Episode #27 Historical Myths with Joseph "Professor Buzzkill" Coohill
Have you ever stopped to wonder if that thing about history you knew to be true was just a bunch of bullshit? A famous quote...a questionable detail about someone's life...a significant theme in the historical narrative? Man...just imagine if all of that was just important sounding nonsense. Today I talk with Joseph "Professor Buzzkill" Coohill about myths in history - why they are important and how we can spot them. Trust me, they're everywhere...and they can be dangerous.
We discuss:
Professor Buzzkill...the story behind the Internet alias
Winston Churchill. Because Winston Churchill.
Historical myth - how you can spot one and what to do when you do (hint: respect the evidence)
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War history
Charlottesville, Virginia
Mini-myths
Joe is the author of Ideas of the Liberal Party: Perceptions, Agendas, and Liberal Politics in the House of Commons, 1832-1852 and Ireland: A Short History, which is now in its 5th printing!
He recommends that we immediately read...(some of my favs...as it were) The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History edited by Gary W. Gallagher and Alan T. Nolan and The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won by Edward H. Bonekemper III. Both solid choices for any US History library.
You are going to want to for sure head over and check out the Professor Buzzkill WEBSITE to listen to their latest podcast episode - on Civil War medicine (YAY)...and you can find Joe on all the usual Social suspects: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram