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 Crisis in Girls’ Sports with Lauren Fleshman and Linda Flanagan
In a live conversation taped at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Malcolm and his Martian friend consult athletes Linda Flanagan and Lauren Fleshman on how…
Revisionist HistoryThe Mystery of Mastery with Adam Gopnik
In a live conversation taped at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Malcolm chats with his old friend and New Yorker magazine colleague, Adam Gopnik, about…
Revisionist HistoryIntroducing: So Many Steves, A New Audiobook from Steve Martin and Pushkin
Today, we’re bringing you a preview of Pushkin's new audiobook, “So Many Steves.” Steve Martin is more candid than he’s ever been about his creative life in…
Revisionist HistoryMalcolm Goes to Debate School
What do you do after you've been humiliated at the Munk Debates? You call in the A-Team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Revisionist HistoryHigher Animals with Michael Specter
Malcolm talks with his old friend, the brilliant science writer Michael Specter, about the future of life on Earth. Michael's response to the Covid-19 pandemic…
Revisionist HistoryStarted From The Bottom with Justin Richmond
Today, we dig into the fascinating life of someone Malcolm knows very well: fellow Pushkin host Justin Richmond. Malcolm and Justin talk about being the…
Revisionist HistoryRodents and Red Wine with Maria Konnikova
Author, psychologist and professional poker player Maria Konnikova joins the show as Revisionist History’s first ombudsman. Maria advocates for the audience…
Revisionist HistoryA Treat for the Die-Hards
Every writer, podcaster and storyteller obsesses about how they begin a story. But they rarely pay enough attention to endings. Nothing matters more. Malcolm…
Revisionist HistoryFrom Broken Record: Rick Rubin in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell
In which Malcolm reunites with his colleague, friend and fellow host of Broken Record (not to mention a music icon in his own right), Rick Rubin. This month…
Revisionist HistoryThe Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon - Part Two
In part two of our special series with Cadillac, we test whether the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ can keep up with the demands of a 21st-century helicopter…
Revisionist HistoryThe Cadillac LYRIQ: Malcolm Gladwell meets an Electric Icon – Part One
Not long ago, we got a call at Pushkin Headquarters from Cadillac. They knew that Malcolm takes cars very seriously… so they asked if he’d heard of the…
Revisionist HistoryFrom Inside Voice: Lake Bell and the Sexy Baby Voice Phenomenon
Malcolm's friend, actress/writer/director/producer Lake Bell, is obsessed with voice. Malcolm is a little obsessed with Lake. This excerpt from Lake's new…
Revisionist HistoryThe Mennonite National Anthem
Lester Glick’s year in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment cost him his hoped-for career and also left him with an eating disorder for the rest of his life…
Revisionist HistoryThe Rise of the Guinea Pigs
The Minnesota Starvation Experiment could never be done today. No scientist could get permission to starve 36 healthy people for close to a year. But why?…
Revisionist HistoryThe Department of Physiological Hygiene
In the final year of the Second World War, 36 men spent a year in a dingy set of rooms under the University of Minnesota football stadium. They were part of an…
Revisionist HistoryOutliers, Revisited
Did Malcolm Gladwell blow it in his bestselling book Outliers? What if all he did was write a primer for neurotic helicopter parents? To find out, Revisionist…
Revisionist HistoryWe’re Back … With More Experiments!
Revisionist History returns on September 15th with a saga about self-sacrifice. Plus, Malcolm offers a mea culpa for an unintended consequence of a chapter he…
Revisionist HistoryTim Harford Cools Us Down This Summer
We’ll be back in September with new episodes of Revisionist History. In the meantime, I got to sit down with my good friend and host of Cautionary Tales, Tim…
Revisionist History“I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me”
Malcolm tells the story of how his parents and their friends sponsored three Vietnamese refugees, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. And wonders: do we…
Revisionist HistoryWhen Will Met Grace
You thought the antics of Will, Grace, Jack and Karen were just harmless fun. Oh please. Revisionist History dives deep into a television sitcom that you may…
Revisionist HistoryStar Struck
A legendary Hollywood mogul, a famous author, a fatal drunk driving accident, and a brilliant bit of screenwriting, left on the cutting room floor. Revisionist…
Revisionist HistoryIn Triplicate
A mystery that begins with the half-baked idea of an obscure California bureaucrat in the 1930’s and ends with one of the worst public crises in American…
Revisionist HistoryWay to Go, Ohio
A century ago, a mysterious and disfiguring disease was finally cured by an experiment in Akron, Ohio . . . with a condiment. We ask: it is time to return to…
Revisionist HistoryThe Magic Wand Experiment
What if you could design any experiment you wanted? Without worrying about money, ethics, logistics, or even the laws of nature? Revisionist History kicks off…
Revisionist HistoryRevisionist History Season 7: The Experiment Experience
Revisionist History is back! And obsessed with ... experiments. Natural experiments. Thought experiments. Failed experiments. Experiments that end up in salt…
Revisionist HistoryRelax and Win from Legacy of Speed
Sharing a new Pushkin show, Legacy of Speed. When two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, it shook the world. More than 50…
Revisionist HistoryThe Revisionist History Holiday Sampler
Sharing special previews of Pushkin’s show Bad Women: Ripper Retold and this month’s Pushkin+ episode, ‘The Dog-tor WIll See You Now’ You know the story: In…
Revisionist HistoryTeaser: Pushkin’s Dirty Laundry
In this month’s subscriber-only episode, the Pushkin staff have something to say about Malcolm’s portrayal of their laundry habits. Plus, an unbiased expert…
Revisionist HistoryTeaser: The Compromises of Al Levitt
In this month’s subscriber-only episode, a look at the complicated and possibly cursed career of Helen Levitt’s other half. This is a sneak peek at the second…
Revisionist HistoryThe Dog Will See You Now
If recent times have shown us anything, it’s that many problems can not be fixed by humans alone. In the season 6 finale, Revisionist History turns to another…
Revisionist HistoryA Serious Game
The best way to prepare for the unexpected may not be to make plans, or predictions, but to play games. Revisionist History explores imaginary worlds and the…
Revisionist HistoryLaundry Done Right
Is there a right way to do your laundry? Of course there is. A long look at the science of cleaning your clothes. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Revisionist HistoryLittle Mermaid Part 3: Honestly Ever After
Revisionist History presents: The Little Mermaid...our way. The grand finale of our three-part series. Featuring the voices of Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Dax…
Revisionist HistoryLittle Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist
The quest to revise The Little Mermaid continues. This week, we call in the experts. Part two of three. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Revisionist HistoryLittle Mermaid Part 1: The Golden Contract
Revisionist History takes on The Little Mermaid: a deep dive into a world where merpeople present us with a series of vexing moral conundrums. Part one of…
Revisionist HistoryThe Judgment of Helen Levitt
Helen Slote Levitt was on her way to the good life in 1950s Hollywood. Then one day, her name appeared on a list. The story of an ordinary woman whose world…
Revisionist HistoryProject Dillard
A historically Black university in New Orleans is beloved by everyone – except the US News best colleges rankings. We hack our way back into the algorithm and…
Revisionist HistoryLord of the Rankings
For 30 years, US News & World Report has been using a secret formula to rank the best colleges and universities in the United States. As a public service to…
Revisionist HistoryI Love You Waymo
Revisionist History travels to Phoenix, Arizona to learn about the future of the automobile. It’s not what you think. It’s much better. Warning: Some of the…
Revisionist HistoryIntroducing Revisionist History Season Six
The sixth season of Revisionist History is underway, and Malcolm’s finally out of the house. We play chicken with cars, war games with wonks, and travel deep…
Revisionist HistoryMalcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant
Whenever Malcolm and Adam Grant cross paths on the book tour circuit, it's always a good time. Here are pieces of two conversations from Clubhouse: one about…
Revisionist HistoryReturn to the 404
We're back in Atlanta - this week with jaunts to Jamaica, Kenya, court-side NBA games, and a deep dive into fine art forgery. Plus, Malcolm finally gets his…
Revisionist HistoryDruid Hills
Revisionist History takes a trip to Malcolm's favorite city and gets a tour of Emory University, meets 3000 non-human primates and 8000 rodents, and dusts off…
Revisionist HistoryA Memorial for the Living
Lessons from the world’s most perfect memorial. Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter at pushkin.fm. Learn more about your…
Revisionist History"Oh Howard, You Idiot!”
A billionaire turned recluse befriends a minor novelist. Together they seize the public’s imagination. Kind of. The true story behind the greatest…
Revisionist HistoryHamlet Was Wrong
The delicate science of hiring nihilism, examined in five deeply-personal case studies. Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter…
Revisionist HistoryGoodbye, Farewell and Amen
How do we remember one of the deadliest nights in human history? We don't. Part four. Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter at…
Revisionist HistoryBombs-Away LeMay
The arguments, accidents, cold-blooded logic and sheer serendipity that led to the longest night of the Second World War. Part three. Get Revisionist History…
Revisionist HistoryMay the Best Firebomb Win
Basement laboratories. Mad scientists. Sticky gels, and a bake-off in the desert. The strange story behind Curtis LeMay’s weapon of choice. Part two. Get…
Revisionist HistoryThe Bomber Mafia
On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. They failed. Part one on the…
Revisionist HistoryThe Powerball Revolution
In Bolivia, a political activist radically reforms the voting process for... student council elections. Who else does he convince? Revisionist History. And…
Revisionist HistoryHedwig’s Lost Van Gogh
An escape from war-torn Germany. Lavish dinners with Hollywood royalty. A Swedish baron and a dime-store heiress: we explore the long journey of a Van Gogh…
Revisionist HistoryDragon Psychology 101
Dragons hoard treasure, deep in their lairs. They don’t show it off to their neighbors. Revisionist History applies dragon psychology to the strange world of…
Revisionist HistoryIntroducing Revisionist History Season Five
Andy Warhol. War. Smaug the Dragon. And, as always, digressions of great importance. Launching June 18 from Pushkin Industries. Learn more about your…
Revisionist HistoryRevisionist History Presents: The Limits of Power
Malcolm has been writing about race and policing for a very long time, going back to the killing of Amadou Diallo in 1999. Sometimes, it is useful to take a…
Revisionist HistoryThe Queen of Cuba
On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two small planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an organization in Florida that tried to spot refugees…
Revisionist HistoryThe Obscure Virus Club
Throughout the 1960s, a biologist named Howard Temin became convinced that something wasn’t right in science’s understanding of viruses. His colleagues…
Revisionist HistoryChutzpah vs. Chutzpah
You thought that there was only one kind of chutzpah. Wrong. There’s two. Revisionist History tells the story of the Mafia’s showdown with a legendary…
Revisionist HistoryIn a Metal Mood
Two seasons after its investigation of the decline of McDonalds french fries, Revisionist History returns to fast-food’s high-tech test kitchens. This time the…
Revisionist HistoryDescend into the Particular
An unarmed man is shot to death by police. How does the Jesuitical idea of “disordered attachments” help us make sense of what happened? Part three of three…