Everything is a Primary Source

Eric Paul
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

History through Pop CultureJoin social studies teacher, historian and pop culturist Eric Salmonsen as he and his drop-in guests break down pop culture artifacts to see what history can be forged from them.Learn how you can contribute to the conversation at everything-history.com

  1. The Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893

    1D AGO

    The Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893

    S5E22:"Stars of the Second City: The 1893 and 1933 World's Fairs in Chicago as documents of their time periods"Plymouth State University History Professor John Kruekeberg and I speak about two of the shining stars in Chicago's storied past, the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair, by way of a souvenir deck of cards I have from the former event.#worldsfair #chicago #columbianexposition #history #podcast

    26 min
  2. The Beatles on 8-Track

    JAN 26

    The Beatles on 8-Track

    S5E21:"Program 1: The Beatles on 8-Track as a primary source of the early 1970s"Morgan, who works with Creative Guts, a creativity-centered non-profit and podcast, stopped by my exhibit last year at the NH Makers Fest held at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire.  He chose my Beatles/ 1962-1966 compilation on 8-track to talk about, but we spent less time talking about the Fab Four themselves and more about how the introduction of new media often forces subtle changes in other areas of life.Learn more about Everything is a Primary Source at everything-history.com#podcast #beatles #1970s #8track #popmusic #media

    20 min
  3. An Enemy of the People, the 1882 Henrik Ibsen play

    JAN 15

    An Enemy of the People, the 1882 Henrik Ibsen play

    S5E20" "Blinded Me With Science: Seeing versions Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People as a reflections of time and place"Shoshannah Boray is the Education Coordinator for Vermont Stage, a Burlington-based theater company, whose Public Square Play this season is Gracie vs. The People.  The performance is an adaptation and update for modern teen audiences of Swedish playwright Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People.  Ibsen's story of two brothers put at odds with each other as scientific concerns clash against public opinion, and has been retold many times on film and stage, including with this production touring Vermont schools.Join the conversation, and learn more about EPS To Go!  at everything-history.com.#popculture #history #anenemyofthepeople #stage #drama #theater

    34 min
  4. 1907 Oregon Postcard

    JAN 5

    1907 Oregon Postcard

    S5E19: "Strictly In It: Analyzing a 1907 postcard to determine what it tells us of time and place"Jonathon Ahl is the Education coordinator at the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, and therefore is no stranger to dissecting a document on the spot, sight unseen.  We applied our analytical skills to a postcard from Oregon featuring a cartoon duck, printed and filled out in the first part of the 20th Century.Join the conversation at everything-history.com#podcast #history #ephemera #postcard #oregon #popculture #early20thcentury

    17 min
  5. Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good"

    12/28/2025

    Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good"

    S5E18: "This One's For Chuck: Chuck Mangione and his Album Feels So Good as a document of the late 1970s"The waning days of December is the time to reflect on the previous year and that includes notable people we have lost.  Jazz musician Chuck Mangione was one such purpose, and I had the pleasure of speaking to one of his biggest fans about Mangione's most recognized album, Feels So Good at a conference in October, to decide how it's a reflection of the era.#podcast #history #jazz #chuckmangione #popculture #kingofthehill

    18 min
  6. Road Maps and Travel Culture

    12/22/2025

    Road Maps and Travel Culture

    S5E17:"Gee the Traffic is Terrific: Navigating with road maps and travel culture as documents of time and place"John King teaches in Florida, New York, and joined me at the Mid Hudson Council for the Social Studies conference this Fall to talk about some of the road maps in my collection that caught his eye.  This is not the first time that road maps have come up on the show, but as John demonstrates, everyone has their own perspectives and experiences as they navigate around a shared roadway culture.#popculture #history #podcast #travel #travelculture #roadways #roadmaps

    39 min
  7. The Atari 7800 Pro System

    12/12/2025

    The Atari 7800 Pro System

    S5E16: "Ready to Relaunch: The Atari 7800 Pro System as a document of the mid 1980s"In 1986 American video game pioneer Atari responded to the growing popularity of Nintendo by introducing their 7800 machine, a game system with graphics and (some) games that rivaled the NES, but never quite took.  On this episode my guest Jason and I trade stories of how we got our 7800s, the features and games we liked most, and how cool we think its metallic look is.  We also go over, however, the shortcomings of Atari's attempt at relaunching their dominance of the market, and how Nintendo was able to surge ahead by decade's end.#history #popculture #videogames #gaming #videogamehistory #atari #atari7800

    25 min
  8. Woman's Day Magazine

    12/02/2025

    Woman's Day Magazine

    S5E15: "Everyday is Woman's Day: The magazine and the crafts it has inspired as primary sources of several eras"Since 1931 many women have turned to Woman's Day magazine to get inspiration on home economics, recipes, remedies and arts and crafts.  Monica is a social studies teacher in New Hampshire and my drop-in guest back in October at the NHCSS (of which she is the president) conference where we talked about how this publication may be responsible for a good amount of the crafting industry and culture that exists to this day.#popculture #artsandcrafts #history #womansday #podcast #historypodcast

    31 min
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History through Pop CultureJoin social studies teacher, historian and pop culturist Eric Salmonsen as he and his drop-in guests break down pop culture artifacts to see what history can be forged from them.Learn how you can contribute to the conversation at everything-history.com

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