The AskHistorians Podcast
The AskHistorians Podcast
The AskHistorians Mod Team
The AskHistorians Podcast showcases the knowledge and enthusiasm of the AskHistorians community, a forum of nearly 1.4 million history academics, professionals, amateurs, and curious onlookers. The aim is to be a resource accessible to a wide range of listeners for historical topics which so often go overlooked. Together, we have a broad array of people capable of speaking in-depth on topics that get half a page on Wikipedia, a paragraph in a high-school textbook, and not even a minute on the History channel. The podcast aims to give a voice (literally!) to those areas of history, while not neglecting the more commonly covered topics. Part of the drive behind the podcast is to be a counterpoint to other forms of popular media on history which only seem to cover the same couple of topics in the same couple of ways over and over again.
AskHistorian Podcast Episode 251: American Medieval
Prof. Matthew Gabriele hosts the American Medieval podcast.  /u/Steelcan909 talks to him about his work as a podcaster, the importance of the Medieval world to contemporary America, pop culture, and more!  58min.
Jun 12
58 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 250: Emily Winderman and the rhetoric of back alley abortion
This week, u/EdHistory101 talks with Emily Winderman about her book, Back-Alley Abortion: A Rhetorical History. The conversation covers specifics around rhetoric and rhetorical histories including the role of the canon, working in the archives while pregnant, how discussion of abortion has shifted over time, and how abortion is not unique when it comes to American rhetoric but does hold a particular position in discourse because it's not just about abortion, how white and Black women have talked to each other and about abortion and the phrase "we won't go back." Texts she mentions include Reading Rhetorical Theory: Speech, Representation, and Power by Atilla Hallsby, Sign of Pathology: U.S. Medical Rhetoric on Abortion, 1800s–1960s by Nate Stormer, the We Testify Project, Sherie M. Randolph's biography of Florynce "Flo" Kennedy, Tamika L. Carey's work on "impatient rhetoric", Patricia Collins and others on how women are talked about in anti-abortion efforts, and Linda Kerber's The Republican Mother: Women and the Enlightenment--An American Perspective. (43 minutes)
Apr 30
43 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 249: Egyptology Today with the History of Egypt Podcast
u/Steelcan909 and Dominic Perry, the host of the History of Egypt Podcast, discuss the history of Egyptology, stories from ancient Egypt, the situation of the field today, and why Hollywood can't seem to make any stories about Egypt that don't involve Cleopatra.  78min
Mar 13
1 hr 17 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 248: Truman and The Bomb with Alex Wellerstein
u/Steelcan909 and u/restricteddata, better known as Alex Wellerstein, discuss the relationship of President Harry Truman and the atomic bombs.  Dr. Wellerstein charts Truman's first encounters with nuclear technology, through the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and finally up to the Korean War.  Was Truman as anti-nuclear as is often portrayed?  Was MacArthur as gung-ho for the bomb?  Find out!  76min.
Jan 9
1 hr 16 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 247: Masculinity in Norse literature and society
This time u/Steelcan909 is joined by u/Liljendal for a discussion on the literature of the Norse people, sagas, histories, and more.  We look at these texts to see what they can tell us in the modern day about Norse culture and attitudes towards masculinity.  65min.
Dec 4, 2025
1 hr 5 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 246: The Nursing Clio Collective
This week, u/EdHistory101 talks with members of the Nursing Clio Collective and editors of the book, The Nursing Clio Reader: Histories of Sex, Reproduction, and Justice. (Use code RUP30 at checkout for 30%).  The conversation covers the history of the Nursing Cliocollective, the dynamics of such a project as members moved in and out of academia, and how the book came together. They also talk about what makes for a great history essay and what connects with readers, the concept of "bias" and historical empathy, and how historians work. During the conversation, the work of historians such as Judith Leavitt], Susan Reverby, and Janet Golden were mentioned. They're open to pitches from anyone who has an opinion and expertise! (52 minutes)
Nov 13, 2025
51 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 245: Heiresses with Dr. Miranda Kaufmann
This week, Dr. Miranda Kaufmann chats with Mimicofmodes about British heiresses of Caribbean fortunes, and the enslaved people that underwent untold suffering to support their lifestyles. (47 min.) Find Dr. Kaufmann on BlueSky as @drmirandakaufmann or on her website. Heiresses: Marriage, Inheritance, and Slavery in the Caribbean Discussion post on AskHistorians
Oct 16, 2025
47 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 244: The Ancient Americas
Hello and welcome back!  On this episode, Steelcan909 and the host of the Ancient Americas YouTube Channel discuss the challenges of doing history on poorly recorded times in history, the influence of modern media on perceptions of the time period, and the challenges of doing broad Pre-Columbian History.  57min.
Oct 2, 2025
57 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 243 Doing Hellenistic History, with the Hellenistic Age Podcast
Hello and welcome back!  On this episode, Steelcan909 and the host of the Hellenistic Age Podcast discuss the challenges of doing history on poorly recorded times in history, the influence of Hollywood on perceptions of the time period, and what historical records we wish were still around.  67min. Please check out the Hellenistic Age Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Sep 4, 2025
1 hr 8 min
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 242: The history of Medieval London Part 2, with the Story of London podcast
Welcome to part 2 of the earlier discussion between Saul of the Story of Lonon podcast, and Steelcan909.  In this episode we continue our earlier discussion of Medieval London from the Norman Conquest through to the War of the Roses!  1hr.
Aug 14, 2025
1 hr
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