History Fix

In this episode I finally explore a topic I've wondered about for a long time: circumcision. How did an ancient punishment for prisoners turned religious ritual become a medical procedure carried out by over 80% of Americans? What triggered doctors to start recommending circumcision for all newborn boys starting in the late 1800s and why doesn't the rest of the world do it too? What about the ethical implications of performing a body altering procedure on someone without their consent? Is there really a good reason to do it? Or does a 5.4 billion dollar a year industry come into play? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources:UNAIDS "Male Circumcision: context, criteria, and culture"Journal of Pediatric Surgery "The evolutionary saga of circumcision from a religious perspective"Advanced Urological Care "Circumcision Revisited: An Historical Perspective"National Library of Medicine "Male genital representation in paleolithic art: erection and circumcision before history"Research Gate "High Cost of Circumcision"Wikipedia "Circumcision"Wikipedia "Prevalence of Circumcision"Johns Hopkins Medicine "Johns Hopkins Study: Newborn Male Circumcision Rates In US Dropped Between 2012 and 2022"Shoot me a message! Support the show

Consider this the third and final installment of my war with Japan triptych. In this episode, we'll discuss the top secret "Manhattan Project" led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer that led to the development of the first atomic bomb. We'll uncover the motives behind creating such a dangerous weapon and for using it on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to civilian casualties of up to 300,000 people. We'll also consider the question, what now? What does this mean for us today and for future generations going forward? Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: “Duck and Cover” videoNational WWII Museum “‘Destroyer of Worlds:’ The Making of an Atomic Bomb”National Archives “The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”History.com “Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”History Extra “Before the atomic bombs…”Shoot me a message! Support the show

Shoot me a message! Join me January 28th at 6 pm at College of the Albemarle in Manteo, North Carolina for the first ever History Fix live show! Support the show

I had planned to take this week and next off but I can't leave y'all hanging without your fix on Christmas! This week I'm bringing you a special mini fix episode about the Christmas Truce of 1914. This remarkable ceasefire that happened spontaneously all along the Western Front during the first winter of World War I has shocked and inspired the masses ever since. But despite tons of eyewitness accounts and tangible evidence like letters, autographs, and photos, there are many who refuse to believe that the Christmas Truce ever happened. So, what do you think? Is this actual history or merely a myth? Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: Imperial War Museums video "How Did the Christmas Truce Happen?"Imperial War Museums "The Real Story of the Christmas Truce" History.com "The Christmas Truce"Institute for Economics and Peace "The Christmas Truce""Western Front Companion" by Mark AdkinForces War Records by Ancestry "The True Story of the 'Christmas Truce'"Shoot me a message! Join me January 28th at 6 pm at College of the Albemarle in Manteo, North Carolina for the first ever History Fix live show! Support the show

After talking about the Pearl Harbor attack last week and how it prompted US involvement in World War II, I realized I glorified the aftermath pretty hard. Yes, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor did directly lead to the US declaring war on both Japan and Germany. Yes, US involvement in World War II undeniably helped bring that war to a close. However, the US reacted in other ways at home that weren't quite as glorious. This week I'm talking about the ugly side of the Pearl Harbor aftermath, when the US government forced some 120,000 Japanese Americans, two thirds of them US citizens, into "relocation centers" or "internment camps" that could just as easily be called concentration camps. Mistakes were made, lessons were learned... lessons we can't afford to forget, especially now. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: densho.orgNational Archives "Japanese-American Incarceration During World War II"Densho Encyclopedia "Picture Brides"Densho Encyclopedia "Executive Order 9066"National World War II Museum "Japanese American Incarceration"Wikipedia "Internment of Japanese Americans"Shoot me a message! Join me January 28th at 6 pm at College of the Albemarle in Manteo, North Carolina for the first ever History Fix live show! The Secret Story of Nutmeg - A hidden historyMysteries and Histories of a seed that shaped the world...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show