Eisenhower's Interstates: The Modern-Day Roman Roads

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2019

⏱️ 48 minutes

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Summary

Dwight Eisenhower inaugurated the US. Interstate System, which now boasts more than 50,000 miles of roads. The idea came to a young Eisenhower in 1919 when he spent 62 days with a military convoy snaking across America on its primitive road system. But the idea for a trans-continental road network go back much further than Eisenhower. George Washington talked of the need for a vast system of roads to stitch together the nation.

But the true genesis of the U.S. Interstate system is the Roman Empire's road network. The empire in the first century constructed a network of 50,000 miles of paved roads, connecting its capital to the farthest-flung provinces. This fostered trade and commerce but most importantly allowed the Roman army to march quickly. The United States built its network for largely the same reasons.

Transcript

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0:00.0	They were some of the most powerful men who've ever lived. They waged war, forged peace,
0:04.6	and altered the fates of billions of people, and yet they were just as human, just as flawed as you
0:09.9	and me. They were the presidents of the United States, and they are the subjects of the history
0:14.3	podcast, this American president. In each episode of this American president, we explore how flawed
0:20.0	men have managed this awesome responsibility. To listen now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search
0:26.8	this American president on your favorite podcast platform. The history of the Popes of Rome
0:31.6	and Christianity reaches into nearly every aspect of history. In the history of the
0:37.2	papacy podcast, we step over the rope. We dive into discover more about the people events and
0:43.5	background that define the influence of the Popes of Rome and church not only on the west,
0:49.1	but the world. To start listening now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search for
0:55.8	history of the papacy on your favorite podcast platform.
1:02.8	Welcome to the history unplugged podcast. The unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes,
1:09.4	Mythbust's historical lies, and rediscoveres the forgotten stories that changed our world.
1:16.0	I'm your host, Scott Rank.
1:18.5	When a large empire needs to be able to move its military around quickly, it builds a vast
1:28.0	road system. In the early stages of an empire, you can make do with a large route. A route is a
1:33.7	general way that people go to get to a destination. Think of the organ trail. It's not a continuous
1:39.4	road or system of roads, but a path that people follow. That can work for a while, but when you
1:46.0	shift from a few dozen or a hundred or thousands of people traveling across a nation to hundreds of
1:52.8	thousands or millions, then you need a sophisticated road system. I mentioned this preamble because
1:58.3	there's interesting similarities between the Roman Empire in the first century and the United
2:03.5	States in the 20th century. For both of these states, there were periods of rapid expansion of
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