Added 5.31.19. Modern Russia is a study in intersectionality. How is it shaped by the overlapping spheres of strongman leader Vladimir Putin, the criminal oligarch class, plus a media more and more owned by said oligarchs, and the restless but still somewhat cowed masses? What are the key takeaways on the nation’s resurgent geopolitical profile? Milt probes the problems and prospects of modern Russia with two eminent “Russianists.” They are John Bushnell, a Northwestern University historian, and Martha Merritt, then of the University of Chicago.

Added 5.24.19. Situated on the site of modern-day Istanbul, the city of Byzantium – also known for some time as Constantinople – was an empire which bridged antiquity and the dawn of modernity, and became the dominant economy, culture and military in Europe. Joining Milt in a closer look at the Byzantine Empire through the peregrinations of time are Dean Miller, professor emeritus of history at the University of Rochester, and Robert Nelson, a University of Chicago historian.

Added 5.17.19. With historians John Lynn of the University of Illinois and Brian Sandberg of Northern Illinois University, Milt in this vintage episode explores what drove conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Hitler to do what they did. What was the role of “legacy preoccupation” in Alexander’s quests? How exactly did Hitler conceptualize his symbiosis with the body politic? These questions and much more get a lively treatment from the panel, and callers add their own theories and queries.

Added 5.10.19. Before email, there was this thing called the letter. As most people born prior to the digital age likely know, for many centuries letters served not only as a means of private communication but also as a rich source of material for historians and other scholars. Though we think of letters as typically extemporaneous and personal, they could be more composed, and far-reaching. Milt in this 1997 episode delves into the subject with three experts. They start with the epic and bristling letter from Samuel Johnson to his former patron Lord Chesterfield, and then jump to other points in the historical continuum to reveal the art and effect of the letter in history.

Added 5.3.19. In this 2000 episode, Milt interviews famed U.S. astronaut Jim Lovell about the tricky Apollo 13 mission, and more. The 1970 voyage was to be the third U.S. moon landing – but minutes before touch-down, an oxygen tank explosion caused major damage to the spacecraft. That forced a tricky but ultimately safe return to earth. Often called a “successful failure,” the mission led to a 1994 book co-authored by Lovell titled, “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage Of Apollo 13,” and a year later the movie “Apollo 13,” starring Tom Hanks as Lovell.