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 HistoryRunning Hot
You might think unbelievably loud, shrill sirens on ambulances and fire trucks are just a fact of life. But what if we got the facts all wrong? In this episode…
Revisionist HistoryIn Defense of PAW Patrol
PAW Patrol is in trouble. Like Ryder and the pups, Malcolm comes to the rescue. Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist History by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple…
Revisionist HistoryMemorial Day, 2020 | Part 2
Five years ago a police officer tried to stop Derek Chauvin from murdering George Floyd. Why didn’t he try harder? Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist…
Revisionist HistoryMemorial Day, 2020 | Part 1
Five years ago the entire world watched Derek Chauvin murder George Floyd. What did we miss? Get ad-free episodes to Revisionist History by subscribing to…
Revisionist HistoryRevisionist History is Back
Revisionist History will be back with an all-new season starting March 13th. We’ll be investigating everything from Paw Patrol to the secret behind…
Revisionist HistoryWelcoming Heavyweight
We are thrilled to welcome the acclaimed narrative series Heavyweight to the Pushkin network. In each episode Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help someone…
Revisionist HistoryMalcolm Breaks Down the Perfect Break Up Song
In this Valentine’s Day special from Pushkin Industries, Malcolm breaks down the perfect break up song. But first, Broken Record hosts Justin Richmond…
Revisionist HistoryThe Future of Healthcare Technology with Eli Lilly and Company's Diogo Rau
How is technology transforming the healthcare space? Malcolm sits down with Diogo Rau, the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Eli Lilly and Company, to…
Revisionist HistoryHow to Trust and Be Trusted with Rachel Botsman
Rachel Botsman, Oxford University Lecturer and author of the new Pushkin audiobook How to Trust and Be Trusted, joins Malcolm to talk about how to make smart…
Revisionist HistoryA Very Terminator Christmas
What happens when the biggest movie star in the world directs the smallest Christmas film on basic cable? A holiday miracle. Today on the show: The…
Revisionist HistoryGambling with Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis, host of Against the Rules and author of Moneyball, The Big Short, Liar’s Poker, and Going Infinite, joins Malcolm to talk about the wild world…
Revisionist HistoryJohn Birch vs. the PTA
In the 1960s, a right-wing organization led by a former candy tycoon rose to fame in America for their anti-communist campaigns. They called themselves the…
Revisionist HistoryExploring Life-Saving AI Tech with T-Mobile for Business
How is 5G powering the use of AI to revolutionize life-saving solutions? Malcolm sits with T-Mobile for Business CMO Mo Katibeh, 3AM Innovations COO Ryan Litt…
Revisionist HistoryThe Tipping Point Revisited: Broken Windows
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm helped popularize a controversial approach to policing called “Broken Windows Theory” that is often credited for keeping crime…
Revisionist HistoryThe Tipping Point Revisited: Live with David Remnick
On the very first stop of the Revenge of the Tipping Point book tour, Malcolm sat down with David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, at the 92Y in New York…
Revisionist HistoryThe Tipping Point Revisited: Georgetown Massacre Part 2
What exactly constitutes a bribe? The Georgetown Massacre continues, and the defense calls a surprise witness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Revisionist HistoryThe Tipping Point Revisited: Georgetown Massacre Part 1
In the ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal, the government indicted more than 50 people. Business leaders. Celebrities. Actors. Rich people accused of…
Revisionist HistoryThe Tipping Point Revisited: An Excerpt
Today, we’re sharing an exclusive preview of the audiobook of Revenge of the Tipping Point. All about bank robbers and doctors. Find Revenge of the Tipping…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 9: A Plague on Both Your Houses.
In the season finale, we turn back the clock four years, take a side trip to Alabama, meet an extraordinary man named Billy Garland, and ask: What is the right…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 8: “Vater, It is to be Fayetteville”
In the early 1930s, a young German law student spent a year in Arkansas, studying American “race law.” The fight over the 1936 Games provided Americans with a…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 7: Long Jump, Tall Tale
Jesse Owens spent the rest of his life retelling the story of the 1936 games and his encounter with Luz Long. We trace the evolution of a tall tale…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 6: The Jiggle & the Giddy Up
The most famous athlete in Berlin was the American sprinter Jesse Owens, and one of the most famous stories from those Games was the unexpected, heartwarming…
Revisionist HistoryPushkin Goes to the Olympics
Legends are made at the Olympics and this summer shows across the Pushkin network are bringing their unique takes to Olympic stories. This special episode…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 5: The Amateur’s Hour
A German Jewish high-jumper is determined to get her shot at Olympic greatness. And an idealist faces an existential choice. In the fifth episode of Hilter’s…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 4: Outcast in Olympia
The cheerleader-in-chief for the American Olympic movement was a brilliant, self-made Chicago tycoon named Avery Brundage. Brundage did more to ensure the…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 3: Mustache to Mustache
With the fate of the Olympics on the line, Charles Sherrill travels to Germany to take up the question of Jewish athletes directly with the Führer. We dig…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 2: Pangloss, Polonius, Prufrock
Charles Sherrill was everything a gentleman of his generation was supposed to be: rich, handsome, charming, Ivy-Leagued. He was impossibly well connected and…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics, Part 1: The Blue-Eyed Tornado
In the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler granted a rare interview to the American journalist Dorothy Thompson. When Hitler later came to power, and prepared to stage…
Revisionist HistoryHitler’s Olympics
Adolf Hitler swept to power in Germany in the early 1930s and soon set out to stage the most extravagant and spectacular summer Olympics yet: the 1936 Berlin…
Revisionist HistoryMalcolm on No Small Endeavor
Malcolm recently sat down with friend and award-winning theologian Lee C. Camp to discuss his journey on the acclaimed podcast No Small Endeavor. In this…
Revisionist HistoryBlue Seattle with Cameron Crowe | Development Hell
In 1986, Cameron Crowe, the film director, and Nancy Wilson, of the rock group Heart, got married. They honeymooned in a little cabin in the Pacific Northwest…
Revisionist HistoryLabor of Love with M. Night Shyamalan | Development Hell
Before M. Night Shyamalan became a household name for his mind bending thrillers like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs”, he was just a young screenwriter in love…
Revisionist HistoryI Am Superman with Patty Jenkins | Development Hell
Between her big hits, “Monster” and “Wonder Woman”, Patty Jenkins wrote an R-rated fairy tale, starring a dog. She hoped that the dog would deliver such a…
Revisionist HistoryThe Birthday Party with Charles Randolph | Development Hell
Before Charles Randolph won an Oscar for writing “The Big Short,” he adapted a memoir called “The Birthday Party”: the true story of a white man kidnapped by…
Revisionist HistoryBubbles with Isaac Adamson | Development Hell
This is the story behind a biopic about a chimpanzee named Bubbles, sidekick to the King of Pop. Malcolm talks with the writer, Isaac Adamson, about the…
Revisionist HistoryThe Variable Man with Gary Goldman and Angus Fletcher | Development Hell
Gary Goldman was a writer on “Total Recall”, a Philip K. Dick adaptation directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzeneger. It was a big hit. So why…
Revisionist HistoryBlink with Stephen Gaghan | Development Hell
It’s the mid-2000s, Malcolm and writer/producer Stephen Gaghan (“Traffic”, “Syriana”) are running around Hollywood pitching their scripted adaptation of Blink…
Revisionist HistoryWelcome to Development Hell
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. On February 29th, Revisionist History is returning with Development Hell, a series of untold stories about Hollywood…
Revisionist HistoryRevisionist History LIVE with Nate Berkus
Malcolm Gladwell sits with interior design legend Nate Berkus in a live conversation covering everything from travel, to their moms, prestige TV, and finding…
Revisionist HistoryThe IT Revolution
The digital revolution has been happening for a while now, but with 5G, it’s about to reach a whole new level. IT departments are about to rule the world. So…
Revisionist HistoryBoard Game Season
A young family nearly lost everything in the 1970s farm crisis. Then, they invented a board game. Today on the show, producer Ben Naddaff-Hafrey shares a story…
Revisionist HistoryA New Day at the Races
Revisionist History heads to Las Vegas for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, courtesy of T-Mobile for Business. Malcolm talks with T-Mobile and Las Vegas…
Revisionist HistoryThis Is Your Captain Speaking
What does a pilot sound like? Malcolm and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey take off on a long, strange investigation that takes them from Las Vegas to Family Guy to the…
Revisionist HistoryThe Bear Was Poked With Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova returns as Revisionist History’s ombudsman. Today, she talks with Malcolm about assault rifles, tales of the two Matt Dillons, moral hazard…
Revisionist HistoryOil and Blood: The Osage Murders from Cautionary Tales
Today, we’re bringing you an episode from another Pushkin show, Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford. This episode is based on Killers of the Flower Moon, with…
Revisionist HistoryUnlocking Hidden Potential with Adam Grant
Malcolm Gladwell hosts a rollicking live discussion about Adam Grant’s new book, “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things,” which is…
Revisionist HistorySilicon Valley on the Couch
Why is Silicon Valley where it is? How did a narrow valley in California become the epicenter of the computer age? People usually say it’s because of Stanford…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 6: “Sin is the failure to bother to care”
Abdullah Pratt grew up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, then returned to be an ER doctor in his neighborhood hospital. At the end of…
Revisionist HistoryFive Burning Travel Questions with Malcolm Gladwell
Revisionist History hits the road, courtesy of Airbnb. Malcolm shares some travel tips, including music for poolside relaxation, how to find your way around…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 5: The Footnote
At the end of a forgotten study of convicted murderers, the author left a devastating footnote. We travel to an old plantation house outside Montgomery Alabama…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 4: Moral Hazard
Robert Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1968, ending his presidential run. Had he been shot today, would he have lived? A what-if story about…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 3: A Shooting Lesson
Malcolm goes to a shooting range in the woods of North Carolina to get a tutorial on the AR-15. It’s scary. It’s ugly. It’s at the center of the gun control…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 2: Getting out of Dodge
The longest running television series of the 20th century was Gunsmoke, a western set in the notorious Dodge City, Kansas. Malcolm sweeps away mountains of…
Revisionist HistoryGuns Part 1: The Sudden Celebrity of Sir John Knight
In the battles over gun rights, a shadowy English nobleman from the 17th century has unexpectedly taken center stage. Who was he? What did he do that has — 300…
Revisionist HistoryDoctors, Guns, and Money
Coming soon – a six-part series from Revisionist History about everything Americans get wrong about guns. The series will air weekly, starting Thursday, August…
Revisionist HistoryTaxonomy of the Modern Mystery Story
Today, another episode from the Revisionist History Live universe. It's an old fashioned lecture, recorded at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane…
Revisionist HistoryActing Out
Malcolm talks with Ben Naddaff-Hafrey, host of The Last Archive, about the forgotten origins of a major social science, the missing chapter in Ella…
Revisionist HistoryA Good Circle
This season, Malcolm's covered a lot of the problems in higher education. Today on the show: A solution. A big idea being tested at a little school on the…
Revisionist HistoryFeeling A Bit Attacked with Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova, Revisionist History’s ombudsman—who's also an author, psychologist and professional poker player—is back for another round. This time she…
Revisionist HistoryThe Pushkin Prize for Egregiously Deceptive Self-Promotion
Consider this your invitation to the greatest award show no one’s ever heard of: the Pushkin Prizes, created to honor the giants of the American education…