90 Second Narratives
90 Second Narratives
Sky Michael Johnston
90 Second Narratives is a weekly podcast featuring engaging true stories told by trained historians. Each episode includes a short story interwoven with expert analysis of the story’s historical significance. The concise length and storytelling format of the episodes make history accessible, dynamic, and entertaining. The subjects of the stories are diverse—spanning the globe and ranging from the pre-historic to the modern age. While individual stories stand alone, the episodes in each season are linked thematically and combine to offer comparative perspectives that illuminate connections from across the human experience. Every episode also includes recommendations for further reading. 90 Second Narratives provides a novel way to hear historians share the wonders of the past in their own voices.
Religion and the Business of Books
“When is a book not just a book? Well, as almost any cultural historian can tell you, a book is almost never just a book…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Scott McLaren.For further reading:Pulpit, Press, and Politics: Methodists and the Market for Books...
Apr 5, 2021
2 min
Books, Translations, and Audiences
“In the nineteenth century, an ever-increasing volume of political and religious debates played out in the public sphere of printed books and journals. At the same time, more and more books were being translated and adapted for ever-expanding audiences...
Mar 29, 2021
3 min
Marketing Books with Peasant Models
“This story is about one of the earliest models to appear on the printed page: the sixteenth-century German peasant…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Sky Michael Johnston.For further reading:Sky Michael Johnston. “Printing the Weather: Knowledge,...
Mar 22, 2021
2 min
A Late Medieval “How To” Book
“Nicholas Neesbett was an experienced healer in fifteenth-century England…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Melissa Reynolds.For further reading:Melissa Reynolds. “The Sururgia of Nicholas Neesbett: Writing Medical Authority in Later Medieval England.”...
Mar 15, 2021
2 min
Paper and Books in Early Modern Europe
“Almost every book from the fourteenth century onwards was made of paper, and every letter sent was a paper sheet folded. Early modern Europe was a paper age…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Daniel Bellingradt.For further reading:The Paper Trade in...
Mar 8, 2021
3 min
A Season of Stories 5: Icons
This special episode combines all the stories from Season 5…“Billy Graham: Emblem of American Evangelicalism” – Dr. Aaron Griffith, Assistant Professor of History at Sattler College“Katharina von Bora: Paragon of the Protestant Household” – Dr. Sky...
Mar 1, 2021
28 min
Audre Lorde: Embodiment of Black Internationalism
“In 1984, Audre Lorde travelled to Berlin…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Tiffany N. Florvil.An extended version of this story is available on the podcast website.For further reading:Mobilizing Black Germany: Afro-German Women and the Making of a...
Feb 22, 2021
4 min
Adolphe Crémieux: Pioneering Justice Minister of France
“Adolphe Crémieux was the first Jewish minister in France and, in fact, in Europe…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Noëmie Duhaut.For further reading:Noëmie Duhaut, “L’Alliance israélite universelle, les Juifs roumains et l’idée d’Europe,” Archives...
Feb 15, 2021
3 min
Katharina von Bora: Paragon of the Protestant Household
“Katharina von Bora was an iconic representative of the new household piety championed by her husband, Martin Luther…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Sky Michael Johnston.For further reading:Martin Treu, "Katharina von Bora, the Woman at Luther's...
Feb 8, 2021
3 min
Bob Marley: Icon of Dissent and Love
“In 1999, the BBC designated Bob Marley’s anthem, ‘One Love,’ the song of millennium…”So begins today’s story from Dr. Jeremy Prestholdt.For further reading:Icons of Dissent: The Global Resonance of Che, Marley, Tupac and Bin Laden by Jeremy Prestholdt...
Feb 1, 2021
3 min
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