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The "Monkey" Trial

Smithsonian Institution Archives, siarchives.si.edu
Tennessee vs. John Scopes "Monkey Trial": Outdoor trial showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Dayton, Tennessee

Thursday, we’re telling the story behind the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925. You know the basics: the agnostic Clarence Darrow and the Bible-thumping William Jennings Bryan faced off in a court room in a battle about teaching evolution in public schools. Our guest is the historian Jeffrey Moran who says the trial came as American culture was shifting and fundamentalists were freaking out about Charles Darwin. It was the trial of the century.

Jeffrey Moran is a professor of history at The University of Kansas. Among his books are The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents [Indie bookstores|Amazon] and American Genesis: The Evolution Controversies from Scopes to Creation Science [Indie bookstores|Amazon|Audible]

The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial by L.A. Theatre Works stars Edward Asner as William Jennings Bryan and John de Lancie as Clarence Darrow. It's available on Audible

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.