One Day University

The Broadway musical “Six” sparked interest in the wives of King Henry VIII, but many of us can’t name all six women, let alone know their backstory. In our last episode of the season, Georgetown University History professor Amy Leonard explains why these wives were so historically significant beyond their marriages to Henry VIII. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Amy Leonard’s lecture, “The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Their Real Stories)”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do we really only use 10% of our brain? Can we classify ourselves as “left-brained” or “right-brained?” And can we really trust our memories? Notre Dame Psychology professor Jessica Payne breaks down truths vs. myths about the human brain with host Steven Schragis. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Jessica Payne’s lecture, “What We Know About The Brain (And What We Don’t)”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is power, and what makes someone powerful? University of Pennsylvania Law professor William Burke-White defines power and ranks the people who possess it for his list, “The Most Powerful People in the World.” He shares this year’s rankings with host Steven Schragis. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor William Burke-White’s lecture, “The Most Powerful People in the World”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fast food has been around in the U.S. since the rise of establishments like White Castle in the 1920s. It has changed not only what and how we eat, but the worldwide supply chain, politics, pop culture and more.   Georgetown History professor Marcia Chatelain explores this in her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America” and in her One Day University lecture, “Drive-Thru America.” She joins host Steven Schragis to discuss how America came to be the fast food nation. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Marcia Chatelain’s lecture, “Drive-Thru America: A Culinary History of the Fast Food Industry and How It Shapes Our Lives”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III will receive his coronation this weekend. University of Maryland History professor Julie Taddeo is an expert on the British royal family, and she joins host Steven Schragis to explain the significance of this historic event and what to expect.  One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Julie Taddeo’s lectures on Queen Elizabeth, royal scandals, Downton Abbey, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered what books presidents kept on their bedside table? Did those works impact their presidency? Bard College Literature professor Joseph Luzzi connects American leaders’ love of literature with some of their greatest achievements. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Joseph Luzzi’s lecture, “The Presidents’ Book Club: Books that Shaped Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and others”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stanford University History professor Caroline Winterer tells host Steven Schragis what we do and don’t know about famous points in history, including the origins of Stonehenge, the beauty of Cleopatra, and the accents of America’s Founding Fathers. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Caroline Winterer’s lecture, “Unexplained History: What Historians Still Don’t Understand”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Billionaire entrepreneurs are as famous as Hollywood celebrities: names like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates. But it was the families of the Gilded Age that laid the groundwork for wealth in America today.  University of Texas History professor Jeremi Suri explains the foundations of American wealth with host Steven Schragis. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member,  you can watch Professor Jeremi Suri’s lecture, “Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Gates, Bezos, & Musk: A History of American Wealth”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that dogs have an easier time learning their name if it ends in a “y?” That’s just one of the many insights Amherst College psychology professor Catherine Sanderson shares with host Steven Schragis in this episode about the relationship between humans and dogs. There are many health benefits to being a “dog person.” Owning a cat, however, is a slightly different story. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member,  you can watch Professor Catherine Sanderson’s lecture, “Dogs and Humans: Why Has This Bond Been so Long-Lasting?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a great time to be a sports fan in America: Baseball is back, March Madness is wrapping up, and the NHL and NBA playoffs are just around the corner. The NFL draft is also coming up in April, but the league is without one of its most famous quarterbacks: Tom Brady. He is the latest in a long line of athletes who potentially played one season too many. UNC History Professor Matthew Andrews came up with a list of athletes who stayed too long for a One Day University lecture, and he shares that list (plus some extra picks) with host Steven Schragis. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Matthew Andrews lecture, “One Season Too Many: Superstar Athletes Who Stayed Too Long.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Joe Biden is halfway through his first term and will likely run for re-election. How will historians view his presidency so far?  Southern Methodist University Professor Jeffrey Engel discusses Biden’s accomplishments and missteps with host Steven Schragis. One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member,  you can watch Professor Jeffrey Engel’s lectures on presidential history .See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 95th Academy Awards were held last weekend, with Everything Everywhere All At Once winning Best Picture. The Oscars are just the latest example of society’s fascination with the rich and famous, but there’s a complex history behind fame.  University of Michigan Professor Susan Douglas joins One Day University founder Steven Schragis to explain the history and power of celebrity.  One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Susan Douglas’ lecture, “A History of Fame: The Power of Celebrity.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Popular TV shows and high-profile televised trials have made forensic science famous…but what’s the science and history behind it? Host and filmmaker Molly Hermann traces the roots of these tools and the questions surrounding their accuracy. CSI On Trial is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast based on the Curiosity Stream series CSI On Trial.  You can watch all six episodes of the video series here if you sign up for Curiosity Stream.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the remarkable myths of the American Revolution is that it was an all male affair. Really? An eight year home front war and American women didn't notice it? In fact, women played vital roles throughout the war — from enforcing the boycotts of British imports to writing and publishing propaganda, from nursing the soldiers at Valley Forge to scavenging active battle fields for usable clothing and weapons. Carol Berkin dispels the myth that the success of the war rested solely on the shoulders of "great men" and explores the valuable contributions that women made to the effort — and beyond. Carol Berkin is Presidential Professor of History at Baruch College and a member of the history faculty of the Graduate Center of CUNY. She has worked as a consultant on several PBS and History Channel documentaries, including, The Scottsboro Boys, which was nominated for an Academy Award.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While most works of cinema are produced for mass-entertainment and escapism, a peculiar minority have had a profound influence on our culture. Whether intentionally or not, some movies have brought social issues to light, changed laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and altered the course of American history through their resounding impact on society. Renowned Yale Film Professor Marc Lapadula is a playwright, screenwriter and an award-winning film producer. In addition to Yale, Marc has taught at Columbia University's Graduate Film School, and he created the screenwriting programs at both The University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know the best thing you can do for your brain is take a nap? If you ever thought sleep was just downtime between one task and the next, think again. The fact is, your brain pulls an all-nighter when you hit the hay. Many regions of the brain — especially those involved in learning, processing information, and emotion — are actually more active during sleep than when you're awake. These regions work together to sort and process the information you've taken in during the course of the day, helping your brain function better. Professor Jessica Payne explains the science behind the sleeping brain, and outlines all sorts of practical information on how to control your sleep habits to ensure maximum health and productivity. She is the Nancy O'Neill Collegiate Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, where she directs the Sleep, Stress, and Memory Lab. Her course, The Sleeping Brain, routinely sports a waitlist because of its immense popularity. She is also a two-time recipient of the Distinction in Teaching Award, and won the Award for Teaching Excellence at Harvard University's Derek Bok Center.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say the personal is political. But the rivalry between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton may be the most political of any relationship in history. Hamilton is experiencing a well-deserved revival in recent years. His vision of America as an economic powerhouse with an aggressive government as its engine has found many followers. He helped get the Constitution ratified, found the Federalist Party, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury. But Jefferson fought bitterly with Hamilton throughout their careers and articulated a very different vision for the new nation, promoting an agrarian democracy built upon geographic expansion—an "empire of liberty," he called it. These tensions remain embedded in the Constitution and in the debates that roil politics in America to this day. Louis Masur is a Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He received outstanding teaching awards from Rutgers, Trinity College, and the City College of New York, and won the Clive Prize for Excellence in Teaching from Harvard University. He is the author of many books including "Lincoln's Last Speech," which was inspired by a talk he presented at One Day University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can science and religion truly coexist, or are they forever locked in conflict? Kenneth Miller approaches this question from a unique perspective. In focusing on a few of today's most contentious issues, he explores if science can be understood in a religious context, or have we finally reached the end of faith? Modern science has its roots in western religious thought, was nurtured in universities established for religious reasons, and owes some of its greatest discoveries to scientists who themselves were people of faith. Nonetheless, on one issue after another, from evolution to the "big bang" to the age of the Earth itself, religion is often on a collision course with scientific thought. On one side, religious believers have constructed pseudosciences to justify narrow interpretations of scripture or to support specific religious claims. On the other, non-believers have used scientific authority to label faith a "delusion" to be set aside. Kenneth Miller is a professor of biology at Brown University. He has received six major teaching awards at Brown, the Presidential Citation of the American Institute for Biological Science, and the Public Service Award of the American Society for Cell Biology. In 2009 he was honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for Advancing the Public Understanding of Science, and also received the Gregor Mendel Medal from Villanova University. In 2011 he was presented with the Stephen Jay Gould Prize by the Society for the Study of Evolution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role do money, IQ, marriage, friends, children, weather, and religion play in making us feel happier? Is happiness stable over time? How can happiness be increased? Professor Catherine Sanderson describes cutting-edge research from the field of positive psychology on the factors that do (and do not) predict happiness. She provides practical (and relatively easy!) ways to increase your own psychological well-being. Catherine Sanderson is the Poler Family Professor and Chair of Psychology at Amherst College and is often cited as the school’s most popular professor. Her research has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. She has published over 25 journal articles in addition to five college textbooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the relatively short history of the United States, certain events irrevocably altered the direction of the nation and signaled the dramatic start of a new historical reality. Some took the form of groundbreaking political and philosophical concepts; some were dramatic military victories and defeats. What all of these turning points had in common is that they forever changed the character of America. Edward O’Donnell is a professor of history at College of the Holy Cross. He is the author of several books, including Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality: Progress and Poverty in the Gilded Age. O’Donnell also has curated several major museum exhibits on American history and appeared in several historical documentaries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.