From the Kansas Museum of History website:

"A century ago, photography was much more difficult than point-and-shoot. In this podcast we hear about the challenges faced by a pioneering woman photographer. Alice Gardiner Sennrich documented her town—Valley Falls, Kansas—through the lens of a massive camera."

David Ward, historian at the National Portrait Gallery, gives an overview of the life of Albert Einstein, in relation to a portrait of the scientist by Max Westfield.

From the Library of Congress website:

"The John W. Kluge Center held a panel discussion on 'Building the Bomb, Fearing Its Use: Nuclear Scientists, Social Responsibility and Arms Control, 1946-1996.' Speakers were Mary Palevsky, Black Mountain Institute fellow at the Kluge Center, along with Hugh Gusterson, William Lanouette and Martin J. Sherwin. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, statesmen and scientists confronted the unprecedented destructive power of nuclear weapons, according to Palevsky. Early postwar efforts for international control of atomic energy failed, and by the mid-1950s both American and Soviet scientists had invented the hydrogen bomb, a weapon of greater destructive potential than the atomic bomb. Yet arms-control efforts were ongoing even during the Cold War's darkest days. Within a year of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty, prohibiting nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater and in outer space.

International treaty negotiations directly affected the daily lives of thousands of American scientists, engineers and support personnel who designed, built and conducted the tests of new weapon designs. Some of the questions that these scientists and statesmen encountered still exist today, and those questions are the basis for the panel discussion."

From the Library of Congress website:

"Alexander von Humboldt achieved cultural hero status in the United States in the second half of the 19th century. His travels, experiments and knowledge transformed Western science. A lecture at the Library of Congress examined the influence and legacy of the German naturalist and explorer."

Julie Fenster, author of The Spirit of Invention, discusses the American faith in invention and inventors and the everyday drive to overcome inconveniences and more serious problems through experimentation and improvisation.

To listen to this podcast, scroll to "Podcast: Julie Fenster writes about the spirit of invention."

Donald L. Miller, with Douglas Brinkley and Virginia Scharff, look at the war against Japan in the last years of World War II, including the fighting on Okinawa, the fire-bombing of Japan's main islands, and the development of the atomic bomb and the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The presentation then examines life after the war—Bill Levitt and mass-produced housing and the growth of suburbs; Eisenhower and the beginning of the Cold War; the emergence of teenage culture; Elvis Presley's popularity; and the swelling of the civil rights movement.

Donald L. Miller looks at World War II and the United States' experience of it, on the home front; in the air; and, finally, on the ground in Europe.

Donald L. Miller looks at the growth of the city as an American entity from 1882 to 1894. In this presentation, Miller looks particularly at Chicago as a representative of the "new city." Topics include the World's Columbian Exposition, the development of the department store and the skyscraper, the city's transportation system, movement from cities out to suburbs, and reform efforts (including the establishment of Hull House) to address the new problems presented by slums and sweatshops.

Donald L. Miller, with Stephen Ambrose, Virginia Scharff, Waldo E. Martin, Jr., Pauline Maier, Louis P. Masur, and Douglas Brinkley, examines U.S. history from 1875 to 1906. The presentation looks at the rise of industry, including Chicago's meatpacking industry; transportation developments to support industry; Andrew Carnegie and the steel business; the unsanitary and harsh conditions of work in many factories; and the development of the skyscraper.

Donald L. Miller, with Pauline Maier; Waldo E. Martin, Jr.; Virginia Scharff; Louis P. Masur; and Douglas Brinkley, discusses the social environment at the bicentennial of the United States, 1876. Using the 1876 World Exposition as a hub, the presentation examines issues including the situations of Native Americans, women, and African Americans following the Civil War; the emphasis on industrialism and progress; and the trend towards individualism and self-improvement.