Everything is a Primary Source

$4E37: "Rags to Riches--Las Vegas, Nevada as a primary source of 20th century America" I spoke to Kathy at last month's ephemera fair in Greenwich, CT where she selected an out-of-the-ordinary postcard of Las Vegas, Nevada as the centerpiece of our conversation.  This, coming off the blue-suede heels of an episode about Elvis's residency there, adds to the story primary source documents can tell....

S4E36: "Elvis Has Left the Dining Room: Analyzing a 1971 International Hotel Souvenir Menu"  Kevin teaches social studies in Western New York and works with the Teaching with Primary Sources program, providing guidance for other teachers when using the vast collection that is the Library of Congress.  Our meeting and conversation in Boston was a longtime in the making as Kevin, a lifelong Elvis fa...

Mitch stopped by to talk with me at this year's Ephemera Society of America ephemera fair a few weeks ago after he spotted an item in my collection from his wheelhouse, a copy of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comic.  Listen to what Mitch has to say about what this underground comic of the late 60s/ early 70s can tell us about several aspects of American life in that era.  Add your own ideas so...

S4E34: "Moon Colony 1968-- 2001: A Space Odyssey as a primary source" w/Bryant Cruse The conversation with New Sapience founder Bryant Cruse was such a good one that it created two episodes.  Here, the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film, 2001: A Space Odyssey is covered in earnest. Join the conversation at everything-history.com

S4E33: "Artificial Intellect: 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey as a primary source."  (Part I) Bryant Cruse is the founder of New Sapience, a synthetic intelligence company set to challenge what AI means, and what it is meant to do for the world.  He joined the EPS Podcast to discuss his work and dissect the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film, 2001: A Space Oddyssey , but as you'll hear, the two of us gladly t...

S4E32: "California Here We Come: John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as a document of its time and place" & Granite State of Social Studies Episode 4 Angela teaches social studies in Utah but originally hales from Southern California.  We met at the NCSS conference in Boston and talked about how one of her favorite books, The Grapes of Wrath may have contributed to the mythology surrounding h...

S4E31: "On the T: Rock n Roll T-Shirts as cultural artifacts" & Granite State of Education Episode 3 Dan is a teacher in Erie, PA and was welcomed onto the EPS Podcast when visiting Boston for the NCSS Conference in the Fall.  After discussing the state of social studies education, we took a close look at T-shirt culture as it rose alongside rock n roll music of the 70s, 80s and 90s.  And sinc...

S4E30: "A Bad Moon Causing a Commotion in Lodi: CCR's Green River as a primary source of 1969" Hannah, Victor and Tammy helped me cultivate the historic value of one San Francisco-based Creedence Clearwater Revival's most important albums, Green River during a virtual PD session last Summer.  If you'd like to add to this dissection, head over to everything-history.com/greenriver  .  If you'd like...

S4E29: "Web Master: All iterations of Spider-Man as reflections of time periods, since 1962." Eli and I got the conversation about Spider-Man started last Spring at Free Comic Book Day, focusing mostly on the 21st century movie iterations of the character.  There, of course, is so much more to say about the web-slinging, everyman pop culture icon.  So if you're so inclined, add to the conversation...

S4E28: "...to Z-Zorro: Zorro movies as primary sources of their respective time periods" Nick is a social studies teacher from Los Angeles whom I met and spoke with at this past year's NCSS conference in Boston.  After a short chat about the profession we broke down the character Zorro.  Although the character was created in 1919 by a pulp writer from Illinois, and has often been portrayed by Angl...

S4E27: "From A-Aerosmith...   Talking about 'Back in the Saddle Again' by Aerosmith as a Primary Source" Clayton had a table right next to mine when we were both presenting at the NCSS conference in Boston this past Fall.  What better time and place to talk about the "Bad Boys of Boston," and their song, "Back in the Saddle Again," the first track off their 1979 album Rocks ?  So we did. Add to th...

S4E26: "The Future is Here; The Houston Astrodome as a document of time and place" &  Granite State of Social Studies episode 2 Clement, a native of Houston, TX, joined me in Boston to discuss how the Houston Astrodome played a leading role in the Southern city's abrupt desegregation campaign when it opened in 1965. Join the conversation soon at everything-history.com/epsproject #socialstudies...

S4E25: "What's Old is New Again: Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers as a Primary Source of 1969 and beyond" Hannah, Tammy and Victor joined me for a virtual professional development presentation last Summer and concluded the day with two "Your History Through Popular Culture" conversations.  Here's our thoughts about Wendy's, the fast food chain from Columbus,  Ohio whose facade and menu has long be...

S4E24: "Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglass" Joan Cummins is the Associate Director of Learning Initiatives at the President Lincoln's Cottage site in Washington, DC, and the host of their podcast "Q & Abe."  She sat with me at NCSS Boston this past Fall and discussed all things Abraham Lincoln, including his work as President, his representation in media, and if he or Frederick Douglass was the grea...

S4E23: "Jett Way: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as a document of the past" I met Chris Cambridge out of the blue at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH back in March of 2024 as he was simply walking by.  We ended up having a great dissection discussion on an artist he was just getting into and one I've long admired, Joan Jett. Join the conversation at everything-history.com

Author Claire Bellerjeau joined me last Fall to talk about her and Tiffany Yecke Brooks's book Remember Liss .  Their story follows a young Black woman who was enslaved by the Townsend Family of Oyster Bay, Long Island during the Revolutionary War.  There is evidence that Liss took part in spying for the Culper Spy Ring, and this was acknowledged, in part, with a character in the 2014 TV drama Tur...

S4E21: "I Heart Media Literacy" Mary Kate Lonergan is a social studies educator and media literacy consultant.  She and I met at NCSS in Boston in November, 2024 and spoke about the value and best practices when teaching and modeling media literacy, especially in an era of an ever-growing media landscape.  We bounced from one example to the next, from the 1848 Richard Caton Woodville Painting, "Wa...

S4E20: "Jeep!: Jeeps as a product of World War II era America" To commemorate the 80th year since the Battle of the Bulge, during which jeeps played an important role, author Robert O'Connor and I analyze the utilitarian vehicle as the ultimate reflection of the US Army, its men, mission, and the country as a whole. Robert is the author of Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge , a histor...

S4E19: "Let Me Have a Country: HBO's John Adams Miniseries as a Primary Source" Kevan Ottochian is a stellar social studies teacher in the Mid Hudson region of New York, and I was honored that he invited me to present at his region's social studies conference in the Fall.  Recorded on Election Day and released just in time for Inauguration Day, this conversation breaks down one of the finest teach...

S4E18: "Picture Picture: Late 19th Century Stereographs as Documents of their Era" Tristan is a New Hampshire educator who stopped by my booth at the NCSS conference in Boston late last year., and we had a nice conversation about stereoscopes and stereographs--the popular entertainment and casual education medium of the late 19th century. Join the conversation at everything-history.com

S4E17: "Living the Dream: Sports Illustrated 1992 The Year in Sports Video as a Primary Source. Melissa joined me at the AEE conference this Spring where we talked about one of the many perks of having a Sports Illustrated subscription anytime in the 80s or 90s: The Year in Review video.  1992 just happened to be the year of the Barcelona Olympics and the "Dream Team," which gave us plenty to talk...

S4E16: "Wrap Rap: Turtle Tunes/We Wish You a Turtles Christmas as a primary source." This is the third and last episode of a TMNT series to wrap up the calendar year.   Brian sat down with me back in August to break down a cassette tape of the singing Ninja Turtles' Christmas album from 1997 (Yes, those words are typed in the correct order).  We had a great chat, covering not only this album but t...

S4E15: "Geki Kame Ninja Den: The 1989 TMNT Nintendo Game as a Primary Source" Drew of NH Turtle Rescue joined me for the second in a series of three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-inspired conversations, recorded this summer at the Woodman Museum  in Dover, NH during their Birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exhibit opening. Join the conversation at everything-history.com

S4E14: "Not a Highlight: Disney Adventures Digest as a document of the past" Kid culture developed much in the last few decades of the 20th century and Disney Adventures Digest, the small size periodical for tween audiences is a solid representation of that.  Artist Vero Stewart stopped by my exhibit at this summer's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gallery opening at the Woodman Museum in Dover, NH,...

S4E13: "Sons of Flynn: 1982's Tron as a Primary Source" Actor, filmmaker and all-around nice guy RW Martin joined me at Free Comic Book Day to talk about Disney's 1982 sci-fi spectacular, Tron .  But, as usual, we happily divert into many other topics and eras. Join the conversation at everything-history.com