Revisionist history
Presentation
Hosted byMalcolm Gladwell
GenreHistory
FormatMP3
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Length30–40 mins
Production
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes60 (as of August 2021)
Publication
Original releaseJune 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)
ProviderCadence 13
Related
Websiterevisionisthistory.com

Revisionist History is a podcast by Malcolm Gladwell produced by Gladwell's company Pushkin Industries. It began in 2016 and has aired six 10-episode seasons.

Gladwell, who was already a successful author and essayist, was convinced to create a podcast by his friend Jacob Weisberg, then editor-in-chief of Slate Group, which includes the podcast network Panoply Media. Seasons 1 to 3 of Revisionist History were produced by Panoply Media. In September 2018, after Panoply dropped the medium, Gladwell announced he was co-founding a podcast company Pushkin Industries with Weisberg.[1] Pushkin produced the series from there on. Season 6 launched on June 24, 2021.[2]

Each episode begins with an inquiry about a person, event, or idea, and proceeds to question the received wisdom about the subject.

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"The Lady Vanishes"June 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)
Central Topic: The Roll Call, an 1874 oil-on-canvas painting by Elizabeth Thompson
Themes Explored: How success by a member of a minority group does not alleviate discrimination, but perpetuates it.
2"Saigon, 1965"June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23)
Central Topic: Leon Gouré, Konrad Kellen and the RAND Corporation's recommendations regarding the Vietnam War
Themes Explored: How personal bias can lead to people drawing different conclusions from the same data.
3"The Big Man Can't Shoot"June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30)
Central Topic: Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and the underhand free throw
Themes Explored: Why smart people sometimes refuse to accept the best ideas.
4"Carlos Doesn't Remember"July 7, 2016 (2016-07-07)
Central Topic: Meritocracy in American schools
Themes Explored: How America is making use of its human capital.
5"Food Fight"July 14, 2016 (2016-07-14)
Central Topic: Bowdoin College, Vassar College, and the budgetary choices of colleges
Themes Explored: How colleges get rewarded for distorting the educational system.
6"My Little Hundred Million"July 21, 2016 (2016-07-21)
Central Topic: The record-breaking Hank Rowan donation to Glassboro State University
Themes Explored: The ideologies behind educational philanthropy.
7"Hallelujah"July 28, 2016 (2016-07-28)
Central Topic: Deportee by Elvis Costello and Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Leonard Cohen
Themes Explored: The role of time and repetition in the creation of works of genius.
8"Blame Game"August 4, 2016 (2016-08-04)
Central Topic: The 2009–11 Toyota vehicle recalls
Themes Explored: Human perception and misconception, our fraught relationship to technology, media dishonesty.
9"Generous Orthodoxy"August 11, 2016 (2016-08-11)
Central Topic: Chester Wenger, the Mennonite minister who confronted his own church
Themes Explored: Effective ways of dissent.
10"The Satire Paradox"August 18, 2016 (2016-08-18)
Central Topic: Harry Enfield and his creation of the Loadsamoney character
Themes Explored: How satire with the aim of social protest can backfire.

Season 2 (2017)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"A Good Walk Spoiled"June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)
Central Topic: Golf and golf clubs
Themes Explored: Property taxes, real estate, CEO productivity.
2"The Road To Damascus"June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21)
Central Topic:The CIA's use of former terrorists as informants; the relationship between a security service and a free press
Themes Explored: Forgiveness and second chances; transparency vs. security.
3"Miss Buchanan's Period Of Adjustment"June 28, 2017 (2017-06-28)
Central Topic: Brown v. Board of Education
Themes Explored: The "persistent" legacy of racism in American schools.
4"The Foot Soldier of Birmingham"July 5, 2017 (2017-07-05)
Central Topic: A sculpture, The Foot Soldier, by Ronald McDowell as based on a photograph by Bill Hudson
Themes Explored: Artistic license, sanitizing of history.
5"The Prime Minister and the Prof"July 12, 2017 (2017-07-12)
Central Topic: The friendship between Winston Churchill and Lord Cherwell; the 1943 Bengal famine
Themes Explored: How friendships affect people in power.
6"The King of Tears"July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)
Central Topic: Country Music as illustrated by an interview with prolific songwriter Bobby Braddock
Themes Explored: Sad country songs, as compared to general levity of the rock and roll genre.
7"State v Johnson"July 26, 2017 (2017-07-26)
Central Topic: Black Americans and the US justice system
Themes Explored: Institutional racism, power dynamics.
8"Mr. Hollowell Didn't Like That"August 2, 2017 (2017-08-02)
Central Topic: Black Americans and the US justice system via an extended interview with Vernon Jordan about his work with Donald L. Hollowell
Themes Explored: Institutional racism, power dynamics.
9"McDonald's Broke My Heart"August 9, 2017 (2017-08-09)
Central Topic: McDonald's decision to stop frying its french fries in beef tallow
Themes Explored: The link between saturated fats and heart disease, the power of individual persistence.
10"The Basement Tapes"August 16, 2017 (2017-08-16)
Central Topic: Dr. Ivan Frantz's "Minnesota Coronary Experiment" on the effects of vegetable oil in cholesterol reduction and on general health
Themes Explored: Medical effects of animal fats/vegetable and corn oil, Father and Son relationships

Season 3 (2018)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"Divide and Conquer"May 17, 2018 (2018-05-17)
Central Topic: The complete, unabridged history of the world's most controversial semicolon
Themes Explored: The impact of grammar in interpretation of law, law reviews by Michael Stokes Paulsen.
2"Burden of Proof"May 24, 2018 (2018-05-24)
Central Topic: The story of college football player Owen Thomas and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Themes Explored: Why we should sometimes act before having concrete proof.
3"A Polite Word for Liar (Memory Part 1)"May 31, 2018 (2018-05-31)
Central Topic: Harmonica player Larry Adler's recollections of his eventful life
Themes Explored: The unreliable nature of memory.
4"Free Brian Williams (Memory Part 2)"June 7, 2018 (2018-06-07)
Central Topic: TV Anchor Brian Williams's fall from grace after inaccuracies appear in some of his reporting reminiscences
Themes Explored: The unreliable nature of memory.
5"General Chapman's Last Stand"June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)
Central Topic: The impact of General Leonard Fielding Chapman Jr. in securing the borders of the United States
Themes Explored: American immigration policy; whether good fences make good neighbors.
6"The Hug Heard Around The World"June 21, 2018 (2018-06-21)
Central Topic: Sammy Davis Jr. and his relationship with Richard Nixon
Themes Explored: Race and tokenism, especially in public figures.
7"Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life"June 28, 2018 (2018-06-28)
Central Topic: The mathematics of 'pulling the goalie' in hockey and its application in life
Themes Explored: Self-help manuals, disagreeableness
8"The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh (Scientific Fraud Part 1)"July 5, 2018 (2018-07-05)
Central Topic: Suspected scientific fraud in the work of Professor of Medicine Margit Hamosh, and the policing of scientific research by the Office of Scientific Integrity
Themes Explored: Mass sociogenic illnesses, also known as fear epidemics.
9"Strong Verbs, Short Sentences (Scientific Fraud Part 2)"July 12, 2018 (2018-07-12)
Central Topic: The battle between Bernadine Healy, director of the National Institutes of Health, and congressman John Dingell
Themes Explored: The policing of scientific research by the Office of Scientific Integrity; fear epidemics.
10"Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis"July 19, 2018 (2018-07-19)
Central Topic: Statistical analysis of lyrical lapses in Elvis' performances and what they tell us about his state of mind
Themes Explored: Parapraxis (Freudian Slip), Elvis Presley, the psychology of performing.

Season 4 (2019)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"Puzzle Rush (Education Part 1)"June 20, 2019 (2019-06-20)
Central Topic: The LSAT and its ability to judge potential law students
Themes Explored: How to judge human ability, standardized tests.
2"The Tortoise and the Hare (Education Part 2)"June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)
Central Topic: Malcolm Gladwell’s Grand Unified Theory for fixing American Higher Education
Themes Explored: Meritocracy, standardized tests, the Tortoise and the Hare.
3"Tempest in a Teacup"July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04)
Central Topic: The Boston Tea Party’s actual relationship to the American Revolution
Themes Explored: Rhetoric vs. reality in national history, crime and its political influence.
4"Good Old Boys"July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)
Central Topic: Randy Newman's album Good Old Boys, and its message about race and civil rights in America
Themes Explored: The value of discourse with people we disagree with; how conflict inspires creativity.
5"The Standard Case (Casuistry part 1)"July 18, 2019 (2019-07-18)
Central Topic: Andy Pettitte’s baseball career and maritime fines, examined using Jesuit problem-solving (casuistry)
Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems.
6"Dr. Rock's Taxonomy (Casuistry part 2)"July 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)
Central Topic: Dr. John Rock, his invention of the birth control pill, and his Catholic views on birth control
Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems, Casuist rationalizations.
7"Descend into the Particular (Casuistry part 3)"August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01)
Central Topic: The Jesuitical idea of “disordered attachments”, applied to the shootings of Michael Brown, Angel Navarro, and other police-involved shootings in the United States
Themes Explored: How we deal with novel problems; the importance of narratives.
8"In a Metal Mood"August 8, 2019 (2019-08-08)
Central Topic: Elvis Presley’s cultural appropriation of black music, compared to Pat Boone's album In a Metal Mood; Taco Bell and its relationship to Mexican food
Themes Explored: The difference between cultural appropriation and inspired innovation.
9"Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah"August 15, 2019 (2019-08-15)
Central Topic: The phenomenon of chutzpah, and its definitions in America and Israel. Case studies included.
Themes Explored: Audacity vs. shamelessness, as defined by chutzpah.
10"The Obscure Virus Club"August 22, 2019 (2019-08-22)
Central Topic: The scientists, particularly Howard Martin Temin, who discovered rous sarcoma virus and other retroviruses, the discovery of HIV/AIDS as a retrovirus, and the effect of those discoveries on the central dogma of molecular biology
Themes Explored: The power of persistence, the effect of dogma on scientific progress.
N/A"The Queen of Cuba"August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
Central Topic: How espionage plays off of human nature, common misconceptions about deception through a case study of Ana Montes and the 1996 Hermanos al Rescate incident; Tim Levine's studies of deception, and the Milgram experiment
Themes Explored: How human nature influences our interactions with strangers, truth-default theory, and the nature of deception.
Note: This episode is a chapter from the audiobook version of Malcolm Gladwell's 2019 book Talking to Strangers.

Season 5 (2020)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"Dragon Psychology 101"June 18, 2020 (2020-06-18)
Central Topic: The financial, curation, and storage policies of the Met and other art museums
Themes Explored: Hoarding; attachment, relationships, and memory through objects.
2"Hedwig's Lost Van Gogh"June 25, 2020 (2020-06-25)
Central Topic: Art Museums, Part 2: Van Gogh's "Vase with Carnations" and other MacGuffins
Themes Explored: The real value of the things we treasure; the hoarding habit in the curation of museum collections.
3"The Powerball Revolution"July 2, 2020 (2020-07-02)
Central Topic: Adam Cronkrite's idea of democratic lotteries, theories about predictions
Themes Explored: Elections, lotteries, and our ability to predict effective traits for performing vs. governing.
4"The Bomber Mafia (Curtis LeMay, part 1)"July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
Central Topic: Curtis LeMay, the "Bomber Mafia", the development of the B-29 bomber
Themes Explored: American innovation and technological obsession, applied to military airpower
5"May the Best Firebomb Win (part 2)"July 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
Central Topic: Hoyt Hottel's "firebomb bake-off"; Louis Fieser and the development of napalm as an offensive weapon
Themes Explored: The impact of scientific innovation in modern warfare
6"Bombs-Away LeMay (part 3)"July 23, 2020 (2020-07-23)
Central Topic: Curtis LeMay’s problem-solving; area bombing and the events leading up to Operation Meetinghouse
Themes Explored: Leadership, adaptability, ethics, and problem-solving in times of conflict.
7"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (part 4)"July 30, 2020 (2020-07-30)
Central Topic: The aftermath of the firebombing of Tokyo and the legacy of napalm incendiaries in modern warfare, told through M*A*S*H and the career of Curtis LeMay
Themes Explored: The legacy of ethically dubious weapons, and how we view atrocities and conflicts of our national past.
8"Hamlet Was Wrong"August 6, 2020 (2020-08-06)
Central Topic: A auto analysis of Malcolm Gladwell's nihilism in hiring practices, through use of Laurence Peter's hierarchy concept known as the Peter Principle
Themes Explored: Social practices and practical implications in hiring, and the possible benefits of nihilism.
9"Oh Howard, You Idiot!"August 13, 2020 (2020-08-13)
Central Topic: Clifford Irving's hoax autobiography, the influence of public image, and the real Howard Hughes
Themes Explored: How people manage their image, the power of fiction and public perception.
10"A Memorial For the Living"August 20, 2020 (2020-08-20)
Central Topic: The 9/11 memorial, the homeless in Jacksonville, and the management of memories — "a gorgeous mausoleum for the dead, a scatter plot for the living”
Themes Explored: Our attachment to memories and memorials, and what we collectively choose to remember.

Season 6 (2021)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"I Love You Waymo"June 24, 2021 (2021-06-24)
Central Topic: The future of automobiles, cities, and pedestrians, explored through Waymo’s development of autonomous cars.
Themes Explored: How we predict the future of technology; madman theory as it relates to pedestrians.
2"Lord of the Rankings (Rankings part 1)"July 1, 2021 (2021-07-01)
Central Topic: How U.S. News & World Report ranks colleges and universities in the US, and the flaws in how its algorithm ranks schools.
Themes Explored: The power of algorithms and ranking in our perceptions of institutions; how our personal biases can influence peer-rankings and the algorithms we create.
3"Project Dillard (Rankings part 2)"July 8, 2021 (2021-07-08)
Central Topic: Dillard University, and how US News & World Report’s college rankings misses and misuses data to misidentify HBCUs and other schools.
Themes Explored: The power of algorithms in our perceptions, racial biases and privilege, and how holistic evaluations can change our perceptions.
4"The Judgement of Helen Levitt"July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15)
Central Topic: Former screenwriter Helen Levitt (wife of Alfred Lewis Levitt), and the effect of her blacklisting during the Red Scare.
Themes Explored: How our society chooses to judge others, and the underestimated effect of social exclusion.
5"Little Mermaid Part 1: The Golden Contract"July 22, 2021 (2021-07-22)
Central Topic: The story presented in Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid, compared to the original story.
Themes Explored: Law, themes, and “moral sloppiness” in entertainment portrayals of older stories.
6"Little Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist"July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29)
Central Topic: The Little Mermaid vs. The Little Mermaid
Themes Explored:
7"Little Mermaid Part 3: Honestly Ever After"August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02)
Central Topic: The Little Mermaid vs. The Little Mermaid
Themes Explored:
8"Laundry Done Right"August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
Central Topic: Habits and practices for doing laundry; Procter & Gamble's effort to make environmentally friendly consumer products.
Themes Explored: The environmental effects of laundry and the tradeoffs for our habits and sustainable practices.
9"A Serious Game"August 18, 2021 (2021-08-18)
Central Topic: To better prepare for the unexpected may not make plans, but to play games.
Themes Explored:
10"The Dog will See you now"August 26, 2021 (2021-08-26)
Central Topic: In recent times, most problems can't be solved by humans alone.
Themes Explored:

Season 7 (2022)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"The Magic Wand Experiment"June 22, 2022 (2022-06-22)
Central Topic: What experiments would experts conduct if they didn't have to worry about ethics, finances, or other barriers?
Themes Explored:
2"Way to Go, Ohio"June 30, 2022 (2022-06-30)
Central Topic: Akron, Ohio helped us learn about the benefits of iodized salt. What else could be distributed via salt?
Themes Explored:
3"In Triplicate"July 7, 2022 (2022-07-07)
Central Topic:
Themes Explored:
4"Star Struck"July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14)
Central Topic: The impact of media on societal beliefs and actions.
Themes Explored:
5"When Will Met Grace"July 21, 2022 (2022-07-21)
Central Topic: How a single television show, Will & Grace shaped societal beliefs. Can something like this happen today?
Themes Explored:
Explicit
6"“I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me”"July 28, 2022 (2022-07-28)
Central Topic: The importance of everyday acts of kindness.
Themes Explored:
7"Outliers, Revisited"September 14, 2022 (2022-09-14)
Central Topic:
Themes Explored:
8"The Department of Physiological Hygiene"September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21)
Central Topic:
Themes Explored:
9"The Rise of the Guinea Pigs"September 28, 2022 (2022-09-28)
Central Topic: Exploration of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment.
Themes Explored:
10"The Mennonite National Anthem"October 5, 2022 (2022-10-05)
Central Topic: The long-term impacts of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment.
Themes Explored:

Season 8 (2023)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"From Broken Record: Rick Rubin in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell"January 25, 2023 (2023-01-25)
Central Topic: Rick Rubin discusses how to cultivate creative authenticity and discover your unique voice.
Themes Explored: How to be authentically ourselves.
2"A Treat for the Die-Hards"February 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)

Central Topic: How a narrative ends may be more important than anything else.

Themes Explored:
3"Rodents and Red Wine with Maria Konnikova"July 8, 2023 (2023-07-08)

Central Topic: Maria reads letters from listeners and discusses various topics with Malcolm.

Themes Explored:
4"Started From The Bottom with Justin Richmond"March 15, 2023 (2023-03-15)
Central Topic: Malcolm and Justin discuss their paths to success and the obstacles they overcame.
Themes Explored: Biracial identities, racism
Explicit
5"Higher Animals with Michael Specter"April 5, 2023 (2023-04-05)
Central Topic: The future of life on Earth given the current scientific revolution.
Themes Explored:
6"Malcolm Goes to Debate School"July 29, 2023 (2023-07-29)
Central Topic: Munk Debates
Themes Explored:
’’Explicit’’
7"The Mystery of Mastery with Adam Gopnik"May 17, 2023 (2023-05-17)
Central Topic: Adam discusses his book, ‘’The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery’’, in which he talks to experts about the secrets behind their mastery and the lessons learned.
Themes Explored:
8"The Crisis in Girls’ Sports with Lauren Fleshman and Linda Flanagan"May 24, 2023 (2023-05-24)
Central Topic: Athletes Linda and Lauren discuss how to make sports more enjoyable for girls and women.
Themes Explored:
9"The Pushkin Prize for Egregiously Deceptive Self-Promotion"June 7, 2023 (2023-06-07)
Central Topic: The Pushkin Prize and the university that fought back against the US News & World Report rankings to their own detriment.
Themes Explored:
9"The Pushkin Prize for Egregiously Deceptive Self-Promotion"June 7, 2023 (2023-06-07)
Central Topic: The Pushkin Prize and the university that fought back against the US News & World Report rankings to their own detriment.
Themes Explored:
10"Feeling A Bit Attacked with Maria Konnikova"June 21, 2023 (2023-06-21)
Central Topic: Maria and Malcolm respond to letters about debate and explicit language in podcasts.
Themes Explored:
Explicit
12"A Good Circle"June 28, 2023 (2023-06-28)
Central Topic: Solving problems in higher education.
Themes Explored:
13"Acting Out"June 21, 2023 (2023-06-21)
Central Topic:
Themes Explored:
14"Taxonomy of the Modern Mystery Story"July 26, 2023 (2023-07-26)
Central Topic: How modern mystery stories impact our perceptions of policing.
Themes Explored:

Season 9 (2023)

No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
1"Guns Part 1: The Sudden Celebrity of Sir John Knight"August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
Central Topic: Sir John Knight and his impact on modern-day gun policy.
Themes Explored:
2"Guns Part 2: Getting out of Dodge"September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
Central Topic: The relationship between Gunsmoke and modern-day gun policy.
Themes Explored:
3"Guns Part 3: A Shooting Lesson"September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
Central Topic: What makes an AR-15 scarier than other guns?
Themes Explored:
4"Guns Part 4: Moral Hazard"September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
Central Topic: Exploring 'what-ifs' in relation to the US's relationship to guns, including homicides, medication, and the assassination of JFK
Themes Explored:

Reception

Revisionist History has received positive reviews from critics. In Podcast Review, Nic Dobija-Nootens called it "perplexing, frustrating, and always worth a second look".[3] The New York Times's Amanda Hess praises the show's impact, crediting it for creating a "podcast micro-genre ... [of] history-bending show[s]".[4]

See also

References

  1. Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg (April 23, 2021). "Malcolm Gladwell's New Word Order: Audiobook First". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  2. "Introducing Revisionist History Season Six". Pushkin Industries. 2021-06-03. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  3. "The World Through Malcolm Gladwell's Eyes". Podcast Review. 2018-07-31. Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  4. Hess, Amanda (2017-12-15). "You Know Your History? These Podcasts Aren't So Sure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2019-05-18.

General references

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