HISTORY This Week

Christmas Eve, 1913. For months, newspapers have been trumpeting an urgent message: Do your Christmas shopping early. It would be easy to assume this was the work of greedy department stores and slick ad companies. But it wasn’t – at least not at first. It started as the rallying cry of a labor reformer who was striving to improve the lives of retail workers. Ever since, Americans have been wrestling over the values at the heart of holiday shopping. But even the most earnest efforts at reform have backfired, time and again. How did Christmas gifts become a thing in the first place? And what were some of the spirited attempts to make the holiday shopping season merry for all? Special thanks to our guests: Jennifer Le Zotte, professor of history and material culture at the University of North Carolina - Wilmington; Ellen Litwicki, professor emerita at the State University of New York at Fredonia; and Paul Ringel, professor of history at High Point University and author of Commercializing Childhood. This episode originally aired on December 19th, 2022. To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

**For this HTW special feature, Sally interviews director Robert Eggers about his new historically inspired film, Nosferatu.** Winter, 1476. Vlad III is a prince in Wallachia, in present-day Romania. He is a violent man, so violent that he earns the nickname "Vlad the Impaler." He also has another name that he inherited from his father: Dracula. Dracula is constantly fighting for his crown, but today, that fight will come to an end. His headless body will be discovered in a marsh, stuck down by his enemies. But his legend will live on. Dracula pops up in stories throughout Europe over the next few centuries, until author Bram Stoker decides to combine this legend with the latest fictional craze, vampires. His book, Dracula, becomes the king of the genre. It inspires numerous adaptations, including a silent film called Nosferatu. It's considered one of the most important horror movies in history. Over 100 years later, director Robert Eggers has reimagined the original Nosferatu and adapted it for a modern audience. In a conversation with Eggers, we asked, how did he make a blood-sucking monster feel like a historical figure? And where do vampires fit into our lives today? Special thanks to Robert Eggers, director of Nosferatu. We also used a great book to help research this episode, Dracula: Prince of Many Faces, by Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally. To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

December 21st, 1970. Elvis has entered the building. And today, that building is the White House. He's brought a gift for President Nixon, a framed Colt .45 pistol, which White House security won't be thrilled with. But he isn't just there to drop off a Christmas present. Elvis Presley has lived many lives in his brief 35 years that a child might dream of: he got to be a musician, a soldier, a movie star, the "King of Rock and Roll." And now he might be just a handshake away from his next dream... becoming a federal agent. What's going on in Elvis Presley's chaotic life that leads him to seek this meeting with Richard Nixon? And when they come face-to-face, does Elvis get what he came for? Special thanks to our guest, Jon Lowy, author of Elvis and Nixon and founder and president of Global Action on Gun Violence. To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

December 11th, 1934. Bill Wilson is on the subway, working his way through his third beer, heading to Towns Hospital. He isn’t injured, and he isn’t what would be traditionally classified as “sick.” But he knows he has a problem. And he needs help. What he doesn't know as he arrives at the hospital – with a fourth bottle of beer in his hand – is that this will be the last sip of alcohol of his life. And when he's discharged from Towns, he won't be returning. Instead, he'll go on to start the most successful alcohol treatment program in history. How did Bill W. finally kick his addiction to alcohol? And how did his journey toward sobriety lead to the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous? Special thanks to Bill Schaberg, author of Writing the Big Book: The Creation of AA. To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices