George Carlin had a comedy career that spanned half a century, and his take on the US remains relevant more than a decade after his death in 2008. The HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream tells Carlin's story as he evolved from a clean-cut comic in the 1950s into the edgy critic who remains one of the most influential comedians of all time. In this episode, Michael Bonfiglio, who directed the film (along with Judd Apatow) and Kliph Nesteroff, a historian of comedy who is featured in the film, join Bob & Ben for a conversation about the life and times of George Carlin.

If you enjoy this episode, check out our previous conversation w/ Michael in episode 174 Direction w/ Michael Bonfiglio.

This episode originally aired as RTN 237 on June 13, 2022. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

North Carolina's Research Triangle has been a hub of innovation and economic growth for more than half a century, but the most remarkable invention in the area's history might be the park itself. In this episode, Mack Paul explains how residents of one of the poorest states in the union found a way to reimagine their future and transform the 'Old North State' into a global leader in scientific advancement.

Mack's new book, which he coauthored with his father, Allen, is Miracle Road: The Story of Research Park (Duke University Press, 2026. You can read excerpts from the book and order a copy at MiracleRoadBook.net.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out episode 136, in which we discuss Bob's MA thesis on the city of Apex, NC.

This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

The inalienable right to "the pursuit of happiness" is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, but what exactly does that phrase mean? While Americans today may associate it with the right to own land, opulence or some other act of acquisition, many prominent founders understood it to mean something quite different. In this episode National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen returns to the show to give us the full story and discuss his new book The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out Jeffrey's other appearances on our show in episodes 211 and 350.

Highlighted Resources from the National Constitution Center

–The Interactive Constitution (also available as an app in the apple and android app stores)

–We The People with Jeffrey Rosen podcast (available anywhere you get The Road to Now)

–Educational Video Series

If you're in Philadelphia, you can visit the National Constitution Center, which is located just steps from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Click here to plan your visit!

Thie conversation originally aired on February 5, 2024 as episode 295. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Ben & Bob catch up for a conversation about bad Ai textooks, new discoveries about precolonial American societies and a new take on the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

Make sure to catch Bob at his endless book tour for America's Founding Son! Dates available by following him on Instagram at @bobcrawfordbass.

Sources discussed in this episode:

· John Green, Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection, (Penguin, 2025).

· Pärssinen, M., Kalliola, R., Ranzi, A. et al. "Over 20,000 precolonial earthworks in the Southwest Amazonia."Nature (2026).

· Robert Sapolsky Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst (Penguin, 2017).

· Adi Schane, "'Venecky' instead of Kentucky," WDRB.com, July 29, 2026.

This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

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 Roots of Off-Year Gubernatorial Elections" from Made By History (Oct. 29, 2025) and Article 5 of the US Constitution, which states: "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate."

This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

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't Suck's Greg Jackson), and the author How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You To Do It), she has evidence and a framework for how to get there. In this conversation we cover all this, as well as Lindsey's research on Veterans and her work to document political rhetoric via congressional emails at DCInbox.com.

Dr. Lindsey Cormack is Associate Professor of Political Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. Click here to follow her on substack.

This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

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 Necropolis: Disease, Power & Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, (Harvard University Press, 2022). She was also a 2024 recipient of the Dan David Prize.

This is a rebroadcast of #329, which originally aired on March 10, 2025. This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps enlisted more than three million young men in a project that planted two billion trees, slowed soil erosion on forty million acres of farmland, and enjoyed support across political and geographic divides. In this episode we talk with Neil Maher, author of Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2008) about how the CCC helped solidify FDR's New Deal and spread the seeds of environmental activism for generations to come.

Dr. Neil Maher is a Professor of History and Master Teacher in the Federated History Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-Newark. He is also the author of Apollo in the Age of Aquarius (Harvard University Press, 2017). You can find out more about his work at NeilMaher.com.

This is a rebroadcast of episode #274 which aired as The Original Green New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps with Neil Mahr on May 29, 2023. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

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 granted unprecedented access to McConnell's vast personal archives, his staff, and even the Senator himself, who sat for about 50 hours of interviews. If you've ever wondered how Mitch McConnell rose to power, how he's stayed there despite challenges from both parties, or what makes the man tick, this conversation has the answers.

Michael Tackett covers national politics for The New York Times. His work has earned him multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Edgar A. Poe Award for National Reporting.

This is a rebroadcast of RTN episode 322, which originally aired on December 9, 2024. This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known products on planet earth, but did you ever wonder how a brown fizzy drink fueled the rise of a corporate juggernaut? The answer, says Ohio State historian Bartow Elmore, has everything to do with its business structure. In this episode, Bart offers his take on how Coke went from Atlanta soda parlors in the late 19th century to markets across the globe in less than a century, all along reaping tremendous benefits from public infrastructure while passing the bulk of its environmental costs on to others. Bart also talks about the difficulties of doing research on powerful corporations, why he thinks we should care about environmental history, and the meaning of what he calls "Coca-Cola Capitalism."

Dr. Bartow Elmore is Professor of History at The Ohio State University and author of Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism (W.W. Norton, 2015). You can find out more about his work, including his book on the history of Monsanto at his website, BartElmore.com.

This episode was originally aired as episode 140 on August 26, 2019. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that "that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states." Two days later, on July 4, they adopted the Declaration of Independence, read here for you by (in order of appearance):

Bob Crawford, The Road to Now

Lindsay Graham, History Daily

Greg Jackson, History That Doesn't Suck

Lindsey Cormack, Government That Doesn't Suck

Ben Sawyer, The Road to Now

Colleen Shogan, In Pursuit

With final commentary by Lindsay Graham.