Podcast

Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff

History, Society & Culture

As long as there’s been oppression, there’ve been people fighting it. This weekly podcast dives into history to drag up the wildest rebels, the most beautiful revolts, and all the people who long to be—and fight to be—free. It explores complex stories of resistance that offer lessons and inspiration for us today, focusing on the ensemble casts that make up each act of history. That is to say, this podcast focuses on Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff.

History chart
#98
Episodes
602
Releases
Twice a week
Typical length
40 min
On air since
2022
Latest episode
1 day ago

Episodes

602 episodes, newest first

  1. Part One: The Minnesota 15 and the Repression of Anti-fascism

    Show notes

    Margaret talks with defendant Isaac Sant about the resistance to ICE in the Twin Cities and federal repression

    links referenced:

    Alexio fundraiser: https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid

    Wired article on HSI spying: https://www.wired.com/story/ice-is-running-one-of-the-largest-anti-left-surveillance-operations-in-us-history/

    NYtimes article on Operation Puppet Master: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/politics/dhs-inquiry-immigration-protests-minnesota.html

    Minnesota 15 legal defense fund: https://chuffed.org/project/186570-minnesota-15-legal-defense-fund

    The first article to note the correlation between the Northside events and the drop in abductions: https://crimethinc.com/2026/02/23/their-escalation-and-ours-how-the-fight-against-ice-in-the-twin-cities-gained-momentum

    Guardian article on nspm-7 defendants union:
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-protesters-antifa-defendants-union

    https://nspm7union.com/

    https://minnesota15.org

    https://prairielanddefendants.com/

    https://www.defendmichigan8.org/

    https://pjals.org/spokane3/

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  2. CZM Book Club: "Persephone, Traveling," by Briar Ripley Page

    Show notes

    Margaret reads you a comfy, cozy story about a robot colony on the moon, and one robot's journey to find a new home--and have her tarot cards read

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  3. Part Two: Ben Egerman and the Gay History of Maryland

    Show notes

    Margaret talks with historian Ben Egerman about his work studying less-trodden queer history

    Find Ben's book at: https://redemmas.org/titles/51654-a-gay-little-history-of-maryland-volume-1/

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
  4. Part One: Ben Egerman and the Gay History of Maryland

    Show notes

    Margaret talks with historian Ben Egerman about his work studying less-trodden queer history

    Find Ben's book at: https://redemmas.org/titles/51654-a-gay-little-history-of-maryland-volume-1/

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    48 min
  5. CZM Book Club: "The Simulacrum," by Max Turner

    Show notes

    Margaret and Hazel read you a found documents story about a government experiment gone wrong

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
  6. 56 min
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  8. CZM Book Club: "Ark of Bones," by Henry Dumas with Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (Part 2)

    Show notes

    We continue our conversation with Dr. Treasure about Herny Dumas and touch on all sorts of topics from Hoodoo to Fannie Lou Hamer to being mentored by one's father.

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    43 min
  9. Introducing: Knowledge Fight Country Trailer

    Show notes

    Knowledge Fight Country is a platform where Dan Friesen and his guests can chew over the biggest and best ideas being disseminated in right wing media. Through a focus on Alex Jones and figures similar to him, this show will provide a humorous and fun layer on top of discussing the context on why liars lie and how they do it.

    Listen here and subscribe to Knowledge Fight Country on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min
  10. Part Two: The Warner Creek Free State: The Camp That Lasted a Year and Won

    Show notes

    Margaret continues talking with Hazel Robin about the 30th anniversary of the successful fight to save Warner Creek in Oregon

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    59 min
  11. Part One: The Warner Creek Free State: The Camp That Lasted a Year and Won

    Show notes

    Margaret talks with Hazel Robin about the 30th anniversary of the successful fight to save Warner Creek in Oregon

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    54 min
  12. CZM Book Club: "Ark of Bones," by Henry Dumas with Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (Part 1)

    Show notes

    Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond reads Margaret and Hazel a ghost story about transcendance, legacy and an unearthly river boat, by exalted ancestor Henry Dumas who was murdered by a white cop in 1968.

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    43 min
  13. Part Four: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet

    Show notes

    Margaret finishes talking to you about the history behind Trump's latest boogieman, the Italian hacktavists who helped free the internet.

    Sources:

    https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid

    https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
    https://www.inventati.org/campaign/press

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terrorist

    https://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
    https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
    https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
    https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
    https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
    https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
    https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.html
    https://theconversation.com/looking-back-at-1992-italys-horrible-year-66739
    https://theconversation.com/looking-back-at-1992-italys-horrible-year-66739
    https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2001/07/22/carlo-una-vita-contro.html
    https://blog.pmpress.org/2026/07/20/a-letter-to-carlo-giuliani/

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  14. Part Three: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet

    Show notes

    This week, Margaret continues talking to you about the history behind Trump's latest boogieman, the Italian hacktavists who helped free the internet.

    Sources:

    https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid

    https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
    https://www.inventati.org/campaign/press

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terrorist

    https://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
    https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
    https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
    https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
    https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
    https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
    https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.html

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  15. CZM Book Club: "The Devil Lives Here," by Margaret Killjoy

    Show notes

    Margaret kicks off spooky month by sharing a spooky story of her own about a haunted cave and the 90s teens who get lost in it

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min
  16. Part Two: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet

    Show notes

    Margaret talks to you about the US's long history of intervention in Italian politics.

    Sources:

    https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid

    https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
    https://www.inventati.org/campaign/press

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terrorist

    https://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
    https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
    https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
    https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
    https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
    https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
    https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.html

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min
  17. CZM Rewind: Part Two: The Newsies on Strike: Soaking Scabs and Taking Names

    Show notes

    In part two of this week's episode, Margaret continues her conversation with writer and podcast host Andrew Ti about how an informal union of children shut down the nation’s biggest newspapers and won their rights.

    Original Air Date: 6.21.2023

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1 hr 9 min
  18. CZM Book Club Presents: Stories from "Black Box," by Mata Kastrisiou and translated by Kostas Kaltsas

    Show notes

    Margaret reads you 4 very short, dream like stories from a collection by a Greek author

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  19. CZM Rewind: Part One: The Newsies on Strike: Soaking Scabs and Taking Names

    Show notes

    Margaret talks with writer and podcast host Andrew Ti about how an informal union of children shut down the nation’s biggest newspapers and won their rights.

    Original Air Date: 6.19.2023

    See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1 hr 9 min
  20. 38 min