Revisionist History

Higher Animals with Michael Specter

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm talks with his old friend, the brilliant science writer Michael Specter, about the future of life on Earth. Michael's response to the Covid-19...

Started From The Bottom with Justin Richmond

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we dig into the fascinating life of someone Malcolm knows very well: fellow Pushkin host Justin Richmond. Malcolm and Justin talk about being t...

Rodents and Red Wine with Maria Konnikova

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author, psychologist and professional poker player Maria Konnikova joins the show as Revisionist History’s first ombudsman. Maria advocates for the ...

A Treat for the Die-Hards

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every writer, podcaster and storyteller obsesses about how they begin a story. But they rarely pay enough attention to endings. Nothing matters more. ...

From Broken Record: Rick Rubin in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In which Malcolm reunites with his colleague, friend and fellow host of Broken Record (not to mention a music icon in his own right), Rick Rubin. This...

The Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon - Part Two

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of our special series with Cadillac, we test whether the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ can keep up with the demands of a 21st-century helico...

The Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon – Part One

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, we got a call at Pushkin Headquarters from Cadillac. They knew that Malcolm takes cars very seriously… so they asked if he’d heard o...

From Inside Voice: Lake Bell and the Sexy Baby Voice Phenomenon

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm's friend, actress/writer/director/producer Lake Bell, is obsessed with voice. Malcolm is a little obsessed with Lake. This excerpt from Lake's...

The Creative Power of Misfits

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing something from our friends at the TED Audio Collective—an episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant. Adam talks about harnessing the power of frus...

The Mennonite National Anthem

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lester Glick’s year in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment cost him his hoped-for career and also left him with an eating disorder for the rest of h...

The Rise of the Guinea Pigs

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment could never be done today. No scientist could get permission to starve 36 healthy people for close to a year. But ...

The Department of Physiological Hygiene

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the final year of the Second World War, 36 men spent a year in a dingy set of rooms under the University of Minnesota football stadium. They were p...

Outliers, Revisited

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did Malcolm Gladwell blow it in his bestselling book Outliers? What if all he did was write a primer for neurotic helicopter parents? To find out, Rev...

We’re Back … With More Experiments!

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History returns on September 15th with a saga about self-sacrifice. Plus, Malcolm offers a mea culpa for an unintended consequence of a ch...

Tim Harford Cools Us Down This Summer

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’ll be back in September with new episodes of Revisionist History. In the meantime, I got to sit down with my good friend and host of Cautionary T...

“I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me”

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm tells the story of how his parents and their friends sponsored three Vietnamese refugees, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. And wonders: do...

When Will Met Grace

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You thought the antics of Will, Grace, Jack and Karen were just harmless fun. Oh please. Revisionist History dives deep into a television sitcom that ...

Star Struck

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A legendary Hollywood mogul, a famous author, a fatal drunk driving accident, and a brilliant bit of screenwriting, left on the cutting room floor. Re...

In Triplicate

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A mystery that begins with the half-baked idea of an obscure California bureaucrat in the 1930’s and ends with one of the worst public crises in Ame...

Way to Go, Ohio

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A century ago, a mysterious and disfiguring disease was finally cured by an experiment in Akron, Ohio . . . with a condiment. We ask: it is time to re...

The Magic Wand Experiment

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could design any experiment you wanted? Without worrying about money, ethics, logistics, or even the laws of nature? Revisionist History k...

Revisionist History Season 7: The Experiment Experience

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History is back! And obsessed with ... experiments. Natural experiments. Thought experiments. Failed experiments. Experiments that end up ...

Relax and Win from Legacy of Speed

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing a new Pushkin show, Legacy of Speed. When two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, it shook the world. Mor...

An Ode to the BMW M5: From Car Show! with Eddie Alterman

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm confesses to being an absolute car nut. And now his dream has come true — the launch of a car show at Pushkin. Car Show! is hosted by Ed...

See Revisionist History Live!

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever, Revisionist History is hitting the road! On two nights, Malcolm will be working out an episode from the upcoming season 7&mda...

The Revisionist History Holiday Sampler

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing special previews of Pushkin’s show Bad Women: Ripper Retold and this month’s Pushkin+ episode, ‘The Dog-tor WIll See You Now’  You k...

Teaser: Pushkin’s Dirty Laundry

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this month’s subscriber-only episode, the Pushkin staff have something to say about Malcolm’s portrayal of their laundry habits. Plus, an unbia...

Teaser: The Compromises of Al Levitt

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this month’s subscriber-only episode, a look at the complicated and possibly cursed career of Helen Levitt’s other half.This is a sneak peek at...

The Dog Will See You Now

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If recent times have shown us anything, it’s that many problems can not be fixed by humans alone. In the season 6 finale, Revisionist History turns ...

A Serious Game

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The best way to prepare for the unexpected may not be to make plans, or predictions, but to play games. Revisionist History explores imaginary worlds ...

Laundry Done Right

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is there a right way to do your laundry? Of course there is. A long look at the science of cleaning your clothes. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

Little Mermaid Part 3: Honestly Ever After

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History presents: The Little Mermaid...our way. The grand finale of our three-part series. Featuring the voices of Jodie Foster, Glenn Clo...

Little Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The quest to revise The Little Mermaid continues. This week, we call in the experts. Part two of three. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

Little Mermaid Part 1: The Golden Contract

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History takes on The Little Mermaid: a deep dive into a world where merpeople present us with a series of vexing moral conundrums. Part on...

The Judgment of Helen Levitt

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Slote Levitt was on her way to the good life in 1950s Hollywood. Then one day, her name appeared on a list. The story of an ordinary woman whose...

Project Dillard

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A historically Black university in New Orleans is beloved by everyone – except the US News best colleges rankings. We hack our way back into the alg...

Lord of the Rankings

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For 30 years, US News & World Report has been using a secret formula to rank the best colleges and universities in the United States. As a public ...

I Love You Waymo

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History travels to Phoenix, Arizona to learn about the future of the automobile. It’s not what you think. It’s much better.Warning: So...

Presenting: Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting a sneak peek of Pushkin’s newest show, Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi. On Be Antiracist, Dr. Kendi discusses policies and practices th...

Introducing Revisionist History Season Six

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The sixth season of Revisionist History is underway, and Malcolm’s finally out of the house. We play chicken with cars, war games with wonks, and tr...

Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whenever Malcolm and Adam Grant cross paths on the book tour circuit, it's always a good time. Here are pieces of two conversations from Clubhouse: on...

Presenting: The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Season 5 of Revisionist History included four episodes on the rise of air power during the Second World War. Listeners met Air Force generals Haywood ...

Return to the 404

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're back in Atlanta - this week with jaunts to Jamaica, Kenya, court-side NBA games, and a deep dive into fine art forgery. Plus, Malcolm finally ge...

Druid Hills

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History takes a trip to Malcolm's favorite city and gets a tour of Emory University, meets 3000 non-human primates and 8000 rodents, and d...

A Memorial for the Living

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lessons from the world’s most perfect memorial.Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter at pushkin.fm. Learn more abo...

"Oh Howard, You Idiot!”

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A billionaire turned recluse befriends a minor novelist. Together they seize the public’s imagination. Kind of. The true story behind the greatest a...

Hamlet Was Wrong

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The delicate science of hiring nihilism, examined in five deeply-personal case studies.Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our new...

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do we remember one of the deadliest nights in human history? We don't. Part four.Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsl...

Bombs-Away LeMay

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The arguments, accidents, cold-blooded logic and sheer serendipity that led to the longest night of the Second World War. Part three.Get Revisionist H...

May the Best Firebomb Win

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Basement laboratories. Mad scientists. Sticky gels, and a bake-off in the desert. The strange story behind Curtis LeMay’s weapon of choice. Part two...

The Bomber Mafia

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. They failed. Part one on the ex...

The Powerball Revolution

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Bolivia, a political activist radically reforms the voting process for... student council elections. Who else does he convince? Revisionist History...

Hedwig’s Lost Van Gogh

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An escape from war-torn Germany. Lavish dinners with Hollywood royalty. A Swedish baron and a dime-store heiress: we explore the long journey of a Van...

Dragon Psychology 101

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dragons hoard treasure, deep in their lairs. They don’t show it off to their neighbors. Revisionist History applies dragon psychology to the strange...

Introducing Revisionist History Season Five

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andy Warhol. War. Smaug the Dragon. And, as always, digressions of great importance.Launching June 18 from Pushkin Industries. Learn more about your ...

Revisionist History Presents: The Limits of Power

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm has been writing about race and policing for a very long time, going back to the killing of Amadou Diallo in 1999. Sometimes, it is useful t...

The Queen of Cuba

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two small planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an organization in Florida that tried to spot ...

The Obscure Virus Club

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout the 1960s, a biologist named Howard Temin became convinced that something wasn’t right in science’s understanding of viruses. His colle...

Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You thought that there was only one kind of chutzpah. Wrong. There’s two. Revisionist History tells the story of the Mafia’s showdown with a legen...

In a Metal Mood

08 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Two seasons after its investigation of the decline of McDonalds french fries, Revisionist History returns to fast-food’s high-tech test kitchens. Th...

Descend into the Particular

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An unarmed man is shot to death by police. How does the Jesuitical idea of “disordered attachments” help us make sense of what happened? Part thre...

Dr. Rock’s Taxonomy

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

John Rock was the co-inventor of the birth control pill — and a committed Catholic. He wanted his church to approve of his invention. What happens w...

The Standard Case

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History tries to make sense of the conundrum of PED use in baseball, using the 500-year-old philosophical techniques of St. Ignatius. Part...

Good Old Boys

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you disagree with someone — if you find what they think appalling — is there any value in talking to them? In the early 1970s, the talk show ho...

Tempest in a Teacup

04 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bohea, the aroma of tire fire, Mob Wives, smugglers, “bro” tea, and what it all means to the backstory of the American Revolution. Malcolm tells t...

The Tortoise and the Hare

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A weird speech by Antonin Scalia, a visit with some serious legal tortoises, and a testy exchange with the experts at the Law School Admissions Counci...

Puzzle Rush

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm challenges his assistant Camille to the Law School Admissions Test. He gets halfway through, panics, runs out of time, and wonders: why does t...

Introducing Revisionist History Season Four

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jesuits. Chess masters. Mafiosi. Lawyers. And a little bit of tire fire. Launching June 20th from Pushkin Industries.  Learn more about your ad-cho...

Revisionist History Presents: Rick Rubin

13 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Revisionist History presents the first episode of a new podcast, Broken Record. It's a conversation between Rick Rubin and Revisionist History host Ma...

Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The one song The King couldn’t sing.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Strong Verbs, Short Sentences

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

“She was Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, and Florence Nightingale—all wrapped up in one.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...

The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Epidemics of fear repeat themselves. The first time as tragedy. The second time as farce. Margit Hamosh? Definitely farce.  Learn more about your ad...

Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Crucial life lessons from the end of hockey games, Idris Elba, and some Wall Street guys with a lot of time on their hands. Learn more about your ad-...

The Hug Heard Round the World

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Q: Was there a period where you felt you had something to prove? A: The first 45 years of my life.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....

General Chapman’s Last Stand

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Good fences make good neighbors. Or maybe not. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Free Brian Williams

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/l...

A Polite Word for Liar

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An early morning raid, a house-full of Nazis, the world’s greatest harmonica player, and a dashingly handsome undercover spy. What could possibly go...

Burden of Proof

24 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

“He called to wish me ‘Happy Birthday.’ Then he said, ‘I’m failing everything.’” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheart...

Divide and Conquer

17 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The complete, unabridged history of the world’s most controversial semicolon.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwor...

Malcolm Gladwell debates Adam Grant

10 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In a special live taping at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Malcolm talks with WorkLife’s Adam Grant about how to avoid doing highly undesirable task...

Introducing Revisionist History Season Three

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm Gladwell is back with season three of Revisionist History: harmonica players, mass delusion, semicolons, and a constitutional crisis. Launchin...

The Basement Tapes

17 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What is a son’s obligation to his father? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for p...

McDonald’s Broke My Heart

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

They made the world’s greatest French Fry. Then they threw it away. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omn...

Mr. Hollowell Didn’t Like That

03 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Arrested, arraigned, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair in 24 hours. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...

State v Johnson

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Nobody was interested in justice.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

The King of Tears

20 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why country music makes you cry, and rock and roll doesn’t: A musical interpretation of divided America. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...

The Prime Minister and the Prof

13 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The friendship that changed the course of World War II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/li...

The Foot Soldier of Birmingham

06 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Oh, Mac. What did you do?” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A landmark Supreme Court case. A civil rights revolution. Why has everyone forgotten what happened next? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...

The Road to Damascus

22 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when a terrorist has a change of heart? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste...

A Good Walk Spoiled

15 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rich people and their addiction to golf: a philosophical investigation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee o...

Introducing Revisionist History Season Two

26 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

From bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, season two of Revisionist History launches June 15th. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear...

The Satire Paradox

18 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In the political turmoil of mid-1990s Britain, a brilliant young comic named Harry Enfield set out to satirize the ideology and politics of Prime Mi...

Generous Orthodoxy

11 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A 98-year-old minister takes on his church over the subject of gay marriage—and teaches the rest of us what it means to stand up in protest. To lear...

Blame Game

04 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer and fall of 2009, hundreds of Toyota owners came forward with an alarming allegation: Their cars were suddenly and uncontrollably accele...

Hallelujah

28 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How does genius emerge? An exploration of different types of innovation—through the lens of Elvis Costello’s extraordinary song “Deportee,” on...

My Little Hundred Million

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In the early ’90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not even to his alma ma...

Food Fight

14 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bowdoin College and Vassar College are two elite private schools that compete for the same students. But one of those schools is trying hard to addres...

Carlos Doesn’t Remember

07 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Of the tens of thousands of talented, low-income students who graduate from high school every year in the United States, most never make it to univers...

The Big Man Can't Shoot

30 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Wilt Chamberlain’s brilliant career was marred by one, deeply inexplicable decision: He chose a shooting technique that made him one of the worst fo...