PODCAST · history
Everything is a Primary Source
by Eric Salmonsen
History through Pop CultureJoin social studies teacher, historian and pop culturist Eric Salmonsen as he and his drop-in guests break down pop culture artifacts to see what history can be forged from them.Learn how you can contribute to the conversation at everything-history.com
Episodes
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Episode 231: Radio Karaoke
America at 250 Episode 16: "An Opry of Our Own: Litchfield's pioneering 'Radio Karaoke' as a document of time and place." After seeing karaoke performed for the first time in New York some years ago, John Michael Marty had an idea: why not broadcast live amateur singing? Introducing his idea to…
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Episode 230: The Briar Rose
America at 250 Episode 15: "Picking through the Past: The Briar Rose consignment shop as a crossroads for history" The Briar Rose in Litchfield, IL is the kind of store everyone should want in their town. Filled with a little bit of everything, old and new, and with a steady arrival of furniture,...
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Episode 229: Litchfield, Illinois
America at 250 Episode 14: "Welcome to Litchfield: Analyzing the Illinois town as a Primary Source." Carol Sneed is the President of the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center in southwestern Illinois, and was the first to record with me after I rolled into town along the Mother Road. She...
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Episode 228: American TV & Movies as Ambassadors
America at 250 Episode 13: "Making F*R*I*E*N*D*S All Around the World: American TV and movies as cultural ambassadors." Maya met with me as the last guest of my day podcasting in Chicago this summer. She works at the Museum of Broadcast Communication, a position helped along by her extensive...
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Episode 227: Television Advertising
America at 250 Episode 12: "We the Viewers: How TV advertising is a reflection of different eras and places." Brent is a volunteer docent at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, which is a perfect spot for him as he has spent most of his life connected to television production in…
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Episode 226: Local TV Affiliates
America at 250 Episode 11: "Voice of the People: the democratization of media and its reflection of time and place." Having spent fifteen years working as a reporter and news anchor for different news affiliates around the country, Shawn Patrick Floss knows a thing or two about the power of…
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Episode 225: Chicago's WLUP "The Loop" Radio
America at 250 Episode 10: "Staying in the Loop: Chicago's WLUP radio as an example of terrestrial radio's role in civic life." The Museum of Broadcast Communications has a special exhibit dedicated to its hometown Rock n roll radio station, 97.7 FM, WLUP. Starting in 1977, "The Loop" immediately...
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Episode 224: Sesame Street
America at 250 Episode 9: "Sweepin' the Clouds Away: Sesame Street as a product of, and contributor to, American culture." Mary Cay carries a lifelong adoration of Sesame Street and is quite familiar with its place on the pantheon of both children's educational TV and public broadcasting. We had…
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Episode 223: The X-Files
America at 250 Episode 8: "X Marks the Spot: How The X-Files represent 1990s society and culture." Val is the archivist at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, and therefore a deep thinker about television and radio programming's place in history. She chose her favorite TV show, The...
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Episode 222: Electronic Selector
America at 250 Episode 7: "Full Circuit: 'Electronic Selector' as a refection of the 1950s'" Ric chose to discuss "Electronic Selector," a cross between a trivia board game and a electrical tutorial from the 1950s as the last recording during the preview event at the NH Telephone Museum in Warner...
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Episode 221: Back to the Future (1985)
America at 250 Episode 6: "Future Boy: 1985's Back to the Future as a primary source" Gwen asked to chat about 1985's Back to the Future for her podcast segment and I was glad to oblige considering it is one of my all-time favorites. The 1985 movie could've been incredibly hokey but the recipe of...
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Episode 220: Telephone Tales
America at 250 Episode 5: "A Telephone's Ring: The many tales the telephone tells" If you host a drop-in podcast at a telephone museum, you're bound to get more than a few conversations about the world-changing device recorded. A veteran social studies teacher, my guest, Pam, teaches just as I…
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Episode 219: A Conversation with a Career Phone Company Man
America at 250 Episode 4: "A Lineman for the Country: A conversation about the evolution of telecommunications with a career phone company man." This is the kind of episode I imagined making when I started taking the Everything is a Primary Source Podcast out into the world. I had just sat down...
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Episode 218: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
America at 250 Episode 3: "Our House: Virginia Lee Burton's 1942 picture book, The Little House as a primary source." Sage took the time to speak with me at the New Hampshire Telephone Museum this Spring, selecting Virginia Lee Burton's 1942 Caldecott Award-winning picture book, The Little House…
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Episode 217: Phone Phreaking
America at 250 Episode 2: "Telecom Rebels: Phone Phreaking as a Document of the 1970s" Dave met with me at the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner to discuss the "Phone Phreaking" trend of the 1970s. Rebellious, technologically-minded youth used their know-how to work the monopolistic phone...
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Episode 216: The Declaration of Independence
America at 250, Episode 1: "We Begin." Historian Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. specializes in 18th Century studies, and the American Revolution specifically, so I could think of no more appropriate guest to have on the podcast to dissect the Declaration of Independence as an artifact of its time and place....
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Episode 215: Major Payne (1995)
S5E35: "No Payne, No Gain: Dissecting 1995's Major Payne as a document of its time." Eric is joined by filmmaker Steven Martini, whose break out role as an actor came as Cadet Alex Stone, the foil for Damon Wayan's title character, to discuss Major Payne as a document of its era. As you'll hear,...
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Episode 214: Freedom Quest
Debora Masterson is the guest on this episode of the Everything is a Primary Source Podcast, discussing the 1970s band, Freedom Quest, of which she was a member, and her new book, Freedom Quest: A Love Story, and what they both can tell us about time and place. This is fitting as one month from…
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Episode 213: Kinzua Bridge
S5E33: "Bridge to the Past: Kinzua Bridge State Park in Pennsylvania as a Primary Source" This is an interview from 2023 with Professor Kevin Patrick, an active member of the Society for Commercial Archeology, regarding Kinzua Bridge State Park in Western Pennsylvania. Although on the shorter…
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Episode 212: Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
S5E32: "Somewhere That's Green: 'Little Shop of Horrors' as a primary source Since it’s that time of the year again when people begin to plan out their planting for the season, I figured I’d cultivate an episode from a short recording from few years ago about Roger Corman’s 1960 B Horror Comedy...
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Episode 211: Lost Moon / Apollo 13
S5E31: "Failure is Not an Option: Apollo 13 as a primary source of the mid 1990s" This episode of the Everything is a Primary Source podcast is another clip extracted from the archives, this time a conversation with a drop-in guest named Ted about the 1994 book Lost Moon, which was the basis for...
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Episode 210: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
S5E30: "Greetings from the Jersey Shore: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band as a document of time and place." Melissa Ziobro is the Director of Curatorial Affairs for the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, which is set to open to the public in its brand new building later...
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Episode 209: Historic Preservation in Los Angeles
S5E29: "Back to L.A.: SCA and Historic Preservation in Los Angeles" This episode is a callback to three years ago when I spoke with members of the Society for Commercial Archeology during their conference. One of the top priorities of SCA is historic preservation, particularly of signage and...
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Episode 208: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
S5E28: "There's No Place Like Home: The Wizard of Oz as a Primary Source" This episode of the Everything is a Primary Source features a discussion about The Wizard of Oz. It was recorded a few summers ago at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH, just before a performance of Little Shop of Horrors.…
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Episode 207: Aerosmith
S5E27: "The Bad Boys of Boston: Aerosmith's origins as a document of the early 1970s" We learn about the early days of Aerosmith from one of their original roadies, who just happened to be in the right place and the right time to get the gig. His story is very telling about this era of rock n…
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Episode 206: Dinoland
S5E26: "Welcome to Sinclair Dinoland: Evaluating dinosaurs' evolution in pop culture media" My son has contributed to several episodes of the Everything is a Primary Source Podcast over the last five seasons, and this is his latest contribution. Using a guidebook to the Sinclair Oil "Dinoland"...
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Episode 205: An 1853 Rowland Robinson Letter
S5E25: "First Day: An 1853 letter and how it depicts everyday life in the era" Jonathan Ahl of the Rokeby Museum in Vermont returns to the podcast to walk us through an 1853 letter from his museum’s archive that simultaneously tells us so little but shows us so much. Rowland Robinson, who would…
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Episode 204: Iraq War Playing Cards
S5E24: "War Games: a breakdown of a deck of cards from 2003 featuring Iraqi high command" I met with a group of pre-service social studies teachers from Plymouth State University at the NHCSS conference last fall and they selected a deck of cards that I had received from another exhibitor just…
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Episode 203: Telephones
S5E23: "I Just Called to Say: treating telephones through the ages as primary sources" Graham Gifford is theExecutive Director of the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner. She and I connected at the NHCSS conference in Concord last October. I think we were really dialed in with our talk, and…
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Episode 202: The Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893
S5E22:"Stars of the Second City: The 1893 and 1933 World's Fairs in Chicago as documents of their time periods" Plymouth State University History Professor John Kruekeberg and I speak about two of the shining stars in Chicago's storied past, the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the 1933 Century…
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Episode 201: The Beatles on 8-Track
S5E21:"Program 1: The Beatles on 8-Track as a primary source of the early 1970s" Morgan, who works with Creative Guts, a creativity-centered non-profit and podcast, stopped by my exhibit last year at the NH Makers Fest held at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire. He chose my Beatles/ 1962-1966...
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Episode 200: An Enemy of the People, the 1882 Henrik Ibsen play
S5E20" "Blinded Me With Science: Seeing versions Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People as a reflections of time and place" Shoshannah Boray is the Education Coordinator for Vermont Stage, a Burlington-based theater company, whose Public Square Play this season is Gracie vs. The People. The...
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Episode 199: 1907 Oregon Postcard
S5E19: "Strictly In It: Analyzing a 1907 postcard to determine what it tells us of time and place" Jonathon Ahl is the Education coordinator at the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, and therefore is no stranger to dissecting a document on the spot, sight unseen. We applied our analytical...
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Episode 198: Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good"
S5E18: "This One's For Chuck: Chuck Mangione and his Album Feels So Good as a document of the late 1970s" The waning days of December is the time to reflect on the previous year and that includes notable people we have lost. Jazz musician Chuck Mangione was one such purpose, and I had the…
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Episode 197: Road Maps and Travel Culture
S5E17:"Gee the Traffic is Terrific: Navigating with road maps and travel culture as documents of time and place" John King teaches in Florida, New York, and joined me at the Mid Hudson Council for the Social Studies conference this Fall to talk about some of the road maps in my collection that...
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Episode 196: The Atari 7800 Pro System
S5E16: "Ready to Relaunch: The Atari 7800 Pro System as a document of the mid 1980s" In 1986 American video game pioneer Atari responded to the growing popularity of Nintendo by introducing their 7800 machine, a game system with graphics and (some) games that rivaled the NES, but never quite…
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Episode 195: Woman's Day Magazine
S5E15: "Everyday is Woman's Day: The magazine and the crafts it has inspired as primary sources of several eras" Since 1931 many women have turned to Woman's Day magazine to get inspiration on home economics, recipes, remedies and arts and crafts. Monica is a social studies teacher in New…
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Episode 194: Mayflower II
S5E14: "Giving Thanks: The Mayflower II project as a symbol of post-War trans-Atlantic relations" Richard Stone literally wrote the book on the 1950s Mayflower II project, which saw two groups--one British and one American--simultaneously work to create a replica of the ship which ferried the...
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Episode 193: Uncle Sam
S5E13: "I Am Sam, Sam I Am: Uncle Sam as a measurement of Americans' view of the the US Government" 2026 NH Teacher of the Year Megan Philbrook joined me in dissecting Uncle Sam--the character more than the real person--and deciding how the bearded, star-spangled figure acts as a regular…
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Episode 192: E Pluribus Unum: Looking at The American Revolution (2025) as a Document of Here and Now
S5E12: "E Pluribus Unum: Looking at The American Revolution as a Document of Here and Now" Documentaries shape the way we remember the past and they also reveal the time in which they’re made. In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, co-directors with Ken Burns of the new...
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Episode 191: 1918 AEF Quartermaster Orders
Food is major part of any society's popular culture, even in a time of war. World War I expert and fellow social studies teacher Kristin Stelfox joined me in analyzing a collection of three papers from the Great War, detailing the food rations and cooking needs of an American unit in France. It…
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Episode 190: Life Magazine
S5E10: "Life Goes On: Life magazine as a reporter of historic eras" Life magazine has been in print since the 1880s, but the monthly photographic document publication that usually springs to mind began its run in 1936. My drop-in guest at NH Makers Fair (apologies for background noise) and I…
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Episode 189: Unsolved Mysteries
S5E9: "From Stack to Streaming: Unsolved Mysteries as a continuous reflection of America." Author Ally Russell joins the show to discuss and compare the original run of "Unsolved Mysteries" with the Netflix update from 2019. How have these shows informed, and been informed by, the society and...
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Episode 188: The Erie Canal
S5E8: "A Good Ol' Worker and A Good Ol' Pal: The Erie Canal as a Primary Source" This October is particularly Erie as it marks 200 years since the opening of New York's "Grand Canal." Kevin Leisten, who teaches social studies within a few miles of the canal, joined me to discuss the Erie Canal as...
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Episode 187: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
S5E7: "A Walk on the Wilde Side: The Picture of Dorian Gray as a reflection of 1890s society and values" Daniel stopped by at the Makers Fair this Spring and selected to discuss Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray as a document of its era, 1891. Is it possible that the famed Irish writer was...
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Episode 186: Repo Man (1984)
S5E6: "Representatives of Discontented Youth: Repo Man as a document of the early 80s" Richard Erdmann, owner of Mare Booksellers, joined me to talk about 1984's Sci-Fi/Punk Rock/Chase Comedy Repo Man as a reflection of the society and culture of the era. See how you can interact with the...
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Episode 185: The Mighty Ducks (1992)
S5E5: "What Would Coach Bombay Do?: The Mighty Ducks (1992) as a indicator of youth sports in the modern era" This episode was actually recorded over two years ago when I set up my exhibit at just outside McCue's Comedy Club in the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth, NH. Comedian Liam Hales sat with…
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Episode 184: Make Way for Duckings by Robert McCloskey
S5E4: "Mama Duck: Robert McCloskey's 'Make Way for Ducklings' as a document of 1941" Children's book author Ashlee Ridlon and I talk about 1941's Make Way for Ducklings and how it acts as a report from 1940s Boston. #history #popculture #makewayforducklings #boston #childrensbooks #picturebooks...
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Episode 183: Storage Unit 217
S5E3: "Survivors: The things we hold onto and collect in storage units" I met with Tony, cohost of the podcast "Storage Unit 217," at the AES Ephemera Fair earlier this year, and we got to talking about our shared interest in helping otherwise forgotten pieces of the past survive as long as...
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Episode 182: Calvin and Hobbes (1985 to 1995)
S5E2: "Age of Enlightenment: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson as a document of history" Gibby sat down with me at this year's Makers Fest at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire to talk about Calvin and Hobbes and the comic strip's role as a document of the era in which it ran. Learn more...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
History through Pop CultureJoin social studies teacher, historian and pop culturist Eric Salmonsen as he and his drop-in guests break down pop culture artifacts to see what history can be forged from them.Learn how you can contribute to the conversation at everything-history.com
HOSTED BY
Eric Salmonsen
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How many episodes does Everything is a Primary Source have?
Everything is a Primary Source currently has 233 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Everything is a Primary Source about?
History through Pop CultureJoin social studies teacher, historian and pop culturist Eric Salmonsen as he and his drop-in guests break down pop culture artifacts to see what history can be forged from them.Learn how you can contribute to the conversation at everything-history.com
How often does Everything is a Primary Source release new episodes?
Everything is a Primary Source publishes regularly with 233 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Everything is a Primary Source on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Everything is a Primary Source?
Everything is a Primary Source is created and hosted by Eric Salmonsen.
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