AU History Professor to Appear on Series of History’s Greatest Mysteries Episodes
Joe Lyons •
January 30, 2025
AU History Professor to Appear on Series of History’s Greatest Mysteries Episodes
Those in the Ashland community tuning into the History Channel’s documentary series History’s Greatest Mysteries will see a familiar face on Monday, Feb. 3, and throughout the sixth season of the popular show.
John Moser, Ph.D., chair of the history and political science department at Ashland University and a member of the AU faculty since 2001, will be making regular appearances—seven to be exact—as an expert commentator during the show’s current season.
In his upcoming debut episode, Moser will be discussing the Franklin Expedition, an 1845 voyage led by Sir John Franklin of the British Royal Navy that had set out to explore the Northwest Passage, the sea lane along the northern coast of Canada. The voyage’s two ships and 129 men disappeared and never returned, apparently having become icebound.
“The ships weren’t actually found until this century … no remains of the crew were on board. So, what happened to them is the real mystery,” said Moser.
A jack of all trade when it comes to history, Moser will be offering his insight on other topics and legendary figures, such as the Secrets of the Sphinx, the Lost Places of the Old Testament, Pablo Escobar, Amelia Earhart and Nikola Tesla on History’s Greatest Mysteries.
Moser’s journey to becoming a television personality began when a producer caught wind of his expertise on the Great Depression, a topic that he has taught hundreds of AU students, researched and written about extensively, including a 2015 book “The Global Depression and the Coming of World War II.”
“Out of the blue, I got an email from the producer asking if my knowledge of the Great Depression, which is my main knowledge of interest academically, whether that extends to John Dillinger,” explained Moser.
Of Dillinger, the infamous 1930s era American gangster, Moser responded, “I said, ‘yeah sure I know a thing or two about him.’”
He continued, “They did a screen test via Zoom just to see how I would do on camera, and apparently, I passed that. They brought me out to this episode on John Dillinger (last March), and they apparently liked what they saw because they said we want to keep bringing you out.”
Moser credits his new-found small screen success to his academic expertise combined with an extensive background in community theatre, highlighted by regular performances at the Mansfield Playhouse as well as an upcoming role in Ashbrook Classical Theater’s “Much Ado About Nothing.”
“(They) want somebody with a certain amount of expertise, of course. The fact that I have a Ph.D. and an academic appointment matters, so Ashland University’s name is going to show up in all these episodes,” said Moser. “But they also want somebody who has some personality on camera I have a long history of doing community theatre, so that was not difficult for me. I think that’s why they kept inviting me back. I have a certain presence on camera.”
Moser enjoyed the experience during his four trips to film in Los Angeles last spring and is open to becoming a regular on History’s Greatest Mysteries or other History Channel shows.
“As long as they want to have me and it’s something I can work into my (academic) schedule … I hope to do the same thing this year,” said Moser.
History’s Greatest Mysteries, hosted by Laurence Fishburne, is a one-hour documentary series that examines the top theories surrounding the world’s most enigmatic unsolved mysteries. It currently airs on the History Channel each Monday at 9 p.m.