Axelbank Reports History and Today

Professor Paul Moses takes us on a tour of progressive-era New York City as he explores the life - and death - of famed detective Giuseppe Petrosino. He shows how a hit carried out in Italy in 1909 reverberated through the New York Police Department and led other Italian-American detectives to form the "Italian Squad," in an effort to not only snuff out organized crime, but to make life...

Their friendship is considered one of the most important in American history. Professor Laurence Jurdem argues in "The Rough Rider and the Professor" that if Henry Cabot Lodge had not taken political upstart Teddy Roosevelt under his wing, it's unlikely he ever would have become president. Jurdem pored over thousands of letters between the two men, to find not only an intimate perso...

Far from being a historical asterisk, an accidental president, or a mere bridge between Nixon's failed presidency and the coming Reagan Revolution, Richard Norton Smith argues that Gerald Ford's life and administration must be understood in order to weigh the last decades of the 20th Century. From a broken home in Michigan to the world's most famous home in the nation's capital...

At one point in American history, no woman had charged a "gentleman" with rape. That all changed when Lanah Sawyer, a seventeen-year-old seamstress was attacked by a member of New York City's high society. Against all odds - and expectations - Sawyer went to court against the rapist, twice, and forever changed the way the legal system would consider cases of sexual assault. John Woo...

In Dr. Matthew Clavin's new book, "Symbols of Freedom: Slavery and Resistance Before the Civil War," he shows how slaves adopted America's signature documents, songs and rallying cries as their own. From the National Anthem, to July 4th, to the phrase, "Give me liberty or give me death," enslaved Americans seized on symbols some cited as evidence the nation's peo...

In 1850, in exchange for allowing the potential of slavery in New Mexico and Utah, California was admitted to the Union as its 31st state. A free state. The land of beaches, beautiful scenery, bridges and Hollywood. But even to today, Dr. Pfaelzer argues California has not been fully free. While we may not imagine plantation slavery there the way we do in US southern states, Dr. Pfaelzer says ther...

In contemporary political discourse, the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. have often been reduced to a snappy soundbite articulating his "Dream" of seeing his children judged, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." In his new biography of King, Jonathan Eig uses tons of new sources, including memoirs and recordings from King's immediate...

The biggest-selling musical act of all time isn't necessarily well-known for the time they spent in Florida, but Bob Kealing says they should be. The Beatles stopped in Florida just after their world-changing appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show," and were exposed to a magical side of America. The Beatles soaked up Miami's beaches, bikinis and sunshine, and spent more time in Fl...

How did a suicide help lead to the downfall of one of the most corrupt government officials in American history? In his new book, "Crooked: The Roaring Twenties Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, A Crusading Senator and the Birth of the American Political Scandal," Nathan Masters describes how Harry Daugherty went too far to protect his friends and the political power structure built by...

What do Marilyn Monroe, Superman and... Jules Schulback have him common? Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler say Bonnie's grandfather and the two pop culture icons combine to tell an essential story of the 20th Century in the United States. Jules was walking in Manhattan when he happened upon Marilyn as she filmed the iconic scene for, "The Seven Year Itch." He used his film camera...

Famed television host Anthony Bourdain said, "Nothing is more political than food." In Alex Prud'homme's book, "Dinner with the President: Food, Politics and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House," shows how presidents and First Ladies have used food to craft public policy, play politics and even alter the course of the presidency. Prud'homme explains ho...

In, "Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet Almost Destroyed Civilization," Dr. Richard Goodrich shows how science and society collided in sometimes deadly fashion. He explores how the media and those eager to make a quick buck exacerbated fears over what would happen when the comet became visible from Earth's atmosphere. He explains how a society that was largely...

Every president, every leader, needs someone who they can trust. Who will tell them what is really happening, as opposed to telling them what they want to hear? In short, they need a confidante. Anna Rosenberg was one of the assistants whom FDR kept closest, not only in terms of policy, but as a friend. However, most biographies on FDR have largely ignored the role the high-ranking official played...

Abraham Lincoln could never have become president if he didn't win over the stalwarts of his own party. But as the 1860 Republican convention neared, he was barely considered an also-ran. The conventional wisdom held that William H. Seward of Auburn, NY would become the nominee. But as big players in the new political party descended on Chicago, a bustling mid-western metropolis of business (...

One of the hallmarks of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is that its leaders preached non-violence. Dr. Martin Luther King said non-violence is the "absolute commitment to the way of love." But by 1966, after several legislative victories that established the right to vote and banned discrimination in places of public accommodation, young Black activists became frustrated with the...

When you vote for president, Gautam Mukunda says you are making the most important decision in the world. With the power presidents wield over the US and the world, picking the wrong person can bring disaster - or wonderful things - to billions of people. On this episode, Gautam Mukunda explains how we can spot candidates that will do well in office, and also ones who are likely to fail. His &quot...

There are four women who shaped the 20th Century: Queen Elizabeth II, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. In the first biography of the hard-nosed, beautiful, iconic movie star that draws on Taylor's massive trove of personal correspondence and photographs, best-selling author Kate Andersen Brower explains how Taylor evolved from child star to storied activist. Brower int...

One of the biggest myths in the history of human discovery is that the idea of a spherical earth is new. In fact, it is the opposite. The incorrect idea that the world is flat is what's new. In this discussion with Daily Beast reporter Kelly Weill, we discuss her book, "Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything." She explains how most of u...

When a president dies, it often feels as though a piece of the nation is gone with them. Americans are often witness to days of memorial services, eulogies, processions and burial ceremonies. But as Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Dr. Matthew Costello argue in their co-edited book, "Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture," the way a president is mourned immediately after...

For decades, it was a given in American news media and political leadership that those who held power, upon the selection of new leaders, would give up their positions. Until 2020, the American presidency had an unbroken string of over 225 years of transferring power peacefully. Despite personality or political party, the outgoing president always left the stage, to give way to a new person at the...

In "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America," Washington Post correspondent Philip Bump explains how America's largest generation became America itself. Their considerable demands on schools, infrastructure, culture and communication defined the second half of the twentieth century, and set up a generational conflict with millennials. The dat...

If you Google "Samuel Adams," the first result that pops up is about beer. Centuries after Thomas Jefferson called Adams, "the man" of the Revolution, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Stacy Schiff reclaims the history of perhaps the key force behind American independence. In "The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams," she explains how Adams built a shadow empire of propaganda...

Until now, the story of Jews who served in the Civil War has been incomplete. Dr. Adam Mendelsohn's book aims to showcase their contributions and sacrifices while explaining how their time in the Civil War differed from that of other soldiers. From rations that were not kosher, to lack of opportunity to fully celebrate holidays, to relatively few comrades, it was not always easy for Jewish so...

Why does exercise come with an outfit, a soundtrack, a gimmick and a social media post? In her book, "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," scholar and fitness coach Dr. Natalia Petrzela explains the history behind exercise, the inequalities the fitness industry has created, and how America has been shaped by the social pressure to work out. She also expl...

Biographer Neal Gabler argues Ted Kennedy's life can be divided into two sections. The first is when Kennedy catches the tide of liberalism and used that momentum to advance liberal policy goals. And the second is when he pushes against the prevailing feeling that the government should no longer protect the New Deal as stringently as before. Gabler argues that Kennedy, despite his well-known...