Past is Prologue Podcast

The 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan and the end of World War II coincide with heightened nuclear tensions in 2025 between India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, and the United States and Russia. It’s time to examine how the decisions of 1945 influence the decisions of today. How did we get here? Do these threats matter? What is life like under a mushroom cloud?Host: Andrew J. FalkPast is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, offers an opportunity to think about how – and why – we remember and commemorate the war in the ways we do. We’ll take a tour of countries – the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Poland, and Germany – to see how they have held onto differing national memories of a shared conflict. If we look at how others choose to remember the war, we may find that World War II offers meaning for us today as we debate history education, federal funding to cultural and research institutions, and what it means to be patriotic.Host: Andrew J. FalkGuest: Brian PuacaPast is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The past, as revealed on paper documents, does not always tell the entire story. In this case, the people of the past literally narrate our history. To commemorate Black History Month, we will go back to the 1960s and 1970s and listen to the voices of a community of Black students to discover that integration proved to be far more complex than many recall from textbook coverage of the civil rights movement. By doing so, we all gain a more complete picture of our national history. Host: Andrew J. FalkIn collaboration with Laura PuacaThis episode is produced in collaboration with the Hampton Roads Oral History Project at Christopher Newport University, which mentors students to document the impact of the civil rights movement on residents living in the Historic Triangle of southeast Virginia. Its director, Dr. Laura Puaca, studies the history of social movements in the United States and collaobrates with community partners at the Newsome House Museum and Cultural Center as well as the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center. Researchers are encouraged to visit the Project’s website to hear more stories and to view digitized documents, yearbooks, and photographs.The Hampton Roads community members who shared their experiences include Valerie Scott Price, James Lovett, Dwight Spratley, Eula Branch, Janice Larrimore, Brenda Gibson Stewart, Norline Jenkins-DePieza, and Lyndia Johnson.Students who conducted interviews include Dane Christensen, Devereaux Davis, Nicole Flautt, Aidan Fritz, Cole Fuchs, Sydney Goodman, Keelyn Graves, Orson Lange, Allison Silverman, Dayman Parrish, Jack Perry, Christina Richardson, Dorian Vitale, and Marlena Williams.And the student-historians responsible for research, narrative writing, and editing are Matthew Johnson, Mia LaRochelle, and Jessica Spencer.Special thanks to archivist Matt Shelley at the Trible Library, where you can access all the archived interviews online.Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The new, expanded college football playoffs saw enthusiastic crowds attending bowl games across the country. This year’s NFL Super Bowl is broadcast to millions worldwide. It’s a season when sport and spectacle collide, as stadiums rally civic pride, and athletes compete in a violent struggle for dominance. But the world has seen something like this before when Roman gladiators entered the famous Colosseum. Though separated by centuries, we are closer to the people of the ancient world than we might think. What is the legacy of sport and spectacle, and what can we learn about ourselves as we tune in? Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: David Pollio Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

Past is Prologue is a history podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

After fire engulfed the 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019 – destroying the medieval timbers, crushing stone gargoyles and bells, melting the lead roof, causing the spire to collapse, and threatening precious relics and artistic treasures – the restoration has concluded and the cathedral is ready to open its doors once again during the Christmas season. With the help of the latest technology and breathtaking craftsmanship, the quick reconstruction of the cathedral has been an act of faith and a labor of love. Some would say it’s been nothing short of a miracle, but it’s only the latest renovation in its long history. Why invest so much time, effort, and expense to restore a building? What’s the religious, national, cultural, artistic, and cultural significance of this site and other public sites we visit closer to home? Host: Andrew J. Falk Guests: Michelle Erhardt and Michael Mulryan Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

What’s the backstory to the ingredients and dishes that find their way to your Thanksgiving table? This holiday season, you’re invited to join us in the kitchen for a heaping helping of history because food can be a portal to the past. Cook along with us as we use old recipes from historic cookbooks. We’ll travel back in time and feel a connection to the people of the past and the worlds in which they lived. Host: Andrew J. Falk Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

In this final installment in our miniseries on the election of 2024, we use history to understand the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris and the strategic decisions her presidential campaign has made. Labeled by the Trump campaign as an “extremist” and the “antichrist,” do themes of patriotism and religion affect the way Harris campaigns for the presidency under a banner of “joy and freedom”? A generation younger than Trump, and seeking to become the first woman and woman of color to serve as President of the United States, how do generational, gender, and racial dynamics shape the contest? In other words: In this age of identity politics, how does Kamala Harris make her case to the people? Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Elizabeth Wood Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

This is the second episode in our three-part series on the election of 2024. Today, we’re looking at voters in the battleground states. In a nation of “red” states for Trump and “blue” states for Harris, what are voters thinking in the “purple” bellwether states of the “Rust Belt” and “Sun Belt”? We'll get the historical backstory to shifting political coalitions, economic and racial insecurities, and the selections of J.D. Vance and Tim Walz. If you want to understand why your fellow citizens sometimes view the world so differently from yourself, then maybe this episode is for you. In other words, let’s go to the battleground to find common ground on what matters most to these voters. As always, we’ll ground our discussion in the historical record. Host: Andrew J. FalkGuest: James Allison, IIIPast is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The 2024 presidential election in U.S. history is shaping up to be unlike any others… but is it? An incumbent president with health concerns. A former president seeking to regain the office he lost is the target of an assassination attempt. The biased media sets the narrative and stokes partisan fury. Not only are their historical parallels to these and other facets of the election, but there are historical forces that can help us understand what is going on, why the campaigns are conducted in certain ways, and also tell us something about who we are as American voters. Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Phillip Hamilton Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

Paris is hosting the Summer Olympics and, aside from the athletic competitions, it allows the world to focus attention on the people and culture of Paris. There’s a history to this: The ancient Olympics featured artistic competitions, and the modern Olympics handed out medals to artists in multiple events: music, painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture. What draws us to the great international city of Paris, where athletes compete in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Versailles? We’ll put a spotlight on the City of Light to find out what makes Paris so special. Host: Andrew J. Falk Guests: Michelle Erhardt and Michael Mulryan Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The Summer Olympics are here once again – a spectacular two weeks of athletic competition filled with tradition, including the passing of the torch, the parade of nations, medal ceremonies, and national anthems. But how traditional is it? Athletes in ancient Greece didn’t compete in togas and tunics; in fact, they didn’t compete in clothing at all! They raced chariots, avoided getting beaten by sticks, accepted awards of olive oil, and erected statues to their glory as well as their shame. Clearly, there’s a lot to learn and this episode strives to set the Olympic record straight. Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: David Pollio  Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

You can listen here for a glimpse into the future of the past: the topics of our brand new summer episodes. Thanks for listening, subscribing, rating, and recommending to others! Past is Prologue is a history podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

During the “patriotic season” – Memorial Day, Flag Day, and July 4th – families come together to commemorate the nation, especially our hard-fought independence during the American Revolution. But the complex political events between “Mother England” and her American “daughter” also provide the backdrop to the family dramas that affected many Americans, including the “father of the country” George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin and William Franklin, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Henry and Lucy Knox, among many others. In many ways, family is very much a part of the history of the holidays.  Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Phillip Hamilton Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

The current situation in Haiti reveals political instability and a worsening humanitarian crisis. Can anything be done about it? Can the world sit back and watch? Can the United States do anything? Should it? Behind the headlines, there’s a long history of American involvement in Haiti. Our nations are intertwined, for better or for worse, perhaps more than most Americans realize. Host: Andrew J. Falk Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

As the podcast returns after a hiatus, the headlines tell us that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are destined for a sequel to the 2020 election. As Trump attempts to return to the White House, how do past “returns” – from Napoleon and MacArthur to Michael Jordan and the Terminator – help frame the drama unfolding for voters? Spoiler: Some returns turn out better than others. Host: Andrew J. Falk Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

Thanksgiving is noted for the fall harvest, feasts and festivals, and families. Many of us have grown up with children’s stories, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes that help frame our expectations and diverse experiences around the celebratory table. Here, we even dish on Harry Potter and Ebeneezer Scrooge. As the saying goes: “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are.” This episode is stuffed full of food for thought, and ripe to share with your family and friends during the season. Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Kara Keeling Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? As Halloween approaches, and as ghosts, skeletons, and flesh-eaters start to appear, we’ll look at death in the Roman Empire – from burial rituals to the secrets that cemeteries and headstones hold. What can they tell us about the people of the distant past? Friends, Romans, Countrymen, and podcast listeners, lend me your ears as we take a walk through the graveyard. Who says, “Dead men tell no tales?”  Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Jared Kreiner  Past is Prologue is a humanities podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are increasingly overshadowed by citizens, censorship, and the statehouse. The news is filled with outrage over teaching “divisive concepts” and banning books and graphic novels, which has placed school libraries and classrooms on the front lines. But there’s a complicated and interesting history to education, fights over curriculum, and who has a say over what children learn. Host: Andrew J. Falk Guest: Brian Puaca Past is Prologue is a history podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.

We’re taking a brief summer vacation in July. But you can listen here for a glimpse into the future of the past: the topic of our brand new episode in August. Thanks for listening, subscribing, rating, and recommending to others! Past is Prologue is a history podcast that provides the public with the background behind the day's headlines, and offers much-needed context to understand the significance of current events that people observe around them. It seeks to contribute to the public conversation in an engaging, informative, accessible, and constructive way. It's produced by the Department of History in the College of Arts & Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. We welcome your inquiries and feedback at pastpodcast@cnu.edu.