Episodes
Final Report Transmission
June 23, 2022
After two seasons, we have a lot to reflect on! We wanted you to hear the voices of the team, working mostly behind the scenes for the past two seasons, and hear about their experiences working on Consolation Prize.
Twelve Foreign Men
May 31, 2022
In our final episode of Consolation Prize, we return to 1844 Hawai'i, where we look at another case involving vice consul William Hooper.
The Consul and I
May 17, 2022
In this episode, we meet two Americans in 1860s Thailand. Reverend Dan Beach Bradley was a Christian missionary and a newspaper publisher, and Captain James Madison Hood was the US consul to the Kingdom of Siam.
Pacific Salmon Run
May 10, 2022
In this mini episode of Consolation Prize, we complete our tour of the world by going to the last continent where the United States had consuls: Australia.
Remember the Lusitania
April 19, 2022
In this episode of Consolation Prize, we investigate the role of consuls in dealing with wartime disasters and the toll they took on them.
The Art of Diplomacy
March 29, 2022
Irena Wiley was a diplomat's wife. But she was also an artist who used her art to reflect the humanity of the many people she encountered all around the world.
States of Confusion
March 8, 2022
We explore the long and complicated relationship between the United States and the Papal States, the political-religious home of the Roman Catholic Church.
Views and Re-Views
Feb. 15, 2022
In this episode of Consolation Prize, we are exploring a consul’s involvement in a coup and a revolution.
What Is a Consul, Anyway? (re-release)
Jan. 14, 2022
In this special bonus episode, we talk with a scholar who studies the history of the US consular service. We answer your questions like, What is a consul? What do they do? What makes them so interesting? Why should we care a…
Yeah, That Poinsett (re-release)
Dec. 22, 2021
In this bonus holiday episode, a re-release from 2020, we explore the consular life of Joel Roberts Poinsett, everyone’s favorite holiday historical figure.
Hawaii 4-3
Dec. 14, 2021
Consolation Prize is going true crime! In today's episode, we're going to hear about a murder case that a consul had to do some investigation of.
Beyond the Consul: Monterey
Nov. 18, 2021
Today we’re going to a domestic destination–but it wasn’t always domestic. The history of Monterey goes back hundreds of years, and it shows how empires and commerce come together in one prime location.
California Dreaming
Nov. 16, 2021
As Americans moved into California, the U.S. government wanted to provide them with an official representative. But the government also wanted California for the United States.
Beyond the Consul: Tahiti
Oct. 28, 2021
In our first Beyond the Consul episode, we're talking to Patty O'Brien about Tahiti.
Troublemakers in Tahiti
Oct. 26, 2021
When the United States began to establish official commercial relations with Tahiti, the government and the sailors who visited there thought that the U.S. consuls would be able to help them get the most out of their visit.
Season 2 Trailer: What is Manifest Destiny?
Sept. 28, 2021
Manifest Destiny is a term you hear a lot when you're learning about the history of the United States in the nineteenth century. But what is it, really?
News update: R2 Studios!
Sept. 15, 2021
We're under "new" management! Not really, we're just joining a new division of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, R2 Studios.
Summer Episode: Against the Grain
Sept. 14, 2021
In this second installment of our summer series on food and consuls, we shift our gaze to look at food ways from the bottom-up.
Summer Episode: Cuisine, Consumption, and Consuls
Aug. 17, 2021
In this bonus episode, we look back on the stories from season one with an eye for food.
Episode 12: Unrecognizable Citizens
May 11, 2021
We've been to Mexico a few times this season, but we promised in the first episode that we'd return one last time, to talk about the relationship between Black Americans and the consuls in Mexico.
Episode 11: Greener Pastures
April 20, 2021
In Episode 11, we explore the complicated, and sometimes tragic, life of Richard Greener, the first Black consul to a predominantly white post.
Bonus Episode: Interview with Maura Harty
April 6, 2021
In this bonus episode, we learn about the much more recent history of women in the consular service, as Abby interviews Maura Harty, a career Foreign Service officer.
Episode 10: Worthy of Notice
March 30, 2021
In today’s episode, we take a look at some people connected to the consular service who are worthy of notice: the women.
Episode 9: Victims of Independence
March 9, 2021
James Leander Cathcart and Richard O'Brien were uniquely suited to their jobs, from one point of view: they had spent a lot of time in the region they were consuls to--as captives of the ruler during the previous decade.