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Mossbunker Review

The Mossbunker Review offers stories from history, literature, and letters, along with essays and reflections to nourish the mind, much like its namesake. This humble mossbunker fish sustains life by enriching the soil and ecosystems. Small contributions can shape worlds. May these pages encourage and delight you in your most important mission. https://www.mossbunker.review/ Liam J. Atchison, Ph.D., FSAScot

history

All Episodes

20:45

37 I Knocked Out the Governor! But Can I Prove It?

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/04/07

What do Martin Luther, a college cheer, and a boy running loose in Kansas City have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, I tell the story of the day my brother may have knocked down the governor of Kansas, and use it to explore a deeper question: how do we actually know what happened in the past? Along the way, we move from memory to evidence, from hearsay to history, and discover why good stories are not enough. If you’ve ever repeated something because it “sounds right,” this

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19:33

36 The Summer of Uncle Henry and the A’s: A Boy's...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/03/31

In this episode, Dr. Liam remembers a boyhood summer in Kansas when the Kansas City Athletics filled his imagination, and baseball seemed to explain the world. Inspired by trips with his father to Municipal Stadium and by the legend of his Uncle Henry, a former minor leaguer, a young dreamer set out to build a neighborhood ballpark in the weeds behind the family farmhouse. What followed involved a broken lawnmower, a rusty weed whip, a mysterious inventor with a terrifying experimental mower, and a

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18:10

35 Memory on the Living Room Wall: Who Controls the...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/03/24

In this episode, Dr. Liam recalls a Fourth of July family reunion in Kansas in 1962, when his father dimmed the lights and introduced the clan to the wonders of a Kodak Carousel 550 slide projector. What began as a proud presentation of family photographs soon revealed something deeper. Slides were selected, rearranged, mislabeled, corrected, and occasionally replaced as new experiences and perspectives emerged. The family came to understand its past through the images that made it into the tray and

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14:50

34 When the Ides Were Bright: Calendar and Memory in...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/03/17

Before the Ides of March became a synonym for betrayal, it was simply a full-moon marker in the Roman calendar. In this episode, we step back into the ancient world to explore how the Romans structured time through the Kalends, Nones, and Ides, and how their lunar, religious, and civic rhythms shaped political life. What did it mean to count backward toward fixed anchor days? How did a luminous midpoint in the month of Mars become permanently associated with assassination? And what does that

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13:51

33 Beware the Ides — Even in Stockholm

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/03/10

In this episode of Mossbunker Review, we step into the middle of March and into two scenes of political drama separated by nearly eighteen centuries: the Roman Senate on the Ides of March and the Stockholm Opera House on a masked night in 1792. What connects Julius Caesar and Sweden’s Gustav III? Both centralized power. Both believed in the force of public presence. Both were warned. And both fell beneath conspirators who claimed to defend liberty. By exploring Gustav’s theatrical kingship alongside

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16:24

32 Ides of March Madness: The Fabricated Rules of...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/03/03

What does a fourth-century Roman emperor have to do with March Madness? In this episode, historian Dr. Liam follows an unlikely but revealing thread from Emperor Constantine, through the Renaissance humanist Lorenzo Valla, to James Naismith’s original rules of basketball, exploring how authority is claimed, how documents earn trust, and how careful reading can quietly upend entire traditions. Blending history, philology, partisanship, and college basketball lore, the episode reflects on forgery,

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23:15

31 Every Clue, No Detective: Reading Dorothy Sayers...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/02/24

What do historians and mystery writers have in common? More than we might think. In this episode, we take a close, historically conscious look at Dorothy L. Sayers’s Documents in the Case, an unusual and experimental detective novel written without a narrator, without a detective, and entirely from letters, reports, and witness statements. Reading the book as both a mystery and an archive, we explore how Sayers, working alongside her scientific collaborator Robert Eustace, invites readers to wrestle

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13:02

30 The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunit | Part...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/02/17

The final episode of The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunnit steps back from suspects and speculation to ask how historians judge events that resist definitive proof. Reflecting on the aftermath of Darnley’s murder and the fate of Mary, Queen of Scots, Liam J. Atchison and Athanasios Arkoudos explore how political narratives harden into historical memory—and why unresolved cases may teach us more about the past than tidy conclusions ever could.

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14:17

29 The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunit | Part...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/02/10

In the second episode of The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunnit, Liam J. Atchison and Athanasios Arkoudos turn from the crime itself to the figures who stood to benefit from it. Examining Mary, Queen of Scots, the Earl of Bothwell, the Earl of Moray, and the wider political forces at work, this episode explores motive, opportunity, and power without collapsing complexity into accusation. The result is a careful weighing of evidence that reveals how blame was assigned, contested, and ultimately

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11:27

28 The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunit | Part...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/02/03

In this first episode of The Darnley Affair: A Historical Whodunnit, historian Liam J. Atchison is joined in conversation with Athanasios Arkoudos to revisit one of the most notorious and least resolved murders of the sixteenth century: the death of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Beginning with Mary’s troubled reign, her disastrous marriage, and the violent court politics that culminated in the explosion at Kirk o’ Field in 1567, this episode lays out the facts of the crime without

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16:56

27 Shelby Foote and the Council of Old Men: Why...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/01/27

Why do American old men love talking about the Civil War, and why does Shelby Foote’s name always come up? In this episode, I finally give in to the gentle pressure of the Council of Old Men and read Foote’s monumental Civil War: A Narrative. Along the way, I reflect on what Foote gets brilliantly right as a storyteller, where his affection for the past sometimes softens hard truths, and why historians still wrestle with his legacy. With a few laughs, a stubborn pickle jar, and a lot of respect for

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18:57

26 Citric Acid, History, and Other Things That Exist:...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/01/20

In this episode, Dr. Liam begins a sporadic series of conversational stories about Professor Athanasios Arkoudos, a prairie-bred historian with a fondness for strong coffee, precise questions, and ideas that refuse to disappear just because they appear on ingredient labels. Through informal dialogues, small domestic scenes, and the gentle sparring of a seasoned mentor and an attentive student, the series explores what it means to think historically: how imagination reconstructs rather than reinvents

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17:47

25 The Old Gentlemen’s Reading Experiment

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/01/13

In this episode, historian and storyteller Dr. Liam recounts the true—and unexpectedly funny—story behind the founding of the Old Gentlemen’s Reading Experiment (OGRE), a men’s book club that began on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. What started as a simple attempt to gather a few men around short, less-demanding books, beginning with Babette’s Feast and South by Ernest Shackleton, nearly collapsed over personalities, reading habits, and even the pronunciation of an author’s name. Instead,

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12:02

24 Auld Lang Century: Toasting to the Real End of the...

Mossbunker Review ·

2026/01/06

In Auld Lang Century: Toasting to the Real End of the 20th, historian and storyteller Dr. Liam reflects on a profound question we rarely ask at New Year’s: when did the twentieth century truly end? Beginning with a personal journey through post-reunification Germany and a haunting encounter with stranded Soviet soldiers, this episode draws on historian John Lukacs's insights to challenge the calendar’s authority over history. Moving beyond Cold War binaries, Atchison explores the obsolescence of

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13:36

23 Goodbye 2025: Last Words of Three...

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/30

In this New Year’s history episode, Dr. Liam explores the final words and last days of three prominent twentieth-century American figures: Ernest Hemingway, Judge Learned Hand, and newspaper titan William Randolph Hearst. Drawing on striking accounts from *Life* magazine, this episode examines how a legendary author, a celebrated jurist, and a powerful media mogul each faced the end of life—and what their last words reveal about legacy, mortality, and American culture. If you’re interested in

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9:22

22 BONUS: A Reformation Christmas with Luther and Calvin

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/24

In this episode of the Mossbunker Review, historian Dr. Liam explores the Christmas story through the eyes of Martin Luther and John Calvin, highlighting their shared convictions and unique perspectives. By comparing their sermons on Luke 2:1-14, Dr. Liam reveals how Luther’s focus on Christ’s humanity, calling for personal faith, complements Calvin’s emphasis on the coexistence of humble circumstances and God’s glory. The result is a powerful understanding of the meaning of Christmas, blending

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10:57

21 Luther’s Gift: Rediscovering the Hope of Christmas

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/23

Are you searching for the true meaning of Christmas and a message of hope to brighten your season? “Luther’s Gift: Rediscovering the Hope of Christmas” is a podcast that invites you to journey through the inspiring story of Christmas with Martin Luther's wisdom. Discover how Luther’s insights illuminate the heart of the Christmas story—offering comfort, faith, and renewed hope for today’s world. Whether you’re feeling weary, longing for encouragement, or simply curious about the deeper significance

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10:25

20 Unexpected Grace: Christmas in Damon Runyon’s Old...

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/16

Hi, I’m Dr. Liam, and welcome to "Unexpected Grace: Christmas in Damon Runyon’s New York." If you’re searching for a heartwarming Christmas story, a classic holiday tale, or a unique take on Christmas miracles, you’re in the right place. In this episode, we journey into the lost world of Runyon’s historic Prohibition-era Broadway, where the spirit of Christmas shone in the most unlikely places. Join me as we explore a festive story filled with hope, redemption, and the magic of the holiday

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19:32

19 Settling History Debts: Zeppelins, Pasties, and...

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/09

In this engaging episode of "Seven Habits of Historically Conscious People," retired history professor Dr. Liam explores the capstone habit: Responsibility. Discover why telling the truth about the past matters, how facts can be twisted into powerful myths, and the moral choices we face when sharing family stories or world-changing events. With real-life examples from both traditional and family history, this video explores the ethics of history, the dangers of cherry-picking facts, and the

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20:38

18 Real People, Real Past: The Humans of History

Mossbunker Review ·

2025/12/02

Dive into the heart of historical consciousness with this episode exploring why embracing humanness is essential to understanding history. Dr. Liam shares personal stories of discouragement and hope, revealing how history is not just a collection of facts but a living, relational, and participatory journey. Discover the power of seeing the past through a human lens, from the French Revolution to Martin Luther and the letters of John and Abigail Adams. Learn how empathy, humility, and honest

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37 results

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