The realFootnotes podcast is an ongoing set of intriguing, humorous and occasionally profane conversations between old friends and professional historians - Jeff & Bryan - who explore stories relegated to the footnotes of history and marginalized in public discourse.
After a long year of unexpected delays, we're back! In this minisode, we review a long list of excuses for our lack of content, a few small format changes, discuss Bryan's upcoming visit to the AHA conference and a chance to redeem himself. Then, we reveal the first topic of season three. Stay tuned!
Feb 21, 2019
S2E3 - National Insecurity
01:00:26
Does homosexuality pose a unique threat to national security? Of course not. So why did the US government engage in a decades long purge of gays from the civil service? On this episode of realFootnotes, Jeff and Bryan explore the Lavender Scare, a kissing cousin to the more infamous Red Scare, which destroyed 5,000 careers and claimed several lives.
Now that the anti-gay hysteria of an earlier era has abated, Bryan argues that increased tolerance has made America safer from external threats. But Jeff thinks that argument misses the point. Along the way, they tell the stories of several high-profile gay men fired for their sexuality and how a moral panic was institutionalized. And, of course, they talk about the honeydick/pot. All that and more on the latest episode of realFootnotes.
Dec 07, 2018
S2E2: Chile's Angels: A Reactionary Story that Features a Largely Female Cast... and Carl
01:06:20
In 1973, the democratically elected government of Chile fell in a military coup d’etat. A few months earlier, a case of mistaken gender identity thrust a woman named Alejandrina Cox into the national spotlight and Chilean history. With the help of Dr. Margaret Power, a historian at the Illinois Institute of Technology, we discuss the significant role that conservative women played in the downfall of Chile’s socialist President, Salvador Allende. In the end, it’s a cautionary tale about neglecting women in politics and ignoring them in history.
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We also answer some of your most pressing questions, such as:
Will we ever stop talking about Nitrates? No, never.
What do Spanish chickens say? Pio Pio Pio.
Is Jeff a closeted Maoist? Perhaps.
And is it possible possible that our Spanish is actually worse than our French? Buenas Tardes!
Tune in to realFootnotes Season 2 Episode 2 to find out!
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Listen to the episode on our website: www.realfootnotes.com/episodes/
Find, Rate and Review us on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/…/podc…/realfootnotes/id1251529977…
Follow us @realFootnotes on Twitter and Facebook
And you can find more information about Dr. Margaret Power and her research here:
https://humansciences.iit.edu/faculty/margaret-power
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Warning contains possible spoilers for the legend of Joan of Arc.
Oct 09, 2018
S2E1: Quebexit
01:06:35
realFootnotes is back and our second season starts with a bang, actually ninety-five of them! In this episode, Jeff and Bryan tell a story about the FLQ, a “terrorist” group active in la Belle Province — Quebec — during the 1960s and early 1970s. The crisis the FLQ created reached a climax in October 1970 with two abductions and a murder. This story has it all: Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau — Justin Trudeau’s more charismatic father — daring reporters, Canadian soldiers being deployed on civilian streets, people being stripped of basic human rights, interference by the KGB, and rumors of a CIA false flag operation!
Jul 06, 2018
Minisode 9: "Don't Haze Me Bro!"
00:18:55
In this minisode, Jeff and Bryan dig deeper still into the topic of hazing with two interviews. One with a former NHL player, and another with Bryan’s uncle who played in the OHL and now coaches. It turns out that hazing, like everything else, is more complicated than it first appears. In this minisode, kids die (at least statistically), our evolution gets hijacked by hazers [hosers?], and everyone gets $hitfaced. It’s our most Canadian episode ever... at least until the next one.
May 31, 2018
Minisode 8: "Sucks to Your Ass-Mar"
00:30:38
In yet another “Less-than-Mini”-sode, the boys talk about the origins of the TVA and a hazing scandal at West Point. This minisode has it all. A human thesaurus, Bulgaria, the OG NRA, and the first person to ever die in a plane crash. There’s even a close call with a depiction of the prophet Muhammad. Parce-que nous sommes Charlie.
Mar 08, 2018
Minisode 7: "Union Jacked"
00:19:07
Welcome back! After a weather report with no relevance to your lives, the guys discuss a “footnote in the news.” Jeff refuses to believe that Bryan understands redaction, and Bryan can’t believe how much the White House sucks at it. Then it’s onto iTunes reviews accompanied by sure-to-be-broken promises about future merch and money. And finally, they speak with Doug Askman, a professor at Hawaii Pacific University, about how the Hawaiian flag got so union jacked. Was it pilates? We bet it was pilates.
Dec 22, 2017
Minisode 6: "John Denver is full of $hit"
00:26:50
Jeff and Bryan wrap up the first season digging into one last shitty footnote about nitrates, reading some great reviews, and responding to listener feedback.
Nov 14, 2017
S1E5: Bat $hit Crazy
01:15:35
After some technical difficulties the guys are back talking $hit and Saltpeter. This episode digs into an important question that oil producing nations will inevitably face in the future: what happens when a resource boom comes to an end? Jeff and Bryan look at two South American resource booms in the 18th century, and then discuss the history and merits of one potential tool to weather the inevitable busts: sovereign wealth funds.
Oct 16, 2017
Minisode 5: "Just the Poo of Us"
00:11:25
In this minisode, Jeff and Bryan talk shop about profanity, radiolab's budget, and long distance relationships. Then they introduce the next topic - Guano and Chilean Saltpeter - and vow to put the $hit back in history. Happy Thanksgiving Canada!