In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the outbreak of monkeypox in the United States.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- Monkeypox is the latest disease to concern the American public. Niki cited this Stat News article, and Neil referred to historian Jim Downs’s Atlantic essay about the historical continuities with the HIV-AIDS virus.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Natalia discussed her latest “Quick Study” column for Observer, “American Childhood As We Knew It Is Over.”
- Neil recommended the Instagram account, A History of Dogs.
- Niki discussed her latest CNN column, “This is so much worse than Watergate.”







![A lantern slideshows four overlapping illustrations of the Earth depicting its tilt at different time periods in the past, present and future. Dates represented are 13000 BC, 5544 BC, 1921 AD, 2296AD. Handwritten in blue ink at bottom left corner of plate is the text 'G53 CLW [illegible] Aug '22'.](https://i0.wp.com/publicseminar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Wragge_Earth.jpg?fit=768%2C749&ssl=1)





