Podcast

Revisionist History

From Pushkin Industries History, Society & Culture

Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. From Pushkin Industries. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.

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iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Society & Culture chart
#48
Episodes
219
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
32 min
On air since
2016
Latest episode
5 days ago

Episodes

219 episodes, from the first

Season 1

  1. Introducing Revisionist History Trailer

    Show notes

    Coming soon, a new podcast series from bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell.

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    3 min
  2. The Lady Vanishes

    Episode 1

    Show notes

    In the late 19th century, a painting titled The Roll Call, by a virtually unknown artist, took England by storm. But after that brilliant first effort, the artist all but disappeared. Why? And what does The Roll Call tell us about the fate of those first through the door?

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    34 min
  3. Saigon, 1965

    Episode 2

    Show notes

    In the early 1960s the Pentagon set up a top-secret research project in an old villa in downtown Saigon. The task? To interview captured North Vietnamese soldiers and guerrillas in order to measure the effect of relentless U.S. bombing on their morale. Yet despite a wealth of great data, even the leaders of the study couldn’t agree on what it meant.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    41 min
  4. The Big Man Can't Shoot

    Episode 3

    Show notes

    Wilt Chamberlain’s brilliant career was marred by one, deeply inexplicable decision: He chose a shooting technique that made him one of the worst foul shooters in basketball—even though he had tried a better alternative. Why do smart people do dumb things?

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    35 min
  5. Carlos Doesn’t Remember

    Episode 4

    Show notes

    Of the tens of thousands of talented, low-income students who graduate from high school every year in the United States, most never make it to universities appropriate to their gifts. America leaves an enormous amount of talent on the table every year. “Carlos Doesn’t Remember” explains why.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    34 min
  6. Food Fight

    Episode 5

    Show notes

    Bowdoin College and Vassar College are two elite private schools that compete for the same students. But one of those schools is trying hard to address the problem of rich and poor in American society—and paying a high price. The other is making that problem worse—and reaping rewards as a result.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    30 min
  7. My Little Hundred Million

    Episode 6

    Show notes

    In the early ’90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not even to his alma mater, MIT. What was Rowan thinking? And why has it proven so difficult for other philanthropists to follow his lead?

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    39 min
  8. Hallelujah

    Episode 7

    Show notes

    How does genius emerge? An exploration of different types of innovation—through the lens of Elvis Costello’s extraordinary song “Deportee,” once utterly forgettable and then, through time and iteration, a work of beauty and genius.

    If you're looking to go deeper into the subjects on Revisionist History, visit Malcolm's collection on iBooks at http://www.apple.co/MalcolmGladwell -- iBooks will update the page every week with new recommendations.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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

    37 min
  9. Blame Game

    Episode 8

    Show notes

    In the summer and fall of 2009, hundreds of Toyota owners came forward with an alarming allegation: Their cars were suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating. Toyota was forced to recall 10 million vehicles, pay a fine of more than $1 billion, and settle countless lawsuits. The consensus was that there was something badly wrong with the world’s most popular cars. Except that there wasn’t. What happens when hysteria overtakes common sense?

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    38 min
  10. Generous Orthodoxy

    Episode 9

    Show notes

    A 98-year-old minister takes on his church over the subject of gay marriage—and teaches the rest of us what it means to stand up in protest.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    33 min
  11. The Satire Paradox

    Episode 10

    Show notes

    In the political turmoil of mid-1990s Britain, a brilliant young comic named Harry Enfield set out to satirize the ideology and politics of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His parodies became famous. He wrote and performed a vicious sendup of the typical Thatcherite nouveau riche buffoon. People loved it. And what happened? Exactly the opposite of what Enfield hoped would happen. In an age dominated by political comedy, “The Satire Paradox” asks whether laughter and social protest are friends or foes.

    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, visit http://www.RevisionistHistory.com

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    37 min

Season 2

  1. Introducing Revisionist History Season Two Trailer

    Show notes

    From bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, season two of Revisionist History launches June 15th.

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    3 min
  2. A Good Walk Spoiled

    Episode 1

    Show notes

    Rich people and their addiction to golf: a philosophical investigation.

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    34 min
  3. The Road to Damascus

    Episode 2

    Show notes

    What happens when a terrorist has a change of heart?

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    40 min
  4. Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment

    Episode 3

    Show notes

    A landmark Supreme Court case. A civil rights revolution. Why has everyone forgotten what happened next?

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    31 min
  5. The Foot Soldier of Birmingham

    Episode 4

    Show notes

    “Oh, Mac. What did you do?”

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    35 min
  6. The Prime Minister and the Prof

    Episode 5

    Show notes

    The friendship that changed the course of World War II.

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    34 min
  7. The King of Tears

    Episode 6

    Show notes

    Why country music makes you cry, and rock and roll doesn’t: A musical interpretation of divided America.

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    42 min
  8. State v Johnson

    Episode 7

    Show notes

    “Nobody was interested in justice.”

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    31 min
  9. Mr. Hollowell Didn’t Like That

    Episode 8

    Show notes

    Arrested, arraigned, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair in 24 hours.

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    35 min

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