - Download their free ebook at familytreemagazine.com/ancestry

Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code "TWICE REMOVED" at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

Abbi Jacobson is an actress, comedian, illustrator, and co-creator of Comedy Central’s Broad City. In this episode, we journey through her family’s past: we uncover a 50-year-old unsolved crime; one of the most contentious battles in New York history, and a pioneer in women’s sports. We’ll tell these stories and introduce Abbi to a mystery relative...and another surprise! 

CREDITS:

Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just and Alex Blumberg. Michelle Harris is our fact checker. Research help from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Robert Rockaway. Genealogical help from Jordan Auslander, J. Mark Lowe, David Zuckerman, Erica Howton and the people at Geni. Music and sound design by Haley Shaw.

Special thanks to John Molina, Sandra Mann, Jane Trepagnier, Tim Martin, Andrew Hudson, Bria Schreiber, Melissa Kates and our Olympic Co-Eds singers: Molly Messick, Simone Polanen and Stevie Lane.

You can email us at [email protected]. We tweet @TwiceRemoved. We’re also on Facebook. If you’re a fan of the show, we would love it if you could rate or review us on iTunes. It makes a big, big difference and is really one of the best ways to help others find out about the show. So hop into iTunes or your podcast app and let us know what you think of the show. After all, we’re family...

Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. I’m AJ Jacobs, we’ll be back in two weeks.

OUR SPONSORS

Squarespace – Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code “TWICE REMOVED” at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

Tinder - DTR is a new podcast about defining relationships in the digital age. Listen to it on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts

Sometimes the best way to tell a story, a really strange story, is with a song. So here's the story of an undead husband, a husband on the run, and a wife named Lydia.

Nazanin Rafsanjani is a beloved member of the Gimlet family, overseeing Gimlet’s advertising wing. She also has an incredible family story, moving to the U.S. from Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. And Nazanin’s family tree is filled with people who left their communities and started over, from the victim of an epidemic, to two literary icons. We’ll tell these stories, and introduce her to a mystery relative.

CREDITS

Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Matthew Nelson, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just and Alex Blumberg. Michelle Harris is our fact checker. Research and genealogy by J. Mark Lowe and Eowyn Langholf. Music and sound design by Haley Shaw. Interpreting and translations by Raha Hakimdavar and Sara Goudarzi. Additional music by Blue Note Sessions.

Special thanks this week to Casey Turner, Loretta Shugrue, Sarah Rodriguez, Suzanne Campbell and the West Texas Collection at San Angelo State University,Vickie Webb, Dr. Frank Sousa, Heather Wylie, Brad Moseley and The American School for the Deaf, Dr. Amy Malek, Khodadad Rezakahani, and the band Lowland Hum.

Jeffrey Einboden’s new book which talks about Emerson and his Persian influences is “The Islamic Lineage of American Literary Culture.”

You can reach us at [email protected]. We tweet @TwiceRemoved, and we’re also on Facebook. Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. I’m AJ Jacobs, we’ll be back next week with more Twice Removed. Hopefully you’ll be filled with delight… or perhaps abject horror. You never know. It’s family.

Our Sponsors

Blue Apron- Get your first three Blue Apron meals delivered for free by going to blueapron.com/twice

Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code "TWICE REMOVED" at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

And be sure to check out another podcast about family: The Longest Shortest Time, hosted by Hillary Frank!

Ted Allen’s family tree is so rich with culinary history that his Food Network stardom might be genetic. From baristas, to royal dinner guests, to a celebrity diet icon, Ted’s family tree shows that one of the best ways to look at history is food. We’ll tell these stories and introduce Ted to a mystery relative.

CREDITS

Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Matthew Nelson, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just, Alex Blumberg and Caitlin Kenney. Original music and mixing by Haley Shaw. Research and genealogy help from J. Mark Lowe, Angela Walton-Raji, Erica Howton and the folks at Geni. Fact checking by Michelle Harris.

Extra thanks to Brittany Luse, Jon Grinspan, Cherie Bush and Lee Mazur. Alex Prud’homme’s new book about Julia Child is “The French Chef In America: Julia Child’s Second Act.”

And thanks to Lauri Ditunno at Cake Alchemy for making our sugarworks swan. You can see the pictures of the swan and a graphic of the family tree on our website, Gimletmedia.com/TwiceRemoved. We’re on Twitter, @TwiceRemoved and Facebook @twiceremovedshow. Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. I’m AJ Jacobs. Thanks for listening.

Our Sponsors

Audible - Start your free 30-day trial by going to Audible.com/twiceremoved

Blue Apron - Get your first three Blue Apron meals delivered for free by going to blueapron.com/twice

Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code "TWICE REMOVED" at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

Dan Savage has helped redefine what it means to be a family in the 21st Century. And given his ancestors, it’s no surprise why. Dan’s family history traces back to the 1920s Chicago mob scene, a South Asian autocracy, and to a New York City apartment filled with men trying to save a community. We’ll tell these stories and introduce Dan to a surprise relative.

CREDITS:

Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just and Alex Blumberg. Original music and mixing by Haley Shaw.

Research and Genealogy help from J. Mark Lowe, Krista Reynen, Eowyn Langolf, Erika Howton and the folks at Geni. Additional music by R-A-C, Tyler Strickland and Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Gene Trimble, Monica Garcia, Senator Dick Durbin (also a cousin of Dan’s), Riz Rollins, Amina Steinfels, Charles Manning and Richard Godbeer.

Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. Our website -- where you can see photos from our research -- GimletMedia.com/TwiceRemoved. We’re on Twitter and Facebook @TwiceRemoved. I’m @ajjacobs, because I am AJ Jacobs. See you next week.

Our Sponsors

Audible - Start your free 30-day trial by going to Audible.com/twiceremoved

Blue Apron - Get your first three Blue Apron meals delivered for free by going to blueapron.com/twice

Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code "TWICE REMOVED" at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twice removed is Gimlet Media's new family history show. Each episode we take a guest and build a massive family tree filled with people they are connected to. We then follow one branch of that tree, stopping at the most fascinating people and stories along the way. At the end of the hour, we introduce the guest to a surprise relative, someone they couldn't possibly have imagined they're related to. It's a family reunion unlike any other. They could be filled with delight... or abject horror. You never know. It's family.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices