BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Each week we take a topic that people are talking about and explore it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversation with our listeners, we make history engaging and fun.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne explore the history of the LGBTQ community in the U.S.
79 Min
Dec 7, 2018
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan, and Joanne look back at the so-called “Spanish Flu,” how it affected the U.S., and why it’s often overlooked today.
43 Min
Nov 30, 2018
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Joanne explore the history of American taxidermy.
69 Min
Nov 23, 2018
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne look at other times in history when Americans were split.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed and guest host Lindsay Graham of the American History Tellers podcast explore the career of Abraham Lincoln the lawyer.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne consider the origins of illegal immigration and look at how the government’s deportation powers have grown over time.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian and Nathan reflect on how, 100 years later, “the war to end all wars” is still with Americans.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne discover that the path to American citizenship has never been easy.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed joins Brian, Nathan and Joanne as they continue to explore the history of America’s relationship to the largest marine mammals.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne explore the history of America’s relationship to the largest marine mammals.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan and Joanne reflect on the history of prison labor and learn more about the challenges facing those behind bars.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, and Ed discuss things in the sky we can’t explain - unidentified flying objects.
On this episode of Backstory, Ed, Nathan and Brian explore the iconic figure of the American Millionaire.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed and Nathan take a look at the historical relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian and Joanne talk about our past understanding of climate and weather and how the invention of air conditioning changed America forever.
On this week’s episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne and Ed talk atomic power, and the indelible mark it left on American culture.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne explore the central questions of the Reconstruction era.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian talks to "Past Present" podcast host Nicole Hemmer about her six-part series, "A12," a reflection on the one-year anniversary of the "Summer of Hate." You'll also hear part 6 of "A12" in this show.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne and Brian explore the history of filling SCOTUS seats, the connections between Sherlock Holmes and U.S. presidents, and consider how Dr. Spock's book changed America.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan wrestle with a long-running tension in our country’s history: what it means to assimilate and “become American.”
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne, and Brian dip their toes into four tales from America’s shoreline.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Nathan and Brian explore stories of superstition and the surprising roles the number 13 has played across American history.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Nathan talk about the people who decided to take it upon themselves to collect stuff they knew people would care about someday -- even if others thought they were weird.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed, Joanne and special guests share their recommendations of the history page turners you should pack for the beach.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne and Brian look at the early days of photography and learn if photos should be trusted at all.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne discuss the importance of honor throughout American history.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan explore the ways Americans have spent their time off.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, Joanne & Ed talk about how Americans remember and reckon with systematic violence, and how we keep this difficult history alive and in the public eye.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, and Joanne look at the long history and political impact of Americans marrying royals.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan explore the grounds of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne and Nathan explore some of the many meanings Americans have attached to hair.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne talks about letters written to FDR and #twitterstorians. We also hear from a man who reflects on his family's experience of slavery.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Joanne, and Brian look at the deep roots of advocacy in journalism.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Brian & Ed talk about the role young people have played in American politics.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Ed and Brian look at America's long history with opioids - like opium, morphine and heroin.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, Nathan and Joanne explore the legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. 50 years after his death.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan and Joanne look at the interrogation that led to the landmark Supreme Court case "Miranda v. Arizona."
On this special St. Patrick’s Day episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne and Nathan explore Irish American culture and identity.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Peter, and Ed unpack the origins of college sports.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan explore some of the stories Americans tell about our past and find the kernels of truth that lie at the heart of a few American legends.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, Nathan and Joanne look at the influence of the late Billy Graham, the parallels between “Black Panther” and Haitian history and, in a new First Draft segment, evaluate the reputation of Thomas Edison.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Brian, and Nathan honor President’s Day by exploring the ‘afterlives’ of U.S. presidents.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian and Nathan explore American Catholicism—recounting the struggles, triumphs, and unique impact of Catholics on the history of the United States.
The U.S. is in the grips of the worst flu season in nearly a decade, with hospitals full across the country. But it’s nothing compared to the flu season one hundred years ago, when a nationwide pandemic killed over half a million Americans.
This year’s Winter Olympics have already seen their share of drama and political jockeying and the games haven’t even begun. So, BackStory is digging into the history of the power of international sports.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne, and Nathan delve into what happened in California after gold was found and some of the lasting impacts of the Gold Rush.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne, and Brian focus on three stories in the news.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian and Ed explore the 51 day siege at Waco and explore what the Branch Davidians actually believed.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed, Joanne and Nathan look back at the stories we produced in 2017.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed, and Nathan explore Americans’ fascination with wild places
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan discuss some of America’s many homegrown culinary traditions and what the food we eat says about American identity.
On this episode of BackStory, we're featuring "Man of the People" an episode from the podcast "Reply All" that first aired January 19, 2017.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne, Nathan and Brian focus on three stories in the news.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan look at how Americans have wrestled with political corruption.
Brian sits down with Ed to talk about his new book "The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America."
100 years ago, the Bolshevik Party seized power in Russia. Brian, Joanne, and Nathan explore how that distant revolution had an immediate impact in the U.S.
On this episode, Ed, Brian and Joanne explore when and why Americans signed up to fight for other countries’ causes.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian and Ed discuss things in the sky we can’t explain - unidentified flying objects.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, Nathan, and Joanne tackle three stories that have been in the news recently.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Nathan and Brian explore stories of superstition and the surprising roles the number 13 has played across American history.
In this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan dip into the BackStory archive to look at four rulings that shaped public life in America.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, and Nathan look at how America has dealt with our adversaries across time.
In this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Ed discuss the history behind 3 stories in the news
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan wrestle with a long-running tension in our country’s history: what it means to assimilate and “become American.”
On this episode of BackStory, Brian sits down with Republican political strategist Karl Rove to talk about his book, “The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters.”
In this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne explore how 19th-century honor culture demanded that a man’s good name be saved by any means necessary — even murder.
In this episode of BackStory, we look at how Americans in the past have made sense of meteors, eclipses, and the stars.
In this BackStory Short Take, Brian sits down with University of Virginia Law School Vice Dean Leslie Kendrick to discuss the constitutionality of regulating weapons at public protests.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Nathan, Joanne and Ed discuss the horrific events that happened in Charlottesville last weekend, and how it fits into American history.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian and Ed, talk about how Americans have tried to actively change the North American climate.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan explore the ways Americans have spent their time off.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Nathan explore some of the stories Americans tell about our past and find the kernels of truth that lie at the heart of a few American legends.
In this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Ed, Brian and Joanne discuss the history behind stories in the news.
In this episode of BackStory, we explore what it means to be white in America, and how the concept of whiteness has fundamentally shaped our country.
On this episode of BackStory, we look at local history by broadcasting segments from podcasts we admire.
In this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Ed, Brian and Joanne discuss the history behind stories in the news and celebrate the 200th show with founding host Peter Onuf.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne and Nathan explore some of the many meanings Americans have attached to hair.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Brian discuss when and why many of the nation’s Confederate statues were erected, and what they stood for.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Nathan explore the history of privacy in America.
In this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan talk about the history behind items in this week’s news.
In this episode of BackStory, Ed, Joanne, and Brian look at the many reasons for joining the U.S. armed services.
In this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Brian look at the long history of political satire in America.
In this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Ed and Brian look at America's long history with opioids - like opium, morphine and heroin.
In this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed, Brian and Nathan discuss the history behind items in this week’s news.
On this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Nathan talk about the people who collect items that preserve the nation's history.
In this grab bag, Joanne, Ed, Brian and Nathan look at the deep history of sanctuary cities and rule of law, at America’s history of boycotts, and talk about why it’s so hard for presidents to actually shrink the federal government.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Joanne, and Ed discuss how this oft-forgotten war set the stage for the American century.
In this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Brian probe the deeper history of the U.S. relationship with Russia — and discover moments of comity as well as conflict.
In this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Joanne explore the central questions of the Reconstruction era.
In BackStory’s second history grab bag, Joanne, Ed, Brian, and Nathan discuss the history behind items in this week’s news.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Joanne, and Brian look at the deep roots of advocacy in journalism.
In this episode of BackStory, we explore how the federal government monitors and polices the undocumented.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Brian look at the central role that political protests have played throughout American history.
In BackStory’s first history grab bag, Joanne, Brian and Nathan discuss the history behind items in this week’s news.
On this episode of BackStory, Nathan, Joanne and Ed will look at other times in history when Americans had to be a bit more careful about what they read.
On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Brian, and Joanne look back at sweeping immigration restrictions in the 19th and 20th centuries.
On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed and Nathan look at what happens when urban and rural Americans collide.
