Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known products on planet earth, but did you ever wonder how a brown fizzy drink fueled the rise of a corporate juggernaut? The answer, says Ohio State historian Bartow Elmore, has everything to do with its business structure. In this episode, Bart offers his take on how Coke went from Atlanta soda parlors in the late 19th century to markets across the globe in less than a century, all along reaping tremendous benefits from public infrastructure while passing the bulk of its environmental costs on to others.  Bart also talks about the difficulties of doing research on powerful corporations, why he thinks we should care about environmental history, and the meaning of what he calls "Coca-Cola Capitalism."   Dr. Bartow Elmore is Professor of History at The Ohio State University and author of Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism (W.W. Norton, 2015). You can find out more about his work, including his book on the history of Monsanto at his website, BartElmore.com.   This episode was originally aired as episode 140 on August 26, 2019. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that "that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states." Two days later, on July 4, they adopted the Declaration of Independence, read here for you by (in order of appearance): Bob Crawford, The Road to Now Lindsay Graham, History Daily Greg Jackson, History That Doesn't Suck Lindsey Cormack, Government That Doesn't Suck Ben Sawyer, The Road to Now Colleen Shogan, In Pursuit With final commentary by Lindsay Graham.

This week, as we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, we shine a light on one of the founding generation's greats: Benjamin Franklin   It's difficult to fathom how Franklin accomplished so much in a single lifetime. It's equally difficult to imagine how to take such an incredible life and consolidate it into four hours of documentary film. In this episode, we cover both feats with writer Dayton Duncan and producer David Schmidt, two of the great minds behind Ken Burns' documentary on Benjamin Franklin. Dayton and David discuss Franklin's life, the work that goes into creating a historical documentary film, and their process for deciding the best way to tell an American icon's story in a pair of two-hour episodes.   Benjamin Franklin: A Film by Ken Burns is available via PBS.org on your local PBS station and we highly recommend it!   If you enjoy this episode, check out Ben and Bob's conversation with Ken Burns in episode #191.   This episode originally aired as #229 on April 4, 2022. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

The American Revolution touched the lives of everyone living in the American colonies, and though the focus is often on the battlefields and political debates, those who were excluded from those places nevertheless played a crucial role in gaining independence. In this episode, Denise Kiernan joins us to discuss her new book, Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution and how looking at the revolution through women's lives gives us a more perfect understanding of the events that founded the United States of America.   Denise Kiernan is the author of multiple New York Times Bestsellers including The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (Atria, 2014). She is also a journalist, producer and former head writer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.   Obstinate Daughters is available June 23, 2026 from Dutton. You can find out more about the book and order your copy at DeniseKiernan.com   This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

If you feel like America is facing hard times right now, you've got a lot in common with your forebearers. Greg Jackson of History That Doesn't Suck joins Ben for a live conversation to discuss his new book Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, and why he thinks highlighting some of America's hardest moments can strengthen us as we work to preserve the American Republic on the eve of its 250th anniversary. If you enjoy this conversation, come join us in Nashville on June 24th as Ben hosts a live event with Greg to celebrate the launch of the book. The event, sponsored by Ben's local bookstore, The Bookshop, is at 7pm at the Noelle. Click here for tickets. You can get your copy of Been There Done That here. This episode was recorded live on international waters during A Cruise That Doesn't Suck. A special thanks to Greg, Dossie McCraw and Riley Neubauer for inviting Ben to be part of the cruise and for all their hard work to organize and record this episode. This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Washington D.C. in the 1850s was a tale of two cities. It was the Capitol city of a rapidly expanding new nation while at the same time ground zero for a politically fractured and divided nation hurtling toward disunion. Standing in the middle of it all was Montgomery C. Meigs, a military engineer who led the construction of two massive public works projects at the same time: the expansion of the Capitol building and an aqueduct to provide water to the residents growing city. Meigs would go on to serve as Quartermaster for the Union Army under Abraham Lincoln. Meigs was an innovator, public servant, and one of the most important patriots of the nineteenth century.   This week Bob welcomes author and journalist Robert O'Harrow Jr. to discuss his 2016 book, The Quartermaster: Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army.   For thirty years Robert O'Harrow Jr. was an investigative journalist and contributing writer at The Washington Post and was among the first national journalists to cover cybersecurity. In 2017, he part of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of notorious Alabama political Roy Moore.   This episode originally aired as RTN #281 on August 21, 2023. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

May 18, 2026 marks exactly ten years since Bob Crawford and Ben Sawyer launched the first episode of The Road to Now, so we decided to get together for a conversation reflecting on our first conversation, the unexpected places the show has taken us, and what we've learned along the way.   We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to listen to this show, sat down with us for an interview, or shared kind words with someone else. When we recorded the first episode in the basement of Bridgestone arena, we didn't know where the show would lead us (or how to make a podcast), but after a decade of great conversations, live shows, and a humbling amount of support from listeners and guests, we're still going strong. And a special thanks to anyone who has supported us on Patreon- we couldn't have made this show what it is without your support.   Here's to another ten years. -Ben & Bob   This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.  

The Civil War was the bloodiest military engagement in American history, and for the wives of those killed or wounded in battle, the struggle for survival continued long after the shooting ceased in 1865. In this episode we speak with longtime friend of the show Kristin Jorgensen about her recently-defended MA thesis, "From Private Misfortune to Public Entitlement: Rural New York Widows and the Civil War Pension System" which tells the story of how the Federal benefits offered to the wives of Union soldiers helped transform women's roles in American politics and society. To find out more about Kristin's work, you can follow her on linkedin or check out her business Pastward at PastwardHistory.com. This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

It took about ten years, but it looks like our road, like all of them, lead to Rome. Dean Kinzer of Kinzer Coins joins us for a conversation about the role that coins played in the ancient world. He explains how money evolved in ancient Europe, the process through which coins were produced, and how you can see the rise and fall of the Roman empire through the output of their mint. If you're interested in learning more about ancient coins check out Dean's podcast, The Ancient Coin Hour, or visit Kinzer Coins' website at KinzerCoins.com. This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

At the beginning of the 20th century, most of the territory that we call the Middle East- including Syria, Iraq, Israel and Turkey- were part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman alliance w/ Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I provided Britain and France w/ the opportunity to divide the once-great empire into many states based on European imperial ambitions. In this episode Bob and Ben speak w/ Eugene Rogan to learn more about why the Ottoman Empire was divided, how that process shaped the Middle East, and how this history helps us understand the world today. Dr. Eugene Rogan is a Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He is author of The Arabs: A History (Penguin, 2009, 3rd edition 2018), which has been translated in 18 languages and was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Atlantic Monthly. His new book, The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, 1914-1920, was published in February 2015. We'd also like to say a special thanks to the family of Roscoe L. Strickland Jr. for providing the support that brought Dr. Rogan to MTSU as part of the Strickland Scholars Program. Additional thanks goes to Dr. Susan Myers-Shirk for her work in arranging for MTSU's Strickland Scholars to appear on our podcast. This is a rebroadcast of episode 112 which originally aired on November 19th, 2018. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.