Big History?

FromFootnoting History

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Big History?

FromFootnoting History

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Length:

12 minutes

Released:

Aug 1, 2015

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

(John) What do the universe, galaxy, Sun, Earth, and state formation have in common? In this episode John discusses Big History and how it can help better define state formation.

Released:

Aug 1, 2015

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Footnoting History is a bi-weekly podcast series dedicated to overlooked, popularly unknown, and exciting stories plucked from the footnotes of history. For further reading suggestions, information about our hosts, our complete episode archive, and more visit us at FootnotingHistory.com!

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Science, Plague, and Pericles: Reconstructing the Face of Myrtis: (Kirsti) In 430 BCE, a plague swept through ancient Athens, killing thousands. It eventually claimed even the great Pericles. But what was it? In 1994, a group of historians and scientists banded together to find out, starting with the skull of one little by Footnoting History
9 min listen
Heresy and You: Alice Rowley and Lollardy: (Kirsti) Some people just get all the luck. Others, like poor Alice Rowley of Coventry, just can’t seem to catch a break. Join us as we explore Alice’s dedication to the Lollard community and what that meant for her in court! by Footnoting History
14 min listen
The French Revolution Countdown (Part I): (Nathan and Christine) From Marie Antoinette's fake peasant village to Robespierre's botched suicide, the French Revolution is full of fascinating stories that are often omitted from textbooks. Join Nathan and Christine for Part I of a two-part count by Footnoting History
27 min listen
Cruel Mind and Deadly Malice: A Murder in Early Modern England: (Lesley) Imagine hiring a man to kill off your enemy... and then pleading a defense that would allow you to walk out free. This week, we'll trace the story of a neighborly feud in Tudor England that left one man dead and an unbalanced man free, if not for by Footnoting History
10 min listen
Prehistoric Runners and the 'Fall' of the Neanderthals: (Esther) Did you know that our homo sapien ancestors were altogether skinnier, weaker and dumber than our fellow hominid relatives, the Neanderthals? Some scientists theorize that it was running that saved us from extinction. by Footnoting History
14 min listen
The Mau Mau Insurgency: (Samantha) In June 2013 the British government agreed to pay approximately £20 million in reparations to individuals tortured during the Mau Mau emergency in Kenya in the 1950s. But who were the Mau Mau? What was the emergency? And why do the British feel by Footnoting History
16 min listen
Occupy Alcatraz: Protesting Native American Autonomy: (Lesley) As an imposing fortress, Alcatraz island isolated inmates and imprisoned the most dangerous criminals like mob boss Al Capone. Yet after its closure in 1963, Alcatraz became the scene of occupying Freedom as Native Americans tried to take back la by Footnoting History
11 min listen
Lepers and Leprosy in the 13th Century: (Lucy) Reactions to medieval lepers were often extreme. Medieval romance-writers depict them as not only disease-ridden but filthy, and morally suspect to boot. Saints, on the other hand, ran around kissing them. More ordinary people just asked lepers to by Footnoting History
12 min listen
Mozart's Zombie, the Runaway Priest, and the Emperor's Opera: (Lucy) In Don Giovanni, Wolfgang Amadeus and Lorenzo da Ponte created opera's most famous antihero. Find out how Mozart and Da Ponte were influenced by the philosophical ideas and social concerns of their day in forging a tale of class conflict and l by Footnoting History
16 min listen
Special Edition: Olaudah Equiano: (Nathan and Elizabeth) Join us for a discussion of one of the most well-known narratives of slavery used by the British Abolitionist cause in the 18th century. We examine what it reveals about identity and race in the time period but also tackle the issue by Footnoting History
18 min listen
The French Revolution Countdown (Part II): (Nathan and Christine) Picking up where they left off at the end of Part I, Nathan and Christine tackle actors' rights and changing fashions while wondering if anyone truly understood the Republican Calendar. Join them as they conclude the countdown of th by Footnoting History
32 min listen
Henry II and the Invasion of Ireland: (Christine) The English and the Irish have been fighting (and singing) about hating one another) for as long as both sides can remember, but what brought the English to Ireland in the first place? What did the English king, Henry II, have to do with it? A by Footnoting History
10 min listen
Zombies in Thietmar of Merseburg: (Lucy) Why did commoners and kings in eleventh-century Germany keep seeing dead people? Why did a bunch of animated corpses decide to burn a priest alive? And why did a busy bishop write all this down? by Footnoting History
9 min listen
The Several Defenestrations of Prague: (Kirsti) The people of Prague have a unique approach to the resolution of religious and political arguments: throwing the opposition out of windows! Listen as we explore this odd tradition throughout history, starting in 1419 and continuing to 1948. by Footnoting History
11 min listen
Why Simon de Montfort is in the U.S. House of Representatives: (Christine) His father was a major player in the Albigensian crusade but when was the last time you heard about the man who led a rebellion against King Henry III and became the father of the modern parliament? It's time to fix that. by Footnoting History
13 min listen
Running in the Ancient Olympic Games: (Esther) How did the Greeks monitor foot races during the ancient Olympic games without technologies such as Timex watches and slow-motion cameras? They certainly weren't worried about doping, but there were other ways runners could gain unfair advan by Footnoting History
12 min listen
Richard the Lionheart on Crusade: (Samantha) Richard the Lionheart hardly seems like a footnote in history. He is celebrated as a great warrior king and is commemorated in just about every film version of Robin Hood. Yet he has become so mythologized that his actual deeds have become obsc by Footnoting History
15 min listen
Viking Invasions and St. Edmund's Talking Head: (Nicole) In 870 A.D.,  Edmund, the king of East Anglia, was killed by a Viking army. Discover how this event was transformed from a battle between two armies into the story of a Christian martyrdom. by Footnoting History
9 min listen
Confucius and Jesus: The Jesuit Mission to China: (Elizabeth) The Jesuits were tasked with a large order: convert the Chinese to Christianity. Their nontraditional methods ended up getting them in a lot of trouble. by Footnoting History
14 min listen
Entertainment in Medieval Towns: (Christine) Whether they got a day off from working at their trade or had so much money they could pay people to entertain them, everyone within the town walls wanted to have a little fun. Listen today to find out what occupants of medieval European towns by Footnoting History
12 min listen
Drinking in Medieval England: (Samantha) Do you like to drink? Well, so did people in the Middle Ages.  Tune in to learn about what people were drinking and about the culture associated with booze 700 years ago. by Footnoting History
15 min listen
Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Part II: Australia and New Zealand: (Christine and Elizabeth) In Part II of the life of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, we follow him as he leaves prison, picks up his pen, and chases a new goal: revolutionizing British systems of colonization. Did people listen to a convicted felon? Were his drea by Footnoting History
32 min listen
Cold Noses and Oxytocin: Doggy Prehistory: (Christina) They are warm, fuzzy beings that come in many different shapes and sizes, yet they all sense our emotions and thrive in our company. But they are also descended from wolves, fierce and elusive social predators. How did dogs become so integrate by Footnoting History
21 min listen
Getting Skinny: A Brief History of Dieting: (Samantha) From WeightWatchers to the Atkins Diet to the Lemon Detox, Americans are obsessed with using diet to control our weight. But we’re not the first ones to be concerned with our body mass, to experiment with dieting, and to come up with some reall by Footnoting History
14 min listen
Napoleon, Part I: The Man: (Nathan and Christine) It's Bastille Day weekend so we make a return to France for today's topic.  In the third installment of our Revolutionary France series, we'll talk about the scandals, intrigues, and tragedies of Napoleon and his inner circle. by Footnoting History
44 min listen
Popular Protest in Late Antique Ravenna: (Nicole) When many people think of Late Antique society, they think of powerful secular and ecclesiastical rulers; mighty emperors and archbishops. While the Archbishop of Ravenna certainly was a powerful person within the city, answering in theory only t by Footnoting History
10 min listen
Tulipmania!: (Nathan) In the 1630s, the tiny-but-wealthy Netherlands were gripped by a frenzy of public trading in tulip bulbs.  At the height of the craze, a single bulb could sell for a small fortune.  What caused this "tulip mania" and how did it all come by Footnoting History
17 min listen
Napoleon, Part II: Life in Napoleonic Society: (Christine and Nathan) What on earth is a city of smugglers? Why did Napoleon like to tease his Second Consul so much? And what would you have seen if you attended Napoleon’s coronation? This week we move beyond Napoleon the man to the experiences of by Footnoting History
36 min listen
The Many Reformations of 16th-Century Europe: (Lucy) In the 16th century, high taxes and fears of apocalypse went hand in hand, and from the fairly common practice of calling for church reform emerged a series of movements which have become known as the capital-R Reformation. This week we’ll be discu by Footnoting History
18 min listen
The Origin of the Marathon: Linking Past to Present: (Esther) The story of the most popular long-distance event, from its origins in ancient literature to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and how a young farmer, Spyridon 'Spyros' Louis (1873-1940), became an unlikely national hero. by Footnoting History
15 min listen

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Big History?

Big History?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Footnoting History

Related podcast episodes