When a Simi Valley jury announced the “not guilty” verdicts in the case of four police officers charged in the beating of African American motorist Rodney King on April 29, 1992, Los Angeles erupted in a firestorm of anti-police protest.Written by Max Felker-Kantor. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nich…

Listen to Allison Mitchell and special guest Dr. Anthony Harris discuss Black history and her Picturing Black History essay, "⁠The Children of the Mississippi Freedom Summer⁠."Learn more about Allison Mitchell at ⁠https://picturingblackhistory.org/author/mitchell/ ⁠Explore more photographs and stories that changed the world from Picturing Black His…

Listen to Allison Mitchell and special guest Dr. Anthony Harris discuss Black history.Learn more about Allison Mitchell at ⁠https://picturingblackhistory.org/author/mitchell/ ⁠Explore more photographs and stories that changed the world from Picturing Black History at ⁠⁠https://www.picturingblackhistory.org/⁠⁠, a collaboration between Origins: Curre…

President James A. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled political hopeful. Months later, Garfield died from an infection which ravaged Garfield’s body for two and half months. Who was responsible and what was their motivation? Written by Lisa Zevorich Susner. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production b…

Percival Lowell was a prominent astronomer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who believed in the existence of a planet beyond Neptune, which he called “Planet X.”Written by Kevin Schindler. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A transcript is available at htt…

The World Series has been played annually since 1903 (with two exceptions in 1904 and 1994). Here, Origins offers ten 20th Century World Series contests that are landmark moments in baseball’s evolution as a commercial enterprise and its adaptation to the significant social and cultural changes of modern America.Written by Russell Field. Narration …

Gwangju, a major city in southwestern South Korea, has been widely recognized as a center of civil resistance since May 1980, when a brutal military crackdown targeted citizens protesting against dictatorship. Written by Hieyoon Kim. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeg…

Headquartered at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, OH, Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s investigation into UFOs, ran for 12 years beginning in March of 1952.Written by Paul McAllister. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A transcript is available a…

The Battle of Hastings, which took place on October 14, 1066 was a pivotal moment in the invasion from across the English Channel that resulted in the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England by William, the French Duke of Normandy. Written by Wenxi Liu. In honor of Wenxi Liu, April 21, 1949 - October 30, 2023.Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video p…

The War of the Pacific, which pitted Chile against the allied forces of Peru and Bolivia, had a profound, long-lasting impact on the geopolitical balance of South America.Written by Candela Marini. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Hannah Keller. A textual version is available a…

Barbara DuMetz reflects on her powerful photograph, titledAmerican Gothic. She shares how the image—capturing defiance and determination—became a revolutionary statement: "We’re here, we’re not going anywhere, doing stuff on our terms now."Discover more about her story and the book that explores these iconic moments in history:Order the book:⁠amzn.…

Michael Santiago, an award-winning photojournalist, shares his experience capturing history in real time. From documenting the final crossing of Civil Rights icon John Lewis to reflecting on the power of photography in shaping our understanding of the past, Santiago’s work is a testament to the impact of visual storytelling. In this exclusive inter…

On the night of 2-3 December 1984, a Union Carbide chemical facility at Bhopal leaked over 27 tons of the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate, poisoning tens of thousands of people in the middle of the night, most of whom were sleeping in their homes nearby. Written by Madhumita Dutta. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hann…

June 15, 1215, witnessed the signing of the landmark Magna Carta, the medieval English historic legal document that is seen as the origin of many modern-day legal rights and constitutional principles. At that time, England was in civil war as disaffected barons took up arms against King John, who reigned 1199-1216.Written by Rebecca Favorito. Narra…

On October 17, 1945, hundreds of thousands of Juan Perón's supporters clogged the streets of Buenos Aires marking a consequential moment in Argentina’s history and the birth of Peronism.Written by Steven Hyland. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is…

Professor Kristina Sessa, an historian of Late Antiquity, presents her top 10 popes based on overall historical significance, appetite for intrigue, and messy electoral politics.Written and narrated by Dr. Kristina Sessa. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.…

The Trump Administration’s Domestic Policies: Insights from History by Origins OSUبقلم Origins OSU

Ohio State University faculty experts hold a conversation that puts American foreign policy changes during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration into historical perspective. Panel members: Peter L. Hahn, Distinguished University Professor of History, The Ohio State University; Mitchell Lerner, Professor of History and Director of th…

In November 1938, Albert Hofmann November 1938, first created a derivative of ergot that would later be dubbed lysergic acid diethalyamide: LSD.Written by Dr. Benjamin Breen. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu…

On September 2, 1998, the first conviction for the crime of genocide was entered by an international tribunal. The date is an essential milestone in the development of criminal responsibility imposed by the international community for the commission of mass atrocities.بقلم Origins OSU

Mid-July, 64 CE, in the heart of Rome, tragedy struck as fire erupted into a massive inferno. Did Emperor Nero, regent at the time, purposely set the city ablaze or merely preside over the disaster?Written by Matthew Reich. Narration by Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle. A textual version of this vi…

On June 30, 1908, a massive mysterious explosion of a cosmic body shook the skies of Tunguska (in Siberia), on a date that would come to be known as International Asteroid Day. But was it an asteroid? Andy Bruno discusses the history surrounding the event.Written by Andy Bruno. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seege…

Who doesn’t love penguins? Join Ellen Arnold to learn about the many different roles that penguins took on as Europeans first began to encounter them in the mid-1500s, from quirky oddity to salvation for the starving. Over the course of the following centuries, Europeans had many different interactions with penguins, and these shaped how they under…

Narrator Nicholas Breyfogle gives voice to author Stephen M. Norris' top ten World War II films. Video production by Laura Seeger and Nicholas Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-world-war-ii-films.This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspect…

Haile Selassie’s triumphant return to Ethiopia on May 5, 1941, signaled the re‐establishment of the Solomonic Dynasty and a sovereign Ethiopia. Written by Andrew Carlson. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and written versions of this podcase are available at https://origins.osu.e…

According to the traditional narrative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith was visited on September 21, 1823 by an angel who told him of an ancient record buried nearby his farm in western New York.Written by Benjamin E. Park. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at http…

The Berlin Airlift began on June 26, 1948, only two days after the Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin. Written by Ian Gammon. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/berlin-airlift. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Additional resources:To Save a City: The Be…

On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong (1893-1976) stood on the rostrum of Tian’anmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) and announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in his strong Hunanese accent. This momentous announcement marked the end of China’s chaotic era of foreign domination since the mid-18th century and of frequent governmen…

Since 2002, December 12 has been known as Poinsettia Day, created by Congress to honor the passing of Paul Ecke, Jr., who helped commercialize the plant in the United States in the middle of the twentieth century.Written by Lindsay Schakenbach Regele. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and audio production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nichola…

This presentation commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster (2-3 December, 1984 in Bhopal, India), the world’s worst industrial disaster. Dr. Madhumita Dutta, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at The Ohio State University discusses the disaster, the immediate and ongoing health repercussions for the people of Bho…

While most of the books written about the Salem witch trials concern those who were accused of witchcraft and their accusers, Matt Goldish's new book, "Science and Specters" at Salem, turns the spotlight on the judges. They were, after all, the men who decided to accept these accusations and move the trials forward. Historians have long wondered wh…

Musicals have sought to bring history to life onstage, with varying degrees of creative license. These are our top ten musicals based on real-life people and events that have shaped the theatre.Written by Lauren Henry. Narrated by Nicholas Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast i…

Presented by Lydia Walker, Provost Scholar Assistant Professor, Seth Andre Myers Chair in Global Military History, in the Department of History at The Ohio State University.After the Second World War, national self-determination became a recognized international norm, yet it only extended to former colonies. Groups within postcolonial states that m…

In the Year of Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo negotiated independence from Belgium to the rhythm of the country’s greatest export: Congolese rumba. The wildly popular and meaningful genre became a soundtrack to global change.Written by Emily Hardick. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B…

Alice in Wonderland, the little girl created by Oxford mathematician and logician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, also known as Lewis Carroll, came to life in 1865. While her pinafore and his frockcoat and long wavy hair, which were old fashioned even for their time, catch our eye and distance them from us on the other side of the tumultuous 20th century…

Few phenomena are so steeped in wonder as the total solar eclipse. Cultures through history have heralded eclipses as portentous, ominous events. Written by Matthew Smith. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and text versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/solar-eclipses-american-history. Video production by…

The date, October 23, 1956, marked the beginning of the ill-fated revolution that ended with the re-imposition of Communist rule and the flight of some 200,000 Hungarians to Western Europe and the United States. It remains a somber anniversary of heroism in defeat that continues to resonate with Hungarians across the globe.Written by Harrison King.…

Public memory of the battle for Manila includes a mixture of gratitude toward the Americans, nationalistic defiance, and horror. The liberation claimed the lives of a thousand Americans, 16,000 Japanese, and 100,000 Manileños, one tenth of the population.Written by Gregory Kupsky. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions o…

On December 18, 1898, the Jeantaud electric vehicle set the world’s first automotive land speed record of 63.13 km/hr (39.2 mph) over the course of a single kilometer. Although the only electric vehicle at the competition, the Jeantaud handily beat its gasoline-powered competition at the Parc Agricole d’Achères outside Paris. The Jeantaud electric …

After World War II, canned foods became more and more common, along with a smorgasbord of other pre-prepared, processed foods: Jellos, TV dinners, frozen peas, dehydrated juices, and eventually Tangs. On May 12th, 1965, Donald Goerke invented SpaghettiOs, the round, canned cousins of spaghetti. By 2010, over 150 million cans of SpaghettiOs were sol…

The Soviet-German front that opened with Operation Barbarossa proved to be the decisive theater of the Second World War. Written by Ian Johnson. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at ⁠https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/operation-barbarossa⁠. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B.…

When we think about Martian explorers today, we mostly hear about two rovers that trawl small zones of the planet: the Opportunity rover that exceeded a marathon's distance in 2015, and the Curiosity rover that is trying to track down habitability in the planet's ancient past. Neither of these rovers would have been possible, however, without the M…

On April 6, 1896, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games filled a refurbished Panathenaic stadium to its 50,000 capacity, with similar numbers of spectators thronging the adjacent streets and surrounding hillsides.Written by John R. and Margaret M. Gold. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are avail…

President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Act into law on April 3, 1948. The Marshall Plan, as it’s more commonly known, was intended to revive the economies of war-torn Western Europe. Extending nearly $13 billion to primarily France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and West Germany, the program was an ambitious foreign aid effort and an unpr…

On April 20th, 1914, Colorado state militiamen attacked a massive tent colony erected by striking miners and their families who had been evicted from their company homes, killing eighteen of them, including women and children. The attack sparked a pitched battle. Between September 1913 and the end of April 1914, 75-100 people were killed and dozens…

Espionage has become more complex and increasingly valuable. The times change, but spies remain. Here are ten of history’s top spies.Written by Robert J. Kodosky. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-spies-lies-and-moles-oh-my. …

On March 12, 2004, South Korea’s then President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached, a historic first for the Republic.Written by David Fields and Jinwan Park. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/impeachment-roh-moo-hyun-and-patterns-south-korean-politics. Productio…

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a monk and professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, circulated his 95 Theses—95 statements critiquing what he saw as papal abuses of power.Written by Karen Spierling. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestone…

When Idi Amin, commander of the Ugandan Army, seized power in Uganda on 25 January 1971, there was hope among many Ugandans that a new beginning beckoned.Written by Richard Reid. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/idi-amins-uganda-coup-1971. Video pr…

Fossey replaced a fallacious stereotype of a King Kong-like, violent gorilla with an almost idealized image of a gorilla that was intelligent, family-oriented and peaceful.Written by Rob Schubert. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/december-2015-dian…