Best Prof Greg Jackson Podcasts (2025)

1
178: “A Damn Big Dam”: Taming the Colorado River with the Hoover (or Boulder) Dam (Infrastructure pt. 1) 1:10:54

13d ago1:10:54

1:10:54

“I felt no distress whatever…I was perspiring freely and was as limber and helpless as a wet rag. It was an exhilarating experience.... It was then and there that I first conceived the idea of the reclamation of the desert.” This is the story of the Hoover Dam. A wild, precarious, and dangerous river, the Colorado tears across the American southwes…

1
America 250: The Boston Campaign 1775-76: A Leadership Discussion with Gen. William Rapp 1:03:28

27d ago1:03:28

1:03:28

This is a conversation to kick off the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Retired U.S. Army Major General and history buff, Bill Rapp, drops some knowledge on how the colonies weren't exactly gung-ho for a full-blown revolution before April 1775. Turns out, they were mostly ticked off and feeling rebellious in response to intolerable Bri…

1
177: An Epilogue to the New Deal and CCC Deep Dive with Neil Maher 54:46

1M ago54:46

54:46

A discussion of the recent HTDS narrative episodes on FDR and the New Deal. Think of it as a book club for additional insights into these latest chapters of the HTDS chronological story of America. Professor Greg Jackson is joined by Professor Lindsey Cormack to discuss the government's response to the Great Depression and the legacy of the New Dea…

1
176: FDR v. “The Nine Old Men” (The New Deal pt. 3): Court Packing and Closing the New Deal 1:11:18

2M ago1:11:18

1:11:18

“No matter how great and good a man may be, executive aggrandizement is not safe for democracy.” This is the story of Franklin’s second term and his battle with the Supreme Court. It’s no secret that SCOTUS hasn’t really been ruling in the New Deal’s favor. But with such an overwhelming victory at the polls, Franklin feels confident that he can cir…

1
175: The Dirty Thirties (The New Deal pt. 2): Dust, Doubts, and the “Second” New Deal 1:11:28

2M ago1:11:28

1:11:28

“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet.” This is the story of FDR’s first term after facing down the initial emergency. 100 days down, about 1,300 more to go—for this term at least. After the whirlwind of new bills and “alphabet agencies” (AAA, CCC, etc.), the nation is adjusting to and examining FDR’s New De…

1
174: The First “First Hundred Days:” FDR Kicks Off the New Deal 1:07:05

3M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

“[We] had forgotten to be Republicans or Democrats. We were just a bunch of men trying to save the banking system.” This is the story of FDR’s first 100 days in office. In early 1933, banks foreclose on thousands upon thousands of homes and farms every month. The banks have little choice–they too are failing! Meanwhile, unemployment is hovering nea…

1
173: From Hyde Park to the White House: The Early Life and Election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1:11:24

3M ago1:11:24

1:11:24

“First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s journey to the White House. Even as a young boy, Franklin admires his fifth cousin Theodore Roosev…

1
172: Breadlines, Bank Failures, & the Bonus Army: Hoover & the Early Great Depression 1:06:40

5M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

"Too much praise cannot be given to the President for the prompt and resolute and skillful way in which he has set about reassuring the country after the financial collapse.” This is the story of Herbert Hoover’s facing the early years of the Great Depression. Just after the stock market crash of 1929, people aren’t expecting the worst. Most, inclu…

1
171: Christmas Special VIII: Festivities in the Jazz Age 34:10

6M ago34:10

34:10

“There is a million dollars here for the asking!” This is the story of Christmas in the 1920s. Yeah, the whole decade—why not? One hundred years ago, people were just beginning (or reviving) traditions that are entrenched in our holiday celebrations today. Charitable giving at Christmas is ever present, and the winter of 1920 features the Great Hum…

1
170: The Crash of 1929 & Meeting President Herbert Hoover 1:06:14

6M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

“A wise man never sells out at the first sign of trouble. That’s for the pikers.” This is the story of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. On October 24, or “Black Thursday,” stock prices plunge unexpectedly. Early the next week, whatever was left of the bottom falls out on “Black Tuesday.” The New York Stock Exchange has crashed. The Roaring 20s are over.…

1
169: An Epilogue to the 1920s: Youth culture, The Great Gatsby, and more with Professor Sarah Churchwell 44:36

6M ago44:36

44:36

Our last few episodes have reveled in stories of the popularization of movies, music and sports during the Roaring 1920s. In this epilogue episode, Professor Jackson steps out of storytelling mode and into classroom mode (that doesn’t suck). To help us better understand the lasting cultural impact of this period, he’s invited Dr. Sarah Churchwell w…

1
168: Halloween Special IV: Nosferatu and Silent Horror 40:17

7M ago40:17

40:17

“His Lordship from Transylvania would like to purchase a nice house in our small town . . . it will take a bit of effort . . . a bit of sweat and perhaps . . . a bit of blood . . .” This is the story of the Great Death in Wisborg in 1838. Nosferatu is a 1922 classic horror film, one of the first ever made. It sort of recalls Bram Stoker’s Dracula—e…

1
167: The Golden Age of Sports: Horse Racing, Boxing, Basketball, Football, & Jim Thorpe 59:43

7M ago59:43

59:43

“We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.” This is the story of America’s varied athletic endeavors (besides baseball). Though each sport could provide enough material for an entire episode, it would probably run us into overtime, and the 1920s are drawing to a close. As Black Thursday approaches, it’s time …

1
166: A Conversation on Negro Leagues Baseball History with Bob Kendrick 52:58

8M ago52:58

52:58

As a follow up to episode 165 America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, we’re proud to share an interview with Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. Founded in 1990, the NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its profound im…

1
165: America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, the Negro Leagues, and the Great Bambino 1:02:35

8M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

"As I hit the ball, every muscle in my system, every sense I had, told me that I had never hit a better one . . . I didn't have to look. But I did. That ball . . . hit . . . exactly the spot I had pointed to." This is the story of the most American sport: baseball. Americans have been playing ball for a good long while now—even General Washington e…

1
164: Harlem Renaissance: The Great Migration, Jazz, and the Flowering of Black Culture 1:04:33

8M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

“Harlem is the queen of the black belts, drawing Aframericans together in a vast humming hive . . . from the different states, from the islands of the Caribbean, and from Africa . . . It is the Negro capital of the world.” This is the story of the Harlem Renaissance. In the early twentieth century, many Black families and individuals down South are…

1
163: The Show (Boat) Must Go On: Broadway and the American Musical 1:01:46

9M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

“Miller, Lyles, and I were standing near the exit door . . . Blake stuck out there in front, leading the orchestra—his bald head would get the brunt of the tomatoes and rotten eggs.” This is the story of American musical theater and the dawn of modern Broadway. Popular entertainment is evolving fast in the early twentieth century. Minstrel shows ju…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Prof Greg Jackson Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

4
History That Doesn't Suck

Prof. Greg Jackson

1
178: “A Damn Big Dam”: Taming the Colorado River with the Hoover (or Boulder) Dam (Infrastructure pt. 1) 1:10:54

1
America 250: The Boston Campaign 1775-76: A Leadership Discussion with Gen. William Rapp 1:03:28

1
177: An Epilogue to the New Deal and CCC Deep Dive with Neil Maher 54:46

1
176: FDR v. “The Nine Old Men” (The New Deal pt. 3): Court Packing and Closing the New Deal 1:11:18

1
175: The Dirty Thirties (The New Deal pt. 2): Dust, Doubts, and the “Second” New Deal 1:11:28

1
174: The First “First Hundred Days:” FDR Kicks Off the New Deal 1:07:05

1
173: From Hyde Park to the White House: The Early Life and Election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1:11:24

1
172: Breadlines, Bank Failures, & the Bonus Army: Hoover & the Early Great Depression 1:06:40

1
171: Christmas Special VIII: Festivities in the Jazz Age 34:10

1
170: The Crash of 1929 & Meeting President Herbert Hoover 1:06:14

1
169: An Epilogue to the 1920s: Youth culture, The Great Gatsby, and more with Professor Sarah Churchwell 44:36

1
168: Halloween Special IV: Nosferatu and Silent Horror 40:17

1
167: The Golden Age of Sports: Horse Racing, Boxing, Basketball, Football, & Jim Thorpe 59:43

1
166: A Conversation on Negro Leagues Baseball History with Bob Kendrick 52:58

1
165: America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, the Negro Leagues, and the Great Bambino 1:02:35

1
164: Harlem Renaissance: The Great Migration, Jazz, and the Flowering of Black Culture 1:04:33

1
163: The Show (Boat) Must Go On: Broadway and the American Musical 1:01:46

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