Episode 208: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

S5E28: "There's No Place Like Home: The Wizard of Oz as a Primary Source" This episode of the Everything is a Primary Source features a discussion about The Wizard of Oz. It was recorded a few summers ago at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH, just before a performance of Little Shop of Horrors. This portion was originally included in with a longer dialogue in Season 3, but is now taking its own path down the yellow brick road.#podcast #wizardofoz #popculture #history

S5E27: "The Bad Boys of Boston: Aerosmith's origins as a document of the early 1970s"We learn about the early days of Aerosmith from one of their original roadies, who just happened to be in the right place and the right time to get the gig. His story is very telling about this era of rock n roll, and perhaps the status of things in general as the 60s transitioned to the 70s.  This was recorded a few years ago and originally was included as a small part of a larger episode, but I thought it deserves to walk this way into the spotlight.

S5E26: "Welcome to Sinclair Dinoland: Evaluating dinosaurs' evolution in pop culture media"My son has contributed to several episodes of the Everything is a Primary Source Podcast over the last five seasons, and this is his latest contribution.  Using a guidebook to the Sinclair Oil "Dinoland" experience at the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York as the basis of our discussion, we take a look at the correlation between what the science world discovers about dinosaurs and how they are represented in pop culture media.#podcast #dinosaurs #paleontology #popculture #modernhistory

S5E25: "First Day: An 1853 letter and how it depicts everyday life in the era"Jonathan Ahl of the Rokeby Museum in Vermont returns to the podcast to walk us through an 1853 letter from his museum’s archive that simultaneously tells us so little but shows us so much.  Rowland Robinson, who would go on to be a well-recognized writer and artist, wrote a letter to his mother Rachael, describing the goings-on around their home on a Sunday ("First Day," in Quaker terminology) afternoon in September, as she was away recuperating from an illness.  Unlike so many other similar pieces from the same time period, Rowland's letter doesn't report of major events, but instead gives us an incredible first-hand view of everyday life in the mid 19th century.#history #quakers #abolitionists #19thcentury #vermont

S5E24: "War Games: a breakdown of a deck of cards from 2003 featuring Iraqi high command"I met with a group of pre-service social studies teachers from Plymouth State University at the NHCSS conference last fall and they selected a deck of cards that I had received from another exhibitor just that day to talk about.  Looking back on the conversation about a deck of cards that would've been issued to US troops during the 2003 invasion of Iraq I didn't realize how full-circle it all was as I was carrying out my student teaching the year these cards were utilized, and clearly recall seeing the news of the Ace of Spades, Saddam Hussein, being captured just before my graduation day.#popculture #waronterror #modernhistory #iraqwar 

S5E23: "I Just Called to Say: treating telephones through the ages as primary sources"Graham Gifford is theExecutive Director of the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner.  She and I connected at the NHCSS conference in Concord last October.  I think we were really dialed in with our talk, and I hope you enjoy the tone of the conversation as we connect lines between all iterations of telephonic communication.#livefreeanddial #nhtelephonemuseum #popculture #telephones #history

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

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

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

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