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The Road to Now

RTN Productions
Civil War
American Revolution
It's a Wonderful Life
World War II
Frank Capra
Donald Trump
John Quincy Adams
Cold War
George Washington
Andrew Jackson
Woodrow Wilson
American History
Democratic Party
Soviet Union
Vietnam War
Native American History
Declaration Of Independence
Monroe Doctrine
Voting Rights
Women In Politics

Bob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) & Dr. Ben Sawyer (MTSU History) share conversations with great thinkers from a variety of backgrounds – historians, artists, legal scholars, political figures and more –who help us uncover the many roads that run between past and present. For more information, visit TheRoadToNow.com If you'd like to support our work, join us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheRoadToNow

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes487Founded10 years ago
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HistorySociety & Culture

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Artwork for The Road to Now

Latest Episodes

Ben & Bob talk about the history of the US Senate and why the august body is now under attack from both the Freedom Caucus and the Democratic Socialists of America.

For readings discussed in this episode, check out Michael Trotti's "The Troubling R... more

In an era of cynicism towards politics, Lindsey Cormak wants you to focus on what government has gotten right and to raise your kids to be active citizens. And as the host of the new podcast Government That Doesn't Suck (alongside History That Doesn... more

Kathryn Olivarius joins Bob & Ben to explain the powerful role that Yellow Fever played in shaping all aspects of life in New Orleans during the 19th Century. Kathryn is Associate Professor of History at Stanford University and the author of Necropo... more

Journalist Michael Tackett joins Ben & Bob to discuss his book The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America and Lost his Party (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Tackett, who wrote the biography with McConnell's consent, was g... more

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Recent Guests

Bart Elmore
Author of Citizen Coke, The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism
Episode: Citizen Coke: The History of Coca-Cola w/ Bartow Elmore
Dayton Duncan
Writer for the Ben Franklin documentary (Ken Burns project)
Florentine Films/Ken Burns Films
Episode: Benjamin Franklin w/ Dayton Duncan and David Schmidt
Denise Kiernan
Author of Obstinate Daughters
Episode: #372 Obstinate Daughters: Women in the American Revolution w/ Denise Kiernan
Greg Jackson
Author of Been There, Done That, historian
History That Doesn't Suck, Simon & Schuster
Episode: #371 Been There, Done That w/ Greg Jackson
Ted Widmer
Author of The Living Declaration, A Biography of America's Founding Text
Library of America (editorial collaborator)
Episode: #370 The Declaration of Independence: A Biography of America's Founding Text w/ Ted Widmer
Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Investigative journalist and author of The Quartermaster, Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army
The Washington Post
Episode: Montgomery C. Meigs: Master Builder of the Union Army w/ Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Kristin Jorgensen
Master's in History student and historian focused on Civil War pensions
Past Words History
Episode: #368 Women & the Civil War Pension System w/ Kristin Jorgensen
Dean Kinzer
Coin specialist and founder of Kinzer Coins
Kinzer Coins
Episode: #367 Ancient Coins w/ Dean Kinzer
Eugene Rogan
Historian of the Middle East
University of Oxford / Strickland Scholar program
Episode: The Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East w/ Eugene Rogan

Hosts

Bob Crawford
Host of The Road to Now; musician and public historian with The Avett Brothers
Benjamin Sawyer
Co-host and historian; has academic and teaching background in history

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 863 ratings
  • Great Show

    This show is thoughtful, measured, informative and always interesting

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    royalhinesh
    United States6 months ago
  • Relevant, informational and timely

    Always well researched, informative guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    craig.winchell
    United States6 months ago
  • Intriguing Topics

    I love the intriguing topics and unique ideas I get from the conversations on this podcast. Keep up the good work.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Srl311rpm
    United States10 months ago
  • Great listen

    I’ve been listening ever since Ben was on the Nate land podcast. This pod is good easy listening full of great information. That is actually interesting.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    nighttrain007
    United States10 months ago
  • Not what I thought

    I have been looking for a good podcast on history that helps explain some of the famous stories a little better but this was not it. Instead it’s just them putting their political spin on everything and that’s not what I was looking for. I just want to hear about the story not why you think all republicans are awful. If you love hearing why being a liberal is right with a little history sprinkled in this is the podcast for you.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    SRusso04
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, insightful, and relevant conversations that blend history with today's issues.
Top-tier guests and well-researched discussions make complex topics accessible.
Listeners appreciate the mix of scholarly depth and engaging storytelling, with occasional critiques about perceived bias.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#241
United States/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#372 Obstinate Daughters: Women in the American Revolution w/ Denise Kiernan
Q: What drew you to write about women, enslaved people, and Native Americans in the Revolutionary era?
Kiernan explains that including those groups provides a fuller, more accurate picture of the period, showing how different communities imagined and fought for freedom, and how their everyday actions mattered just as much as battlefield events.
Montgomery C. Meigs: Master Builder of the Union Army w/ Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Q: How did Meigs's approach to logistics revolutionize the Union Army's capabilities?
By organizing cottage industries into a national supply web—boots, uniforms, weapons, and even sewing machines—Meigs created an industrial-scale logistics apparatus that dramatically boosted efficiency and the army's endurance.
Montgomery C. Meigs: Master Builder of the Union Army w/ Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Q: What drew you to Montgomery Meigs as a subject for your book?
A combination of personal discovery through a DC memorial and a fascination with pre-Civil War and Civil War engineering led me to explore Meigs as a central figure who linked technical innovation with public service.
A Forgotten History of Long Island w/ Tim Keogh
Q: Could you lay out the general Levittown narrative and how it fits into postwar prosperity?
Keogh explains the classic story of upward mobility through home ownership after WWII, but notes that it often omits the experiences of those excluded by racial covenants and discriminatory lending, arguing that a significant minority did not share in the suburban boom.
#369 Ten Years of RTN w/ Bob Crawford & Ben Sawyer
Q: If you had unlimited funding and could do a podcast about anything other than history, what topic would you choose?
Ben imagines a medical podcast focusing on health anxiety, patient care, and medical advances, potentially with doctors as co-hosts to explore medicine beyond history.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Road to Now

What is The Road to Now about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A history- and culture-focused talk show that blends deep-dive conversations with historians, authors, journalists, and policy experts. Episodes frequently center on historical events and figures, civics education, and how the past informs present-day politics, media, and culture. Noteworthy traits include a conversational, narrative style that often weaves personal anecdotes and modern-day context into scholarly topics, and regular guests who are leading scholars or writers in history, politics, and the arts. The show appears to attract listeners who enjoy thoughtful historical analysis that connects to current events, media, and civic life, with a strong emphasis on storytelling and education for a broadly curious audience.

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How many listeners does The Road to Now get?

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How many subscribers and views does The Road to Now have?

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Which podcasts are similar to The Road to Now?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Road to Now:

1. History That Doesn't Suck
2. My History Can Beat Up Your Politics
3. Government That Doesn't Suck
4. Ben Franklin's World
5. American History Hotline

How many episodes of The Road to Now are there?

The Road to Now launched 10 years ago and published 487 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Road to Now?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on The Road to Now?

Recent guests on The Road to Now include:

1. Bart Elmore
2. Dayton Duncan
3. Denise Kiernan
4. Greg Jackson
5. Ted Widmer
6. Robert O'Harrow Jr.
7. Kristin Jorgensen
8. Dean Kinzer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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