Revisionist History

Today we're sharing a recent episode from another show Malcolm hosts, Smart Talks with IBM . Earlier this year, IBM and Red Hat launched Lightwell, a $5 billion initiative backed by a force of 20,000 engineers with the goal of securing the open source software that powers a great deal of modern life — from banks and payment systems to transportation and critical infrastructure. Malcolm Gladwell speaks with cybersecurity leader Jen Easterly, Wells Fargo Chief Information Security Officer Munish Sharma, and Red Hat’s Gunnar Hellekson about how AI is transforming vulnerability discovery, how open source software can introduce risk, and what it will take to secure the shared digital infrastructure much of the world depends on. If this episode sparks a question you’d like to ask an IBM technical expert, submit your question at ibm.com/smarttalks This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Malcolm interviews Adam Grant around his new book, Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World . They cover the three kinds of relationships—pals, allies, and companions—explain why frenemies may be worse for your health than enemies, and look at why dating algorithms can’t find your soulmate. Malcolm offers a grand unified theory of Adam’s work: every book has been a nerd manifesto. Along the way, they talk about what kids learn from watching their parents work, and how nerds build community in their own ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve known about a solution to violent crime for decades. Why hasn’t it been adopted everywhere? And what are the costs of waiting so long? You can order The American Way of Killing at Gladwell.com or wherever books are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last few years homicide rates in Baltimore have plummeted. A city once labeled America’s murder capital is seeing a reprieve that seems nothing short of miraculous. What happened? This week, Malcolm takes a look at what Baltimore is doing to save lives. To learn more about the organization Termite founded, visit: https://switchinglanesadultandyouth.org/ You can order The American Way of Killing at Gladwell.com or wherever books are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A dispatch from the book tour – Malcolm recently joined WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show for a conversation about his new book, The American Way of Killing. We’re sharing it here today, including listener phone calls about their own experiences and questions about the epidemic of gun violence in America. You can order The American Way of Killing at Gladwell.com or wherever books are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Malcolm’s new book, The American Way of Killing , he investigates why gun violence in the United States is so much worse than every other country in the West. Today, we’re sharing a chapter from the audiobook and over the next four weeks we’ll air episodes about the gun violence epidemic in America. Later in the series, Revisionist History looks at how Baltimore turned its homicide problem around, and why it took so long. You can order The American Way of Killing at Gladwell.com or wherever books are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm sat down with President Barack Obama while making Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise for a conversation about history, progress, and why democracy is never a finished project . What makes Reconstruction one of the most misunderstood eras in American history, and why does it still have so much relevance today? Today, we’re sharing an extended version of their conversation. You can find the full series, Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise , on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Ben's Staten Island summer, he sat down with The Dollop hosts, comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds, to examine Staten Island during the Revolutionary War. Ben, Dave, and Gareth dive into an extremely niche topic in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did some remains of those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks end up in what was once the world's largest landfill? In this episode: the battle that continues to this day over what some see as a pile of dust, and what others see as the remains of the dead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a sentence in the Declaration of Independence that almost no one talks about. It's the last grievance: “He has excited the merciless Indian Savages”, it reads, "whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." We’ve all been told the American Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But that's not what the Declaration of Independence says. According to our founders, what they were most upset about was Native Americans. How did we miss that? That's the question at the heart of a new Pushkin podcast called First America. It’s hosted by Rebecca Nagle, an Indigenous author and the host of Crooked’s This Land podcast. First America reveals the true story of how the United States came to be, and how our current political moment is 250 years in the making. It unveils how the founders’ treatment of Indigenous nations—and their resistance—shaped US democracy. Here's episode 1. Rebecca sits down with historian Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) to talk about how hunger for Indigenous land drove the Revolution. Find more episodes of First America wherever you get podcasts . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Afro is one of the most iconic hairstyles of the last century. And one of its main ingredients was a product: Afro Sheen. But Afro Sheen did so much more than make Black afros shine. It was the money behind the television show Soul Train and it helped fuel the civil rights movement, all because of an entrepreneur named George Johnson. This week we're bringing you an episode from our friends at NPR's Planet Money. For decades, Joan and George Johnson ran Johnson Products Company, a Black hair care company out of Chicago. They helped turn the Black haircare industry into what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. But although they helped create this industry, they no longer have a part in it. If you enjoy this episode, hear Planet Money wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Election night 1993 meets election night 2016. The fate of the island and the country converge in the figure of one man: Rudy Giuliani. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the height of the secession movement, the Wu-Tang Clan forms on Staten Island. We take a tour of early 1990s hip-hop and reveal the hidden history of the group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group on Staten Island tries to stop secession, squaring off against the secessionists in a heated set of debates and meetings recorded on never-before-seen archival tapes. A set of debates best understood via a detour into the history of a remote Polynesian island. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Supreme Court takes a close look at New York City government, Staten Island comes out the loser. A local artist begins organizing for secession. We take a deep dive into the psychology of the island, which has a lot to do with the largest garbage dump in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A riot, a voyage at sea, and a movement to break up the greatest city in the country. The first Black mayor of New York City faces off with the borough president of Staten Island and tries to hold his city together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years ago, Malcolm inveighed against the exclusive country clubs of Los Angeles in an episode of Revisionist History called "A Good Walk Spoiled." This November, thanks to a Los Angeles City Council member who heard the episode, Los Angeles voters will have the opportunity to take up Malcolm's cause. Today, Malcolm revisits "A Good Walk Spoiled," and speaks with Councilmember Adrin Nazarian about his proposed ballot measure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 250th anniversary of the United States, Revisionist History investigates the overlooked story of New York City almost breaking apart as Staten Island threatened to secede. Over the course of five episodes, The Staten Island Problem reconstructs the battle for New York City amidst the turbulent early 1990s — the rise of Rudy Giuliani, the peak of the homicide rate, the Wu-Tang Clan, a young Donald Trump, and the first Black mayor of New York — all through the prism of the city’s Forgotten Borough. And ultimately asks: What do you do when a democracy looks like it’s falling apart? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would a tomato by any other name taste as sweet? What about a steak? Malcolm sends Ben on a mission to investigate the cutting edge of food technology and two mistakes: one from the 1990s and one that’s unfolding as we speak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sharing Malcolm’s latest project, a podcast called Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise. Imagine a time when the United States was split in two. And then had to put itself back together. It was a time of chaos and sometimes violence as millions of people fought for the right to become citizens. Americans struggled over questions like: who gets to be a citizen? Who has the right to vote? To own property? In short, who belongs? This was Reconstruction…the era following the Civil War. When Americans ended slavery and expanded voting rights. But none of this was easy. Many people consider the promise of Reconstruction unfulfilled. Why? In this episode, journalist Kai Wright shares the story of the legendary abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass and how he navigated a world without Abraham Lincoln. Find Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise on Audible or wherever you get podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.