WNYC and the History Channel have produced a number of great podcasts, but this series does a fantastic job of taking events and providing in-depth storytelling alongside historical analysis. I have listened to all three seasons (9/11, Tulsa Race Riots, AIDS) and each have been wonderful. The use of interviews adds nuance and character to the storytelling and takes each season beyond just a categorization of events towards something much more humane.

This is by far one of my favorite podcasts and should be at the top of your listening queue if you have any interest in world history. Dalrymple and Anand are fantastic hosts that combine their in-depth and archaic knowledge of history with their own personal experiences, outstanding use of interviews, and genuine love for the the topic material. I teach World History and am constantly going back to revise my own lectures and presentations based on the information they present.Additionally, one of the things that is often missing from history podcasts is a general sense of joy. History is hard. The topics are hard. The suffering described can be hard. Despite giving each topic the appropriate gravity it may deserve, they both demonstrate a genuine love of the material and respect for each other that makes the listening experience wonderful.

I listened to the first two episodes and had the same criticism of both. I love the idea for the podcast, especially a deep-dive into how music critics view different songs and their justification for being placed on the list. The hosts are great and I love the inclusion of a third guest to provide greater insight, but the overall structure just does not hit right for me. There are a few glaring issues that make it difficult to listen to in the long run for me though.1) Production - This is a music discussion podcast, but there is little to no use of the music being discussed. Compared to a podcast like Hit Parade, where there is both discussion and integration of the songs, this is a huge miss. In the second episode, they reference specific drum styles and other musicians, but if you don't already have a background in those artists, this means nothing to the casual listener.2) Song Ranking - I love the conceit of the podcast, but some discussion of why each particular song was ranked. Dreams was #9 and Baby One More Time was 205. Some comparison or contextualization would make the ranking more clear and add to the depth.