Best History Behind News Podcasts (2024)

1
S4E22: Dark Money in America's Elections and Institutional Corruption In America 1:02:24

5h ago1:02:24

1:02:24

Anonymous Super PACs' money has replaced the power of 19th century party bosses. Dark money doesn't stop us from voting. It just limits who we can vote for! In this interview, my guest explains how dark money controls our elections and how big money is responsible for institutional corruption in America. *****🚩About My Guest: Prof. Lawrence Lessig⁠…

1
S4E21: How Polls Predict Voting Preferences From Jan. to Nov. of a Presidential Election Year? 1:13:19

13d ago1:13:19

1:13:19

►Where do pollsters get their participants? ►Do election polling methods and target audiences change as we get closer to Election Day? ►Do Americans vote for candidates who match their values and positions? Or do we vote for candidates with the best campaigns? ►Are there tried-and-true election polling methods? ►Do polls influence election outcomes…

1
Bonus Episode: Have U.S. Sanctions Increased Iran's Regional Aggression? And which Iranians Do U.S. Sanctions Really Hurt? 7:03

20d ago7:03

7:03

👉full episode: https://bit.ly/UME-S1E39 ►Are U.S. sanctions on Iran working? ►Are U.S. sanctions against Iran actually working against the United States? ►Have sanctions empowered and emboldened Iran's Revolutionary Guard… to the point that they were ready for war with the United States? ►Did sanctions help Iran's regime crush the Mahsa Amini prote…

1
S4E20: Debunking China's Modern Economic History & How China's Industrial Rise Was Different Than Europe's & America's 1:10:53

28d ago1:10:53

1:10:53

Has China now reached its age of complacency? To answer this question, Dr. Wang (see bio below) takes us through the history of China's economic miracle of the last 40 years. But the story starts even before that... when impoverished Chinese villagers decided to take matters into their own hands and improve their lives - in spite of their governmen…

1
S4E19: Rural America's Identity & Politics. Why They Vote Republican? 1:08:32

1M ago1:08:32

1:08:32

Did you know there are 70 definitions of rural? This is the story of rural America. And although geography does matter for the purposes of this discussion, rural is a loaded term with a complex meaning that cannot readily be determined by looking at the map. In popular culture, rural may have a negative perception. Regardless of how the media, movi…

1
S4E18: Are Young American Men Ready For A Madam President? America’s Generations - How 2024 Election Changed From A Baby Boomer Contest To An Intergenerational Contest 1:19:02

2M ago1:19:02

1:19:02

Are young American men willing to elect a woman for the highest office in our country? Watch video of this interview: https://bit.ly/HbN-YT-S4E18 In this interview, I ask the following questions: What defines an American generation? Do we have a new generation every 20 to 25 years? Who are Millenials? Gen Zs? How are political movements now, by you…

1
Announcement 2:01

4M ago2:01

2:01

Hey there newspeelers, This is Adel, your host at the History Behind News podcast. We are preparing a great program for the 2nd half of our 4th season, which will start in a few weeks - just in time to cover the history behind the issues that matter for the 2024 presidential election. Here are some examples of what you can expect: ► I will be inter…

1
S4E17: The Story Behind Our Independence Day 54:46

4M ago54:46

54:46

What is Decoration Day? Did the South celebrate the 4th of July? As it turns out, the history of the 4th of July is not that straightforward. For example, it took about a century for the recognition of our Independence Day as a federal holiday. And for some 80 years after the Civil war, some parts of the South, including Vicksburg, did not celebrat…

1
S4E16: Shareholders approve. Politicians disapprove! History of America's high CEO pay packages. 1:12:20

4M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

►My guest claims that Mr. Musk's compensation is $0! How is this possible? ►What are the different components of a CEO's pay package?►Why have CEO salaries stayed constant for decades? ►Why did CEO stock options significantly increase in the 1990s?►Why did CEO pay for performance dramatically increase after 2006? ►Who determines CEO pay? And how? T…

1
S4E15: Debunking Histories of Conservatism & Jewish Americans 1:03:22

5M ago1:03:22

1:03:22

►Who will win the 2024 presidential election? ►Did my guest correctly predict the 2000 presidential election? ►What does it mean to be conservative? ►Is Donald Trump a conservative? ►How are most experts misunderstanding the history of America's conservatism? ►How are most experts misunderstanding an important part of modern Jewish American history…

1
S4E14: Georgia's Existential Moment - Join EU or return to Russia's Orbit? History of a country caught at the crossroads of civilizations! 1:13:34

5M ago1:13:34

1:13:34

►Georgia is a country between two civilizations - Europe & Asia, and Islam and Christianity ►Until the Russians came, Georgia had maintained its status as an independent state. ►Georgia has punched above its weight under Russian and Soviet rule - prime example: Stalin, the most powerful Soviet leader, was Georgian! In this conversation, Dr. Jones t…

1
S4E13: History of gambling - from divination rituals to Caesar Crossing the Rubicon to steamboats and Vegas 1:03:50

6M ago1:03:50

1:03:50

►How we gambled before ash economy? ►Are religion and gambling somehow connected? ►How did risk-taking change after humanity settled down? ►How did 2nd chances - the concept of starting again - develop in America's gambling? ►Why did Las Vegas and Atlantic City seesaw on legalizing gambling? 🚩About My Guest: Dr. David Schwartz is UNLV's ombuds and …

1
S4E12: Ecuador's "Anti-crime" Referendum - Military Patrolling Streets. Counterintuitive & Paradoxical Story of How A Once Peaceful, Multicultural Country Got Here 1:03:59

6M ago1:03:59

1:03:59

"The continent's most violent country" is a phrase used in BBC News this week. In this episode, my guest scholar, Dr. Carmen Martinez Novo, takes us through the history of Ecuador's indigenous peoples and their struggles for equal rights and environmental rights, including an almost three-decade lawsuit against Chevron (initially Texaco). Of course…

1
S4E11: The Saga of China's Brutal One-Child Policy. And why China is now promoting 3 children! 1:02:02

7M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

Families with second pregnancies were punished. Quiet often, mothers who became pregnant again were forced to abort - even in the third trimester. But now... China's government is promoting multiple pregnancies. There are even beauty pageants... for pregnant mothers. In this episode, a replay of its original recording in 2021, my guest scholar peel…

1
S4E10: How An Empire Declined in a "Flash" - The Longest Continuous Monarchy, Denmark's History 1:08:52

7M ago1:08:52

1:08:52

Denmark was once Europe's greatest Protestant power. But just in a span of two or so decades, it was reduced to a has-been. How did this happen? And what lessons are there for America? In addition, Denmark's monarchy is quite informal and highly approachable, particularly when compared with the British monarchy. 🚩About My Guest: Dr. Paul Douglas Lo…

1
S4E9: Persian or Iranian New Year? How Muslim Arabs Conquered Iran & Imperial China's Alliance With the Persian Empire 1:24:42

8M ago1:24:42

1:24:42

►How did the mighty Sasanian Persian Empire fall to the Muslim Arabs? ►What happened in the Persian Empire on February 9, in the year 628? ►Where is the tomb of the last Sasanian King of kings? Were the Achaemenid and Sasanian Empires Persian or Iranian? What's the significance of these terms in the context of the past? How about now? Or in the 20t…

1
S4E8: America's Conspiracy Theories - From Taylor Swift/Kelce Back to WWI 1:02:56

8M ago1:02:56

1:02:56

World War I was a major turning point for America's conspiracy theories. Before WWI, conspiracy theories targeted minorities and marginalized groups. But after WWI, conspiracy theories became about our government, about the Deep State. My guest for this episode is Dr. Kathryn Olmsted, a professor at the History Dept of UC Davis. She is the author o…

1
S4E7: Is Yemen the graveyard of empires? Who are the Houthis? Are the Houthis a ragtag army? 2:54

9M ago2:54

2:54

Out of the 3 major trade routes in the Middle East before the Suez Canal, 2 traversed through Yemen. No wonder the Sasanian Persians, the Ottomans, the Portuguese and the British all occupied and attempted to colonize Yemen. In this episode our guest scholar, Dr. Charles Schmitz, will explain the rise of Houthis in the context of Yemen's religion a…

1
S4E6: How to live with 25% inflation? PER MONTH! How to buy a home? Negotiate salary? Shop? Where to save your money? Argentina's new president and economic crisis. 1:20:27

9M ago1:20:27

1:20:27

Argentina used to be Latin America's largest economy - but no longer! Mismanagement and politics have led to several national defaults and, by some measures, Argentina has the highest inflation in the world! To better understand Argentina's economic challenges, I spoke with Dr. Gabriel Palazzo (also visit his personal homepage and X.com account) - …

1
S4E5: History for Ms. Haley: What caused the Civil War? Would the North have gone to war if slavery was not at issue? 1:09:47

9M ago1:09:47

1:09:47

While Ms. Nikki Haley was reluctant to say the "S" word (read slavery), we all know that slavery caused the Civil War. In this episode, we discuss whether slavery was the Civil War's immediate cause or its underlying cause.The in-depth analysis of this history is important for our current political moment because race is placed in front and center.…

1
S4E4: Who can control our border with Mexico? Texas or D.C.? 1:08:59

9M ago1:08:59

1:08:59

In a brief order this week, the US Supreme Court restored federal government access to and control of the border. In response to the Supreme Court's order, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said this: “I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border”. So here is my question: does the Constitution give Governor Abbot, or any stat…

1
S4E3: Joaquin Phoenix v. Real Napoleon - A Foreigner in France? Propaganda Genius? Brilliant General? 1:08:37

10M ago1:08:37

1:08:37

Did you know, that Napoleon was born only a year after his homeland Corsica, was conquered by France? And that at the time of his birth, his father was fighting with the Corsican army against the French? And get this: when Napoleon moved to France around the age of 10, this future Emperor of the French could not yet speak French.To better understan…

1
S4E2: Hollywood's Other Women - Femmes Fatales, Females Villains, and 'Nasty Women' Who Defy Hollywood Stereotypes 1:07:08

10M ago1:07:08

1:07:08

Not the damsel in distress. Not the desirable woman who will raise your kids and take care of the home. These are the stories of the nymphomaniacs, the nasty and creepy women, the Femme Fatales. A string of recent films are casting prominent actresses, in dark, creepy, nasty characters. One example is the movie May December, which received four nom…

1
S4E1: Hypermasculine Trumpism & Politainment - A Review of 2023 Politics 1:09:11

10M ago1:09:11

1:09:11

The chaos of 2023 Congressional politics in perspective of history - that's the subject of my conversation with Dr. David Schultz in this episode, during which I ask him the following questions: What stood out for him in the political chaos of 2023? What period of American history resembles our current moment? Whatever happened to decorum and state…

1
S3E50: Was Jesus Born on December 25th? Would George Washington Recognize Our Christmas Now? 1:03:25

11M ago1:03:25

1:03:25

Fireworks and wild parties on Christmas Eve? Does this sound strange to you? Well, it wasn't strange to many Americans of our past. Yet, it was highly offensive to many others. How America began to celebrate Christmas and celebrate as it does now, is a multicultural story written by many immigrant groups - from the Pilgrims of the 1620s to the Prot…

1
S3E49: A Republican First Lady Who Supported Abortion! Stories of Powerful Unelected Women - From Martha Washington to Rosalynn Carter 1:14:56

11M ago1:14:56

1:14:56

Rosalynn Smith Carter - was she America's 49th First Lady? Or 50th? Or 41st? The answer depends on who is counted among this elite group of powerful unelected women. Here is my sources for these numbers: 49th: White House Historical Association 50th: National Park Service 41st: the White House In this episode, I discuss the history of America's Fir…

1
S3E38: Psychology & Lives of Mass Shooters - 35 Mass Shooting Prevention & Intervention Strategies 1:01:04

11M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

What is it like to meet murderers on death row? What is it like to meet mass shooters (those who survived)? Their families and friends? What is it like to meet the families and friends of their victims? In this episode, Dr. Jillian Peterson takes us through the lives of mass shooters and tells us about some of the variables in their psychological j…

1
S3E47: Homelessness in America - How Did It Get So Bad? 1:15:52

11M ago1:15:52

1:15:52

"More Americans Are Ending Up Homeless - at a Record Rate." See WSJ. Sign up here to stay updated with the launch of HbN's upcoming podcast: a special series on the Middle East, in-depth history and analysis. From San Francisco and LA to Texas and Florida, to New York, and then back to Montana... this is the history behind America's homelessness cr…

1
S3E46: Thanksgiving, the Real Story 1:04:06

12M ago1:04:06

1:04:06

Prof. Silverman describes the first Thanksgiving: an accidental feast between frenemies that was never repeated. How much is our Thanksgiving tradition based on real events that transpired sometime in the fall of 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts? And why does it matter anyway? Don't all nations have feel-good traditions that are partly based on fact…

1
S3E45: America's Concerts & Cultural Icons - From Taylor Swift to 19th Century Opera Megastars 1:14:57

12M ago1:14:57

1:14:57

She could absolutely be a megastar because we have historical precedent for it. In this episode, I ask my guests, Drs. James Davis & Steven Waksman, the following questions: What were music concerts like in the 19th century? Were concerts limited in size, since there was no amplification? Was music as loud as it is now? Was Jenny Lind in the 19th c…

1
S3E44: Palestine's People - 1,400 Years of Pluralism and Connection to the Land 1:09:15

12M ago1:09:15

1:09:15

This is the history of Palestinians from the rise of Islam to now. In this episode, I ask my guest, Dr. Maha Nassar, the following questions: Did Palestinians have a distinct identity prior to the dominance of this region by Arab rulers? Were they called Palestinians? Was their homeland called Palestine? Were they called Arabs? What was the religio…

1
S3E43: From Royalty of Persian Jews to Home Libraries of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews to A Medieval Jewish Kingdom Outside Israel 1:13:53

12M ago1:13:53

1:13:53

The Jewish Diaspora - A History. It's a story that merits telling especially now. Now that we see many Jewish faces on our screens, Jews who came to Israel from all parts of the world, Jews who kept their Jewish identity for some 2,000 years - regardless of where they were in the world! In this episode, I ask my guest, Dr. Howard Lupovitch, the fol…

1
S3E42: The Unwanted FIFA Kiss - Spanish Women's Long Struggle for Equal Rights 1:26:15

12M ago1:26:15

1:26:15

Do you remember the Unwanted FIFA kiss back in August - when Mr. Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, forced a kiss on Ms. Jenni Hermoso? Well, this week FIFA banned him from all football-related activities for three years. But this episode is not about him. Rather, it's about how women in Spain have persistently …

1
S3E41: Does urban ground war advantage the defending, weaker party? 1:18:58

1y ago1:18:58

1:18:58

From Roman Britain to the streets of Paris, from there to Stalingrad in WWII, the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, and then to Gaza. In this episode, I ask the following questions from my guest, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walters: When did this term, urban warfare, enter our lexicon? Does urban warfare give one side a boost, an …

1
S3E40: When did Jewish people live in this land? When did they leave it? 1:12:50

1y ago1:12:50

1:12:50

As Gaza and Israel explode in crisis and unspeakable tragedies unfold there, we are producing a Middle Series in which we will soon have guests to tell the story of the Palestinian people. In this episode, my guest, Dr. Michael Ptylik, tells the story of the origin of Jewish people through these discussion points: From when were the Jewish people c…

1
S3E39: UAW History, U.S. President and The Big Three 1:13:06

1y ago1:13:06

1:13:06

On the balance, have labor unions benefited American labor? The history of UAW is the story of labor demanding a share of the profits. It's the story of how presidents and politics impact private labor contracts. It's also the story of a corruption scandal at a union with a reputation for high integrity. What compels union leaders to call a strike?…

1
S3E38: China's Military & Geopolitical History 1:20:09

1y ago1:20:09

1:20:09

From mounted horses to hypersonic weapons. This is the story of the global competition of great powers. It’s a story that China has always been a part of, sometimes as the victor, sometimes as the vanquished. In this episode, my guest, Dr. David A. Graff, compares China’s Military might and history to Tibetans, Turks, Mongols, Arabs, Russians, and …

1
S3E37: China's Economic History - Why China's Innovation Fell Behind Europe's 1:18:02

1y ago1:18:02

1:18:02

Did you know, that the compass, gunpowder, paper, and the printing press, all history-changing technologies, were invented in China? Yet, the realization of their economic values happened in Europe, not in China. This is the story of the steep price that imperial China paid for the sake of stability and scale, a story that Communist China seems to …

1
S3E36: How Humans Fear Their Own Creations - From Frankenstein to Artificial Intelligence 1:13:27

1y ago1:13:27

1:13:27

From Gutenberg to Frankenstein to the Luddites to Edison to Ford and to AI - this is our story of fearing human creations, and also our story of embracing the next and newest technology. Dr. Robert Friedel of the University of Maryland rejects the generally accepted definition of "disruptive technologies" and explains how major innovations changed …

1
S3E35: Spain - From Global Empire To "El Desastre" To A Kingdom Without A King 1:26:15

1y ago1:26:15

1:26:15

"An Organic Democracy"? "Spain is different. Come to Spain." Spain’s ignominious defeat in 1898 was an utter shock to Spaniards. Hopes of two republics vanished with civil war, and Franco’s “Organic Democracy” gave way to Spain’s Golden Age that was ultimately supplanted by polarized politics and inconclusive elections. Dr. Julio Ponce of the Unive…

1
S3E34: Violent Gangs and Predatory Republics - From Haiti to Africa 1:31:17

1y ago1:31:17

1:31:17

“Is Haiti a Failed State?” I asked Dr. Robert Fatton. In the News: Haiti Gangs Destroying Civil Society! Our guest, Dr. Fatton, laments the near-total collapse of society in his homeland. In this episode, we uncover the history behind the following: Haiti's gangs & vigilante groups Abolishing Haiti's military & ineffective police force History of f…

1
S3E33: How Sweden Stayed Out of War For 209 Years! 1:17:41

1y ago1:17:41

1:17:41

Sweden's spectacular victories against Russia were later reversed by crushing losses to Russia that ended Sweden's Empire. Sweden is joining NATO. But why now? Why after more than two centuries of peace - a record longer than any other country! My guest in this episode, Dr. Ulf Zander who joined our conversation from Sweden, answers this question a…

1
S3E32: Why Do Governments Go In Debt? 1:08:50

1y ago1:08:50

1:08:50

History of Wars & Nation-building. Sovereign debt history of empires, city-states, early republics & parliaments, and democracies. On August 1, Fitch Ratings downgraded America's credit ratings from AAA to AA+, which means that Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark now have a better credit rating than we do. Fitch Rating…

1
S3E31: Really! Dieting Was A Thing In History? 1:14:08

1y ago1:14:08

1:14:08

Medieval Recipes & Eating Right in Renaissance. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro - expensive weight loss drugs that are all the rage now. Okay, let's get something straight away. In centuries past, diet didn't mean weight loss. In fact, it wasn't until the 18th century that researchers, and later society, began to see fat and obesity as health and, unfort…

1
S3E30: Israel's Supreme Court - A Professional or Political Institution? 1:13:12

1y ago1:13:12

1:13:12

Comparing Israel's Supreme Court to America's Supreme Court. 64 Israeli legislators, a slim majority of the Knesset, voted on Monday, July 24, to amend one of Israel's Basic Laws, and in so doing, they took away the Israeli Supreme Court's ability to strike down decisions that it finds "unreasonable in the extreme." WSJ, 7/24/23. As my guests in th…

1
S3E29: The Magic of the Movies... Is It Gone? 1:16:14

1+ y ago1:16:14

1:16:14

Barbenheimer, Hollywood's Strike & Hollywood's History Did you know, that the three stooges, Larry, Curly, and Moe, with their physical and slapstick comedy that we all know, never got a dime for all their movies we saw on our TVs? Why? Because those residual incomes were not in their contracts! As my guest in this episode, Professor Thomas Doherty…

1
S3E28: Sudan's History - A country classified as a condominium! 1:11:42

1+ y ago1:11:42

1:11:42

As another civil war looms in Sudan, we review its history of kingdoms, powerful women, missionaries and messianic revolutions, civil wars and diversity. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale civil war, the consequences of which may be calamitous, destabilizing a wide region, including the Horn of…

1
S3E27: Recession! What recession? 1:07:52

1+ y ago1:07:52

1:07:52

Have economists predicted and prevented past recessions? Barely anyone is talking about a recession now. But just a couple of months ago, it was front-page and prime-time news. And here is an excerpt from a June 4th WSJ article: “Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal in April put the probability of a recession at some point in the next 12 …

1
S3E26: Does the Supreme Court function as intended by our Founders? 1:16:09

1+ y ago1:16:09

1:16:09

Can Congress take away SCOTUS jurisdiction? Can states defy SCOTUS? Has SCOTUS lost its power and prestige? Is SCOTUS a political institution? Do its holdings bend to popular culture? Can universities consider race in their admissions process? No, they cannot... because the U.S. Supreme Court said so on Thursday, June 29th. Can President Biden eras…

1
S3E25: History of July 2nd. Sorry, I meant July 4th. 54:46

1+ y ago54:46

54:46

What is Decoration Day? Did the South celebrate the 4th of July? As it turns out, the history of the 4th of July is not that straightforward. For example, it took about a century for the recognition of our Independence Day as a federal holiday. And for some 80 years after the Civil war, some parts of the South, including Vicksburg, did not celebrat…

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