Healthcare professional Dr. Sarah Riley Cox joins me this time to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic. We talk about what makes it unique, and what makes it so serious. We also discussed the prognosis for the future, and Sarah blew my mind with the advances that have been made in epidemiology and with what we know and are able to know about viruses these days. Of course, we also took a look at some of the historical heavy hitters. We compared both the viruses and the available responses between Covid and the 1918 Spanish Flu. We also discussed the massive world historical significance of the introduction of Smallpox to Native Americans and the Black Death in Europe and Asia, two pandemics that were fundamental to shaping the world we live in today. Sarah will be back soon to talk about vaccines, so keep an eye out! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

I'm joined by Dr. Scott Ingram of High Point University to discuss President Trump's use of the pardon, and how it compares to previous examples. From Washington, to the Civil War, to Tricky Dick himself, we look at the scope of the pardon power,  speculate on what we might see before the end of the Trump presidency, and ponder the lasting impact of Trump's uses of the pardon. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

Dr. Lindsay Marshall joined me again to discuss the enormous historic significance of President-Elect Joe Biden announcing he will nominate Deb Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo to head the Department of the Interior. The relationship between the US government and  various Native nations has a long and contentious history, much of it directed from the Department of the Interior. This announcement suggests the Biden administration will pursue a new approach to this relationship, but will not by itself solve the problems Native communities face, or heal the division between the US government and the sovereign Native nations that coexist within US borders. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

You know how your family celebrates, but what do you know about the history of this holiday, and of why we celebrate when we do? In this shorter episode, I look briefly at this past, and at the evolution of the Christmas holiday over time, from a drunken carnival to family, food, and charity. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

I'm joined by my dad, Jim Cox, a long time high school history teacher, currently teaching at Hiawatha High School in northeast Kansas. We discuss contested elections, starting with recent headlines about efforts by the Trump team to contest results in various states. From there, we look at past elections that were much more fraught and controversial, from the 1800 election of Thomas Jefferson, to the election of Rutherford B. Hayes via the Compromise of 1877. We finish up with some thoughts about the importance of historical context in understanding the world we live in. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

Your place for “how did we get here?” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support

Dr Lindsay Marshall joins me for a chat about just how strange Thanksgiving is as a holiday, from its controversial and misunderstood beginnings, to the weird ways we celebrate today. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeff-cox34/support