
History Notes
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President James Garfield's Assassination
Nov 6, 2025·—
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President James A. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, byCharles Guiteau, a disgruntled political hopeful. Months later, Garfield died from an infection which ravaged Garfield’s body for two and half months. Who was responsible and what was their motivation? Written by Lisa Zevorich Susner. Narration by Dr. NicholasB. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/july-2016-assassination-president-garfield-135-years-ago . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Discovery of Pluto
Oct 14, 2025·—
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Percival Lowell was a prominent astronomer of the late 19thand early 20th centuries who believed in the existence of a planet beyond Neptune, which he called “Planet X.” Written by Kevin Schindler. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B.Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/discovering-pluto . This is a production of Origins: Current Events inHistorical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Learn More: Pluto and Lowell Observatory: A History of Discovery atFlagstaff . Kevin Schindler & Will Grundy. 2018. The History Press. Discovering Pluto: Exploration at the Edge of the SolarSystem. Dale Cruikshank & William Sheehan. 2018. University of Arizona Press. The Pluto System After New Horizons . Alan Stern, Jeffrey Moore, William Grundy, Leslie Young, Richard Binzel (editors). 2021. University of Arizona Press. Planets X and Pluto. William Hoyt. 1980. University of Arizona Press. Clyde Tombaugh: Discoverer of Planet Pluto . David Levy. 2007. Sky Publishing.

Ten Iconic World Series
Sep 25, 2025·—
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The World Series has been played annually since 1903 (withtwo exceptions in 1904 and 1994). Here, Origins offers ten 20th Century World Series contests that are landmark moments in baseball’s evolution as a commercial enterprise and its adaptation to the significant social and culturalchanges of modern America. Written by Russell Field. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-world-series . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at the Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos andpodcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Gwangju Then and Now
Sep 17, 2025·—
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Gwangju, a major city in southwestern South Korea, has beenwidely recognized as a center of civil resistance since May 1980, when a brutal military crackdown targeted citizens protesting against dictatorship. Written by Hieyoon Kim. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B.Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/gwangju-isnt-over . This is a production of Origins: Current Events inHistorical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Learn More About Gwangju: Human Acts by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/536652/human-acts-by-han-kang/ Mirror Nation by Don Mee Choi https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/violence-repeated-on-don-mee-chois-mirror-nation/ Gwangju uprising: the rebellion for democracy inSouth Korea. Edited by Hwang Sok-yong, Lee Jae-eui, and Jeon Yong-ho, compiled by the Gwangju Democratization Movement Commemoration Committee, translated bySlin Jung. https://www.versobooks.com/products/932-gwangju-uprising?srsltid=AfmBOoo0LMGm_zCFYHSL6b91jzhNjyukxd2OSC0lHfpyiC4iSlHBvc_m

Project Blue Book: America's Obsession with UFOs
Sep 3, 2025·—
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Headquartered at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, OH, Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s investigation into UFOs, ran for 12 years beginning in March of 1952. Written by Paul McAllister. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/air-force-investigation-ufos . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Learn More: The Man Who Introduced the World to Flying Saucers https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/the-man-who-introduced-the-world-to-flying-saucers/372732/ 1947: The Year of the Flying Saucer https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/1947-year-flying-saucer Public Interest in UFOs Persists 50 years After Project BlueBook Termination https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/project-blue-book-50th-anniversary Project Blue Book Part 1 (UFO Reports) https://www.osi.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/2302429/project-blue-book-part-1-ufo-reports/ 50 Years Ago: Government Stops Investigating UFOs https://archivesfoundation.org/documents/50-years-ago-government-stops-investigating-ufos/ Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/ https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/UFOsandUAPs/proj_b1.pdf?ver=2017-05-22-113513-837 The CIA’s Role in the Study of UFOs https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/cia-role-study-UFOs.pdf UFO Study: Condon Group Finds No Evidence ofVisits from Outer Space https://www.jstor.org/stable/1725090ColdWar

1066: The Normans Conquer England
Aug 11, 2025·—
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The Battle of Hastings, which took place on October 14, 1066 was a pivotal moment in the invasion from across the English Channel that resulted in the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England by William, the French Duke of Normandy. Written by Wenxi Liu. In honor of Wenxi Liu, April 21, 1949 - October 30, 2023. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production byHannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/october-2016-norman-conquest-england-1066 This is a production of Origins: Current Events inHistorical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

War of the Pacific, 1879-1884: Chile vs. Peru and Bolivia
Aug 5, 2025·—
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The War of the Pacific, which pitted Chile against the allied forces of Peru and Bolivia, had a profound, long-lasting impact on the geopolitical balance of South America. Written by Candela Marini. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B.Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/war-pacific-and-fate-south-america . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Bhopal Chemical Gas Disaster
Jul 8, 2025·—
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On the night of 2-3 December 1984, a Union Carbide chemical facility at Bhopal leaked over 27 tons of the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate, poisoning tens of thousands of people in the middle of the night, most of whom were sleeping in their homes nearby. Written by Madhumita Dutta. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B.Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/bhopal-chemical-gas-disaster . This is a production of Origins: Current Events inHistorical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Learn More: “40 Years of Confronting Corporate Crime: Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster,” https://www.bhopal.net/40th/ “Remembering Bhopal: The World's Worst Industrial Disaster,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Aa2DMsXzEM “ The BhopalMedical Appeal ,” https://www.bhopal.org/continuing-disaster/the-bhopal-gas-disaster/union-carbides-disaster/basic-facts-figures-numbers-of-dead-and-injured-bhopal-disaster/ “Bhopal gas leak: Battling water woes in land of tragedy,” https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/39-years-after-the-bhopal-gas-tragedy-water-contamination-worries-survivors/article67598837.ece Bhopal Plant Disaster . Appendix A: Chronology 1969-1979: Union Carbide Enters Bhopal https://www.bhopal.net/what-happened/setting-the-stage-for-tragedy-1969-1984/1969-1979-union-carbide-enters-bhopal/

The Legacy of the Magna Carta
Jul 3, 2025·—
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June 15, 1215, witnessed the signing of the landmark Magna Carta, the medieval English historic legal document that is seen as the origin of many modern-day legal rights and constitutional principles. At that time, England was in civil war as disaffected barons took up arms against King John, who reigned 1199-1216. Written by Rebecca Favorito. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/january-2015-magna-carta-and-its-legacy . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Birth of Peronism
Jun 26, 2025·—
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On October 17, 1945, hundreds of thousands of Juan Perón's supporters clogged the streets of Buenos Aires marking a consequential moment in Argentina’s history and the birth of Peronism. Written by Steven Hyland. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/argentina-s-day-loyalty-and-birth-peronism . More Resources: Mariano Ben Plotkin, Mañana es San Perón: A Cultural History of Perón's Argentina (2002). This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Top Ten Popes Before 1500
May 21, 2025·—
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Professor Kristina Sessa, an historian of Late Antiquity, presents her top 10 popes based on overall historical significance, appetite for intrigue, and messy electoral politics. Written and narrated by Dr. Kristina Sessa. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/top-ten-popes-1500 . 10. St. Peter (01:42) 9. Alexander VI (03:08) 8. Symmachus and Laurentius (04:05) 7. Damasus (05:16) 6. Boniface VIII (06:07) 5. Silvester I (06:50 4. Gregory I (07:49) 3. Vigilius (08:30) 2. Gregory VII (09:31) 1. John Anglicus, aka “Pope Joan” (10:07) This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Albert Hofmann and the Discovery of LSD
May 2, 2025·—
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In November 1938, Albert Hofmann November 1938, first created a derivative of ergot that would later be dubbed lysergic acid diethalyamide: LSD. Written by Dr. Benjamin Breen. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/april-2013-albert-hofmann-discovers-lsd . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Justice for the Rwandan Genocide
Apr 18, 2025·—
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On September 2, 1998, the first conviction for the crime of genocide was entered by an international tribunal. The date is an essential milestone in the development of criminal responsibility imposed by the international community for the commission of mass atrocities. Written by Dr. John B. Quigley. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/september-2018-genocide-and-rwanda . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Great Fire of Rome
Apr 7, 2025·—
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Mid-July, 64 CE, in the heart of Rome, tragedy struck as fire erupted into a massive inferno. Did Emperor Nero, regent at the time, purposely set the city ablaze or merely preside over the disaster? Written by Matthew Reich. Narration by Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/great-fire-rome. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Learn more - Roman History Introduction: Potter, David S. Ancient Rome: A New History. Third Edition. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson, 2018. On the Great Fire: Walsh, Joseph J. The Great Fire of Rome: Life and Death in the Ancient City. Witness to Ancient History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019. Dando-Collins, Stephen. The Great Fire of Rome: The Fall of the Emperor Nero and His City. 1. ed. Cambridge, Mass: Da Capo Press, 2010. Ancient Authors: Tacitus, Annals, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/tacitus/annals/15b*.html Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html

The Tunguska Mystery Explosion
Mar 27, 2025·—
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On June 30, 1908, a massive mysterious explosion of a cosmic body shook the skies of Tunguska (in Siberia), on a date that would come to be known as International Asteroid Day. But was it an asteroid? Andy Bruno discusses the history surrounding the event. Written by Andy Bruno. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/june-2018-1908-tunguska-event-and-threats-tomorrow . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

10 Great World War II Films
Mar 11, 2025·—
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Narrator Nicholas Breyfogle gives voice to author Stephen M. Norris' 10 Great World War II films . Video production by Laura Seeger and Nicholas Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-world-war-ii-films . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Haile Selassie I and an Independent Ethiopia
Feb 10, 2025·—
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Haile Selassie’s triumphant return to Ethiopia on May 5, 1941, signaled the re‐establishment of the Solomonic Dynasty and a sovereign Ethiopia. Written by Andrew Carlson. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and written versions of this podcase are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/may-2016-emperor-haile-selassie-i-returns-triumphant-ethiopia . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon
Feb 7, 2025·—
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According to the traditional narrative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith was visited on September 21, 1823 by an angel who told him of an ancient record buried nearby his farm in western New York. Written by Benjamin E. Park. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/joseph-smith-discovers-gold-plates . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Berlin Airlift
Jan 22, 2025·—
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The Berlin Airlift began on June 26, 1948, only two days after the Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin. Written by Ian Gammon. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/berlin-airlift . Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Additional resources: To Save a City: The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949 ( https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781603440905/to-save-a-city/ ) Berlin on the Brink: The Blockade, the Airlift, and the Early Cold War ( https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813136134/berlin-on-the-brink/ ) "The Incomplete Blockade: Soviet Zone Supply of West Berlin, 1948–49" ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/24913337 ) "The Role of Britain in the Berlin Airlift" ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/24428813 ) "The Berlin Blockade Revisited" ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/40105349 ) This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Founding of the People's Republic of China
Dec 11, 2024·—
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On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong (1893-1976) stood on the rostrum of Tian’anmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) and announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in his strong Hunanese accent. This momentous announcement marked the end of China’s chaotic era of foreign domination since the mid-18th century and of frequent governmental upheavals after 1911. Written by Cruz Guan. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/establishment-peoples-republic-china. Learn More: Chen, Jian, Mao’s China and the Cold War. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001 Dikötter, Frank. Mao’s Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962 . New York: Walker and Company, 2010. Gao, Hua. Translated by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian. How the Red Sun Rose: The Origins and Development of the Yan’an Rectification Movement, 1930–1945 . The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2018. Li, Zhisui, The Private Life of Chairman Mao. New York: Random House, 1994. Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China . New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1991 Vogel, Ezra F. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China . Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011. Wang, Zheng. Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory in Chinese Politics and Foreign Relations . Columbia University Press, 2012. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

The Story of Poinsettia Day and U.S.-Mexico Relations
Dec 4, 2024·—
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In the late 1820s, Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced the poinsettia plant to Americans, who marveled at its foliage. Written by Lindsay Schakenbach Regele. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/poinsettia-day-monroe-doctrine-and-us-mexican-relations. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Learn More: Flowers, Guns, and Money: Joel Roberts Poinsett and the Paradoxes of American Patriotism (University of Chicago Press, 2023) Ana Romero-Valderrama, “La coalición pedracista: elecciones y rebeliones para una re-definición de la participación política en México (1826-1828)” (PhD. Diss. Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologiìa, Mexico, 2011). Jay Sexton, The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America (New York: Hill and Wang, 2011). María Eugenia Vázquez Semadeni, “Del mar a la política: Masonería en Nueva España, México, 1816-1823,” Revista de Estudios Históricos de la Masonería Latinoamericana y Caribeña (Dec. 2015) Torcuato S. Di Tella, National Popular Politics in Early Independent Mexico, 1820-1847 (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996). United States' Mexican Company, Statement in relation to the United States' Mexican Company (Albany: Websters and Skinners, 1826). This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Our Top Ten Historical Musicals
Nov 18, 2024·—
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Musicals have sought to bring history to life onstage, with varying degrees of creative license. These are our top ten musicals based on real-life people and events that have shaped the theatre. Written by Lauren Henry. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Narrated by Nicholas Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-historical-musicals . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .

Congolese Rumba: Soundtrack to African Political Struggle
Nov 6, 2024·—
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In the Year of Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo negotiated independence from Belgium to the rhythm of the country’s greatest export: Congolese rumba. The wildly popular and meaningful genre became a soundtrack to global change. Written by Emily Hardick. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and text versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/article/year-of-africa-1960-rumba-pan-africanism-Kariba . This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu . Additional Resources: Elkins, Caroline. Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya. Toronto: CNIB, 2008. Fanon, Frantz. Toward the African Revolution: Political Essays. New York: Grove, 1952. Lee, Christopher J. Making a World after Empire: The Bandung Moment and Its Political Afterlives. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2010. Monson, Jamie. Africa's Freedom Railway: How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009. Phiri, Kings M. Malawi in Crisis: the 1959/60 Nyasaland State of Emergency and Its Legacy. Zomba, Malawi: Kachere, 2012. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Colonialism and Neocolonialism. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 1964. Tischler, Julia. Light and Power for a Multiracial Nation: the Kariba Dam Scheme in the Central African Federation. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Collinet, Georges. “Hidden Meanings in Congo Music.” Afropop Worldwide, December 21, 2011. https://afropop.org/audio-programs/hidden-meanings-in-congo-music. Gondola, Didier. The History of Congo. Westport, Conn: Greenwood, 2002. Kazadi, Pierre Cary (Kazadi wa Mukuna). “The Genesis of Urban Music in Zaïre.” African Music 7, no. 2 (1992): 72–84. Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges. Patrice Lumumba. First edition. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2014. White, Bob W. Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu’s Zaire. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2008. Iwa Dworkin, Congo Love Song: African American Culture and the Crisis of the Colonial State (University of North Carolina Press, 2017) Kevin K. Gaines, American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates and The Civil Rights Era (University of North Carolina Press, 2006) James Meriwether, Proudly We Can Be Africans: Black Americans and Africa, 1935-1961 (University of North Carolina Press, 2002)

The Very Modern Alice in Wonderland
Oct 17, 2024·—
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Alice in Wonderland, the little girl created by Oxford mathematician and logician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, also known as Lewis Carroll, came to life in 1865. While her pinafore and his frockcoat and long wavy hair, which were old fashioned even for their time, catch our eye and distance them from us on the other side of the tumultuous 20th century, our ear tells us a very different story. Written by Stephanie Lovett. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and text versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/october-2015-everyone-s-inner-child-turns-150-years-old. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

Solar Eclipses in American History
Oct 10, 2024·—
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Few phenomena are so steeped in wonder as the total solar eclipse. Cultures through history have heralded eclipses as portentous, ominous events. Written by Matthew Smith. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and text versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/solar-eclipses-american-history . Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective , please visit origins.osu.edu .


