How “clean” was the regular German army (Wehrmacht) during World War II? The Nazis and the SS usually get all the blame for war crimes and for the Holocaust. How …
Quote Or No Quote #24 – Thomas Jefferson | The Best Government is That Which Governs Least
“Quotes” supposedly from the Founding Fathers seem to rear their misattributed heads in the United States every year in the weeks surrounding July 4th. And Americans are often treated to …
Professor Buzzkill #103 – Signers of the Declaration of Independence
When was the Declaration of Independence signed? July 4th? August 2? Later? Why did John Hancock sign so prominently and hugely right in the middle? Did he have signature envy? …
Quote Or No Quote #23 – Oscar Wilde | Be Yourself. Everyone Else is Already Taken
Ah, Buzzkillers, good old Oscar Wilde, the author of so many excellent plays, novels, and poems. Dripping with epigrams, Oscar entertained literary circles in London, Paris and Dublin with his …
Professor Buzzkill #102 – The Age of Charisma
Professor Jeremy Young joins us to discuss the Age of Charisma (1870-1940). It was an exciting period in US history: industrialization was in high gear; railroads and telegraph lines were …
Quote or No Quote #22 – Eleanor Roosevelt | It’s Better to Light a Candle Than Curse the Darkness
We all love, and should live by the sentiment expressed in “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” But did Eleanor Roosevelt say it? Was it Confucius …
Professor Buzzkill #101 – JFK: The Presidency
Professor Nash joins us to discuss the misconceptions and the realities of JFK’s presidency, its successes, its failures, and its legacies. We look specifically at the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, …
Professor Buzzkill – Special Episode – Eco-Soap Bank CNN Hero 2017
Samir Lakhani, the founder of Eco-Soap Bank (one of our Buzzkill partners) has been named a CNN Hero for 2017. We interview him about the project and how the CNN …
Quote or No Quote #21 – Winston Churchill | Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…
The exact wording of the “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing?” quote varies a little bit from time to time, but it essentially conveys the …
Professor Buzzkill #100 – Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright is the most famous architect in American history. But why is he so famous, and was it just about his architecture? In his own mind and in …