John Willis Menard: The First African America...

In the 1300s, the Black Death sprang up in central Asia and swept across continents, killing millions. Quarantines became common as various nations sought safety in isolation, and some met with more success than others. Norway may have staved off the plague for years, were it not ...  Show more

From baseball games to picnics, from street vendors to haute cuisine, the humble hot dog is an American icon. But where did it come from, and how did it get so popular? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origins of the infamous dog, how it got its name -- and why s ...  Show more

This episode is from 2017. Whitman is often touted as the best and most important poet in U.S. history, but he also worked as a teacher and a journalist. And his poetry career didn't start out particularly well. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork ...  Show more

Nowadays Edward Bernays remains a relatively obscure historical figure. His legacy, however, is thriving around the globe, and his techniques are found in everything from the food we eat to the things we believe. But who was this man, and how did he get his start? And how does ...

On this episode of Our American Stories, former marine, Jason Porter, tells the story of meeting his best friend Forrest Johnson and how serving in WWII impacted him; and Richard Gary tells the origin story of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain) and the racial history of Ha ...  Show more

Howard Schultz, the author of the new book From the Ground Up, tells stories about his time as the Starbucks CEO and how it almost slipped away from him early on and about a moment that gave him a sense of spirituality. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices ...  Show more