Episode 47: Popular Science

S4E49: "Magic Moments: Walt Disney World Silhouette Portrait Souvenirs as Primary Sources"I met with Lenore at the Ephemera Fair this past Winter and we talked about the Walt Disney World silhouette portrait souvenir I had on display, something she and her siblings had made when visiting the park in the 1970s.  Although Walt Disney had passed away by the time his company's second park opened that decade, these kinds of souvenirs (which, despite what I report on the podcast, you can still have made), and the Main Street USA section of the park where they can be found, are reminders of his affinity for the simplicity of early 20th Century America.  Lenore and I talk about this trait of Disney's parks as they act as an anchor of sorts, balancing out the high-tech imagineering taking place elsewhere on the same property.#disney #popculture #history #waltdisneyworld #disneyworld #early20thcentury

S4E48: "A Literal Deep-Dive: Scuba diving as a document of modern history"I met Paul at the Ephemera Fair in Greenwich Conn. this past Winter as he was looking to learn about some financial documents that have been in his family since the mid 19th century.  A "Diver's Log" in my collection caught his eye and so we ended up doing a deep dive on the underwater archaeology activity that he is quite familiar with.  #history #popculture #scuba #ephemera #deepdive

S4E47: "Ciencia Publica: Analyzing Popular Science magazine as a primary source"Sylvia is an archivist and a practitioner of material culture analysis.  I was delighted to speak with her a few months ago at the Ephemera Fair in Old Greenwich Connecticut regarding a 1931 issue of Popular Science (or cover thereof) that a student gifted me last year.  In the ultimate coincidence, we just happened to be having our discussion in the former home of Conde Nast publishing, the maker of several popular magazine titles of the 20th century, including Glamour, Vogue, House & Garden, and Vanity Fair.Add to the conversation at everything-history.com/classroom/epsproject#magazines #popularscience #1920s #1930s #history #popculture

S4E46: "In Memorial: ' A Young Man on the Front Line' as a Primary SourceI caught up with Elaine Makas last Fall at the NCSS conference in Boston where she was promoting her book,  A Young Man on the Front Line: Lessons of War.  It is a World War II story following the experiences in the conflict and afterwards by her father, Sgt. Chris Makas.  We discuss not only how his generation and how they handled the crisis that was World War II is a reflection of time and place, but the practice of memorializing them through films, audio and books is a indicator of who we are in the modern era, too.#wwii #memorialday #memoirs #history #popculture

S4E45: "Highways and Byways: Gas station roadmaps of the 20th century as primary sources."Chris has a fondness for the many road trips he and his family took when he was growing up in the second half of the 20th century.  Perhaps it was collecting and studying the maps they picked up at gas stations which propelled him to a career in graphic design.  Even if it didn't, we had a great conversation this past winter at the Ephemera Fair based on the stack of glove-compartment maps I brought along.Join the conversation at everything-history.com/classroom/epsproject#highway #roadsideamericana #byways #roadtrip #memorialdayweekend #roadside #popculture #history

S4E44: "Gilbert & Salmonsen Present 'Space Opera': The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy as documents of their time"I met Gilbert, a social studies teacher in Louisiana, at the NCSS conference in Boston last year.  While Star Wars has been a consistent topic on this podcast, the prequel trilogy has yet to be covered, so Gilbert and I remedied that.  These movies certainly have their flaws, but just like everything else, they are still very telling of time and place. Take part in the conversation at everything-history.com  #starwars #prequels #starwarsprequeltrilogy #starwarsprequels #episodeI #episodeII #episodeIII #Starwarsday #mayforce #may4thbewithyou #history #popculture #modernhistory 

S4E43: "Profile of an Old Stone Face: The Old Man of the Mountain as a reflection of modern New Hampshire."A series of rocky ledges on Cannon Mountain which formed the profile of a man's face in what is now called Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, has been held in importance by the people of the area for thousands of years.  In the modern era, the "Old Man of the Mountain" became the symbol of the state of New Hampshire, unofficially replacing the Seal of the state, even after it collapsed on May 3rd, 2003.  My drop-in guest, Gregg, an educator with Grand Classroom, an experiential education company, shared with me his connection with, and insights about the Great Stone Face last year when we met in Boston.Join the conversation at everything-history.com#nh #oldmanofthemountain #history #newhampshire #popculture

S4E42: "Have You Read Your Atari Today?: looking at the companion comic book to the Atari as a primary source"Dave is a collector of vintage items and ephemera, and a host of The Million Dollar Peddlers on YouTube.  He joined me in Old Greenwich, CT at the ESA Ephemera Fair, to discuss Atari Force, the print companion to the Atari video game systems in the 1980s.  Join the conversation at everything-history,com#history #popculture #atari #comicbooks #freecomicbookday #videogames

S4E41: "Bat TV: Analyzing the 1960s  Batman TV series as a document of its times"Batman returns...after all it's the second time this season we've covered the character, and third time overall (season 1 episode 1 is on the 1989 movie).  Matt, a social studies teacher from Haverhill, MA, by way of Kansas and Rochester, NY, joined me in Boston last Fall to talk about a number of pop culture topics before landing on one of the finest examples of 60s camp there is.Join the conversation at everything-history.com.#batman #adamwest #1960s #tv #joker #1960stv #history #popculture

S4E40: "Gotta Catch 'em All--Pokemon Go as a document of the modern era"You may remember the summer of 2016 as a time of large crowds gathered in parks, front lawns of public libraries and anywhere else where it looked like a festival--just minus vendor stalls and rides.  It was the summer of Pokemon Go, the first major augmented reality (AR) game to take the world by storm.  Adam, who cohosts the "Lured Up Podcast," a show all about Pokemon Go, was just the person to speak with last year to give the game its place in recent history.Join the conversation soon at everything-history.com#pokemon #popculture #pokemongo #ar #2016 #2010s #modernhistory