BackStory with the American History Guys

GroupAccount image

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

Series image
0 Pieces

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

Series image
188 Pieces

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

Series image
1 Piece

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

Series image
42 Pieces

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

Series image
0 Pieces

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


Pieces

Piece image
Host Peter Onuf talks with historian Benjamin Irvin about the design of the Continental Dollar, and how it sought to inspire confidence in the new ...

Bought by Radio Newark and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Feb 24, 2014
  • Length: 08:23
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Historian Michael O’Malley tells host Brian Balogh about the strange connections drawn by critics of Reconstruction, between fiat currency on the o...

Bought by Radio Newark and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Feb 24, 2014
  • Length: 11:29
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: “The Almightier,” illustration from Puck, May 15th, 1907 , Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "On the Money: A History of American Currency," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific time/dat...

Bought by WUFT


  • Added: Feb 18, 2014
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
BackStory contributor Catherine Moore tells the story of how soldiers returning from World War I brought the Spanish flu back with them.

Bought by KICI Iowa City, WABE, New Hampshire Public Radio, Radio Newark, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Feb 17, 2014
  • Length: 08:22
  • Purchases: 5
Piece image
Host Ed Ayers speaks with historian Jim Downs about how disease devastated populations of escaped slaves in contraband camps behind Union lines dur...

Bought by Radio Newark and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Feb 17, 2014
  • Length: 09:09
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Detail from Chicago Department of Health vaccination poster, produced by the Works Progress Administration, late 1930s , Credit: Library of Congress
It’s the height of the flu season, and federal public health agencies have been spending millions of dollars trying to keep this year’s virus under...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WEZU, and 90.1 WFYI Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 14, 2014
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Detail from Chicago Department of Health vaccination poster, produced by the Works Progress Administration, late 1930s, Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Contagion: Responding to Infectious Disease [rebroadcast]," with 5-second music bed at end for station-spec...

Bought by WUFT and Troy Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 12, 2014
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Political scientist Peter Andreas tells host Peter Onuf about the ways sugar – and smuggling – shaped early America, and helped fuel the Revolution.

Bought by XRAY.fm, Radio Newark, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Feb 10, 2014
  • Length: 08:41
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Host Brian Balogh talks with historian Carolyn de la Peña about the rise of artificial sweeteners in the 20th Century, as they went from unhealthy ...

Bought by Radio Newark, KFAI Minneapolis, WRST-FM Oshkosh, and PRX Remix


  • Added: Feb 10, 2014
  • Length: 10:08
  • Purchases: 4
Piece image
Host Ed Ayers sits down with historian Alan Taylor to discuss the 18th Century search for a sweetener untainted by slavery.

Bought by Radio Newark, KFAI Minneapolis, and PRX Remix


  • Added: Feb 10, 2014
  • Length: 07:39
  • Purchases: 3