History

13Q: A Top 40 Radio Story

October 16, 2023 Tim 1:34:55 Comments Off

This is a Special Edition of the Shaping Opinion Podcast called “13Q: A Top 40 Radio Story.” In this extended episode (90 minutes), we take you back to when it was all about the music, when radio was everywhere. A time when it was all about the culture, but mostly it was about having fun. In this episode, we talk to the people who were behind the mic and in front of it, telling at least a part of the story of one generation. We do it by telling the story of the last big Top 40 radio station in the form of 13Q, Pittsburgh. It was around for only a short time, but its impact would be felt for decades.

Encore: Who was Christopher Columbus?

October 9, 2023 Tim 0:55:37 Comments Off

In this special Columbus Day encore episode, Professor William J. Connell, who is an expert on Italian history, joins Tim to talk about the life of Christopher Columbus. Bill is an Andrew Carnegie Fellow and holder of the La Motta Endowed Chair in Italian History at Seton Hall University. He’s also the co-editor of the Routledge History of Italian Americans. In this episode, we’ll learn about Christopher Columbus, and as cliché as it may sound, the man, the myth, the legend. This episode was initially published on July 20, 2020.

Fr. Vincent Lampert: An American Exorcist

October 2, 2023 Tim 1:05:13 Comments Off

Catholic priest and exorcist Fr. Vincent Lampert joins Tim to talk about his work as an exorcist, and we separate myth and fiction from reality. In 2005, Fr. Lampert was assigned to serve as an exorcist from his base in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. At the time, there were only 12 priests in America who were exorcists. Now, there are over 100.

Rick Porrello: The Ballad of Danny Greene

September 18, 2023 Tim 1:16:47 Comments Off

Author Rick Porrello joins Tim to talk about his book that tells of story of the notorious and now legendary Danny Greene, who tried to take down the mafia in Cleveland in life, and may have done it in death. Rick was the chief of a suburban Cleveland police department, and over the years he has written a number of best-selling books about murder, the mafia and organized crime. The book we’re going to talk about today was even turned into a major Hollywood motion picture. That book is, “To Kill the Irishman.”

LOST: 18 Million Military Records Go Up in Smoke

September 11, 2023 Tim 1:06:02 Comments Off

Journalist Megan Greenwell joins Tim to talk about her comprehensive reporting for Wired Magazine on the 1973 St. Louis Military Records Fire where in two days, the nation lost the only roughly 18 million records of U.S. military personnel from the first half of the 20^th Century. Back when paper was the primary way we kept records, the archives contained the data on millions of military personnel from U.S. military personnel going back to 1912. Megan talks about the fire, the people still working to preserve those documents, restore them and extract information from them, and through it all, her personal connection to this story.

Encore: Seth Shostak – Is There Life in Outer Space?

August 21, 2023 Tim 0:52:47 Comments Off

Seth Shostak joins Tim to talk about the serious scientific search for intelligent life beyond Earth. Seth is the senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, which was created by NASA and is located in Silicon Valley. It is dedicated to the search for life beyond Earth. In this episode, Seth talks about what we’re learning about the potential for finding intelligent life, not only within our solar system, but well beyond it. This episode was first released on November 21, 2021.

Encore: NASA’s Jim Green – Revealing the Secrets of Mars

July 31, 2023 Tim 0:49:56 Comments Off

NASA’s Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Green joins Tim to talk about big plans for the red planet, Mars. Jim has had a long and distinguished career on some of the agency’s major research projects and missions that have explored the rest of our solar system, from Mars to Pluto. In this episode, Jim gets into detail on what we have learned, can learn and will learn from Earth’s next door neighbor. He uncovers some of the secrets of Mars. This episode was originally released on September 27, 2021.

Brady Crytzer: A Rebellion that Defined America

July 17, 2023 Tim 0:58:29 Comments Off

Historian and author Brady Crytzer joins Tim to talk about his latest book on one of the lesser known stories of early America…the Whiskey Rebellion. Brady is the author of “The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis.” It comes along at a time when our newly formed republic was still in its infancy. Well not quite infancy. If the Civil War was America’s rebellious teen years, then the Whiskey Rebellion was our country’s Terrible Twos.

Encore: Liz Covart – Writing the Declaration of Independence

July 3, 2023 Tim 0:53:43 Comments Off

Historian Liz Covart joins Tim to discuss the events and circumstances that led to the American Revolutionary War, and the stories behind the actual drafting of the most revolutionary document ever written, The Declaration of Independence. Liz, who is also the host of the popular Ben Franklin’s World podcast, talks about the Declaration of Independence as a living, breathing document that is as relevant today as ever. This episode was originally released on June 25, 2018.

Encore: The Story Behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

June 19, 2023 Tim 0:41:44 Comments Off

Gavin McIlvenna joins Tim on the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Gavin is president of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army, but one of the more unique experiences he’s had is the time he spent guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. In this episode, Gavin tells the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the symbolic and real significance of one of the most hallowed places on American soil. This episode was originally released on June 14th, 2021.

Encore: 9/11, As It Happened, Minute by Minute

June 12, 2023 Tim 1:41:24 Comments Off

This is a 100-minute, moment-by-moment telling of the story of September 11^th 2001 “As It Happened” and the days that followed. Over the past three years, we’ve interviewed people who were there in New York, at the Pentagon and on site at that farm field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This year, we’ve talked to more people with their own personal stories of 9/11. Each provides a new perspective on the events that changed America, and their reflections now after 20 years. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.” This episode was originally released on September 6, 2021 to mark the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.

Tom McMillan: Saving the Most Famous Flag Ever

May 29, 2023 Tim 01:07:58 Comments Off

Author and historian Tom McMillan joins Tim to talk about his book called, “Our Flag Was Still There – The Star Spangled Banner that Survived the British and 200 Years. And the Armistead Family who saved it.” Tom is the author of four books centered on stories related to 9/11 and Flight 93; two books about key figures in the Gettysburg battle during the Civil War; and now his latest book that tells the story behind the story of the most famous flag in American history.

Peter Gray: Do Kids Really Play Anymore?

May 22, 2023 Tim 00:59:22 Comments Off

Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, joins Tim to talk about whatever happened to free play among children. This is a problem in society. The fact that kids aren’t playing in the same ways or as much as they used to. And what it all means. Peter has conducted and published groundbreaking research in the area of play in human evolution.

Jonathan Noyes: Confessions of a Former Atheist

May 15, 2023 Tim 01:15:12 Comments Off

Jonathan Noyes joins Tim to talk about why he gave up on atheism and how he came to where he is today. This is a conversation about logic, about reasoning and research, about doubt, and ultimately, about faith. Jonathan is a former atheist who has lived a journey that few have. He’s now a Christian.

Jerry Burger: Why You Obey

May 8, 2023 Tim 00:54:29 Comments Off

Leading social psychologist Jerry Burger joins Tim to talk about landmark experiments on human obedience conducted by Stanley Milgram, and how decades later Jerry did a similar study that only validated Milgram’s earlier disturbing findings. Jerry describes his own research project in 2006 that re-affirmed some of the conclusions from a landmark obedience research project from 45 years earlier. Will people do what they’re told even if it harms someone else? We find out.

13Q: A Top 40 Radio Story

Encore: Who was Christopher Columbus?

Fr. Vincent Lampert: An American Exorcist

Rick Porrello: The Ballad of Danny Greene

LOST: 18 Million Military Records Go Up in Smoke

Encore: Seth Shostak – Is There Life in Outer Space?

Encore: NASA’s Jim Green – Revealing the Secrets of Mars

Brady Crytzer: A Rebellion that Defined America

Encore: Liz Covart – Writing the Declaration of Independence

Encore: The Story Behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Encore: 9/11, As It Happened, Minute by Minute

Tom McMillan: Saving the Most Famous Flag Ever

Peter Gray: Do Kids Really Play Anymore?

Jonathan Noyes: Confessions of a Former Atheist

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