Telling History
Where history’s threads weave through the fabric of our lives there lies an elusive “a-ha” moment of curiosity and wonder. Here, along these seams, history truly comes alive. Southeast Missouri State University professor Joel Rhodes, a social historian of 20th century America with decidedly Gen X sensibilities explores our textured and rich tapestry of shared historical experience. Join Dr. Joel Rhodes “Telling History" on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month during Morning Edition (7:45 a.m.) and All Things Considered (4:44 p.m.)
Latest Episodes
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The 1977 bestseller “The Complete Book of Running” begins with author Jim Fixx’s solemn purpose: “first, to introduce you to the extraordinary world of running, and second, to change your life.” -
“If you need to stop an asteroid, you call Superman,” comic book writer Gail Simone observed. “If you need to solve a mystery, you call Batman. But if you need to end a war, you call Wonder Woman.” -
Midway through a frenetic third period, American Mark Pavelich passed the hockey puck to teammate Mike Eruzione, who buried a shot into the Soviet net. -
The sound of young America, Motown. With a vast galaxy of stars orbiting Detroit, visionary Berry Gordy, Jr. put the soul into the 1960s. -
“If possible, I believe we should ‘coin a phrase’ for the Championship Game,” Kansas City Chiefs’ owner Lamar Hunt observed on the eve of the first title matchup in 1967 between his AFL champion Chiefs and the NFL champion Green Bay Packers. -
“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Now, as a Kansan born and raised, like most, I’m ambivalent about that classic cinematic observation. -
‘Twas a time before Amazon and all through fall, American children feverishly devoured every page of newly arrived Sears, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs. -
Once President Lyndon Johnson brought U.S. power to bear in Vietnam, America’s military build-up required substantial increases in draft calls. -
Besides the moon, there was another parallel race against the Russians in the Cold War. -
“No man who owns his own house and lot can be a Communist… he has too much to do” quipped builder Bill Levitt, whose massive Levittown subdivision in Long Island, New York, was the largest housing project in American history at the time.
