Former special counsel Robert Mueller is set to break his silence tomorrow morning. After almost two years of tight-lipped investigations and one brief press conference, Mueller is testifying in front of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees at 8:30am. The testimony comes three months after Mueller’s 448 page report detailing his team’s investigation into Russia’s […]
Our June BookStory features “American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation” by Adam Morris. The book traces various messianic figures through centuries of American history, from the 18th century communalist teachings of Jemima Wilkinson to Jim Jones and the tragic end of his Peoples Temple at Jonestown, Guyana. “American Messiahs” examines these diverse figures […]
I keep hearing about “reparations.” What is it? Reparations is the idea that compensation of some form should be given to the ancestors of trafficked and enslaved peoples. Reparations stem from the idea that effects of enslavement and discrimination can be felt through generations and that descendants from these ancestors can still feel the negative […]
Do you remember the first moon landing? Where were you? How did it make you feel? BackStory wants to know! We’re making a podcast episode in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and you could be a part of it. Complete this form or call (804) 477-1741 and tell us […]
We are pleased to announce the BookStory selections through December 2019. We sought to cast a wide net with these titles, covering a wide variety of areas and periods in American history. All books are currently available or will be released soon. Happy reading! July Women’s War: Fighting and Surviving the American Civil War […]
In 1942 the Gestapo sent out a message: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.” This most dangerous of spies was Virginia Hall, an American woman with a prosthetic leg who became one of the greatest, and least known, spies in U.S. history. Virginia established vast spy […]
Listener question: I have been thinking of the reconstruction and Jim Crow eras and how little I know about them. I live in Oregon, and I know that the state has a history of racism set in its constitution (from 1859). I also understand that sundown laws were still in effect in some towns at […]
On Monday, two people were arrested on charges of vandalism and ethnic intimidation, after allegedly vandalizing a memorial dedicated to slaves and African American workers on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. The Unsung Founders Memorial was defaced with racial slurs and urine on March 31. The memorial’s vandalism has further inflamed […]
Today, Jimmy Carter passes George H.W. Bush to become the longest-living president in American history at 94 years, 172 days old. His presidency saw some major setbacks including inflation, energy crisis, war in Afghanistan, and the Iran hostage crisis (which ended 20 minutes after President Reagan took the oath of office). Nevertheless, Carter’s legacy has […]
If you’ve ever wanted to teach your students how to tell stories with audio, this is the workshop for you. Spend July 15-16 at historic University of Virginia learning the basics from your favorite American history podcast. BackStory is a program of Virginia Humanities and this experience is funded in part by a grant from […]