Miss Subways
Beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But for 35 years, one contest in New York City celebrated the everyday working girl. Each month starting in 1941, a young woman was elected “Miss...
View ArticleFly Girls
In the early 1940s, the US Airforce faced a dilemma. Thousands of new airplanes were coming off assembly lines and needed to be delivered to military bases nationwide, yet most of America’s pilots were...
View ArticleHalloween, Holloween?
The Guys wonder whether the modern American celebration of Halloween does justice to the serious issues that originally inspired the holiday.
View Article36 – Tupperware
"Somewhere in the world there's a Tupperware Party starting every 10 seconds." And we're going to one with The Kitchen Sisters. “Somewhere in the world there’s a Tupperware Party starting every 10...
View ArticleBuilding the Nation
Brian talks with historian Zaheer Ali to find out why the Nation of Islam found such a strong foothold amongst African Americans during the Civil Rights era.
View ArticleThe Craft of the Matter
The Guys talk with a listener about the history of craft brewing in America. The Guys talk with a listener about the history of craft brewing in America.
View Article42 – Hidden World of Traveller Girls
Stories of young Irish Traveller women. Travellers —the people of walking, sometimes called the gypsies of Ireland. Exploring ancient and modern Traveller rituals that cling on the edge of the Celtic...
View ArticleThe Forgotten Women of Ireland's Easter Rising Rebellion
This year, commemorations are taking place on both sides of the Atlantic to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. On April 24, 1916 — the day after Easter — some 1,600 Irish nationalists...
View ArticleThe Women Who Shaped the Politics of the Civil War Alongside Lincoln's Generals
The wives of Lincoln's top generals greatly influenced their husbands' politics and decisions during the Civil War. In Lincoln’s Generals’ Wives: Four Women Who Influenced the Civil War for Better and...
View ArticleGoing To The Chapel
The month of June gets its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. This could be part of the reason why June continues to be the most popular month to get married. In this hour of BackStory, we...
View ArticleContenders: Women Who Fought for the White House
If Hillary Clinton wins in November, she will become the first female President in American history. But she is not the first woman to seek this office. Today, we look back at three of the most...
View ArticleWhat To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - it’s a phrase we’ve all heard. But do we really know what Thomas Jefferson meant by that? For that matter, did Jefferson place a period or comma after...
View ArticleTalk of the Nation
The 2016 presidential race switches into high gear this month with the back-to-back Republican and Democratic party conventions. Before they became heavily scripted affairs for TV, conventions were...
View ArticleBazaar Behavior
The Guys talk with a listener about when and why American children began to buy Christmas presents for their parents. The Guys talk with a listener about when and why American children began to buy...
View ArticleHayes vs Tilden. Showdown at the Capital
As Washington prepares for the next four years, BackStory looks back at some of the more dramatic presidential transitions from the past. On this show, the Guys explore several high-stakes presidential...
View ArticleThe Pioneering Women Who Built New York
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. New York City history is often associated with powerful men like William "Boss" Tweed, former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, and artists like Norman...
View ArticleThe Last Civil War Widows
Daisy Anderson and Alberta Martin lived what seemed like parallel lives. Both had grown up poor, children of sharecroppers in the South. Daisy in Tennessee; Alberta in Alabama. Both women got married...
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Giving Voice to the History of American Women
The Center for Women's History has one major goal: to challenge your (probably) male-centric understanding of American history. That doesn't mean removing men altogether; rather, it's about...
View ArticleMiss Subways
Most beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But for 35 years, one contest in New York City celebrated the everyday working girl. Each month starting in 1941, a young woman was elected...
View ArticleRemembering New York Suffragettes Who Marched 100 Years Ago
On this day, 100 years ago, the women of New York won the right to vote. This was three years before the 19th amendment was passed nation-wide.But New York was far from leading the women's rights...
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