Podcasts of the Week Ending October 16

Scientific American – Beethoven’s Unfinished 10th Symphony Brought to Life by Artificial Intelligence

It took 200 years and an algorithm to finish Beethoven’s final symphony.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – The Hojo Incident

Racial prejudice in Delaware creates an international incident when restaurant staff refuse to serve a diplomat from Ghana.

Throughline – The Nostalgia Bone

As someone who is extremely nostalgic, I found this an interesting history.

 

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Disney History Institute – 1
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 5
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 4
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 13
• Throughline – 8
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 6

Podcasts of the Week Ending October 9

Disney History Institute – Disney World’s 50th Anniversary

50 years of the Florida resort and theme parks through the lens of one pianist who performs on Main Street, U.S.A.

Sidedoor – Make Way for Elephants

How people in India and China are learning to coexist with elephants.

This American Life  – My Bad

Stories of great embarrassment and what we learn from them.

What Next – Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic?

Pandemic preparedness means more than technological solutions but also a commitment to bold social welfare programs

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Disney History Institute – 1
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 5
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 3
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 12
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 6

Podcast of the Week Ending October 2

99% Invisible – Corpse, Corps, Horse, and Worse

The irregularities of English language pronunciation and spelling are endlessly frustrating but also fun.   An interview with Arika Okrent, author of Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme and Other Oddities of the English Language.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 5
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 3
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 12
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 5

Podcasts for Two Weeks Ending September 25

Scientific American 60-Second Science – Dinosaurs Lived–and Made Little Dinos–in the Arctic

Dinosaurs were so cool. Literally!

This Day in Esoteric Political History – Attica

The attrocity at a New York state prison, the media complicity in perpetuating the false narrative of the authorities, and how little has changed in criminal justice in 50 years since.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – Calendar Confusion

That time in 1752 when everyone in the British Empire lost 11 days.

Twenty Thousand Hertz – Listening to the Movies

How audio description for movies originated and how it is done.

What Next – Empty Shelves Everywhere

Ongoing supply chain problems of the global pandemic.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 4
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 3
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 12
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 5

Podcasts of Two Weeks Ending September 11

Hub History – Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them, with Joe Bagley

Boston city archaeologist Joe Bagley talks about his new book about Boston’s historic architecture.

The Memory Palace – The Life and Works of a Monumental Figure

The story of social activist Jane Addams.

This American Life  – This Is Just Some Songs

A mixtape of stories.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – Teacher In Space

In the 1980s when it came time for ordinary civilians to go to space, teachers were the obvious choice.  This podcast is especially interesting about Barbara Morgan who was Christa McAullife’s back-up and became a career astronaut.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 4
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 2
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 10
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 4

Podcasts of the Week Ending August 21

Hit Parade  – What a Fool Believes

Yacht Rock.  Love it or hate it, it has some catchy tunes.  Chris Molanphy defines what it is and what it isn’t and how a genre was retroactively created for the music decades after the fact.

Lost Massachusetts – Ursuline Convent Fire

An account of a nativist riot that destroyed a Roman Catholic convent school in Charlestown (now, Somerville) in 1834 and its lingering symbolism.

One Year – Jesus on a Tortilla

I always thought of the face of Jesus on tortilla as kind of a memeish thing, but it’s actually based on something that happened to a family in New Mexico in 1977.  This podcast is a compassionate story of how the phenomenon affected the family, who, despite accusations against them, never profited from the Jesus tortilla.

The Thirty20Eight – Space Mountain: A Journey Through Time & Space

A global history of one the most popular rides at Disney theme parks and the first real thrill ride at Disney.

This American Life  – Essential

The hidden stories of the workers deemed essential during the pandemic and how it changed the workers.

 

 

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 4
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 2
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 8
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3

Podcasts of the Week Ending August 14

99% Invisible – War, Famine, Pestilence, and Design

A fascinating history of several things created to deal with a crisis that had lasting effects.  What changes to our lives from the Covid-19 pandemic will make for permanent improvements in our society?

60-Second Science – Astronomers Find an Unexpected Bumper Crop of Black Holes

Black holes confuse and delight me.

What Next – A Doctor in the Middle of the Florida Surge

A doctor discusses how there are still huge barriers for many people – especially poor Black and Latin American people – to getting COVID vaccinations even when they want to.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 1
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 2
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 4
• One Year – 1
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 2
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 8
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3

Podcasts of the Week Ending August 7

One Year – Mary Shane’s Rookie Season

One Year is a new history podcast that focuses on events from one year in history, in this case 1977.  Coincidentally, 1977 is the first year from my childhood where I have really strong memories.  In this episode we learn about Mary Shane, the first woman to work as a play-by-play announcer for a Major League baseball team, working alongside Harry Caray for Chicago White Sox games.

 

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 1
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 2
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• One Year – 1
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 8
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3

Podcast of the Week Ending July 31

This Day in Esoteric Political History :: Kerner and “The Long Hot Summer” (1967)

A government commission produced a report in 1967 showing that the USA needed to stop overpolicing Black communities.  It was ignored.

This Day in Esoteric Political History :: The U.S. Rewrites the Haitian Constitution (1915)

The poverty and political instability of modern-day Haiti has its roots in United States’ imperialism from over a century ago.

What Next :: On the Front Lines of California’s Wildfires

Meet some of the incarcerated women who fight wildfires in California at great risk to themselves for little pay.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 1
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 2
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 8
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3

Podcasts of the Week Ending July 23rd

Decoder Ring – Tootsie Shot

How the shot of a movie protagonist walking on crowded New York City sidewalk became iconic, and how its meaning has changed over time.

Radio Boston – Advocates Want To Make The T Free. So How Would That Actually Work?

Free public transportation is one of the greatest measures a city can take for its health, affordability, and reducing harm to the environment.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory

The American historical memory is short and twisted.  Example: on July 22, 1975 the United States Congress voted to restore citizenship to a long dead of a traitorous insurrection.

Throughline – Olympics: Behind The Five Rings

A short history of how the International Olympics Committee and corporate sponsors have exploited athletes and host cities for profits.

The Truth – Zoe Butterfly

An audio drama about an 8-year-old who connects more with a nature documentary narrator than any people in her life.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 1
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 2
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 6
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 5
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3