Although it feels like we are living in unprecedented times, people of the past all had their own form of "unprecedented" situations. History allows us to glance back at what worked, what went wrong and ultimately, who was to blame. Here are a few podcasts to help you learn from history and help us move forward.

Flashback: History’s Unintended Consequences

Introduced in April, OZY’s Sean Braswell takes a look at the unintended consequences of the biggest events in history. Braswell discusses the stories of disastrous turning points, crazy coincidences, unsung heroes and forgotten villains. Recent episodes include "The Jordan Effect: How a Baseball Strike Saved Baseball," "AC/DC: How Air Conditioners Changed American Politics" and "Holy Smokes: How the YMCA Helped Launch the Tobacco Black Market."

Find it: https://www.ozy.com/topic/flashback/


Connecting the present to the past, hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arabluouei take issue from today’s headlines and wind the clock back to explain the current circumstances. Produced by NPR, each weekly episode tells the stories that have shaped the world today. Recent episodes include "Conspiracy," "The Mask" and "Endless War."

Find it: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline

You’re Wrong About

Using more recent historical events, hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall take a revisionist approach in a conversational tone. Journalists obsessed with the past, Hobbes and Marshall reconsider events, people or trends that have been miscast by history. Recent episodes include "Quarantine Deep Dive: Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book,’" "The Y2K Bug" and "Quarantine Book Club: ‘Michelle Remembers.’"

Find it: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-hobbes/youre-wrong-about

Sawbones: A Martial Tour of Misguided Medicine

The world of medicine has had a bizarre past. From the weird to the gross and to the dangerous, husband and wife Justin and Dr. Sydnee McElroy take a tour of the wild world of historical medicine. Weekly episodes focus on antiqued medical practices that some modern listeners will find unusual. Recent episodes include "COVID-19 Q&A," "Cabin Fever" and "COVID Lies, Darned Lies and Statistics."

Find it: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/sawbones/