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Environmental History Episodes

Feb. 19, 2024

The History of Ice in the United States

Today, Americans consume 400 pounds of ice a year, each. That would have been unfathomable to people in the 18th century, but a number of innovators and ice barons in the 19th and 20th centuries changed the way we think abou…
Guest: Amy Brady
April 24, 2023

The Plant Revolution and 19th Century American Literature

During the 19th Century, growing international trade and imperialist conquest combined with new technologies to transport and care for flora led to a burgeoning fascination with plant life. American writers, from Emily Dicki…
Guest: Mary Kuhn
Dec. 12, 2022

The Sea Islands Hurricane of 1893

On August 27, 1893, a massive hurricane struck the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, battering the Sea Islands and Lowcountry through the next morning. Around 2,000 people in the thriving African American community perish…
April 4, 2022

The 1913 Ascent of Denali

In June 1913, a group of four men ascended to the peak of Denali, the first humans known to have reached the highest point in North America. In a time before ultra lightweight and high-tech equipment, Hudson Stuck, Harry Kar…
Guest: Patrick Dean
March 7, 2022

Yellowstone National Park

One hundred fifty years ago, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an act establishing Yellowstone National Park into law, making it the first national park in the United States, and a cause for celebration in a country still re…