On March 12, 2004, South Korea’s then President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached, a historic first for the Republic. Written by David Fields and Jinwan Park. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/impeachment-roh-moo-hyun-and-patterns-south-korean-politics. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective...

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a monk and professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, circulated his 95 Theses—95 statements critiquing what he saw as papal abuses of power. Written by Karen Spierling. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/october-2017-martin-luther-and-reformation. Video production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a...

When Idi Amin, commander of the Ugandan Army, seized power in Uganda on 25 January 1971, there was hope among many Ugandans that a new beginning beckoned. Written by Richard Reid. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/idi-amins-uganda-coup-1971. Video production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical...

Fossey replaced a fallacious stereotype of a King Kong-like, violent gorilla with an almost idealized image of a gorilla that was intelligent, family-oriented and peaceful. Written by Rob Schubert. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/december-2015-dian-fossey-conservationist-mist. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a production of Origins:...

In May 1954, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation W*****k,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who were in the country illegally. The program succeeded in rounding up over 1 million people, most of them men. Regardless of one’s views on the matter, we would be wise to recognize that the current crisis has its historical origins decades earlier. Written by Delia Fernández. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at...

On October 30, 1974, the so-called “Rumble in the Jungle,” George Foreman’s 1974 heavyweight title defense against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire took place. The fight was a major turning point in the careers of both men, particularly Ali. Written by Marc Horger. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textural versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/index.php/milestones/the-rumble-in-the-jungle. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle,...

Friedan’s book encouraged women to break free of what she called “the feminine mystique,” a concept insisting that women’s true fulfillment was to be found through dedication to household labor and their roles as wives and mothers. Written by Susan Hartmann. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/feminine-mystique. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Katherine Weiss. ...

Although observations and attempted treatments of diabetes date back to ancient times, the most important milestone occurred when a new treatment—insulin injection—was first successfully used on January 23, 1922. Written by Jim Harris. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/first-insulin-injection-treatment-diabetes. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a...

Beginning on November 20, 1945, the International Military Tribunal consisting of representatives from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union—the four major Allied powers—worked together to bring 22 former Nazi leaders and their organizations to justice. Written by Francine Hirsch. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/nuremberg-judgment. Audio production by Katherine Weiss, Dr....

Augustus had an almost unmatched impact on Roman politics, culture, and society and—through the widespread influence of Rome—on the way modern countries structure and imagine themselves. Written by Brendan McCarthy. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/august-2014-celebrating-roman-emperor-augustus. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a production of...

Few place names in American history produce such a visceral response as Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian bay that housed the U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1941. Learn about the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Written by Greg Hope. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/december-2016-pearl-harbor. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Katherine Weiss. This is a production of Origins:...

On July 28, 1951, representatives of 26 states, meeting in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations, signed the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Written by Eric H. Limbach. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/defining-refugees-1921-and-1951. Production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger.

Rosetta Tharpe crossed many boundaries: of genre (playing both gospel and secular music), of gender (playing in a “male” style on a “male” instrument), and even of sexuality. Written by Delano Lopez. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/march-2015-mother-rock-and-roll. Video production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in...

On July 1, 1927, the Nicaraguan revolutionary leader Augusto Nicolás Calderón de Sandino, a.k.a. Augusto “César” Sandino, proclaimed his manifesto extolling continued Nicaraguan resistance against U.S. intervention in his country. Written by Craig Verniest. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/sandino-manifesto-nicaraguan-revolution. Video production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura...

Besides the Wilsonian internationalists, who wanted the Treaty and Covenant ratified unchanged, there were those who wanted to add so-called reservations to the treaties: conditions to U.S. acceptance and participation in the League that the other signatories would have to accept. Written by Thomas W. Bottelier. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/treaty-of-versailles-us-ratification-fight. Audio...

On Sunday, 18 March 1962 the Algerian War for Independence came to an end. At least, on paper. That paper, simply entitled “Declarations Drawn up in Common Agreement,” was signed in a town on the French side of Lake Geneva better known for its bottled water than its role in diplomatic history: Evian-les-Bains. Written by Andrew H. Bellisari. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at...

On March 9, 1848, the twenty-three members of the Hanau People’s Commission—leading citizens of the small German city on the Main River, upstream from Frankfurt—declared their participation in the quickly-spreading upheaval of the March Revolutions of 1848. Written by Eric H. Limbach. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Katherine Weiss, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Laura Seeger. A textual version of this video is available at...

Here, David Harmon offers ten “Moments of Insight” that he has had in the parks over the years. The list should be understood as a representative sample of the kinds of introspective experiences the parks offer, rather than as a ranking of the best—something that really is impossible, since all of us bring different sets of values and expectations to our national park experiences.  (Author’s Note, November 2023: My essay was originally written for Origins: Current Events in Historical...

On May 23rd 1951, the "Seventeen Point Agreement of the Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" was signed. This agreement legitimized claims of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over Tibet and retroactively justified the previous year’s military invasion of eastern Tibet by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Written by Jigme Yeshe Lama. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is...

Fifty years ago, in December 1969, the Provisional IRA was born from the widespread religious violence that had wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland since the preceding August. From modest beginnings, the Provisionals became the most important and dangerous separatist paramilitary group during the thirty-year conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Written by Jeffrey W. Lewis. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available...

In the early morning of May 13, 1862, several enslaved crewmembers of the Confederate steamer CSS Planter boarded the vessel along with their families. Taking advantage of the fact that their white officers had left the ship against regulations, they successfully maneuvered the ship through the Charleston harbor, past Confederate fortifications, and to the Union fleet blockading the city. The architect of this daring escape to freedom was Robert Smalls, whose leadership and courage would go...

Japan’s Meiji Restoration, or Meiji Ishin, occurred on January 3, 1868, and marked the return of the Japanese emperor to a position of power for the first time in more than 500 years. Written by Tristan Grunow. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video and textual versions of this video are available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/japans-meiji-restoration. Video production by Cody Patton, Laura Seeger, and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in...

In 1975, the first United Nations World Conference on Women took place between 19 June and 2 July in Mexico City, bringing together individuals from a wide range of backgrounds with the goal of promoting gender equality. The World Conference of Women (WCW) was the capstone event of International Women’s Year, the UN’s response to the transnational women’s liberation movement sweeping the globe. Written by Gisel Valladares. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions...

The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, stating “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Written by By Maxine Wagenhoffer. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Audio and video production by Cody Patton, Laura Seeger, and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at...