Best Smithsonian | National Museum of American History Podcasts (2024)

1
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG: Woman in Charge w/ Oscar-winning Director SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY 37:47

1h ago37:47

37:47

How can we free ourselves from fear and social barriers to live more fulfilling and meaningful lives? What does it take to overcome trauma and turn it into triumph, and failure into reinvention? How can we shine a light on the marginalized and misunderstood to create social change that transforms the lives of women? Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Osca…

1
Making Impactful Films with Oscar & Emmy-winning Director SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY - Highlights 10:29

1d ago10:29

10:29

“As a filmmaker, I've always made films about extraordinary women whose lives are faced with extenuating circumstances who've had adversity thrown at them and who've risen to the occasion. And when I began to look at Diane's story, for me, Diane is a fashion designer, but she's so much more. Her central ethos is woman before fashion, and we felt it…

1
A Giant Listening Project 25:26

1d ago25:26

25:26

It’s been called ‘the most noble and absurd undertaking ever attempted by any state.’ During the height of the Great Depression, the U.S government hired out-of-work writers and laid-off reporters and sent them out to record the stories of all kinds of Americans. Called the Federal Writers’ Project, historians have called the program a giant “liste…

1
The Lost Woolly Dog 41:07

15d ago41:07

41:07

For thousands of years, fluffy white dogs could be found across the Pacific Northwest. Their exceptionally soft, crimpy hair was shorn like sheep’s wool, spun into yarn, and woven into blankets and robes by indigenous women who carefully tended them in communities across Coast Salish territory. But a hundred years ago, the woolly dog quietly vanish…

1
How do art and illusions help us make sense of the world? - Highlights - KEITH FRANKISH 11:11

24d ago11:11

11:11

"Imagination has a central role in teaching philosophical thinking because it's only imagination that can get us out of our biases and out of the fixating on the patterns that we've been tuned to." Keith Frankish is an Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, a Visiting Research Fellow with The Open University, and an Adjunc…

1
Cosmic Journey II: Voyage into the Abyss 32:10

29d ago32:10

32:10

Hitch a ride on the Chandra X-ray Observatory as it scours deep space for some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood objects in the universe: black holes. What are they good for? Absolutely something. This is the second episode of a two-part journey celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysica…

1
Cosmic Journey I: "Stellar Buffoonery" 34:37

1M ago34:37

34:37

Black holes could unlock the mysteries of creation and live at the heart of nearly every galaxy. But these invisible balls of extremely dense matter have never been fully understood, especially when they were only a theory. We travel through a cosmic wormhole back to the 1930s to learn how the first astrophysicist to successfully theorize a black h…

1
What can AI teach us about human cognition & creativity? - Highlights - RAPHAËL MILLIÈRE 10:25

2M ago10:25

10:25

“Before I decided to become a philosopher, I wanted to become a filmmaker, and in my education in France, where I'm originally from, there was a lot of emphasis placed on the humanities and arts. I still have a deep passion for the arts, and when it comes to our future, I am of two minds about the role that AI will play in how we interact with crea…

1
How can we ensure that AI is aligned with human values? - RAPHAËL MILLIÈRE 1:01:14

2M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

How can we ensure that AI is aligned with human values? What can AI teach us about human cognition and creativity? Dr. Raphael Millière is Assistant Professor in Philosophy of AI at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research primarily explores the theoretical foundations and inner workings of AI systems based on deep learning, such as …

1
Environmental Crisis, Philosophy & the Search for Meaning - ROBERT PIPPIN - Highlights 14:31

2M ago14:31

14:31

“Philosophy is both an academic discipline and also something that everybody does. Everybody has to have reflective views about what's significant. They also have to justify to themselves why it's significant or important. The nature of justice itself, and the various opinions that have been written about in philosophy about justice, can get to a v…

1
Cicadapalooza 33:04

2M ago33:04

33:04

The cicadas are back for some fun in the sun, and this time, they’re louder than ever! For the first time since 1803, Broods XIII and XIX will be emerging at the same time, covering the American South and Midwest with trillions of cicadas. As Smithsonian entomologist Floyd Shockley readies his nets for the biggest bug invasion in centuries, we look…

1
The Birds and the Beans 37:21

2M ago37:21

37:21

"God in a cup." "Perfection." "The world's best coffee." Panamanian geisha coffee has been called many things, but never Smithsonian Bird Friendly certified. That might soon change, however, as researchers from Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Migratory Bird Center find new ways to grow coffee in harmony with migratory …

1
Exploring Science, Art, Music, AI & Consciousness with MAX COOPER - Highlights 13:09

3M ago13:09

13:09

“I love working with historic sites. I've done a few events and installations working in old cathedrals; we did one with And& Festival in Leuven, and in Carlisle Church in Belfast with the AVA Festival guys, and the Acropolis of Athens, and lots of other venues. I love venues where I can turn up and map projections onto architecture. Particularly…

1
What can music teach us that science can’t? - MAX COOPER - A/V Artist, Musician, Fmr. Computational Biologist 50:10

3M ago50:10

50:10

How is being an artist different than a machine that is programmed to perform a set of actions? How can we stop thinking about artworks as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences? In this conversation with Max Cooper, we discuss the beauty and chaos of nature and the exploration of technology music and consciousness. Max …

1
Dude, Where’s my Carbon? 32:36

3M ago32:36

32:36

If you’ve bought a plane ticket recently, you’ve probably had the option to pay a few extra dollars to offset your carbon emissions. That money might go toward planting some trees… but how many trees? Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are trying to answer this very question by hand-measuring trees, weighing wood, and climbi…

1
Monkeyin' Around on the Devil's Island 28:24

3M ago28:24

28:24

It started as a rumor in the cafeteria of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama: monkeys on an island in the Pacific were doing something no one had ever seen them do before. But when researchers went searching for these elusive capuchin monkeys, they discovered more questions than answers. Guests: Claudio Monteza, Smithsonian Tropi…

1
How to Live a Good a Life - Stoic Wisdom & the Founding Fathers - Highlights - JEFFREY ROSEN 12:27

3M ago12:27

12:27

"I love Bernstein's excitement in talking about how he says, for Beethoven, was he the best harmonist? No. Was it his orchestral abilities? Absolutely not. It was just that each note that he chose was exactly the right note to follow the note that proceeded it as if he had 'a private telephone wire to Heaven' and that he was channeling the note tha…

1
The Pursuit of Happiness - JEFFREY ROSEN - President & CEO of the National Constitution Center 42:38

3M ago42:38

42:38

What is the true meaning of the pursuit of happiness? What can we learn from the Founding Fathers about achieving harmony, balance, tranquility, self-mastery, and pursuing the public good? Jeffrey Rosen is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, where he hosts We the People, a weekly podcast of constitutional debate. He is also a pro…

1
Face Value 31:54

4M ago31:54

31:54

Money is power. But who's on our money - or isn’t - can be just as powerful. While Lady Liberty has graced American coins and dollars for most of our history, it wasn’t until the 1970s that a real woman appeared on a circulating American coin. But that's about to change. Congress recently authorized the creation of twenty new quarters featuring Ame…

1
What does it mean to have an ecological mind? - Highlights - PAOLA SPINOZZI 11:53

4M ago11:53

11:53

"The humanities are all about representing the world, while the sciences are all about knowing the world. But I believe the roles are deeply intertwined, and that literature, the humanities, philosophy, history, and the arts are all ways of knowing the world. They do exactly the same thing in our understanding of the world. And it is really importa…

1
Literature, Humanities & Sustainability: PAOLA SPINOZZI - Coordinator, Phd Programme, Environmental Sustainability & Wellbeing, UNIFE 41:36

4M ago41:36

41:36

How can we create positive change? What does it mean to have an ecological mind? How can interdisciplinary collaborations help us move beyond educational silos and create sustainable futures? Paola Spinozzi is Professor of English Literature at the University of Ferrara and currently serves as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation. She is th…

1
The Art of Bringing Stories to Life - Highlights - LISA EDELSTEIN 14:22

4M ago14:22

14:22

"In the paintings, the imagery that I'm looking for are images that don't feel posed or, even if they were intended to be posed, there are things in there that weren't necessarily meant for public display. So I am really interested in telling secrets in that way. You know, I've always made things made objects, but always very privately. And being m…

1
LISA EDELSTEIN - From Acting to Directing, Writing & Visual Art 49:36

4M ago49:36

49:36

How can the arts help us examine and engage with social issues? How do our families shape our views, memories, and experience of the world? From her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the hit Fox series House, to her starring role as Abby McCarthy in Bravo's first scripted series Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, Lisa Edelstein's range of roles are as diverse …

1
Jeepers Leapers! 13:30

4M ago13:30

13:30

Did you know a person born on February 29 is called a "leapling"? This special episode is hopping with Leap Day trivia! Like, why do we need an extra day every four years anyway? And will I get paid for working an extra day in February? It's the lowdown on Leap Day in an episode that's as off-kilter as the earth's axis. Guest: Bob Craddock, Geologi…

1
What does the future hold for our late-stage capitalist society with mega-corps controlling everything? - Highlights - KYLE HIGGINS, KARINA MANASHIL & KID CUDI 14:22

4M ago14:22

14:22

The Making of Moon Man “So, as we started talking and going through what this could look like. I run a creator-owned superhero universe at Image Comics called the Massive-Verse, which is spearheaded by the main book I write called Radiant Black. I like to describe it as it's like Power Rangers with adult problems. It's very contemporary kind of rei…

1
Comics, Music, Ethics & AI: KYLE HIGGINS, KARINA MANASHIL & KID CUDI on the Making of Moon Man 1:07:18

4M ago1:07:18

1:07:18

What does the future hold for our late-stage capitalist society with mega-corporations owning and controlling everything? How can the world-building skills of the makers of films and comics help us imagine a better future? Kyle Higgins is an Eisner award-nominated #1 New York Times best-selling comic book author and award-winning filmmaker known fo…

1
Til Death Do Us Part? 29:20

5M ago29:20

29:20

They say love is eternal. What about heartbreak? This Valentine’s Day, we bring you some of Japanese theater’s most popular tales of scorned lovers seeking vengeance from beyond the grave — with a burning passion. Guests: Frank Feltens, Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Kit Brooks, Japan Foundation Assistant …

1
How can the arts help cultivate our intuitive intelligence? - Highlights - JONATHAN YEO 12:19

5M ago12:19

12:19

"What are you trying to do with the portrait? On a basic level, you're trying to communicate something about the essence of who someone is. You're trying to figure out who they are, not necessarily who they present themselves as. The two things can quite often be different. And then, you're trying to find ways of showing that through their face, th…

1
JONATHAN YEO - Celebrated Portrait Artist on the Importance of Connection & Intuitive Intelligence 47:28

5M ago47:28

47:28

How can the arts help cultivate our intuitive intelligence? What does visual art teach us about consciousness and the human condition? Jonathan Yeo is one of the world’s leading figurative artists and portrait painters. From celebrated figures such as Sir David Attenborough, peace activist Malala Yousafzai, the Duke of Edinburgh, Nicole Kidman, and…

1
To Sidedoor, With Love 36:22

5M ago36:22

36:22

From brontosauruses with bronchitis to birds on a wire to flying space rocks and a botched heist at 20 thousand feet. In this episode, Lizzie and Sidedoor producer James run all around the Smithsonian to answer listeners' questions from the Sidedoor mailbag. Guests: Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Sara Hallager…

1
From Ancient Wisdom to the Language of the Earth 10:45

5M ago10:45

10:45

Scientists, artists, psychologists, conservationists, and spiritual leaders share their stories and insights on the importance of connecting with nature, preserving the environment, embracing diversity, and finding harmony in the world. Music courtesy of composer Max Richter. All voices in this episode are from our interviews for The Creative Proce…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Smithsonian | National Museum Of American History Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide