Professor Buzzkill History Podcast Joe Coohill

Did the Nurenberg Trials provide justice for humanity after the horrors of World War II? In order to address this question, Professor Philip Nash explains what happened during the trials, how well they adhered to international law, how the judgments and sentences were reached, and how well and fairly the trials were conducted. It’s far more complicated than the traditional story has it. Episode 512.

Professor Philip Nash explains the extremely complicated background of the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946. We learn how difficult it was to set up these trials, in terms of international law, the establishment of new charges (such as “crimes against humanity”), and even the logistical difficulties in setting the trial in motion. Important legal, philosophical, and historical questions abound in this show! Episode 511.

Dr. Megan Kate Nelson puts us in the middle of the history and context of the founding of Yellowstone National Park, one of America’s natural glories. She tells us how he park was an important part of Reconstruction after the Civil War, how explorers and bureaucrats fought over how the land should be used, and how Native Americans responded to this encroachment on their land. A complicated and gripping story, and one of our most compelling episodes. Episode 510.

Major social and political forces led to the establishment of Mother's Day as a major and official holiday. This episode explains those forces, and also tells us who founded Mother's Day. Was it Julia Ward Howe with her famous "Appeal to Womanhood" Peace Proclamation in 1870? Or did Anna Marie Jarvis found it, honoring her own mother in 1908? And what did war and campaigns for international disarmament have to do with the history of Mother's Day? Encore episode.

Simon Winchester takes us on a journey through the history of how knowledge has been acquired, stored, and passed on, and how that dissemination has evolved with time. Crucially, he muses on how—in an age where a world of information is just a cell phone away—the thoughtfulness and wisdom that derives from knowledge might be under threat. We talk about everything from ancient Mesopotamian libraries to the “knowledge” that bacon and eggs are the most energizing American breakfast foods. Episode 509.

The intensifying pandemic of gun violence and murder in the U.S. has prompted the usual, tired, and entirely false reaction from gun fanatics -- “the first thing Hitler did was take away everyone’s guns.” Well, did Hitler disarm the German citizenry as a way to make it easy to control them? Were Jews and other minorities targeted for gun confiscation so that they could be exterminated? Professor Philip Nash explains this _very_ complicated issue, and busts many myths about Hitler and "gun control." It’s tragic that this encore episode is necessary.