If Everybody Knew

What if everybody knew… why a Serbian meme page and a letter that doesn't even technically exist brought people together? Or, what's actually going on (in both people's heads) when someone reads their little brother a story?These might seem like unrelated topics, but as our guests Ameena Faruki ’22 and Sofia Pauca ’21 walk us through their research, we'll hear about another two different ways we (try to) connect with one another, and what assumptions we might want to rethink. This is the second of a two-part series.

What if everybody knew… why a West African drummer was so serious about his European students understanding why he played? Or, why creatures like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot are so important to people… who don’t even believe they exist? These might seem like unrelated topics, but as our guests Allie Mangel ’22 and Lucy Ellen Dever ’22 walk us through their research, we'll hear about two different that we (try to) connect with one another, how that can go wrong, and what that means for future generations. This is the first of a two-part series.

In the early 1920s, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company opened a massive rubber plantation in Liberia. Money from this venture quickly found its way to one of the most iconic libraries in America.How much money was funneled into Princeton? As we find out in this podcast, it’s not clear.This episode features Gregg Mitman, author of Empire of Rubber; Simon Gikandi, Chair of the English Department at Princeton; and Jon Ort, former EIC of the Daily Princetonian.

"Shuffle Along" was the soundtrack that launched the Harlem Renaissance. Days after its debut, a group of armed white men terrorized Tulsa, Oklahoma. So why do so many of us know about Tulsa, but most of us have never heard of this musical? The answer is a little counterintuitive. Host Dexter Thomas speaks to author Caseen Gaines, actor Amber Iman, and scholar Dr Catherine M. Young about why the first successful all-black musical keeps getting buried (but still influences us, 100 years later).

What’s one thing you wish everything knew? Host Dexter Thomas (VICE News, LA Times) breaks down the concept: conversations with with scholars, activists, and journalists from Princeton and beyond, to find the ideas that might just change everything.