Calling History: Listen In on Conversations with History’s Most Influential People.
The Calling History Podcast is an unscripted, interview style phone conversation with the heroes, the villains, and the great thinkers of history. It’s an opportunity to ask them anything, in their time, while they are living it. How did Benjamin Franklin feel about leaving his comfortable life of fame and excess in London as a loyal British citizen to risk it all and return to America as a rebel? How did record setting Louise Thaden feel about racing and beating Amelia Earhart and yet her name is almost unknown? Who is Jack the Ripper and why did he enter the scene so violently and then disappear like a whisper? Subscribe now and join this entertaining, interesting, and unpredictable journey back in time as we learn who these people really were and answer the question, “If you could call anyone in history, what would you ask them?”
Episodes
In Part 2 of the 1958 conversation with Frances Perkins, she explains why her daughter turned into a spoiled debutante that didn’t want to work, her uneasy but loving relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt, and her greatest regrets after accomplishing so much.
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Listen to the Calling History Podcast on Spotify, Google, Apple, or your favorite provider.
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Janet Parnes takes overlooked sculp...
In 1958, Frances Perkins was preparing a lesson for her students when she received a call from the future…
In this episode, you’ll learn how Frances managed to make such an enormous impact in an industry dominated by men. She’ll also share the horrifying story of 140 people burning to death that inspired her life’s mission.
Start the episode now to join the conversation.
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Janet Parnes takes overlooked sculptors of the Americ...
In Part 2 of the 1863 conversation with Nathaniel Hawthorne, he’ll explain why he can’t seem to write while the war ravages his nation. He’ll also further demonstrate how all his writing was not doom and gloom with his story The Celestial Railroad. And he’ll tell us how Sophia, his wife, saved the day when he was fired from his job and thought he was broke.
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Since 2018, Paul Riopelle...
----more----On July 4, 1863, Nathaniel Hawthorne was celebrating his 59th Birthday when he received a call from the future…
In this episode, Hawthorne will explain why his stories often leave you with more questions than answers. He’ll talk about the role he played in getting his good friend elected as the fourteenth president. And he’ll talk about his dark family history that inspired some of his most popular novels.
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In Part 2 of the 1774 conversation with Mercy Otis Warren, she’ll explain what happened to her brother after being almost beaten to death and then recanting his beliefs of liberty. She’ll also talk about her next publication about the Boston Tea Party, and she will reluctantly share her feelings about how things might be different if she were able to express her genius as men do.
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In...
On Feb 19, 1774, Mercy Otis Warren was tending to her family when she received a call from the future…
Mercy was a writer and poet that found a way to use her gifts to further the cause of liberty. In this episode, she’ll talk about the meetings in her home that eventually played a role in uniting the colonies. She’ll also discuss the anonymously published play she wrote that created a safe way for the citizens of Boston to communi...
In Part 2 of the 1810 conversation with Sacagawea, she will tell us why she was forced to trade her favorite blue beaded belt for an otter skin coat. She’ll also talk about her near-death experiences at the Great Falls and how her presence on the expedition likely saved everyone’s life.
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Robin Pease’s portrayal of Sacagawea will change the way you feel about this amazing woman and he...
On October 30, 1810, Sacagawea was in her home in St. Louis when she received a call from the future…
In this episode, Sacagawea will share the details of being kidnapped and taken from her family as a 12-year-old. She’ll talk about Lewis and Clark and why they needed a native American woman with a newborn on their expedition. And, how she was forced to marry after her husband either purchased her or won her in a poker game.
Start ...
In Part 2 of the 1692 conversation with Rebecca Nurse, she will explain how a person is guilty until they can prove their innocence. She will make a guess why Tituba, who was clearly a witch, was not executed first, and why the magistrates let Rebecca go free, and then arrested and eventually hung her anyway.
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Jessica Michna’s portrayal of Rebecca Nurse is nothing short of mesmer...
On July 18, 1692, Rebecca Nurse was languishing in prison the day before she would be executed as a witch, when she received a call from the future…
In this episode, she will talk about what it’s like to live in a time where anyone can accuse another of witchcraft, and those accusations are enough to establish guilt and condemn a person to death by hanging. She also talks about how this all started with a slave imported from Barbad...
In Part 2 of the 1922 conversation with Margaret Brown, she will talk about her efforts across the ocean to help those with broken families after World War I. She’ll tell us where the nickname ‘unsinkable’ came from. And she’ll discuss what she did to prevent 10-year-old kids from doing hard time for stealing a loaf of bread.
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On April 15, 1922, Margaret Brown was in France when she received a call from the future…
In this episode, she will share her experience of watching the Titanic sink as well as her contempt for the cowards that prevented her from assisting those that eventually drowned. She will also explain how a young girl stripping tobacco leaves became a wealthy socialite that spent her fortune helping those that could not help themselves.
Star...
In Part 2 of the 1830 conversation with Richard Allen, he’ll explain why the Africans voted not to return to Africa, why the quakers kicked him out of their church, and why black people are immune to yellow fever (per Dr. Benjamin Rush).
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In 1830, Richard Allen had just finished church when he received a call from the future…
In this episode, he will discuss why he picked the last name Allen after being born a slave without it. How he helped Martha Washington’s personal slave escape to freedom, and what George Washington did about it.
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In Part 2 of the 1910 conversation with Isabella Stewart Gardner, she’ll tell us why they called her the ‘serpent of muddy river’, how she dealt with people who thought she was rude, and some insight into her favorite artifacts and how they were acquired.
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In December of 1910, Isabella Stewart Gardner was walking through the museum that bears her name when she received a call from the future…
In this episode, she’ll discuss what inspired a 25-year worldwide treasure hunt. How she ended up walking a lion, and the experience that caused her to build a venetian palace in the middle of Boston.
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In Part 2 of the 1820 conversation with Napoleon, he’ll explain his purpose in going to Egypt and why he left his soldiers behind. He will also explain why he brought back slavery after it had been abolished. And finally, he’ll close with his story of what happened in Waterloo ending his reign in France.
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In December of 1820, Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena when he received a call from the future…
In this episode, Napoleon explains his desire for peace, claiming that he was not starting wars, he was finishing them. He will talk about creating a golden age in France that was disrupted by European countries not following through with ag...
We'll be off for the holidays, but the next podcast will be on January 6, 2024. Thanks for listening and Happy Holidays!
In Part 2 of the 1849 conversation with Edgar Allen Poe, he’ll explain why he refused to compromise when his editor told him that his work was too violent. He’ll tell us what happened when he showed up at The White House drunk looking for a job. And he’ll share some of his other work that demonstrated how truly talented he was.
Start episode 2 to jo...
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