This week at In The Past Lane, we take a look at the history behind something that’s dominating the news these days: political primaries.
1. First, I present a feature that explores when we invented the political primary and why.
2. This episode also features a 
History Skinny segment where we discuss how history has made headlines in recent days, everything from Donald Trump relating a story about an incident from the Spanish American War that never happened, to Mississippi declaring April Confederate Heritage Month.
3. Mercy Street Rewind: Historian Megan Kate Nelson drops in for her weekly review of PBS’s historical drama, “Mercy Street,” We call this segment, Mercy Street Rewind. This week, we talk about season 1, episode 6 – the season finale!. PLEASE NOTE: to avoid dropping spoilers on unsuspecting listeners, this Mercy Street Rewind feature appears as a separate segment. You’ll find it listed as MSR S1Ep06 in your iTunes cue, right after In the Past Lane Episode 006.
Episode 006 credits:
Suggested Readings about the History of Political Primaries:
Geoffrey Cowan, Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary (2016)
David W. Moore and Andrew E. Smith, The First Primary: New Hampshire’s Outsize Role in Presidential Nominations (2015)
Alan Ware, The American Direct Primary: Party Institutionalization and Transformation in the North (2002)
Links for stories Discussed in The History Skinny segment:
Donald Trump and the Pig Blood Myth
Donald Trump cites dubious legend about Gen. Pershing, pig’s blood and Muslims
http://time.com/4235405/donald-trump-pig-blood-muslims-story/
Mississippi Declares April Confederate Heritage Month
Historian Kevin Levin weighs in via his blog, Civil War Memory
New data shows declining American interest in historic sites http://humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=101
National Geographic –
Science Helps Trace Slaves to Their African Homelands
“What if Washington, Hamilton, Lincoln and Kennedy had Twitter?”
http://flip.it/.gMmL
Music:
Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (courtesy, JayGMusic.com) Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)
Lee Rosevere, “Going Home” (Free Music Archive)
Andy Cohen, “Trophy Endorphins” (Free Music Archive)
The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)