Revisionist History (podcast)
| Revisionist history | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Malcolm Gladwell |
| Genre | History |
| Format | MP3 |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Length | 30–40 mins |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 51 (as of September 2020) |
| Publication | |
| Original release | June 16, 2016 – present |
| Provider | Cadence 13 |
| Website | revisionisthistory |
Revisionist History is a podcast by Malcolm Gladwell produced through Panoply Media. It began in 2016, has aired five 10-episode seasons, and is airing its sixth.
Gladwell, who was already a successful author and essayist, was convinced to create a podcast by his friend Jacob Weisberg, then editor-in-chief of Slate Group, which includes the podcast network Panoply Media. Seasons 1 to 3 of Revisionist History were produced by Panoply Media. In September 2018, Gladwell announced he was co-founding a podcast company (later named Pushkin Industries) with Weisberg, which produced seasons 4 and 5 of the series. Season 6, also produced by Pushkin Industries, launched on June 24, 2021.[1]
Each episode begins with an inquiry about a person, event, or idea, and proceeds to question the received wisdom about the subject.
Episodes[]
Season 1 (2016)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Lady Vanishes" | June 16, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: The Roll Call, an 1874 oil-on-canvas painting by Elizabeth Thompson Themes Explored: How success by a member of a minority group does not alleviate discrimination, but perpetuates it. | |||
| 2 | "Saigon, 1965" | June 23, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Leon Gouré, Konrad Kellen and the RAND Corporation's recommendations regarding the Vietnam War Themes Explored: How personal bias can lead to people drawing different conclusions from the same data. | |||
| 3 | "The Big Man Can't Shoot" | June 30, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and the underhand free throw Themes Explored: Why smart people sometimes refuse to accept the best ideas. | |||
| 4 | "Carlos Doesn't Remember" | July 7, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Meritocracy in American schools Themes Explored: How America is making use of its human capital. | |||
| 5 | "Food Fight" | July 14, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Bowdoin College, Vassar College, and the budgetary choices of colleges Themes Explored: How colleges get rewarded for distorting the educational system. | |||
| 6 | "My Little Hundred Million" | July 21, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: The record-breaking Hank Rowan donation to Glassboro State University Themes Explored: The ideologies behind educational philanthropy. | |||
| 7 | "Hallelujah" | July 28, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Deportee by Elvis Costello and Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Leonard Cohen Themes Explored: The role of time and repetition in the creation of works of genius. | |||
| 8 | "Blame Game" | August 4, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: The 2009–11 Toyota vehicle recalls Themes Explored: Human perception and misconception, our fraught relationship to technology, media dishonesty. | |||
| 9 | "Generous Orthodoxy" | August 11, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Chester Wenger, the Mennonite minister who confronted his own church Themes Explored: Effective ways of dissent. | |||
| 10 | "The Satire Paradox" | August 18, 2016 | |
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Central Topic: Harry Enfield and his creation of the Loadsamoney character Themes Explored: How satire with the aim of social protest can backfire. | |||
Season 2 (2017)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Good Walk Spoiled" | June 14, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Golf and golf clubs Themes Explored: Property taxes, real estate, CEO productivity. | |||
| 2 | "The Road To Damascus" | June 21, 2017 | |
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Central Topic:The CIA's use of former terrorists as informants; the relationship between a security service and a free press Themes Explored: Forgiveness and second chances; transparency vs. security. | |||
| 3 | "Miss Buchanan's Period Of Adjustment" | June 28, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Brown v. Board of Education Themes Explored: The "persistent" legacy of racism in American schools. | |||
| 4 | "The Foot Soldier of Birmingham" | July 5, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: A sculpture, The Foot Soldier, by Ronald McDowell as based on a photograph by Bill Hudson Themes Explored: Artistic license, sanitizing of history. | |||
| 5 | "The Prime Minister and the Prof" | July 12, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: The friendship between Winston Churchill and Lord Cherwell; the 1943 Bengal famine Themes Explored: How friendships affect people in power. | |||
| 6 | "The King of Tears" | July 19, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Country Music as illustrated by an interview with prolific songwriter Bobby Braddock Themes Explored: Sad country songs, as compared to general levity of the rock and roll genre. | |||
| 7 | "State v Johnson" | July 26, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Black Americans and the US justice system Themes Explored: Institutional racism, power dynamics. | |||
| 8 | "Mr. Hollowell Didn't Like That" | August 2, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Black Americans and the US justice system via an extended interview with Vernon Jordan about his work with Donald L. Hollowell Themes Explored: Institutional racism, power dynamics. | |||
| 9 | "McDonald's Broke My Heart" | August 9, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: McDonald's decision to stop frying its french fries in beef tallow Themes Explored: The link between saturated fats and heart disease, the power of individual persistence. | |||
| 10 | "The Basement Tapes" | August 16, 2017 | |
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Central Topic: Dr. Ivan Frantz's "Minnesota Coronary Experiment" on the effects of vegetable oil in cholesterol reduction and on general health Themes Explored: Medical effects of animal fats/vegetable and corn oil, Father and Son relationships | |||
Season 3 (2018)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Divide and Conquer" | May 17, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: The complete, unabridged history of the world's most controversial semicolon Themes Explored: The impact of grammar in interpretation of law, law reviews by Michael Stokes Paulsen. | |||
| 2 | "Burden of Proof" | May 24, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: The story of college football player Owen Thomas and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Themes Explored: Why we should sometimes act before having concrete proof. | |||
| 3 | "A Polite Word for Liar (Memory Part 1)" | May 31, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: Harmonica player Larry Adler's recollections of his eventful life Themes Explored: The unreliable nature of memory. | |||
| 4 | "Free Brian Williams (Memory Part 2)" | June 7, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: TV Anchor Brian Williams's fall from grace after inaccuracies appear in some of his reporting reminiscences Themes Explored: The unreliable nature of memory. | |||
| 5 | "General Chapman's Last Stand" | June 14, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: The impact of General Leonard Fielding Chapman Jr. in securing the borders of the United States Themes Explored: American immigration policy; whether good fences make good neighbors. | |||
| 6 | "The Hug Heard Around The World" | June 21, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: Sammy Davis Jr. and his relationship with Richard Nixon Themes Explored: Race and tokenism, especially in public figures. | |||
| 7 | "Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life" | June 28, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: The mathematics of 'pulling the goalie' in hockey and its application in life Themes Explored: Self-help manuals, disagreeableness | |||
| 8 | "The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh (Scientific Fraud Part 1)" | July 5, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: Suspected scientific fraud in the work of Professor of Medicine Margit Hamosh, and the policing of scientific research by the Office of Scientific Integrity Themes Explored: Mass sociogenic illnesses, also known as fear epidemics. | |||
| 9 | "Strong Verbs, Short Sentences (Scientific Fraud Part 2)" | July 12, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: The battle between Bernadine Healy, director of the National Institutes of Health, and congressman John Dingell Themes Explored: The policing of scientific research by the Office of Scientific Integrity; fear epidemics. | |||
| 10 | "Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis" | July 19, 2018 | |
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Central Topic: Statistical analysis of lyrical lapses in Elvis' performances and what they tell us about his state of mind Themes Explored: Parapraxis (Freudian Slip), Elvis Presley, the psychology of performing. | |||
Season 4 (2019)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Puzzle Rush (Education Part 1)" | June 20, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: The LSAT and its ability to judge potential law students Themes Explored: How to judge human ability, standardized tests. | |||
| 2 | "The Tortoise and the Hare (Education Part 2)" | June 27, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: Malcolm Gladwell’s Grand Unified Theory for fixing American Higher Education Themes Explored: Meritocracy, standardized tests, the Tortoise and the Hare. | |||
| 3 | "Tempest in a Teacup" | July 4, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: The Boston Tea Party’s actual relationship to the American Revolution Themes Explored: Rhetoric vs. reality in national history, crime and its political influence. | |||
| 4 | "Good Old Boys" | July 11, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: Randy Newman's album Good Old Boys, and its message about race and civil rights in America Themes Explored: The value of discourse with people we disagree with; how conflict inspires creativity. | |||
| 5 | "The Standard Case (Casuistry part 1)" | July 18, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: Andy Pettitte’s baseball career and maritime fines, examined using Jesuit problem-solving (casuistry) Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems. | |||
| 6 | "Dr. Rock's Taxonomy (Casuistry part 2)" | July 25, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: Dr. John Rock, his invention of the birth control pill, and his Catholic views on birth control Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems, Casuist rationalizations. | |||
| 7 | "Descend into the Particular (Casuistry part 3)" | August 1, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: The Jesuitical idea of “disordered attachments”, applied to the shootings of Michael Brown, Angel Navarro, and other police-involved shootings in the United States Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems; the importance of narratives. | |||
| 8 | "In a Metal Mood" | August 8, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: Elvis Presley’s cultural appropriation of black music, compared to Pat Boone's album In a Metal Mood; Taco Bell and its relationship to Mexican food Themes Explored: The difference between cultural appropriation and inspired innovation. | |||
| 9 | "Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah" | August 15, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: The phenomenon of chutzpah, and its definitions in America and Israel. Case studies included. Themes Explored: Audacity vs. shamelessness, as defined by chutzpah. | |||
| 10 | "The Obscure Virus Club" | August 22, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: The scientists, particularly Howard Martin Temin, who discovered rous sarcoma virus and other retroviruses, the discovery of HIV/AIDS as a retrovirus, and the effect of those discoveries on the central dogma of molecular biology Themes Explored: The power of persistence, the effect of dogma on scientific progress. | |||
| N/A | "The Queen of Cuba" | August 29, 2019 | |
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Central Topic: How espionage plays off of human nature, common misconceptions about deception through a case study of Ana Montes and the 1996 Hermanos al Rescate incident; Tim Levine's studies of deception, and the Milgram experiment Themes Explored: How human nature influences our interactions with strangers, truth-default theory, and the nature of deception. Note: This episode is a chapter from the audiobook version of Malcolm Gladwell's 2019 book Talking to Strangers. | |||
Season 5 (2020)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dragon Psychology 101" | June 18, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: The financial, curation, and storage policies of the Met and other art museums Themes Explored: Hoarding; attachment, relationships, and memory through objects. | |||
| 2 | "Hedwig's Lost Van Gogh" | June 25, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Art Museums, Part 2: Van Gogh's "Vase with Carnations" and other MacGuffins Themes Explored: The real value of the things we treasure; the hoarding habit in the curation of museum collections. | |||
| 3 | "The Powerball Revolution" | July 2, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Adam Cronkrite's idea of democratic lotteries, theories about predictions Themes Explored: Elections, lotteries, and our ability to predict effective traits for performing vs. governing. | |||
| 4 | "The Bomber Mafia (Curtis LeMay, part 1)" | July 9, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Curtis LeMay, the "Bomber Mafia", the development of the B-29 bomber Themes Explored: American innovation and technological obsession, applied to military airpower | |||
| 5 | "May the Best Firebomb Win (part 2)" | July 16, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Hoyt Hottel's "firebomb bake-off"; Louis Fieser and the development of napalm as an offensive weapon Themes Explored: The impact of scientific innovation in modern warfare | |||
| 6 | "Bombs-Away LeMay (part 3)" | July 23, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Curtis LeMay’s problem-solving; area bombing and the events leading up to Operation Meetinghouse Themes Explored: Leadership, adaptability, ethics, and problem-solving in times of conflict. | |||
| 7 | "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (part 4)" | July 30, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: The aftermath of the firebombing of Tokyo and the legacy of napalm incendiaries in modern warfare, told through M*A*S*H and the career of Curtis LeMay Themes Explored: The legacy of ethically dubious weapons, and how we view atrocities and conflicts of our national past. | |||
| 8 | "Hamlet Was Wrong" | August 6, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: A auto analysis of Malcolm Gladwell's nihilism in hiring practices, through use of Laurence Peter's hierarchy concept known as the Peter Principle Themes Explored: Social practices and practical implications in hiring, and the possible benefits of nihilism. | |||
| 9 | "Oh Howard, You Idiot!" | August 13, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: Clifford Irving's hoax autobiography, the influence of public image, and the real Howard Hughes Themes Explored: How people manage their image, the power of fiction and public perception. | |||
| 10 | "A Memorial For the Living" | August 20, 2020 | |
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Central Topic: The 9/11 memorial, the homeless in Jacksonville, and the management of memories — "a gorgeous mausoleum for the dead, a scatter plot for the living” Themes Explored: Our attachment to memories and memorials, and what we collectively choose to remember. | |||
Season 6 (2021)[]
| No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I Love You Waymo" | June 24, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: The future of automobiles, cities, and pedestrians, explored through Waymo’s development of autonomous cars. Themes Explored: How we predict the future of technology; madman theory as it relates to pedestrians. | |||
| 2 | "Lord of the Rankings (Rankings part 1)" | July 1, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: How U.S. News & World Report ranks colleges and universities in the US, and the flaws in how its algorithm ranks schools. Themes Explored: The power of algorithms and ranking in our perceptions of institutions; how our personal biases can influence peer-rankings and the algorithms we create. | |||
| 3 | "Project Dillard (Rankings part 2)" | July 8, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: Dillard University, and how US News & World Report’s college rankings misses and misuses data to misidentify HBCUs and other schools. Themes Explored: The power of algorithms in our perceptions, racial biases and privilege, and how holistic evaluations can change our perceptions. | |||
| 4 | "The Judgement of Helen Levitt" | July 15, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: Former screenwriter Helen Levitt (wife of Alfred Lewis Levitt), and the effect of her blacklisting during the Red Scare. Themes Explored: How our society chooses to judge others, and the underestimated effect of social exclusion. | |||
| 5 | "Little Mermaid Part 1: The Golden Contract" | July 22, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: The story presented in Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid, compared to the original story. Themes Explored: Law, themes, and “moral sloppiness” in entertainment portrayals of older stories. | |||
| 6 | "Little Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist" | July 29, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: The Little Mermaid vs. The Little Mermaid Themes Explored: | |||
| 7 | "Little Mermaid Part 3: Honestly Ever After" | August 2, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: The Little Mermaid vs. The Little Mermaid Themes Explored: | |||
| 8 | "Laundry Done Right" | August 12, 2021 | |
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Central Topic: Habits and practices for doing laundry; Procter & Gamble's effort to make environmentally friendly consumer products. Themes Explored: The environmental effects of laundry and the tradeoffs for our habits and sustainable practices. | |||
Reception[]
Revisionist History has received positive reviews from critics. In Podcast Review, Nic Dobija-Nootens called it "perplexing, frustrating, and always worth a second look".[2] The New York Times's Amanda Hess praises the show's impact, crediting it for creating a "podcast micro-genre ... [of] history-bending show[s]".[3]
References[]
- ^ "Introducing Revisionist History Season Six". Pushkin Industries. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ "The World Through Malcolm Gladwell's Eyes". Podcast Review. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
- ^ Hess, Amanda (2017-12-15). "You Know Your History? These Podcasts Aren't So Sure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
General references[]
- Bausells, Marta (June 20, 2016). "Malcolm Gladwell launches a podcast – to 'finally make people cry'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- Sawyer, Miranda (July 3, 2016). "The week in radio: Woman's Hour; 5 Live News; World at One; Adrian Durham; Today; Revisionist History". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- Sawyer, Miranda (August 21, 2016). "The week in radio: Revisionist History; Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- Johnson, Eric (June 16, 2016). "Malcolm Gladwell wants his new podcast to make you cry". Recode. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Stelter, Brian (June 3, 2016). "Malcolm Gladwell unbound: His next work will be a podcast". CNNMoney. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Locke, Charley. "Smarten Up and Get Right With the 5 Best Podcast Episodes of the Week". Wired. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Locke, Charley. "5 Great Podcasts to Listen to While Watching the Olympics". Wired. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Dockterman, Eliana. "The 50 Best Podcasts Right Now". Time. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Locke, Charley. "Stephen King's Batman Story and 4 More Podcasts You Must Hear". WIRED. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- Smith, Erin Geiger (June 10, 2017). "Malcolm Gladwell Polishes His Podcast in a Brooklyn Studio". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Smith, Erin Geiger (March 24, 2017). "Welcome to the Podcast. First, a Word From Our Celebrity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
External links[]
Categories:
- Audio podcasts
- Works by Malcolm Gladwell
- 2016 podcast debuts
- History podcasts
- Megaphone (podcasting)