As the hazards of carbon emissions increase and governments around the world seek to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the search for clean and affordable alternate energies has become an increasing priority in the twenty-first century. However, one nation has already been producing such a fuel for almost a century: Brazil. Its sugarcane-based ethanol is the most efficient biofuel on the global fuel market, and the South American nation is the largest biofuel exporter in the world. In this talk, Jennifer Eaglin discusses her new book and offers a historical account of the industry's origins. The Brazilian government mandated a mixture of ethanol in the national fuel supply in the 1930s, and the success of the program led the military dictatorship to expand the industry and create the national program Proálcool in 1975. Private businessmen, politicians, and national and international automobile manufacturers together leveraged national interests to support this program. By 1985, over 95% of all new cars in the country ran exclusively on ethanol, and, after consumers turned away from them when oil was cheap, the government successfully promoted flex fuel cars instead. Yet, as she shows, the growth of this “green energy” came with associated environmental and social costs in the form of water pollution from liquid waste generated during ethanol distillation and exploitative rural labor practices that reshaped Brazil's countryside. Speakers: Jennifer Eaglin, Assistant Professor of History and Sustainability Institute Nicholas Breyfogle (Moderator), Associate Professor of History, Director, Goldberg Center Co-sponsors of this episode:  The Center for Latin American Studies, https://clas.osu.edu/ The Sustainability Institute, https://si.osu.edu/ Connect with us! Email: [email protected]: @OriginsOSU Instagram: @OriginsOSU Facebook: @OriginsOSU Find transcripts, background reading, and more at origins.osu.edu

...And Water For All is an educational documentary about water affordability in Ohio. The film aims to amplify the voices of those who work toward providing clean, affordable water for all. Even though the movie is set in Ohio, many of its lessons will be relevant for those concerned with water affordability in other places.  This project was made possible by the support of the School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ohio Water Resources Center  at The Ohio State University.

Ohio State University History Professor David Hoffmann examines some key moments in recent Russian and Ukrainian history, with particular attention to the breakup of the Soviet Union, Putin’s rise to power in Russia, and the 2014 Revolution in Ukraine.  Speaker | David L. Hoffmann, College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of History. Professor Hoffmann is a specialist in Russian and Soviet history, with a particular focus on the political, social, and cultural history of Stalinism.   Moderator | Angela Brintlinger, Professor and Interim Department Chair of the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures and Director of the Center for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies. This lecture is a part of the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies' "Understanding the War in Ukraine: Weekly Wednesday Speaker Series." Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit http://origins.osu.edu.

Bart Elmore takes us on an authoritative and eye-opening journey into how the company Monsanto came to have outsized influence over our food system. Monsanto, a St. Louis chemical firm that became the world’s largest maker of genetically engineered seeds, merged with German pharma-biotech giant Bayer in 2018―but its Roundup Ready® seeds, introduced twenty-five years ago, are still reshaping the farms that feed us. Elmore examines Monsanto’s astounding evolution from a scrappy chemical startup to a global agribusiness powerhouse. Monsanto used seed money derived from toxic products―including PCBs and Agent Orange―to build an agricultural empire, promising endless bounty through its genetically engineered technology. Bart Elmore is Associate Professor of Environmental History at The Ohio State University.

Learn about an exciting new collaboration that marries photographs and words to bring Black history to life. Picturing Black History (https://www.picturingblackhistory.org/) is a collaborative project between Getty Images and Ohio State’s Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (http://origins.osu.edu) that contributes to the ongoing public dialogue on the significance of Black history and Black life. The project embraces the power of images to capture stories of oppression and resistance, perseverance and resilience, freedom dreams, imagination, and joy within the United States and around the globe. To view the photographs in this podcast, please view the video version which is available at https://youtu.be/L2rfMgk6Abg. Participants: - Bob Ahern | Director of Archive Photography for Getty Images - Dawn Chitty, (Ed.D.) | Director of Education at the African American Civil War Museum - Daniela Edmeier (Moderator) | Ph.D. Candidate History, Ohio State, and Managing Editor of Picturing Black History - Damarius Johnson | Ph.D. student History, Ohio State, and Associate Editor of Picturing Black History - James Morgan | Programming Consultant with the African American Civil War Museum

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been described as a “a crime against peace” and “Europe’s Darkest Hour” since World War II. It is an attack that is sure to restructure the international order along with the lives of all Ukrainian citizens. Our panelists assist us in understanding these tragic and world-changing events. This webinar addresses the following questions: Why has Russia invaded and why now? How have Ukrainians responded to the threat of war and to the pressures from Russia over the years? What role does Russian and Ukrainian nationalism play in this crisis? What are long-term patterns of Russian-Ukrainian relations? What should the rest of the world do in the world do in the face of this crisis? Panelists: · Angela Brintlinger (Moderator), Director, Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, The Ohio State University · Shawn Conroy, PhD Candidate, History, The Ohio State University · Marianna Klochko, Associate Professor of Sociology, The Ohio State University · Philip Kopatz, Graduate Student, Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, The Ohio State University · Myroslava Mudrak, Professor Emeritus, Department of History of Art, The Ohio State University · Mykyta Tyshchenko, Graduate Student, Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, The Ohio State University

In 2006 a small group of historians startled the world by announcing the discovery and publication of a Gospel of Judas. Could the disciple who betrayed Jesus be a hero? Sixteen years later we can see the true significance of this strange text, which reveals to us the amazing diversity of Christianity only one hundred years after Jesus. A presentation by David Brakke, Professor and Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity at The Ohio State University. Moderated by Nicholas Breyfogle, Associate Professor of History and Director, Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching at The Ohio State University. Hosted by the Department of History Clio Society and Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective.

Our panel of historians reevaluates what we think we know about the War on Drugs. When and where did it really begin? Why has it persisted? And perhaps most importantly, will we ever be able to quit? They uncover how the centuries-long history of global drug prohibition prologues today's discussions of drug use, abuse, and legalization. Panel: Dr. Isaac Peter Campos, Associate Professor of History, University of Cincinnati Brionna Mendoza, Doctoral candidate in History, Ohio State University Dr. Sarah Brady Siff, Drug Enforcement & Policy Center, Moritz College of Law; Ohio State University Nicholas Breyfogle, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching, Ohio State University

During the Cold War, cultural diplomacy emerged as an important aspect of relations between states across the globe. Exhibitions, concerts, performances, book readings, and film screenings captured the ideological message of each side, as they showed conflicting “ways of life” in the global Cold War context. Based on Theodora Dragostinova’s recent book, The Cold War from the Margins: A Small Socialist State on the Global Cultural Scene, this talk interrogates the importance of Cold War culture in a global perspective, tracing the cultural contacts of small Bulgaria from the British Museum and NYC’s Metropolitan to New Lexington, Ohio, to Mexico City, New Delhi, and Lagos. Panel: Nicholas Breyfogle | Associate Professor, Department of History; Director, Goldberg Center Theodora Dragostinova | Associate Professor, Department of History

China has expanded its global presence over the last decade much to the concern of U.S. officials. Africa is a major recipient of this new influence, building on Cold War relationships first forged during an earlier era of Sino-American competition. Yet looking at Chinese engagement in Africa over the last 50 years reveals that increased power has transformed Beijing’s foreign policies and strained its global relationships. Panel: Nicholas Breyfogle (Moderator) | Associate Professor, Department of History Patrick Nash | Graduate Student, Department of History Joe Parrott | Assistant Professor, Department of History This podcast was supported by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant to The Ohio State University East Asian Studies Center, the Goldberg Center for Teaching Excellence in the History Department, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Bexley Public Library.