Best Kassia St Clair Podcasts (2024)

1
349: The Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge - With Kassia St. Clair 1:15:34

17d ago1:15:34

1:15:34

Cultural historian and best-selling British author Kassia St. Clair ("The Secret Lives of Color"; "The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History") joins the podcast for a look back at the fascinating, improbable and culturally paradigm-shifting 1907 Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge - as featured in her new book "The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles t…

1
351: The Origin Story of ESPN - With Peter Fox 1:16:44

3d ago1:16:44

1:16:44

It's time to fire up the old Jerrold cable box for a trip back to the pre-launch and early first on-air days of cable TV's pioneering Entertainment and Sports Programming Network - better known as ESPN - with founding producer and channel memoirist Peter Fox ("The Early Days of ESPN: 300 Daydreams and Nightmares"). From the "Early Days" dustjacket:…

1
350: The "Father of Modern Baseball" - With Tom Delise & Jay Seaborg 1:23:11

10d ago1:23:11

1:23:11

First-time sports historians Tom Delise and Jay Seaborg ("Foxy Ned Hanlon: The Baseball Life of a Hall of Fame Manager") join the podcast for a biographical look at one of baseball's most innovative managerial minds - and who just may be related to your humble host! "Foxy" Ned Hanlon was one of the major leagues' earliest tactical visionaries, who …

1
348.5: Sports Promoter Doug Verb [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 3:06:37

25d ago3:06:37

3:06:37

[An essential fan favorite from 2018 - with the dean of "forgotten sports" promotion!] If someone ever decides to build an American sports promotion Hall of Fame, the inaugural class will undoubtedly be led by this week’s special guest, Doug Verb. In a career spanning more than 40 years in professional sports management, Verb’s remarkable career ha…

1
348: The Tragic Season of 1946's Spokane Indians - With Eric Vickrey 1:15:13

1M ago1:15:13

1:15:13

Baseball historian and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) contributor Eric Vickrey ("Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything") joins the podcast for a look back at one of the worst tragedies in the history of US pro sports. From the dust jacket of Vickrey's new boo…

1
049 - Race to the Future with Kassia St. Clair 55:57

1M ago55:57

55:57

Kassia St. Clair, author of the 2017 best-seller The Secret Lives of Color and the Sunday Times Book of the Year follow-up The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History (2019) joins me to talk about her new book, Race to the Future: The Adventure that Accelerated the 20th Century. It's the story of the utterly bonkers 1907 auto race from Peking to …

1
347.5: The North American Soccer League - With Paul Gardner 1:33:43

1M ago1:33:43

1:33:43

We celebrate the 94th birthday of legendary Soccer America columnist Paul Gardner (The Simplest Game: The Intelligent Fan's Guide to the World of Soccer; Soccer Talk: Paul Gardner on Soccer) with this special archive re-release (and our 6th-ever episode!) from 2017. The universally acknowledged "dean" of American soccer writers waxes nostalgic on h…

1
S1 Ep 9 Ian Dunt on John Stuart Mill 32:54

1M ago32:54

32:54

Our final guest for season 1 is Ian Dunt, a British political journalist. He hosts Origin Story with Dorian Lynskey and is the author of “How to be a Liberal”, “Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now?” and “How Westminster Works…And Why it Doesn’t”. The plaque he chose is at 18 Kensington Square, South Kensington and reads: John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873, …

1
347: Powering Forward - With Dean Tolson 1:20:34

2M ago1:20:34

1:20:34

During the late 1960s, Dean Tolson ("Power Forward: My Journey from Illiterate NBA Player to a Magna Cum Laude Master's Degree") emerged as a standout prep basketball talent during his junior and senior years at Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri. His prowess on the court attracted the attention of a bevy of college recruiters, leading hi…

1
S1 Ep 8 Irenosen Okojie on Pablo Fanque 27:00

2M ago27:00

27:00

Irenosen Okojie is the Nigerian-British author of Butterfly Fish and the short story collections, Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch. She co-presented the BBC's Turn Up for The Books podcast, she’s vice chair of the Royal Society of Literature and was a judge for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. The plaque she chose is on Lands Lane in Leeds and re…

1
346: Roller Derby's Los Angeles Thunderbirds - With Scott Stephens 1:43:56

2M ago1:43:56

1:43:56

It's our first journey into the chaotically exciting history of "professional" roller derby with former skater and long-time keeper-of-the-flame Scott Stephens ("Rolling Thunder: The Golden Age of Roller Derby & the Rise and Fall of the L.A. T-Birds"). From the moment he laced up his first pair of roller skates at age six in mid-1960s Los Angeles, …

1
S1 Ep 7 Andrew Cotter on Edward Whymper 32:00

2M ago32:00

32:00

Andrew Cotter has been working as a sports broadcaster - primarily for the BBC - for over 20 years. He is also known for his two very good dogs, Olive and Mabel, whose antics he filmed and commentated on during the Covid 19 pandemic. The plaque he chose is at 82 Waldegrave Road in Teddington and reads: Edward Whymper 1840-1911, mountaineer, lived h…

1
345: From Vancouver to Memphis - With Łukasz Muniowski 1:25:16

2M ago1:25:16

1:25:16

It's a special mea culpa episode this week, as we welcome back Szczecin University (Poland) history professor and Episode 289 guest Łukasz Muniowski (Turnpike Team: A History of the New Jersey Nets 1977-2012) for a deep dive into the drama of the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies move to Memphis in 2001 - and an assessment of the winners and losers some 23…

1
S1 Ep 6 Kit Kemp on Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant 25:23

2M ago25:23

25:23

Kit Kemp is an interior designer, the founder and creative director of Kit Kemp Design Studio and Firmdale Hotels. She’s known for championing British art and craft and for her colourful, eclectic and much-imitated style. The plaque she has chosen is at 46 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury and reads: "Vanessa Bell 1879-1961 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 artists l…

1
344.5: The NFL’s 1943 “Steagles” - With Matt Algeo [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 56:01

2M ago56:01

56:01

[A dip into the archives for a one of our first-ever episodes from 2017 - by request!] Author Matt Algeo (Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles – "The Steagles" – Saved Pro Football During World War II) joins Tim Hanlon all the way from Maputo, Mozambique to discuss the marriage of convenience that literally saved the National Footbal…

1
Minicast G2: Dundee United 8:25

2M ago8:25

8:25

In 1972 a middling team from the Scottish Premier League played four exhibition matches in Nigeria and distinguished itself so profoundly with its pitiful play (and boorish attitude) that its name became a synonym for stupidity. Grousing about how much your host country sucks while losing 4-1 to a team of amateurs called "Stationery Stores FC" leav…

1
S1 Ep 5 Albert Muzquiz on Beau Brummell 28:42

2M ago28:42

28:42

Albert Muzquiz, aka @edgyalbert, is a content creator, stylist, and fashion historian who produces popular and educational vintage clothing and style content on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube. The plaque he has chosen is at 4 Chesterfield Street, Mayfair, London and reads: "Beau Brummell, 1778-1840, Leader of Fashion lived here". We spoke about Brum…

1
344: The Evolution of Sports Media - With David Bockino 1:26:12

2M ago1:26:12

1:26:12

Former ESPN ad researcher, and current Elon University professor of communications and sport management David Bockino (Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans) helps us trace the evolution of the sports media industry - with historical points of interest both obvious (e.g., the 1958 NFL Championship Game;…

1
S1 Ep 4 Val McDermid on Josephine Tey 25:45

3M ago25:45

25:45

Val McDermid is an award-winning Scottish novelist who has sold over 19 million books. She's the author of the 'Wire in the Blood' and 'Traces' series and 'Past Lying'. She's also the lead singer of the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers. The plaque she's chosen is on Castle Street in Inverness and reads: "Site of MacKintosh fruit shop, family business of wr…

1
343: Baseball History Landmarks - With Chris Epting 1:18:47

3M ago1:18:47

1:18:47

We reach back into the vaunted Good Seats library stacks this week for a deep dive into one of Tim's favorite sports reference books - Roadside Baseball: The Locations of America's Baseball Landmarks - with its (prodigious non-fiction) author Chris Epting. Now in its third edition, Roadside is everything you'd imagine from the title: a detailed, ge…

1
S1 Ep 3 Levison Wood on Ernest Shackleton 25:50

3M ago25:50

25:50

Levison Wood is a professional explorer, writer and photographer who has walked the length of the Nile and circumnavigated the Arabian Peninsula. Levison spent time in the armed forces and served in Afghanistan. His latest book Escape from Kabul: The Inside Story was released in March 2023. The blue plaque he chose is at 2 Westwood Hill, London SE2…

1
S1 Ep 2 Celia Richardson on Octavia Hill 30:46

3M ago30:46

30:46

Celia Richardson is the Director of Communications for the National Trust. For the past six years, she’s been responsible for the Trust’s brand and marketing, policy, advocacy and reputation. Previously, she’s worked for the Historic England, the Refugee Council and several mental health charities. The blue plaque she chose is at 2 Garbutt Place, M…

1
S1 Ep 1 Matt Cain on Alan Turing 25:49

3M ago25:49

25:49

Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster, commentator on LGBTQ+ issues and an ambassador for Manchester Pride. He’s the author of The Madonna of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, Becoming Ted and One Love. The blue plaque he chose is at 2 Warrington Crescent, Maida Vale, London W9 1ER. It reads: Alan Turing, 1912-1954, Code-breaker and Pioneer…

1
342.5 [PROMO DROP] "Ways To Win" 51:48

3M ago51:48

51:48

Sharing something special, an episode of the new podcast "Ways to Win" - where coaches Craig Robinson and John Calipari use their on-court wisdom to solve off-court problems. In this first episode (recorded before the start of the NCAA basketball tournament!), there's no better way to kick off March Madness than with President Barack Obama (and Cra…

1
342: "Boston Ball" - With Clayton Trutor 1:32:01

3M ago1:32:01

1:32:01

We bust some brackets this week in honor of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, with a look back at the old East Coast Athletic Conference and the coaching cradle of city of Boston - with return (Episode 237) guest Clayton Trutor ("Boston Ball: Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Gary Williams, and the Forgotten Cradle of Basketball Coaches"). B…

1
Minicast G1: The Flying Boy trick 33:56

3M ago33:56

33:56

Question Kyle and Question Jennie join me as we discuss the 18th century fad of using the emerging understanding of the phenomenon of electricity to entertain. Men who considered themselves worldly natural philosophers and amateur scientists found it relatively easy to blow the minds of party guests by demonstrating some basic concepts that we're t…

1
341: "Pro" Wrestling's Origin Story - With Jon Langmead 1:17:47

3M ago1:17:47

1:17:47

We squint hard this week for a look into the story of American "professional" wrestling's formative years - with pop culture writer Jon Langmead (Ballyhoo! The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling). Langmead takes us inside the raucous period roughly between the mid-1870s to the early-1940s - where genuine comp…

1
340: Baseball's "New York Game" - With Kevin Baker 1:06:43

3M ago1:06:43

1:06:43

Harper's Contributing Editor and novelist/historian extraordinaire Kevin Baker ("The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City") brings his blended affection for (and evocative portrayals of) both "The Big Apple" and the "National Pastime" - to make a compelling case for New York City as the rightful center of the baseball universe. From A…

1
Introducing The Blue Plaque Pod 1:44

4M ago1:44

1:44

Have you ever looked up at a blue plaque in London or elsewhere and wanted to know more about the person being commemorated? The Blue Plaque Pod is a new history podcast from best-selling author Kassia St. Clair. In each episode a notable guest will select a plaque that intrigues them. We'll talk about why they chose it and what it means to them, a…

1
339: Early-Day WNBA - With Marie Ferdinand-Harris 1:17:07

4M ago1:17:07

1:17:07

It's a celebration of women's hoops this week, as we look back at the "early days" of the Women's National Basketball Association - including stops with the oft-forgotten Utah Starzz and San Antonio Silver Stars - with three-time league all-star Marie Ferdinand-Harris (Transformed: The Winning Side of Losing). A first-round pick in the WNBA's fifth…

1
338: 50 Years of San Jose Earthquakes Soccer - With Gary Singh 1:31:59

4M ago1:31:59

1:31:59

It's a "retcon" special this week, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most colorful and persistent franchises in American pro soccer history - with a return visit from Episode 40 guest Gary Singh (The Unforgettable San Jose Earthquakes: Momentous Stories On & Off the Field). As one of four West Coast expansion teams (along with the …

1
337: The 1990-91 Minnesota North Stars - With Kevin Allenspach 1:51:43

4M ago1:51:43

1:51:43

Veteran Minnesota sportswriter Kevin Allenspach (Mirage of Destiny: The Story of the 1990-91 Minnesota North Stars) takes to the ice with us this week, as we look back at one of the most improbable playoff runs in NHL history - one that came the closest to giving the self-professed "State of Hockey" its first Stanley Cup championship - a title that…

1
336: Lost Tales of the MISL - With Tim O'Bryhim 1:12:34

4M ago1:12:34

1:12:34

We celebrate the launch of the new "MISL 1980s: The Story of Indoor Soccer" Substack series with its author and return (Episode 31) guest Tim O'Bryhim ("Make This Town Big: The Story of Roy Turner and the Wichita Wings" & "God Save the Wings"). O'Bryhim's long-form pieces promise to bring to light myriad stories from the legendary original Major In…

1
335: On the Diamonds of Des Moines - With Steve Dunn 1:20:21

5M ago1:20:21

1:20:21

Iowa baseball chronologist Steve Dunn ("'Pug,' 'Fireball,' and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa") joins for a surprisingly rich journey into the history of professional baseball in the Hawkeye State's largest city - currently home to the Diamond Baseball Holdings-owned Triple-A affiliate of the National League's Chica…

1
334.5: The National Bowling League – With Dr. Jake Schmidt [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 1:35:21

5M ago1:35:21

1:35:21

[A dip into the archives for a fan favorite from 2019 - featuring a show-closing ode to the late, great 70s' TV game show "Celebrity Bowling"!] + + + We hit the lanes this week to delve into the fascinating story of the nation’s first and only attempt at a professional team bowling league – a seemingly anachronistic idea by today’s standards, but a…

1
334: Atlanta's "White Ice" - With Tom Aiello 1:25:29

5M ago1:25:29

1:25:29

Valdosta State University history professor (and Episode 244 guest) Tom Aiello ("Dixieball: Race and Professional Basketball in the Deep South") returns after a two-year absence - for an enlightening look at the curious cultural history of the city of Atlanta's awkward relationship with professional hockey. In his new book "White Ice: Race and the …

1
333: "Soccer Tom" Mulroy 1:57:12

5M ago1:57:12

1:57:12

We buckle up this week for a wild and revelatory ride across 50+ years of big-time soccer in the United States with one of the biggest unsung heroes of the American game - and unquestionably, one of its most prominent "keepers of the flame." The professional and personal life journey of "Soccer Tom" Mulroy ("90 Minutes with the King: How Soccer Sav…

1
332: Super Series '76 - With Ed Gruver 1:13:33

5M ago1:13:33

1:13:33

We turn back the clock 48 years ago this week for a revisit of one of the most consequential contests in the history of the National Hockey League - with sports historian Ed Gruver ("The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies. the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series '76"). The dust jacket of Gruver's new book sums it up thusly: "In late…

1
331: The NASL's San Antonio Thunder (+ More!) - With Derek Currie 1:22:21

6M ago1:22:21

1:22:21

It's the adventure-filled story of how a late-60s-era Scottish top-league footballer helped start the first-ever professional soccer circuit in the then-British colony of Hong Kong - punctuated by an unexpected off-season loan to one of the most forgotten franchises in North American Soccer League history. Derek Currie ("When 'Jesus' Came to Hong K…

1
330: The 4th Annual(-ish) Year-End Holiday Roundtable Spectacular! 1:44:10

6M ago1:44:10

1:44:10

We press the rewind button on a most interesting 2023, and peer ahead into the uncharted waters of 2024 with our fourth-annual(-ish) Holiday Roundtable Spectacular - featuring three of our favorite fellow defunct sports enthusiasts: Andy Crossley (Fun While It Lasted & Episode 2); Paul Reeths (StatsCrew.com, OurSportsCentral.com & Episode 46); and …

1
Minicast F3: Operation Washtub 8:41

6M ago8:41

8:41

Perhaps you've heard of Operation Gladio, the infamous post-World War II NATO program to train "stay-behind" agents to fight guerilla-style against a future hypothetical Soviet invasion of Western Europe. Believe it or not, the United States Air Force, briefly in partnership with the FBI, devised exactly such a program it carried out in Alaska betw…

1
329: The 1963 AFL San Diego Chargers - With Dave Steidel 1:31:52

6M ago1:31:52

1:31:52

After last week's ugly, team-record 63-21 drubbing by the Las Vegas Raiders, and the subsequent dismissal of its head coach and general manager - it's been a (yet another) rough season for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. While family owner/scion Dean Spanos tries (again) to plot a plan forward, we look nostalgically back to the franchise's early ye…

1
328: Raycom Sports - With Founders Rick & Dee Ray 1:50:10

6M ago1:50:10

1:50:10

We adjust our TV antenna rabbit ears back to the late 1970s for the origin story of one of the most influential firms in modern-day sports media - with Rick and Dee Ray, the founders of televised college sports juggernaut Raycom Sports. In their new George Hirthler-penned memoir "Unstoppable: A Story of Love, Faith and the Power Couple Who Ignited …

1
327: Scottish Soccer Summer Dalliances - With Mark Poole 1:19:31

7M ago1:19:31

1:19:31

The 1960s were a tumultuous, but crucial period in the development of professional soccer in the United States and Canada - with teams from Scotland, of all places, playing a particularly interesting role. The dividing line for the modern North American pro game, of course, was the breakthrough, near-live (two-hour-delayed) NBC-TV network telecast …

1
326.5: Lamar Hunt & the American Football League - With Michael MacCambridge [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 1:20:08

7M ago1:20:08

1:20:08

[By popular demand, an archive re-release of Episode 321 guest and "The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America" author Michael MacCambridge - from his first appearance on the show from March 2017!] Sports author/historian Michael MacCambridge ("Lamar Hunt: A Life in Sports") joins Tim Hanlon to discuss the legacy of Lamar Hunt – the …

1
048 - The Apple II Age (with Laine Nooney) 43:24

7M ago43:24

43:24

Dr. Laine Nooney (NYU) joins me to discuss the early days of personal computing - particularly how people figured out what to do with home computers after they became convinced that they needed one - in their 2023 book The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal. If you were alive in the pre-internet era, this book is both a great trip down …

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Kassia St Clair Podcasts

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