-
2 weeks ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
This week, I spoke with one of my favorite authors, Professor Greg Grandin. In his new book, America, América: A New History of the New World, Professor Grandindives into what ties the Americas together and drives us apart. We explored how radical opposition to conquest in Latin America guided independence leaders toward a pursuit of harmony, while denial and evasion pushed the U.S. toward conquest.
-
2 weeks ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
This week, I spoke with one of my favorite authors, Professor Greg Grandin. In his new book, America, América: A New History of the New World, Professor Grandindives into what ties the Americas together and drives us apart. We explored how radical opposition to conquest in Latin America guided independence leaders toward a pursuit of harmony, while denial and evasion pushed the U.S. toward conquest.
-
3 weeks ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
I’m super excited for tomorrow’s live show on Robert Moses and The Power Broker. It’s my first solo show since 2020! Huge thanks to everyone who’s purchased tickets. Robert Moses shaped modern-day New York more than anyone else, holding power for over 40 years starting in the 1920s. He also inspired construction projects across the U.S. and around the world—and not always for the better.
-
4 weeks ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
Next Saturday, June 7, at 4 PM, I’m performing the first of three shows based on Robert Caro’s extraordinary biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker:As Caro demonstrates in his 1,300-page epic, and I bring to life on stage, we’re still living in the world Moses built. He was, in Caro’s words, “a genius of public works”—a Picasso, almost, in his own way—and yet one of the most racist people Caro has ever encountered.
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
In The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the Visionary of Weimar Berlin, Daniel Brook revives the life story of an influential German thinker far ahead of his time. More than a century ago, Magnus Hirschfeld argued that gender and sexuality are fluid—and later, that race is a social construct. As you might expect, the Nazis weren’t fans, but they didn’t write Hirschfeld out of history.
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
In The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the Visionary of Weimar Berlin, Daniel Brook revives the life story of an influential German thinker far ahead of his time. More than a century ago, Magnus Hirschfeld argued that gender and sexuality are fluid—and later, that race is a social construct. As you might expect, the Nazis weren’t fans, but they didn’t write Hirschfeld out of history.
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
InLand Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, Professor Michael Albertus (University of Chicago) explores how land has changed hands since the French Revolution. In places like the U.S., Canada, and Brazil, this “reshuffling” has shaped social hierarchies and the climate (spoiler: not in a good way). Today, signs point to us entering a new period of reshuffling.
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -31:10Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. InLand Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, Professor Michael Albertus (University of Chicago) explores how land has changed hands since the French Revolution. In places like the U.S., Canada, and Brazil, this “reshuffling” has shaped social hierarchies and the climate (spoiler: not in a good way).
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
I take a few weeks off during the year (sort of), and this is one of them! I’m knee-deep in preparing for the live show in June, scheduling new interviews, and formulating plans for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. next year. Hopefully, I’ll also find a window or two to go birdwatching. It’s spring migration here in NYC!Skipped History is a quirky part of the ecosystem pushing back against attempts to cover up our history.
-
1 month ago | 
skippedhistory.substack.com | Ben Tumin
Today, my guest offers an account of Native boarding schools and justice long overdue. In Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools, Mary Annette Pember shares her mother’s experience at a Catholic boarding school in northern Wisconsin. The story offers a glimpse into what boarding schools were like and how their legacy continues to shape Native life today.
