Episode 308: The History of Rest and Relaxation

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of rest and relaxation.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• As boundaries between work and home have become blurred during the pandemic, Americans have been thinking more deliberately about rest and relaxation. Neil drew on Judith Shulevitz’ New York Times piece about “bringing back the Sabbath” and this Atlantic review about her book on this topic. Natalia referred to historian Sarah Milov’s history of the cigarette and her discussion of the office “smoke break.”

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared the C-SPAN lesson plan based on the lecture she gave on “The Making of American Fitness Culture.”
• Neil discussed Brittany Gibson’s POLITICO piece, “They Stormed the Capitol. Now They’re Running for Office.”
• Niki recommended Brad Plumer’s Vox article, “How America Got Addicted to Road Salt—And Why That’s A Problem.”