BackStory with the American History Guys

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BackStory  is a weekly podcast that uses current events in America to take a deep dive into our past. Hosted by noted U.S. historians, Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Peter Onuf, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman, each episode provides listeners with different perspectives on a particular theme or subject – giving you all sides to the story and then some.

Please confirm carriage of evergreen BackStory with the American History Guys episodes by contacting Diana Williams @(434)-924-6894 or dwilliams@virginia.edu.

Moving from current headlines to drill down into U.S. history, each surprising BackStory episode features lively interviews with a diverse roster of scholars, experts, and ordinary citizens from around the country; listener calls; host discussions; and produced pieces. Topics are as diverse as college sports, reenactments, sugar, memorials, domestic terrorism, birthing, homeownership, the post office, philanthropy, protests, privacy, marriage, revivalism, and childhood—all in the context of American history.

BackStory is produced by  Virginia Humanities. Major funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional corporate, foundation, institutional, and individual support.

Please visit our station landing page for upcoming episodes, promotional photos, and other information.

 


Series

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This series is for stations that want to subscribe to Backstory for WEEKLY deliveries using PRX's SubAuto system.

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188 Pieces

A collection of the best stories and features from BackStory, meant for excerpt by programs or stations.

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1 Piece

A collection of one-hour BackStory specials for use in station holiday programming.

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42 Pieces

Promos for stations airing upcoming episodes of BackStory with the American History Guys.

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A special three-part series of hour-long episodes exploring the causes and consequences of the American Civil War.


Pieces

Caption: "Houdini and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln," ca. 1920., Credit: Library of Congress
With Halloween coming up, and vampires or zombies regularly topping the box office, it seems Americans can't get enough of all things spooky. So th...

Bought by KMUD, WDSE, WKSU, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KKWE Niijii Radio and more


  • Added: Oct 18, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
Caption: "Houdini and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln," ca. 1920, Credit: Library of Congress
With Halloween coming up, and vampires or zombies regularly topping the box office, it seems Americans can't get enough of all things spooky. This ...

Bought by WUFT and Louisville Public Media


  • Added: Oct 16, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Title page of History of the United States, Vol.1, showing Columbus with sword and banner (c1858). , Credit: Library of Congress
Columbus Day is here again – bringing both celebrations and strong criticisms of the man whose name the holiday bears. In this episode of BackStory...

Bought by WLPR , WHCP-LP Cambridge, KMXT, WUGA (part of GPB), WESM 91.3 FM and more


  • Added: Oct 11, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
Caption: Title page of "History of the United States," Vol. 1, showing Columbus with sword and banner., Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for "1492: Columbus in American Memory," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific time/date tag.

Bought by WUFT


  • Added: Oct 08, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
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BackStory producer Jess Engebretson gives us a glimpse into soap’s upward mobility: from the laundry maid’s bucket to the middle-class bathroom sink

Bought by WABE and PRX Remix


  • Added: Oct 07, 2013
  • Length: 03:39
  • Purchases: 2
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Kristen Egan walks us through a creepy utopian novel from 1915, and explains why environmentalism and eugenics went hand in hand in the early 20th ...

Bought by New Hampshire Public Radio, Radio Newark, PRX Remix, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Oct 07, 2013
  • Length: 06:50
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: "You need only one soap -- Ivory Soap!" Proctor & Gamble ad, 1898. , Credit: Library of Congress
"Cleanliness is next to godliness," we say, and Americans have long associated good hygiene with moral and spiritual purity. This week on BackStory...

Bought by XRAY.fm, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and KFOK-LPFM


  • Added: Oct 04, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 3
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30-second promo for "Rinse and Repeat: Cleanliness in America" 5-second music bed at end for station-specific time/date tag.

  • Added: Oct 01, 2013
  • Length: :30
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Historian Kathleen Mapes talks with Ed Ayers and Brian Balogh about the anti-imperialist stance of America’s sugar beet farmers at the turn of the ...

Bought by KBRP Community Radio and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Sep 30, 2013
  • Length: 06:55
  • Purchases: 2
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Host Brian Balogh sits down with political scientist Adam Sheingate, to discuss how the struggling American farmer turned into the farm lobby—one o...

Bought by Radio Newark and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Sep 30, 2013
  • Length: 08:38
  • Purchases: 2