Stories about people who accidentally bump into unsettling facts of history in settings meant to teach them history. What they end up learning is very different from what they’re supposed to.
-
Download Control-click (or right-click) Tap and hold to download
- Transcript
Ping Zhu
Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.
Prologue
Host Ira Glass talks to senior producer Brian Reed about encountering an intriguing plaque in Alabama. (7 minutes)
Professor Kathryn Braund at Auburn University unearthed the original source for the speech mentioned in this story and helped us trace the origins of the historical marker in Tuscaloosa.
The Miseducation of Castlemont High
A bunch of high school students gets taken to see a movie that’s supposed to teach them about history. But they end up learning about a lot of other stuff instead. Producer B.A. Parker tells the story. (38 minutes)
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Steve Kandell goes through the bizarre experience of being a guest in a giant, multi-million dollar museum dedicated exclusively to the worst day of his life. He wrote about it for BuzzFeed back in 2014. (10 minutes)
Related
Act Two: 21 Chump Street
Act Five: Bad Teacher
Act Three: French Kiss
Staff Recommendations
Our Friend David
Favorite stories by our longtime contributor and friend David Rakoff.
How I Got Into College
How a stolen library book got one man into his dream school and changed his life forever. Or at least that's the story he tells himself.