Added 6.5.18. Was the U.S. Civil War really inevitable, or was the firing of the first shots of battle in Charleston in 1861 more contingent – upon a series of events and circumstances that might very well have played out differently? Milt in this 2011 conversation digs deeper into the roots of that epic conflict, with two distinguished guests. One is Adam Goodheart, lecturer in history and American Studies, and Director of the C.V. Starr Center For The Study of the American Experience, at Washington College in Maryland. He is also author of the bestseller, “1861: The Civil War Awakening.” Also joining in is Bruce Levine, then professor of history and African-American studies at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Among his published books was, “Half Slave, Half Free: The Roots Of The Civil War.”

Added 5.29.18. Milt talks with numismaticists Robert Feiler and Robert Leonard of the Chicago Coin Club about how exactly it is that money makes the world go round. In this 2010 conversation, they delve into the history of currency, its political uses, how its value is actually guaranteed, and the role of currency in economic  considerations including debt, purchasing power and inflation.

Added 5.22.18. Never one to shy away from the classics, Milt in this 2012 episode delves into what comprises the canon of classic American fiction. His guests are Professors of English Priscilla Perkins of Roosevelt University and Kenneth Warren of the University of Chicago. Together they delve into questions such as “what makes Nathaniel Hawthorne great?

Added 5.15.18. Milt in 1982 goes mano a mano with Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, in this rare and revealing interview. The author of penetrating current-events, cultural and political essays – in the Chicago Daily News and later the Sun-Times and Tribune – under Milt’s questioning delves into his remarkable rib-cooking prowess, the politics of Chicago snow, the growing fiscal and political weakness of large U.S. cites, and of course, Chicago politics, its Machine and mayors. Royko also discusses how he does what he does; proffers an argument for greater handgun control laws; and argues for getting out the vote – over boycotts and protests.

Added 5.15.18. Guests are prominent radio historian Fred MacDonald, and Matthew Erlich, author of “Radio Utopia: Post-War Audio Documentary In The Public Interest.” With Milt, they discuss how popular U.S. radio shows helped shape public consciousness in the years following World War II. Themes included the fight against fascism, poverty and hunger, global stability, race relations, and the role of the individual in society.