New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

New York State Podcasts

We publish several podcast announcements each week. You can find them all here.

If you produce a podcast about an aspect of New York State and want to have it noticed here, e-mail editor John Warren at nyalmanack@gmail.com

NY State, Counties Still Not Fully Engaged With American 250th Anniversary

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This week on The Historians Podcast, New York State Historian Devin Lander joins host Bob Cudmore. Lander previews the 250th anniversary of American independence which will be observed from 2025 through 2033.

The state has authorized a commission to oversee events, however some of the 13 appointees to a state commission have not yet been named, and the vast majority of counties in the state have taken no action to remember this important anniversary. [Read more…] about NY State, Counties Still Not Fully Engaged With American 250th Anniversary

The Women Behind Benjamin Franklin

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ben franklins world podcastIn this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Nancy Rubin Stuart, an award-winning historian and journalist and author of Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father (Beacon Press, 2022), joins Liz Covart to investigate the private life of Benjamin Franklin by using the women in his life as a window on to his experiences as a husband, father, and friend. [Read more…] about The Women Behind Benjamin Franklin

Raymond Buckland and Wicca in America

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long island history project logoIf you lived in Brentwood, Long Island in the late 1960s and 70s, you may have encountered a charming, transplanted Englishman named Raymond Buckland. You many not have realized it at the time, but Buckland was in the process of establishing Wicca as a religion in America.

A private practitioner at first, introduced to Wicca by Gerald Gardner, Buckland was soon thrust into the public eye by the press. He then helped popularize Gardnerian Wicca through television appearances, newspaper interviews, and his own numerous writings on the subject. He went on to found his own museum and his own tradition of Seax Wicca. [Read more…] about Raymond Buckland and Wicca in America

Becoming Barnum: Going It Like a Rush

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Becoming Barnum podcastIn this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we dive into P.T. Barnum‘s 1846 letters to his uncle Alanson Taylor. He shares his business advice for their partnership in the Baltimore Museum, emphasizing the importance of good systems, press relations, and gradual improvements.

He also expresses disdain for previous museum managers and their lack of physical improvements. [Read more…] about Becoming Barnum: Going It Like a Rush

Schenectady in the Roaring 1920s

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, historian and reporter Bill Buell talk about Schenectady in the 1920s, including Proctor’s Theatre, WGY radio, the Hotel Van Curler, the Western Gateway Bridge and more.

Schenectady was booming in the 1920s with American Locomotive and General Electric both thriving — the city that lighted and hauled the world. GE attracted famed scientists such as Charles Steinmetz. Schenectady even had a socialist mayor for a time. [Read more…] about Schenectady in the Roaring 1920s

A World War II Bomber Pilot’s Canine Companion

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Lieutenant Robert Payne and ThunderboltSeason two of The Object of History podcast by the Massachusetts Historical Society continues with “A World War II Bomber Pilot’s Canine Companion,” the  story of Thunderbolt, a dog who served as a companion to an American bomber pilot and POW Lt. Robert Payne during World War II. [Read more…] about A World War II Bomber Pilot’s Canine Companion

Rockland History: Pearl River Public Library

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crossroads of rockland historyOn the January 2023 Crossroads, host Clare Sheridan welcomed James Cassetta of the Pearl River Public Library in Orangetown, Rockland County, to the program. In honor of its 60th anniversary, the library is inviting the public to share personal recollections in videotaped interviews. Memories including moving to Pearl River and living and raising families there will be compiled and edited to create a film for posterity. We learned about the library’s history and this interesting oral history project. [Read more…] about Rockland History: Pearl River Public Library

Becoming PT Barnum: New Year’s Day, 1846

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Becoming Barnum podcastIn this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, explore the letters P.T. Barnum wrote on New Year’s Day in 1846 as he navigated his business dealings on both sides of the Atlantic and grappled with the difficult decision of whether to return home during his wife’s confinement. From business schemes to the challenges of managing a family across the ocean, this episode offers a unique insight into the mind of the legendary showman. [Read more…] about Becoming PT Barnum: New Year’s Day, 1846

PT Barnum’s Personal Life

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Becoming Barnum podcastIn this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we learn about P.T. Barnum’s thoughts on personal wealth, honor, and “gulling” the public, as well as his religious beliefs and values.

We explore letters written in December 1845 in which Barnum discusses his wife’s pregnancy, his acquisition of paintings of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and his efforts to persuade others of his Universalist beliefs. Don’t miss this fascinating look into the personal and financial life of P.T. Barnum in the 19th century. [Read more…] about PT Barnum’s Personal Life