S4E45: "Highways and Byways: Gas station roadmaps of the 20th century as primary sources."

Chris has a fondness for the many road trips he and his family took when he was growing up in the second half of the 20th century. Perhaps it was collecting and studying the maps they picked up at gas stations which propelled him to a career in graphic design. Even if it didn't, we had a great conversation this past winter at the Ephemera Fair based on the stack of glove-compartment maps I brought along.

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#highway #roadsideamericana #byways #roadtrip #memorialdayweekend #roadside #popculture #history

S4E44: "Gilbert & Salmonsen Present 'Space Opera': The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy as documents of their time"

I met Gilbert, a social studies teacher in Louisiana, at the NCSS conference in Boston last year. While Star Wars has been a consistent topic on this podcast, the prequel trilogy has yet to be covered, so Gilbert and I remedied that. These movies certainly have their flaws, but just like everything else, they are still very telling of time and place.

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#starwars #prequels #starwarsprequeltrilogy #starwarsprequels #episodeI #episodeII #episodeIII #Starwarsday #mayforce #may4thbewithyou #history #popculture #modernhistory

S4E43: "Profile of an Old Stone Face: The Old Man of the Mountain as a reflection of modern New Hampshire."

A series of rocky ledges on Cannon Mountain which formed the profile of a man's face in what is now called Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, has been held in importance by the people of the area for thousands of years. In the modern era, the "Old Man of the Mountain" became the symbol of the state of New Hampshire, unofficially replacing the Seal of the state, even after it collapsed on May 3rd, 2003. My drop-in guest, Gregg, an educator with Grand Classroom, an experiential education company, shared with me his connection with, and insights about the Great Stone Face last year when we met in Boston.

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#nh #oldmanofthemountain #history #newhampshire #popculture