x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Skipped History

Interviews with top historians about their latest work. Mainly educational, often funny. Conveniently, most of the jokes are about people too far underground to punch back. Hosted by Ben Tumin, creator of the NYT-profiled Skipped History web series. skippedhistory.substack.com

history

All Episodes

40:45

Why Malcolm X Said It Was "Already Too Late" in 1965

Skipped History ·

2025/09/26

Today, a dose of Malcolm X and a timeless critique of our troubling times.In Nobody Can Give You Freedom: The Political Life of Malcolm X, Professor Kehinde Andrews pushes back on myths spread by The Autobiography of Malcolm X—which he calls “a great story, but a terrible book.” Those myths include that Malcolm thought white people were devils, that armed insurrection was the answer, and that he didn’t offer a coherent political program. To the contrary, Malcolm developed a sophisticated critique of

en

41:45

From Lincoln to Fox News: A History of Hoaxes and...

Skipped History ·

2025/07/25

With conspiracy theories (one in particular) dominating headlines, I spoke with Professor Philip Kadish about how conspiracies have evolved. We traced the history of racist hoaxes dating back to the mid-1800s and explored how shifts in the media landscape during the mid-1900s helped set the stage for today’s conspiratorial age. Through it all, Professor Kadish argues, one tool has remained essential for separating fact from fiction: evidence.Philip Kadish is a professor of American Studies at Pace

en

0:55

Some Thoughts on the Epstein Files

Skipped History ·

2025/07/25

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comEvening, y’all! Before sending out an interview on conspiracy theories, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the Epstein files. I’ve been frustrated by the media coverage and by Democrats’ ongoing refusal to engage with the deeper roots of these kinds of conspiracy theories. The full video is for paying Skippies. See you with more history for everyone to…

en

30:20

The Founders Didn’t Worship the Founding

Skipped History ·

2025/07/11

As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary (our Semiquincentennial), I’m speaking with some of the country’s most prominent historians, all published by W. W. Norton, to ask them five questions about the founding and the sweep of American history since.Norton will publish video clips from the interviews, but with their blessing, I’m also posting the first full conversation here. Because, y’all, how could I not share a conversation with Jill Lepore, one of the sharpest historical thinkers working

en

53:27

It's Time We Learned About the Einstein of Sex

Skipped History ·

2025/05/23

In The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the Visionary of Weimar Berlin, Daniel Brook revives the life story of an influential German thinker far ahead of his time.More than a century ago, Magnus Hirschfeld argued that gender and sexuality are fluid—and later, that race is a social construct. As you might expect, the Nazis weren’t fans, but they didn’t write Hirschfeld out of history. That erasure happened in the U.S., even though, as Daniel and I discuss, it was Hirschfeld’s books destroyed

en

44:33

In Search of Accountability for Native Boarding Schools

Skipped History ·

2025/05/02

Today, my guest offers an account of Native boarding schools and justice long overdue.In Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools, Mary Annette Pember shares her mother’s experience at a Catholic boarding school in northern Wisconsin. The story offers a glimpse into what those schools were like and how their legacy continues to shape Native life today. As Mary told me, both the government and the Church “need to be called out” as the U.S. finally begins to reckon

en

40:24

The Racist History Beneath Our Roads

Skipped History ·

2025/04/25

I’m so excited to share today’s interview with Professor Deborah N. Archer about transportation history—my favorite subject! Professor Archer details how highways are a visceral emblem of white supremacy. We may often forget their origins, but as she reminds us in her new book, Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality, “with transportation infrastructure, history is the present.”Professor Archer is Associate Dean and Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, and

en

50:34

Three Paths Left Through the Planetary Crisis

Skipped History ·

2025/04/21

I spoke with author Malcolm Harris about his new book, What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis. We explored three strategies that have a chance of staving off climate change before it’s too late. Malcolm demonstrates—compellingly, I think—how and why the left needs to unite ASAP.Malcolm is a journalist, writer, and critic. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe

en

47:41

The Troubling Questions at the Heart of the Study of...

Skipped History ·

2025/04/11

If you missed it, the Trump administration took aim at the Smithsonian. As stated in an executive order, their goal is to end the “revisionist moment” carried out by historians.It goes without saying, but to be clear, I don’t support that executive order. On the contrary, I’m proud that this newsletter is part of the “revisionist moment.” The study of slavery, the subject of my interview today, demonstrates why revisionist history is so integral in moving us toward justice.In Making Sense of

en

46:44

The Red Scare Sounds a Little Too Familiar

Skipped History ·

2025/03/28

Today, we’re talking about the Red Scare: a time of black-and-white politics when people could be arrested just for their political views. Granted, ICE wasn’t abducting people with visas off the street, but I think you’ll find today’s interview relevant nonetheless. Among other things, Clay Risen helps draw a clear throughline from Joseph McCarthy to Donald Trump and shares some valuable takeaways for combating fascism today.Clay is a reporter and editor at The New York Times. He’s the author of

en

40:17

Measles, Plagues, and How “Knowledge Isn’t The Problem”

Skipped History ·

2025/03/21

My guest today is Dr. Edna Bonhomme, author of A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to COVID-19. I don’t think Dr. Bonhomme wrote her book knowing there’d be a resurgence of measles, but here we are!I asked Dr. Bonhomme about the history of epidemics and pandemics, both in the U.S. and around the world. Exploring earlier outbreaks sets us up to talk about measles and vaccine skepticism today. These are troubling times, and Dr. Bonhomme

en

42:25

The Unreconciled Dispute Between New York and Boston

Skipped History ·

2025/03/07

In Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America, Russell Shorto brings to life the English takeover of New Amsterdam. The city that emerged from a dramatic standoff stood in stark contrast to Boston—with one place more globally minded and another more inward-looking. Russell argues that the unreconciled differences between “the two ideological centers of the colonies” spread outward and are still with us today.Russell is the director of the New Amsterdam

en

38:11

Avoiding the “American Solution” in the Middle...

Skipped History ·

2025/01/31

My guest today is Peter Beinart, author of Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza. It’s hard to improve on his book title for summing up our conversation, where we explored some of the history of American Jewish identity, the possibility that what we dubbed the “American solution” might succeed, and how, in Peter’s estimation, we can and must hold competing truths in pursuit of collective safety and liberation.Peter is a contributing opinion writer to The New York Times, the Editor-at-Large of

en

51:30

A Brief Environmental History of the World, Told...

Skipped History ·

2024/10/04

In The Burning Earth, Professor Sunil Amrith delivers a global, history-spanning account of our planet’s environment. One subject he comes back to over and over again is food: rice, sugar, wheat, meat, and more. I asked him about the societal impact of each crop and why he believes there’s no faster way to slow the climate crisis “than changing food systems and agriculture.”Sunil Amrith is the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History and professor in the School of the Environment at Yale

en

20:34

Israel’s Reliance on the Greatest Powers in World...

Skipped History ·

2024/09/24

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comThe timing for today’s interview, I think, needs no introduction. Professor Rashid Khalidi details Israel’s long history of relying on outside powers to build a Jewish state: first, the British, and now, of course, the U.S. That record reveals the sizable influence outside forces have today to end the violence unfolding in Palestine (and now Lebanon). P…

en

22:05

It's Not a Period — It's a Kamala

Skipped History ·

2024/09/06

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comIn our latest interview about the 2024 election, I welcomed Professor Kellie Carter Jackson back to Skipped History. In past conversations, Professor Carter Jackson and I explored lessons from Black abolitionists and the effectiveness of violent resistance. Both topics came up again as we discussed Professor Carter Jackson’s excitement over Kamala Harri…

en

34:03

Correcting the Invisibility of LatinoLand

Skipped History ·

2024/08/30

As conversations about Latino voters heat up, I spoke with Marie Arana about her book, LatinoLand: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood Minority. Marie details the centrality of Latinos to the economy, how Republicans are making inroads courting Latino communities, and how the “government has often treated Latinos as an afterthought.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

en

7:27

The Right Has Been Weird for a Long Time

Skipped History ·

2024/08/02

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comIn the first of our series of interviews with historians about the 2024 election, I spoke with Professor Matt Dallek, author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right. Professor Dallek examines how the John Birch Society (JBS), a far-right group active in the 1960s, came to shape Republican politics today. Professor Dallek a…

en

23:29

Violence Isn’t the Answer — Or Is It?

Skipped History ·

2024/06/14

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comIn We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, and in conversation, Professor Kellie Carter Jackson highlights stories of Black refusal. Sometimes, refusal takes the form of violent resistance. Other times, it’s an impromptu electric slide in the middle of a protest. Either way, Professor Carter Jackson moves us away “from the rightness or wrongn…

en

45:24

It’s Time to Take DARE a Little More Seriously

Skipped History ·

2024/05/24

Chances are you’ve seen the DARE logo — on a t-shirt, a bumper sticker, a license plate, or maybe a street sign. In DARE to Say No: Policing and the War on Drugs in Schools, and in conversation, Professor Max Felker-Kantor (Ball State University) traces the history of the ubiquitous tough-on-drugs program. It's almost too easy to make fun of DARE (almost), but as Professor Felker-Kantor reveals, law enforcement had a very serious goal: to legitimize a deeper police presence in schools, and by and

en

76 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Audio Biography

Inception Point Ai