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American History Hotline

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

history

All Episodes

32:52

What's the Real Story of Disney's "Newsies"?

American History Hotline ·

2026/04/22

You may have seen it on Broadway ... or maybe your high school gym. The Tony Award-winning musical Newsies is a favorite for school productions because the story centers around newspaper-hawking kids who stand up to titan-of-industry Joseph Pulitzer. Of course, we've learned that we shouldn't take our history lessons from Disney. So we've called up Vincent DiGirolamo (Crying the News: A History of America's Newsboys) to give us the REAL story of the famous 1899 newsboys strike that inspired the

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33:44

John Quincy Adams: From President to Anti-Slavery...

American History Hotline ·

2026/04/15

John Quincy Adams may have been a failed one-term president, but he had one of the most amazing second acts in American political history. From the House of Representatives, he steered our new nation through one of its most tumultuous eras ... carrying the torch of American democracy from the Founding Fathers to Abraham Lincoln. In this special episode, Robert Costa interviews Bob about his new book:America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick.It's an amazing

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39:44

Mary Had a Little Typhoid

American History Hotline ·

2026/04/08

And everywhere that Mary went, the typhoid was sure to go. The story of Mary Mallon (AKA Typhoid Mary) is one we're living every day to a small degree: the balance between public safety and personal liberty. Luckily for us, we'll never be imprisoned for being an symptomatic carrier of a disease. Well, never say never. To learn more about the life of Mary Mallon we call up author Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America). Why was Mary's story so

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28:25

The Constitution vs. Authoritarianism

American History Hotline ·

2026/04/01

It can be scary to learn how much our democracy relies on norms and convention when the rule of law is put to the test. But, at least our Founding Fathers had an excellent understanding of authoritarianism when they drafted the U.S. Constitution. Are the guardrails they created enough to prevent a dictator, though? Bob calls up Jeffrey Rosen (former President and CEO of the National Constitution Center) to answer this question.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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29:26

How Did Hollywood Survive the Great Depression?

American History Hotline ·

2026/03/25

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans were out of work, but they still managed to make it to the movies. In fact, Hollywood didn't just survive one of our country's greatest economic downturns, it thrived. So how did movie studios stay afloat when audiences could barely afford food? And why did people keep buying movie tickets during one of the darkest economic periods in U.S. history? We dial up Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Mark Ellis to explore how Hollywood weathered the Great

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30:24

Sybil Ludington: 16-Year-Old Hero of the American...

American History Hotline ·

2026/03/18

She was just 16 years old when she rode nearly 40 miles through the night rallying the militia as the British attacked during the American Revolution. Bob calls up Karen Romano Young (Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Hero) to get the story of Sybil Ludington. They explore what parts of her story are fact or fiction, and why she was nearly forgotten.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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40:34

What Happened to Aaron Burr After He Killed Alexander...

American History Hotline ·

2026/03/11

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in the most infamous duel in American history. But what happened next? Did Burr face murder charges? Was he convicted? And why did he go full Gary Busey? (You'll have to listen to understand that reference!) Bob calls up Yale historian Joanne Freeman (The Essential Hamilton: Letters and Other Writings) to unpack the astonishing second act of Aaron Burr’s life. From criminal indictments to conspiracies, a treason trial and

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24:51

Why Do We Spring Forward?

American History Hotline ·

2026/03/04

No, Benjamin Franklin did not invent Daylight Saving Time. But he did muse about its practicality in a 1784 essay. So, if Franklin didn't invent DST, where did all this springing forward come from? Bob calls up Chad Orzel (A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks) to get to the bottom of this question. Oh, and don't forget to change your clocks on March 8th!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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26:06

Was Disney’s Balto a True Story?

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/25

Was the Disney movie Balto actually based on a true story? A listener wants to know if this heroic snow dog was real—or just a Hollywood invention. To get answers, Bob calls up Dr. Nicole Burt of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It turns out, the real Balto is actually IN her museum. What?! Bob and Nicole dive into the truth behind one of the most beloved animated films of the 1990s by exploring the real 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska. How did a deadly diphtheria outbreak create a hero

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41:56

Did Willy Wonka’s Creator Spy on America?

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/18

Roald Dahl is a beloved children’s author. Turns out, he was also a British spy during WWII! So how does one transition from seducing prominent Americans’ wives to writingMatilda? Well, we’re glad you asked! We called up the creator of a new docu-series called The Secret World of Roald Dahl to get all the dirt on this famous children’s author. Aaron Tracy, Creator of The Secret World of Roald DahlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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51:28

American History Hotline: A Washington & Lincoln...

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/16

In honor of President's Day, we're sharing some of the best conversations we've had about Honest Abe and General Washington. We speak with historian Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington) about George Washington myths, including whether or not his teeth were made of wood. We also speak with Julian Zelizer about which party Abraham Lincoln would belong to today. Check out Julian's Substack, The Long View. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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51:28

A Washington & Lincoln Birthday Special!

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/16

In honor of President's Day, we're sharing some of the best conversations we've had about Honest Abe and General Washington. We speak with historian Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington) about George Washington myths, including whether or not his teeth were made of wood. We also speak with Julian Zelizer about which party Abraham Lincoln would belong to today. Check out Julian's Substack, The Long View. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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34:35

America Loves Trains. Why Can’t We Build Them...

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/13

It takes decades to build a new subway line in the United States. Meanwhile, China is building entire high-speed rail networks in just a few years. So, how did America's once-great love of trains getderailed? We use New York City’s Second Avenue Subway as a test case to answer this bigger question: Why is building trains in America so hard compared to places like China? Bob calls up Dan McNichol, author of Second Avenue Subway: Building the Most Famous Thing Never Built in New York City, and

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24:22

Abraham Lincoln Before the Presidency: What He...

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/12

Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent just one term in Congress. So how did "the best known two-time Senate loser in the country" become one of the greatest presidents in American history? Bob calls up historian and author Chris DeRose (Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America’s Greatest President)to help answer this question. Together, they explore how Lincoln's short stint on Capitol Hill shaped his presidency — from his early and consistent resistance to the expansion of

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35:41

Are the Olympics an Appropriate Place for Protest?

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/11

You gotta keep 'em separated. That's a lot of people's opinion about mixing sports and politics. But as the world turns its eyes to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games, you have to wonder if this is the ideal place to make a political statement. To understand how acts of political activism have played out at the Olympics throughout history, we call up Jules Boykoff. He's the author of numerous books about the Olympics, including What are the Olympics For? So, are the Olympics fair game for protest? Or

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42:18

Who Integrated the NFL?

American History Hotline ·

2026/02/04

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. That's a well known piece of history. But who integrated the NFL? Well, it's an amazing story with lots of binge drinking, miraculous comebacks and hot dog eating. Seriously. Just in time for the Super Bowl, we're calling up David Fleming, author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History. He explains how one of the worst teams in NFL history shaped the game we know today. See

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42:55

Can the President Tear Down the White House?

American History Hotline ·

2026/01/28

Who owns the White House? Is it the American people or the person who lives inside of it — AKA, the president? If the President of the United States of America controls the White House, does ANYONE have say over what he does with it (we're looking at you, preservation societies and Congress)? Here to help us answer these questions (and weigh in on President Trump's renovations to the East Wing) is Robert Klara, author of The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of

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24:22

Abraham Lincoln Before the Presidency: What He...

American History Hotline ·

2026/01/21

Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent just one term in Congress. So how did "the best known two-time Senate loser in the country" become one of the greatest presidents in American history? Bob calls up historian and author Chris DeRose (Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America’s Greatest President)to help answer this question. Together, they explore how Lincoln's short stint on Capitol Hill shaped his presidency — from his early and consistent resistance to the expansion of

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32:09

Did Montezuma Surrender? Debunking the Myth of the...

American History Hotline ·

2026/01/14

For centuries, the story has been told the same way: Montezuma surrendered to Hernán Cortés, and a small band of Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire. But that story has always seemed a bit ... fishy. To get the TRUE story, Bob calls up historian Matthew Restall to debunk one of the most enduring myths of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. As it turns out, when you dig into Indigenous sources a whole new story begins to emerge. Shocker, Montezuma did not surrender and Cortés

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34:35

America Loves Trains. Why Can’t We Build Them...

American History Hotline ·

2026/01/07

It takes decades to build a new subway line in the United States. Meanwhile, China is building entire high-speed rail networks in just a few years. So, how did America's once-great love of trains getderailed? We use New York City’s Second Avenue Subway as a test case to answer this bigger question: Why is building trains in America so hard compared to places like China? Bob calls up Dan McNichol, author of Second Avenue Subway: Building the Most Famous Thing Never Built in New York City, and

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50 results

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