Bill Humphrey

About Bill Humphrey

Bill Humphrey is the primary host of WVUD's Arsenal For Democracy talk radio show and a local elected official.

May 1872 Amnesty Act – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 424

Patrick from “Conspiracy You Can Believe In” returns to the show to talk with Bill about the Amnesty Act from 150 years ago this month that brought a younger generation of ex-Confederates back into elected office during Reconstruction.

Links and notes for ep. 424 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AFD-Ep-424-Links-and-Notes-Amnesty-Act-of-1872.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

[Bonus] That 70s Woe: The Problem With Pandas – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 423

A series on understanding the transition of the US economy in the Crisis of the 1970s: The episode on the 50th Anniversary of Panda Diplomacy and Nixon’s trip to China.

(A Bill solo episode recorded April 23, 2022.) Subscribe to our Patreon.

Links and notes (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/That-70s-Woe_-The-Problem-with-Pandas-Episode-3.pdf

Apr 17, 2022 – US Rural Electrification – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 422

Bill and Rachel continue the story of US electrification by looking at the 1930s New Deal programs to bring grid power to rural farms (and compare to what was going on in the Soviet Union at the same time).

Links and notes for ep. 422 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AFD-Ep-422-US-Rural-Electrification.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Apr 10, 2022 – US Urban Electrification and Streetcars – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 421

Bill and Rachel continue the story of US electrification with a look at the indelible role of electric streetcars in powering US cities almost overnight in the 1890s.

Links and notes for ep. 421 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AFD-Ep-421-Links-and-Notes-US-Urban-Electrification-and-Streetcars-Bill_Rachel-Recording-Apr-10-2022.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Apr 3, 2022 – From Electrochemistry to Electromagnetism – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 420

Bill and Rachel finally start looking at the history of US electrification beginning with the early little battery systems and then moving into early electromagnetic dynamos.

Links and notes for ep. 420 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AFD-Ep-420-Links-and-Notes-From-Electrochemistry-to-Electromagnetism.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Mar 28, 2022 – Synthetic Dye – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 419

Bill and Rachel discuss the invention and economic legacy (and environmental consequences) of synthetic dye.

Links and notes for ep. 419 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AFD-Ep-419-Links-and-Notes-Synthetic-Dyes.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Mar 20, 2022 – The Start of Biotech – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 418

Biotechnology has been important to other US industries from the auto industry to medicine and agriculture, before eventually becoming its own industry, dominated by venture capitalists. Bill and Rachel.

Links and notes for ep. 418 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AFD-Ep-418-Links-and-Notes-Fermentation-Biotechnology-and-Penicillin.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.