Shows / Revisionist History
Revisionist History
Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. From Pushkin Industries. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.
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Episodes
Revisionist HistoryThe $5 Billion Effort to help Secure the World’s Shared Software | Smart Talks with IBM
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…
Revisionist HistoryPals, Allies, and Companions | Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant Live
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…
Revisionist HistoryWolfgang's Law - Part Two
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…
Revisionist HistoryWolfgang's Law - Part One
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…
Revisionist HistoryBrian Lehrer and Malcolm Gladwell Talk Policing and Guns
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Invention of an Epidemic
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…
Revisionist HistoryPresident Barack Obama & Malcolm Gladwell: How Reconstruction Still Defines America
Malcolm sat down with President Barack Obama while making Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise for a conversation about history, progress, and why democracy…
Revisionist HistoryA Dollop Crossover | Ben Naddaff-Hafrey on Staten Island and the Revolutionary War
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Fines
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…
Revisionist HistoryMerciless Indian Savages | First America
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Other Johnson and Johnson | From Planet Money
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Staten Island Problem - Part 5: Revenge of the Forgotten Borough
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Staten Island Problem - Part 4: Wu-Tang vs. Shaolin
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Staten Island Problem - Part 3: The Tuvalu Effect
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Staten Island Problem - Part 2: A New Map
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…
Revisionist HistoryThe Staten Island Problem - Part 1: The Mayor vs. the Borough President
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…
Revisionist HistoryRevenge of "A Good Walk Spoiled"
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…
Revisionist HistoryComing Soon: The Staten Island Problem
On the 250th anniversary of the United States, Revisionist History investigates the overlooked story of New York City almost breaking apart as Staten Island…
Revisionist HistoryFrankenfood | The Mistakes Series
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…
Revisionist HistoryReconstruction: The Unfinished Promise
Sharing Malcolm’s latest project, a podcast called Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise. Imagine a time when the United States was split in two. And…
Revisionist HistoryRevisited: Ms. Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment
Revisionist History revisits an episode from season two and Malcolm tells the story of a phone call that set in motion a collaboration with President Barack…
Revisionist HistoryIntroducing The News from Scene on Radio
Scene on Radio is a two-time Peabody-nominated podcast that dares to ask big, hard questions about who we are—really—and how we got this way. Their…
Revisionist HistoryThe Great American Elevator Tragedy | The Mistakes Series
A single line of a building code proposal filled out by a fire inspector in Glendale, Arizona has had a devastating impact on the way housing is built across…
Revisionist HistoryThe Trust Diagnosis
The episode centers on the dilemma of a man with an advanced, metastatic case of prostate cancer. His name is Dan. Every doctor he spoke to had a different…
Revisionist HistoryThe BlackBerry Problem | The Mistakes Series
Jim Balsillie, the one time co-CEO of Research in Motion, reflects on the mistake that led to the downfall of BlackBerry, once named the fastest growing…
Revisionist HistoryThe Worst Poet in the World | From Cautionary Tales
In light of our current series on mistakes, we're sharing an episode from Cautionary Tales—a podcast that’s all about mistakes and what we can…
Revisionist HistoryWhy Would I Do That to Jennifer Lopez? | The Mistakes Series
Years ago a music producer named Irv Gotti–a hitmaker for Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and Ashanti–was tapped by Sony Music to make a record with Jennifer…
Revisionist HistoryA Tragedy in Texas | The Mistakes Series
General David Goldfein, former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, and Dr. Heather Wilson, former Secretary of the Air Force, tell the story of the worst day…
Revisionist HistoryThe Sony Hack | The Mistakes Series
The former head of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Michael Lynton, tells Malcolm about a time he made a really big mistake: greenlighting a film that would lead…
Revisionist HistoryBehind the Scenes with Andrew Jarecki
Since Andrew Jarecki’s latest documentary The Alabama Solution debuted on HBO, it has stunned viewers with a story about a group of men seeking justice…
Revisionist HistoryZootopia Exposed! (Part Two)
Did Disney make an anti-Disney movie? Ben and Malcolm engage in a bit of literary sleuthing to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Revisionist HistoryZootopia Exposed! (Part One)
Screenwriter Gary Goldman claimed the creators of the Disney franchise Zootopia stole his story. Malcolm investigates. Check out Part Two of our Zootopia…
Revisionist HistoryFrom Valley of Shadows: The Devil's Punchbowl
Valley of Shadows is a new Pushkin true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles…
Revisionist HistoryThe Big Birthday Party
Despite his disdain for birthdays, Malcolm finds himself celebrating ten years of Revisionist History by looking back on the making of the show with producers…
Revisionist HistoryInvisible Infrastructure with T-Mobile for Business
A journalist reporting from some far-flung remote location. A massive blackout. Ticketless entry to a huge sporting event. Behind some of the most…
Revisionist HistoryMalcolm Gladwell Doesn't Mind Being Wrong | From Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know
Malcolm recently went on the podcast of one of his favorite comedians, Hasan Minhaj. He enjoyed the experience so much, he wanted to share the conversation…
Revisionist HistoryChristmas in Connecticut
Today, we bring you our holiday epic from last year. When Arnold Schwarzenegger decided he wanted to direct a feature film, the choice of material was obvious…
Revisionist HistoryTwas the Night Before Christmas
For nearly 200 years, we have credited the most famous poem of the Christmas season to Clement Clarke Moore. But what if we got the wrong man? This holiday…
Revisionist HistoryUnderstanding the Death Penalty: Malcolm Gladwell on The Intercept Briefing
Malcolm and Liliana Segura, a criminal justice reporter at Intercept, sat down for an episode of The Intercept Briefing to discuss The Alabama Murders, the…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 7: The Second Warrant
Holman Correctional Facility. January 2024. Over three decades after the murder of Elizabeth Sennett, the failure cascade comes to an end, but not before…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 6: The Porterfield Sessions
Manhattan, NY December. 2022. What do you do, after the state has tried to execute you, but failed? Kenny Smith’s legal team calls Kate Porterfield. A…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 5: Cruel and Unusual
Holman Correctional Facility. November 2022. The State of Alabama tries to execute Kenneth Smith. Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 4: The Protocol
Holman Correctional Facility. June 2010. John Forrest Parker is put to death by lethal injection. He didn’t appear to suffer. But did he? Get early…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 3: A Peculiar Institution
Colbert County. May 1989. One of the men charged with Elizabeth Sennett’s murder stands trial. But the prosecution’s case has problematic…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 2: Coon Dog Cemetery Road
Florence, Alabama. 1988. After a horrifying murder takes place, an anonymous caller names three young men as suspects. But speculation swirls about the…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders - Part 1: The True Church
In a small town in the northwest corner of Alabama, a cascade begins with a man and an affair. Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama…
Revisionist HistoryThe Alabama Murders
Florence, Alabama. 1988. A preacher has an affair. A woman is murdered. One death cascades into more, stretching across decades and leaving no one untouched…
Revisionist HistoryAmericana Music Live with Drew Holcomb and Malcolm Gladwell
Wrapping up our summer music series, the Memphis-born, East Nashville-based singer songwriter Drew Holcomb talks with Malcolm in front of a live audience at…
Revisionist HistoryEncore: Good Old Boys
In 2019, Malcolm just wanted an excuse to hang out with Randy Newman so they sat down at the piano together and tried to answer the question: If you disagree…
Revisionist HistoryEncore: Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis
Malcolm’s habit of reading footnotes leads him to the psychologist Alan Elms, which leads him to the one song Elvis couldn’t sing. We revisit this…
Revisionist HistoryEncore: The King of Tears
Why does country music make you cry, but rock and roll doesn’t? We revisit a musical interpretation of a divided America in this episode from 2017. Get…
Revisionist HistoryEncore: Hallelujah
How does genius emerge? Kicking off our summer series, Malcolm digs into the Revisionist History archive to revisit Elvis Costello’s song…
Revisionist HistoryEncores
Starting next week, we revisit four of Malcolm’s favorite episodes from the Revisionist History archives, all about music. See omnystudio.com/listener…
Revisionist HistoryThe Formula
In our season finale, we team up with the Culinary Institute of America to reverse engineer the secret recipe for Thomas’s English Muffins. You can read…
Revisionist HistoryNooks & Crannies
Seven people knew the recipe for a half-a-billion dollar muffin. Then, one of them tried to leave. Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist History by subscribing…
Revisionist HistoryRat vs. Raccoon
What if we picked the wrong animal? Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist History by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+…
Revisionist HistoryFace Value
Malcolm and Lucie discover that they experience something very differently. If you suspect you might have a problem recognizing faces and you want to get…
Revisionist HistoryThe Origin of “You” – A Conversation with John McWhorter
Malcolm sits down with the linguist John McWhorter, to discuss his new book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. Among other things in…
Revisionist HistoryThe Joe Rogan Intervention
The world's most famous interviewer has a problem with interviewing. Revisionist History is here to help. Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist History by…
Revisionist HistoryThe RFK Jr. Problem
Malcolm investigates the origins of what the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services believes (and doesn’t believe) about viruses. Get ad-free…