From Here to History

In our second and final episode on the life and music of Dolly Parton, we pick up in the 1980s. Dolly makes a splash into Hollywood, endures some dark times in her personal life, gets dropped by her …

It's time for Jason to make his case! In part 1 of 2 biographical sketches of Dolly Parton, we discuss Dolly's background, her early music career, her challenges and opportunities, and try our hands …

The Comanche peaked and then fell in the decades between 1840 and 1880. In this episode, we discuss that story arc. From the Comanche retaliation against Texas for the Council House Massacre, through…

In the third episode of our series on the Comanche, Comancheria slowly divorces itself from New Spain  to seek better fortunes in the bustling American markets. The Mexican government inherits a trou…

Just in time for Halloween! Join Chris and Jason as they discuss two historic sites that are reputed to be haunted: Poveglia Island in the Venetian Lagoon and Greyfriars Kirkyard in Old Town Edinburg…

The Comanche entered the southern great plains slowly and imperceptibly, ultimately to find themselves one part of a very restless world. There were imperial tensions between European powers, as well…

"They came to the plains from the west, slipping through the canyon passes of the Sangre de Cristo Range in small, roving bands...They were few in number, possessed little wealth...New Mexico's Spani…

Lord Chelmsford, looking to redeem himself from his failed first invasion,  crosses into Zululand in force for a second attempt. Pressure on Chelmsford mounts as Field Marshal Garnet Wolseley races t…

In this episode on the Zulu nation, we discuss Cetshwayo's violent march to the Zulu throne, his cozying up to the British as a bulwark against the Boers, and then the inexplicable events that thrust…

The Zulu nation as we remember it was forged in a world of upheaval under the leadership of the intelligent, dynamic, and ruthless king Shaka Kasenzangakhona. Shaped by the tumultuous events known as…

We took a holiday hiatus but we're back with the first in a 3-part series on the most dominant tribal nation in 18th-century South Africa: The Zulus. In this episode, we range from their Bantu origin…

In From Here to History's first ever Halloween episode, spirits, demons, and the bodies they try to possess are the topic. Join Chris and Jason as they discuss an  anthology of stories and beliefs ab…

The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III inaugurated the golden age of his empire's power between 745 and 727 BC. Just over a century later, Sin-Summu-Ishkin watched as that empire took its dying breath…

Massive statues of winged bulls with human heads, stone reliefs depicting gruesome lion hunts and mass executions of captured soldiers, ancient history's most impressive library, kings with complex n…

One episode just wasn't enough to capture the Spartans, so we settled on two episodes. Now, looking back, two episodes probably weren't enough, either. They were a major force in the ancient Greek wo…

They were controversial in their own time as well as ours. A society capable of impressive discipline and moments of jaw-dropping heroism. They were also a rigidly hierarchical culture who could use …

Back in March we hosted our second annual tournament of history on our campus. Styled after the NCAA March Madness tournament, our students considered 16 names and voted their way to a champion. Last…

The Vietnam War era is often remembered as the most divisive conflict in US history. In classes across the US students will learn about the draft, the internal divisions in the US over civil rights, …

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still interest and inspire us today. In this episode we reflect on our tour of the Wonders with a few footnotes  to wrap up the trip. Then we take a look at a f…

It's that time of year when much of the US goes a little crazy with bracket fever: the NCAA tournament. In 2022 we tried our hand at a March Madness of US presidents and this year we're trying a tour…