Margaret O’Mara is an expert on high-tech history and a Howard & Frances Keller Endowed Professor of History at the University of Washington.
She received her BA in English and History from Northwestern University, and her MA and PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to her academic career, she was a staff member to President Bill Clinto ... Show More
Aug 13
How America's Government Teacher Proves Doers Beat Critics
What happens when a high school government teacher becomes America's most trusted voice on democracy? Sharon McMahon transformed from classroom educator to social media sensation by explaining politics with facts, civility, and clarity. Known as "America's Government Teacher," sh ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 2023
Heather Cox Richardson On What History Teaches Us About Fighting The Dark Energy Of The Human Soul
Ryan speaks with Heather Cox Richardson about her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, her mission to deliver history as a way of promoting human connection, changing the game of story-telling, how to combat the dark energies that are fed by sowing divisio ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2019
Kathleen Sheppard, "The Life of Margaret Alice Murray: A Woman’s Work in Archaeology" (Lexington, 2017)
After Napoleon occupied Egypt, Europeans became obsessed with the ancient cultures of the Nile. In Britain, the center of Egyptology research was University College London (UCL). At the heart of the UCL program was the Egyptologist, Margaret Alice Murray. During this golden age o ... Show More
33m 47s
Mar 2024
Changing the World with Civility and the Core of Stoicism | Alexandra Hudson
Ryan speaks with author Alexandra Hudson about how to navigate pragmatic situations through civility, unbundling the mental framework of people, her new book The Soul of Civility, and more. Alexandra is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and in ... Show More
1h 19m
Jul 2023
Professor Martha Nussbaum On Humanity's Obligation To Protect Animal Rights
Ryan speaks with Martha Nussbaum about her new book Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility, the problems that can arise with the Stoic focus on the internal over the external, how the loss of her daughter taught her what to dedicate the rest of her life to, why animal ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2022
Margaret Fuller: Early feminist and war correspondent
In in her 1843 essay The Great Lawsuit, the American journalist and early feminist Margaret Fuller forcefully argued for the rights of women to work, think and live on their own terms, not just as companions and foils for men. She was one of the first Americans to do so. Fuller w ... Show More
39m 29s
Dec 2018
Mariana Mazzucato, economist
Professor Mariana Mazzucato is an economist, who focuses on value and innovation. Born in Italy, Mariana moved to America as a child, when her father accepted a post at Princeton University. She has lived in the UK for the last 20 years and is currently Professor in the Economics ... Show More
36m 40s
Feb 2023
William D. Cohan on Power, Ego, and the Imperial CEO
Ryan speaks with William D. Cohan about his new book Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon, the link between Marcus Aurelius and the “imperial CEO” of General Electric Jack Welch, the legacy of Thomas Edison and GE, the egos of powerful CEOs, and more.William D. Co ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2023
President Martin Van Buren
The 'Little Magician', the 'Sly Fox' or - to our expert guest - a 6.5/10 president. We're onto President number 8, Martin Van Buren.
Don is joined by Edward Widmer - historian, writer, librarian, and musician who served as a speechwriter in the Clinton White House. One of Ted's m ... Show More
39m 9s