Makayla: Sounds great. So in the end, what are some ways historians can engage the public more effectively in discussion about historical events and their implications? 
Nancy:  Yeah, well, this is something that we grapple with all the time because so many people come through school, and something goes terribly wrong in school, and they say I don't like history. It's boring. It's this, it's that, it's something. And I think, oh that's not the history that I know. And what are they doing to you at school and many of the people that I teach here at the University of Newcastle are going to be teachers. And so I'm very much like get out there and be disciples we're talking about how history is actually really interesting. And trying to think of the phrase some people, a good history is gossip told well or something and that's how I feel history. I think people who are interested in people should be interested in history because that's what it's all about. It's about people and their judgements and their actions and their motivations and so on. And yeah, so I think if you're interested in people and what makes them tick you should be interested in history. So that's the kind of history that I try to promulgate, I just gave a talk the other day at the state library and it was about the Ibis as an urban bird in Sydney. And, you know, I try to make it a bit fun. I make it relevant to people and I make it, you know, I engage with the things that they're concerned about and I give those things the past and put them in some context. And so I think that's historians have to meet other people halfway. You know, they can't just say, oh, I'm very interested in this, so I'm going to now give you an one hour lecture on this topic. You have to, yeah, engage people figure out what they're interested in, what means something to them and then show how history relates to those interests. 
Makayla: Thank you so much for the answer. So our interview is finished. 
Nancy: That's a great pleasure. Thanks for having me. 
Makayla & Kimika: Thank you. Thank you so much.

#AskAHistorian - Question 7

Makayla: Thank you for your answer. So, next, we know the history is made-up of many events, but not every event is recorded in detail. So if you had an opportunity to explore any untold event in Australia history and share it with the public. Which event would you choose and why? 
Nancy: Oh, your questions are really rather deep. Let's see an unknown event that I wish was better known. Well, I guess what I would I'm very intrigued and I've you know you have these conversations with historian friends, if you could be a fly on a wall in any given period, when would it be? Where would you like to be? would you want to be in? I don't know, some palace where there's a transition of government going on or what would you like to witness. And I think it is that initial meeting of Aboriginal Australians and the colonisers, I would we have. I've read so many accounts from the invader perspective and we just don't have the same kind of contemporary accounts from the other side. So that's what I would love to have, you know, something like this inviting. You know, been a long in and saying ‘been a long, what did you really think about this and that and something else’. We have how other people have recorded what you, how you behaved or what you were thinking, but really did they get it right? And is this capturing how you were feeling at the time or what you were thinking. So that I think is what I would most love to have is what's been called the other side of the frontier and having the same like comparable types of accounts from the two sides.

#AskAHistorian - Question 6

Kimika: So continuing the last question, so how do you think the study of past environmental crises can help us prepare for future challenges? 
Nancy: Yes. Well, I guess most historians don't see the past as a direct solution for the future. I think that's something that non historians hope might be the case. But most historians realize that there are so many variables that we're never going to see the past exactly repeating itself. But I think we can see patterns and I guess perhaps one of the things that I think it's important to look to history for is lessons about how people have adapted and changed and how the world that we're living in is not the only way that things can be done. That there are alternatives and that if you look to the past to see that things were done quite differently, you can then imagine a future in which things are done quite differently. And so one of the things that I was looking at in particular was how long it took for coal to displace wood as a fuel in Australian colonies. And so the coal mining here in Newcastle began very early on in the colonial period from around 1800. And then was given to a private enterprise in about 1830, the Australian Agricultural Company. And they had a hard time selling their coal. They were looking around trying to find markets, trying to find places they could sell it locally, trying to find places that they could export it to. And they struggled and they didn't make much money out of coal mining for a long time. And so I think many people now have this fear of losing coal that, you know, energy transition is becoming a frightening concept. But what I was tracking then in the first half of the 19th century was an energy transition to coal. And it was not automatic, and it wasn't swift, and there were fits and starts, and there were some areas of life in the economy that adopted coal readily and others that people thought now, we really like wood, we don't want to move away from wood. Wood is doing what we needed to do. And, so yeah, so that that's the sort of thing that I look to in history, not a direct sort of road map to the future. But just, an indication that what we see now is not the only way things can be that difference is possible and that many people in the past have struggled in similar ways and have overcome their challenges. And I think that we can do the same. So I think history should be empowering.

#AskAHistorian - Question 5

Kimika: So based on the information we have, you've studied air pollution and environmental issues in Australia. So what do you think that it is the most serious and environmental problem in Australia right now? 
Nancy: Yeah. Well, I think it's the one that the whole globe is facing and that is climate change and you know for a long time that's been a matter of belief where people say, ‘oh, I don't believe in climate change or I do you believe in climate?’ And I really took issue with that whole sort of language because I think that when scientists are doing the modelling and showing you the evidence of what is currently happening. It's not a matter of belief in like believing in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, where you sort of suspend your rationality. It's like, ‘oh no, no, I I'd still believe in Santa Claus.’ And so I think we are coming around to that, I hope as we are seeing the very real effects of climate change. On us and you know, we're probably not as mindful of the effects on all other species as well. And there is this sense that animals live in the wild and if it gets too hot in one place, they can just migrate to somewhere that's cooler and so on. And that's just really unrealistic. And when it is really hot and we all retreat to nice places like the Ark Moody Library with its industrial strength air conditioning, you know other species don't have that luxury. They they can't do that in there. They're just having to try and find ways to live in in slowly but shortly altering environments. So I think that is not only Australia's biggest problem but that of the whole globe.

#AskAHistorian - Question 4

Sarah Lewis is a celebrated art and cultural historian and professor at Harvard University, focusing on the intersection of visual representation, racial justice, and democracy in the United States. She has published multiple bestsellers and joins to discuss her new book, The Unseen Truth. 

Sarah Lewis

Historian Jeff Sellers, director of education at the Tennessee State Museum and the state capitol, has compiled images from archives and private collections to showcase the history of the Tennessee State Capitol. He also introduces us to the individuals who have breathed life into what has become known as the people's house.
 
This episode is sponsored by Jerry Ward Autoplex.

EP 184: Jeff Sellers: The Tennessee State Capitol

On this special episode of Design Matters, we look back at the collective brilliance of artists interviewed in 2024. Best of Design Matters 2024 with Es Devlin, Olafur Eliasson, Carson Ellis, and Nell Irvin Painter is live!

Best of 2024 with Artists

Episode 25
How do historians build their career, what motivates them and how they deal with professional and personal challenges? What shapes their professional path? Prof. Michael Green from the Faculty of Philosophy and History welcomes you to his podcast, where he will be inviting interesting guests to explore their stories. 

Prof. Sigurður Gylfi Magnusson, is professor of cultural history at the University of Iceland. He was born and raised in Reykjavik, where he also studied for his bachelor degree, before going oversees to write his PhD in the US. Upon his return to Iceland, he set up together with a few colleagues the Reykjavik Academy, which became an enormous scientific success. Our conversation revolves around the choices made and their impact on his academic career and interests, which were shaped by various factors.

Among his publications in English:

Autobiographical Traditions in Egodocuments. Icelandic Literacy Practices (London: Bloomsbury, 2023). 

Archive, Slow Ideology and Egodocuments as Microhistorical Autobiography: Potential History (London: Routledge 2021).

Emotional Experience and Microhistory. A Life Story of a Destitute Pauper Poet in the 19th Century (London: Routledge, 2020).

with Davíð Ólafsson, Minor Knowledge and Microhistory. Manuscript Culture in the Nineteenth Century (London: Routledge 2017).

What is Microhistory? Theory and Practice (London: Routledge, 2013).


Historians in Conversation - Prof. Sigurður Gylfi Magnusson

Talmage Boston holds a live cross-examination style interview of Lindsay Chervinsky, American presidential historian and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

Cross-Examining History Episode 80 - Lindsay Chervinsky

Throughout her prolific writing career, Nell Irvin Painter has published works on such luminaries as Sojourner Truth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Malcolm X. Her unique vantage on American history pushes the boundaries of personal narrative and academic authorship and asks readers to reconsider ideas of race, politics, and identity. She joins to discuss her legendary career as a distinguished historian, award-winning author, and artist.

Best of Design Matters: Nell Irvin Painter

This episode of Big Blend Radio's WAY BACK WHEN History Podcast features best-selling author and historian Russell Shorto who discusses his new book, "Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America." 

"Taking Manhattan" reveals the founding of New York to be an invention, the result of creative negotiations that would blend the multiethnic, capitalistic society of New Amsterdam with the power of the rising English empire. But the birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery. The book draws from newly translated materials and illuminates neglected histories—of religious refugees, Indigenous tribes, and free and enslaved Africans. More at https://www.russellshorto.com/

Author and Historian Russell Shorto - Taking Manhattan

Talmage Boston holds a live cross-examination style interview of Nigel Hamilton, a British-born American biographer, historian, and author, about his new book Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents.

Cross-Examining History Episode 82 - Nigel Hamilton

Talmage Boston holds a live cross-examination style interview of Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player of all time, about Russia, Ukraine, and protecting democracy worldwide. Garry Kasparov founded of the cross-partisan Renew Democracy Initiative in 2017.

Cross-Examining History Episode 83 - Garry Kasparov

Lisa Pine talks to Simon Schama about his life in history and the history of his life. 

Sir Simon Michael Schama CBE FBA FRHistS FRSL is an English historian and television presenter, who specialises in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a professor of history and art history at Columbia University.

Schama first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled Citizens, published in 1989. He is also known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain (2000–2002), as well as other documentary series such as The American Future: A History (2008) and The Story of the Jews (2013). Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

The host of A Historian's Life, Lisa Pine, is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Her main research interests are the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. She was educated at the London School of Economics and was awarded her PhD from the University of London in 1996. She is the author of 'Nazi Family Policy, 1933-1945' (1997), 'Hitler’s “National Community”: Society and Culture in Nazi Germany' (2007, 2017), 'Education in Nazi Germany' (2010), 'Debating Genocide' (2018) and (with Kees Boterbloem) 'Soviet and Nazi Posters: Propaganda and Policies' (2025). She is the editor of 'Life and Times in Nazi Germany' (2016), 'The Family in Modern Germany' (2020) and 'Dictatorship and Daily Life in Twentieth-Century Europe' (2022). She has also published numerous journal articles and chapters in books on her areas of expertise. She is currently editing a new book, 'Food and Food Policies in European Dictatorships,' for publication by Bloomsbury Academic. She is co-editor (with Peter C. Caldwell) of the book series 'German History in Focus' (Bloomsbury Academic).



A Historian's Life - Lisa Pine speaks with Simon Schama - Part 1

This interview first aired on ONE FM 98.5 Shepparton.

One FM announcer Roman 'Koz' Kozlovski interviews Euroa resident and local historian John Gribben for his weekly program 'The Passing Parade".

This program first aired on Friday the 4th of July, 2025.

Listen to Roman Koz on Friday Mornings from 10am to 12pm on One FM 98.5.

Contact the station on admin@fm985.com.au or (+613) 58313131

The ONE FM 98.5 Community Radio podcast page operates under the license of Goulburn Valley Community Radio Inc. (ONE FM) Number 1385226/1.

PRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association Limited  and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) that covers Simulcasting and Online content including podcasts with musical content, that we pay every year. This licence number is 1385226/1.

Passing Parade with John Gribben

With raging conflicts, authoritarian slides, and the re-emergence of once eradicated diseases, it's easy to feel we're living in a bad period of history. But are we, really? 

Historian Gemma Hollman tells us the story of the 'worst year in history' - when natural disasters, unusual weather, failing crops, plague, terror and unrest almost lead to the breakdown of civilisation. 

Are these terrible times? Historian Gemma Hollman on the 'worst year' in history.

For extra content go to: http://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au 
Special Collections in the Auchmuty Library is the home of the historical and cultural memory of the University of Newcastle (Australia) and its regional context. Formerly known as the University Archives, Rare Books & Special Collections Unit.

Broadcaster / Documentary-maker / Northerner / Catch me on Times Radio, Saturday and Sunday, 10pm-1am

Klauzula informacyjna: Klauzula informacyjna:
https://www.bip.uni.lodz.pl/fileadmin/BIP/informacja_odo_media_spo%C5%82eczno%C5%9Bciowe.pdf

One FM Community Radio Station airs a range of programs, including  "Ethnic Programs"  (in languages other than English), specialist interview programs such as "Shepplife" and health programs (So Much More)which are podcast here.  We also podcast a range of local sports programs as part of our Super Saturday Sports Show.  
Goulburn Valley Community Radio Station  Inc. (One FM 98.5) podcast site operates under APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Rights Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) and ACMA (Australian Communications Media Authority) Licence Number  1385226/1.

The programs are recorded and first aired at One FM 98.5 Community Radio Station in Shepparton (Victoria, AUSTRALIA), and produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation or the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters' Council.

All intro and outro music for So Much More podcasts are taken from Beneplacito Boogaloo composed by Terry Barbossa and Matt Holland.

Design Matters by Debbie Millman features interviews with designers, artists and cultural leaders, including Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kruger, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Kandel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael Arad, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Steven Heller, Jonah Lehrer, among others.

In 2011, Design Matters received the People’s Design Award from the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards.

Subscribe to Design Matters for free on iTunes, where new episodes are uploaded weekly: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

Select Big Blend Radio interviews that are featured in the digital, interactive Big Blend Radio & TV Magazine and Parks & Travel Magazine. Hosted by Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, mother-daughter travel team and publishers.

A selection of Podcast episodes from the Institute of Historical Research:
• A Historian's Life
• History in Conversation

Cross-Examining History is a podcast featuring interviews with the country’s leading historians conducted by nationally prominent interrogator Talmage Boston, author of Cross-Examining History: A Lawyer Gets Answers from the Experts About Our Presidents.  He examines American history through the highly entertaining process of asking insightful questions that inspire his subjects to tell their best stories and provide their most important commentary about their best-selling books’ subjects.

New tracks tagged #Historian