Podcasts by This Day in Esoteric Political History
Further podcasts by Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia
Podcast on the topic Geschichte
All episodes
The Garment Strikes Before Triangle Shirtwaist (1909) from 2023-12-12T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Louis Riel Needs Grant's Help (1875) from 2023-12-10T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Lā Kū'oko'a aka Hawaiian Independence Day (1843) from 2023-12-07T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Du Bois Joins The Communist Party (1961) from 2023-12-05T14:07:17
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
The First Phone In The White House (1878) from 2023-12-03T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
The Alcatraz Occupation (1969) w/ Julian Brave Noisecat [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-11-30T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
The Hopis On Alcatraz (1894) from 2023-11-28T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
A Thanksgiving Potluck! from 2023-11-22T21:30:15
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
JFK Almost Assassinated (1960) [Revisited] from 2023-11-21T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Joe Hill's Last Will (1915) from 2023-11-19T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Pence Gets Booed At "Hamilton" (2016) from 2023-11-16T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
Henry Ford Contests An Election (1918) from 2023-11-14T09:30
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
The Exploding Whale (1970) from 2023-11-12T12:21:01
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
"The Demon of Andersonville" Executed for War Crimes (1865) from 2023-11-09T14:03:07
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! ...
Listen
An Explosion Rocks The Capitol (1983) from 2023-11-07T09:30
It’s November 7th. This day in 1983, a bomb placed under a bench on the second floor of the Capitol building’s North Wing goes off, minutes after the Senate switchboard received a cryptic messag...
Listen
Elected While In A Coma (1980) from 2023-11-05T09:30
It’s November 5th. This day in 1980, voters in the Maryland 5th Congressional District have just re-elected Gladys Noon Spellman — despite the fact that she is in a coma from which she would nev...
Listen
The Unmarked Grave (2019) w/ Joe Richman from 2023-11-02T11:39:38
It’s November 2nd. This day in 2019, New York City began a process of opening up Hart Island to the public, after centuries of using the space to bury its unnamed dead.
Jody, Niki, and K...
Listen
The Americans Fighting In Spain (1938) w/ Adam Hochschild from 2023-10-31T08:30
It’s October 31st. This day in 1938, hundreds of thousands gather in Barcelona, Spain, to say thanks and bid farewell to the thousands of foreign volunteers who had come to join the fight in the...
Listen
The Donora Killer Smog (1948) from 2023-10-29T13:37:31
It’s October 29th. This day in 1948, a heavy, pollutant-laden fog is sitting over the Pennsylvania town of Donora. Over the course of five days, dozens of people would die and half the town’s po...
Listen
NOW is Next (1966) from 2023-10-26T08:30
It’s October 25th. This day in 1966, a group gathers for the first conference of the National Organization for Women, aka NOW.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the group felt the need ...
Listen
Colin + Obama (2008) w/ Leah Wright Rigueur from 2023-10-24T13:22:16
It’s October 24th. This day in 2008, former secretary of state Colin Powell goes on Meet the Press and endorses Barack Obama for president — over his longtime friend, and fellow Republican, John...
Listen
"The Jazz Singer" and Hollywood Empire (1927) w/ Walt Hickey from 2023-10-22T08:30
It’s October 22nd. This day in 1927, Americans are flocking to the theaters to watch “The Jazz Singer,” the first major “talkie” film.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Walt Hickey to...
Listen
Trump Shows Up In New Hampshire (1987) w/ Robert Fleegler from 2023-10-19T10:38:57
It’s October 19th. This day in 1987, real estate mogul Donald Trump was invited to New Hampshire to give a speech to a local GOP group. He bragged about his accomplishments, drew a big crowd and...
Listen
Carter Restores Jefferson Davis's Citizenship (1978) from 2023-10-17T08:30
It’s October 17th. This day in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a resolution that passed Congress to restore the citizenship of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.
Jody, NI...
Listen
"Operation Clark County" Totally Backfires (2004) from 2023-10-15T12:41:09
It’s October 15th. This day in 2004, voters in the swing region of Clark County, Ohio are receiving letters encouraging them to vote for John Kerry — letters written by readers of the left-leani...
Listen
The Real Free State of Jones (1863) from 2023-10-12T11:46:28
It’s October 12th. This day in 1863, fighting is breaking out in Jones County, Mississippi, as a group of southern farmers starts to rebel against the Confederacy.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie...
Listen
The Scrub Bull Trials (1919) from 2023-10-10T08:30
It’s October 9th. In 1919, the US Department of Agriculture began a nationwide campaign to promote better breeding among livestock — and stamp out so-called “scrub bulls.”
Jody, Niki, an...
Listen
The Poisoned Tylenol Panic (1982) from 2023-10-08T08:30
It’s October 5th. This day in 1982, a massive recall is underway for Tylenol, in the wake of a series of random poisonings and deaths in the Chicago era.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss t...
Listen
Italy Invades Ethiopia, World Freaks Out (1935) w/ Isaac-Davy Aronson from 2023-10-05T08:30
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1935, Italian leader Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia, one of the only independent Black states in the world.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by MSNBC’s ...
Listen
The Hiroshima Maidens (1955) w/ Josh Levin from 2023-10-03T13:52:33
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1956, a group of 25 Japanese women are heading back to Japan after spending a year in the United States receiving medical and cosmetic surgery.
Jody, Niki, ...
Listen
Yeltsin Refuses To Leave The Plane (1994) from 2023-10-01T08:30
It’s October 1st. In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin is set to stop off for a diplomatic visit in Ireland. But when his plane lands on the tarmac at Shannon Airport, Yeltsin refuses to get...
Listen
"Actually, You Forgot Poland" (2004) from 2023-09-28T11:28:07
It’s September 30th. This day in 2004, George W. Bush and John Kerry take the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2004 election. In response to Kerry saying that very few countries su...
Listen
Big Dig Energy (1983) w/ Ian Coss from 2023-09-26T08:30
It’s September 26th. This day in 1983, Massachusetts genator Michael Dukakis held a press conference to announce an enormous and ambitious infrastructure project to take a roadway that cut throu...
Listen
Stanislav Petrov Prevents Armageddon (1983) from 2023-09-24T08:30
It’s September 26th. This day in 1983, a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Forces determined that an alert about an incoming nuclear attack was, in fact, a computer glitch, likely pre...
Listen
'The West Wing' Premieres (1999) w/ Hrishikesh Hirway from 2023-09-21T08:30
It’s September 22nd. This day in 1999, Aaron Sorkin’s podcast “The West Wing” premiered on NBC.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by fellow Radiotopian Hrishikesh Hirway to talk about th...
Listen
The First Anti-Amalgamation Law (1664) from 2023-09-19T12:37:32
It’s September 19th. This day, in 1664, Marlyand passed the first “anti-amalgamation” law in the colonies, outlawing the marriage between Black men and English women.
Jody, Niki, and Kel...
Listen
What YOU Learned On Your Summer Travels from 2023-09-17T08:30
A few episodes ago, we discussed what we’d learned on our summer travels, and asked for your stories. Today, we go through some tidbits, stories, and fascinating facts. Thanks to everyone who wr...
Listen
The Case For Capitalism (1970) w/ Noel King from 2023-09-14T08:30
It’s September 14th. This day in 1970, economist Milton Friedman pens an op-ed in The New York Times making the case that a corporation’s primary goal is to increase shareholder value and profit...
Listen
The Reagan's Prime-Time Drug Address (1986) w/ Donovan X Ramsey from 2023-09-12T08:30
It’s September 14th. This day in 1986, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan gave a prime-time television address about drugs, drug policy, and crack cocaine.
Jody, Niki, a...
Listen
The First Food Nutrition Labels (1971) w/ Xaq Frohlich from 2023-09-10T08:30
It’s September 8th. This day in 1971, a consumer advocate Esther Peterson worked with the supermarket chain GIANT to come up with the first nutrition labels.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are j...
Listen
Upton Sinclair's Epic Run For Governor (1933) from 2023-09-07T08:30
It’s September 7th. This day in 1933, journalist Upton Sinclair launches a campaign for California governor.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Sinclair turned to politics after enormous...
Listen
What We Learned On Our Summer Travels from 2023-09-05T08:30
It’s the end of summer, and today we’re doing a special episode where we talk about some of the most interesting stories from history we discovered on our various summer travels.
And we ...
Listen
Adam Mckay is Morris The Cat (1992) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-31T08:30
As we wrap up summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll see you after Labor Day!
///
It’s July 28th. This day in 1992, “Morris Th...
Listen
The Man Who Killed The Man Who Killed Lincoln (1894) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-29T08:30
As we wrap up summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll see you after Labor Day!
///
It’s August 30th. This day in 1894, a man by...
Listen
Fred Korematsu's Internment (1942) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-27T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
Missouri's Early Emancipation Proclamation (1861) from 2023-08-24T08:30
It’s August 24th. This day in 1861, a Union general in Missouri issued an edict freeing all enslaved people in the territory — this some sixteen months before Lincoln would issue the formal Eman...
Listen
The Bridge To Nowhere (2005) from 2023-08-22T08:30
It’s August 22nd. In the summer of 2005, a proposed bridge in rural Alaska was becoming a hot-button controversy, as conservatives assailed its half-billion dollar price tag as emblematic of gov...
Listen
Nat Turner's Community (1831) w/ Vanessa Holden [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-20T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
The Steam Tunnel Incident and the D&D Panic (1979) from 2023-08-17T08:30
It’s August 17th. This day in 1979, a young college student by the name of James Dallas Egber III disappeared into a steam tunnel below his university, intending to commit suicide. But the story...
Listen
The Smithsonian, Great Idea (1846) from 2023-08-15T08:30
It’s August 15th. This day (actually Aug 10th) in 1846, President Polk signed into law a bill establishing the Smithsonian Institution, after almost a decade of squabbling about how the United S...
Listen
"Macaca" (2006) w/ Peter Hamby [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-13T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
Budd Trips Decker at the '84 Olympics (1984) from 2023-08-10T08:30
It’s August 10th. In 1984, at the LA Olympics, South African Zola Budd and American Mary Decker are facing off in the incredibly hyped-up 3000m final. But neither would finish, as Budd tripped D...
Listen
Clinton Finds Life On Mars (1996) from 2023-08-08T08:30
It’s August 8th. This day in 1996, President Bill Clinton gives a startling announcement about a rock — ALH84001 — that seems to indicate the presence of life on Mars.
Jody, Niki, and Ke...
Listen
The Roots of "Roots" (1976) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-08-06T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
Clean Up After Your Dog! (1978) from 2023-08-03T08:30
It’s August 3rd. This day in 1978, dog owners in NYC are dealing with a whole new reality — they are now responsible for cleaning up after their pet’s waste.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discu...
Listen
The Subway Vigilante (1984) w/ Leon Neyfakh from 2023-08-01T08:30
It’s August 1st. This day in 1996, a judge ruled that Bernie Goetz still owed his victims millions of dollars in damages as a result of the “Subway Vigilante” incident some twelve years earlier....
Listen
The Irish-American Gun-Runners (1973) w/ Nate Lavey [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-07-30T11:32:53
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
Thunderation! The Speaker Demands Bean Soup (1904) from 2023-07-27T13:40:49
It’s July 27th. This day in 1904, Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon (IL) goes to the Capitol dining room expecting to have a nice hot cup of his favorite, bean soup, and is met with an unfortun...
Listen
The Plot To Blow Up Hell Gate Bridge (1942) w/ Rebecca Seidel from 2023-07-25T08:30
It’s July 24th. This day in 1942, a trial is wrapping up in New York City centered on a Nazi plot to target a number of significant US economic sites, from factories to dams and bridges.
The Beer Summit (2009) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-07-23T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
The Szilard Anti-Nuke Petition (1945) from 2023-07-20T17:23:03
It’s July 20th. This day in 1945, a petition signed by 70 scientists working on the development of nuclear weapons is circulating in Washington — a petition arguing against the plans to drop wea...
Listen
The Ft Ontario Holocaust Refugees (1944) w/ Sarah Botstein from 2023-07-18T13:55:04
It’s July 18th. This day in 1944, a group of almost one thousand refugees are headed to the United States, where they would eventually be housed at Ft Ontario, in New York. This was the only lar...
Listen
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-07-16T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
Hubert Humphrey Takes Center Stage (1948) w/ Samuel G Freedman from 2023-07-13T08:30
It’s July 13th. Only July 14th, 1948, at the Democratic National Convention, a young Hubert Humphrey took the stage and implored his party to embrace the cause of civil rights.
Jody, Nik...
Listen
Skylab Crashes Back To Earth (1979) from 2023-07-11T08:30
It’s July 11th. This day in 1979, Americans and others around the world are watching the skies as the first space station, Skylab, comes hurtling back down to earth.
Jody, NIki, and Kell...
Listen
Nativists vs Catholics in Philadelphia (1844) [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-07-09T08:30
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
///
<... Listen
L'Enfant Maps Out DC (1791) w/ Scott W Berg from 2023-07-06T08:30
It’s July 6th. Today we revisit our conversation about how Washington DC came to be the nations capitol, with a look at Pierre Charles L'Enfant and how he originally conceived of the city’s layo...
Listen
Napalming Harvard's Soccer Field (1942) from 2023-07-04T08:30
It’s July 4th. This day in 1942, researchers at Harvard conducted the first ever napalm test — right in the middle of Harvard’s soccer field.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how napalm wa...
Listen
The Great American Roadtrip (1956) w/ Eddie Alterman [[Archive Episode]] from 2023-07-02T08:49:52
On Sundays this summer, we’re bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll continue to do new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Happy summer!
////
... Listen
The Abortion Pill Protest (1992) w/ TJ Raphael from 2023-06-29T08:30
It’s July 1st. This day in 1992, two abortion rights activist traveled to the United States carrying abortion pills, in order to get arrested and spark a legal case around the legality of the pi...
Listen
Readmitting Rebel States (1868) from 2023-06-27T08:30
It’s June 26th. In 1868, throughout the summer, there is a process underway to bring seven Southern US states back into the United States.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the logistics of...
Listen
Flag Burning Is Free Speech (1989) w/ Michael Liroff from 2023-06-25T12:27:02
It’s June 21st. This day in 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the burning of the American flag was allowed as free expression under the first amendment.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joine...
Listen
Superman vs KKK (1946) from 2023-06-22T08:30
It’s June 21st. This day in 1946, an epic battle is playing out across the radio waves, as The Adventures of Superman takes on a multi-part series in which the man of steel confront “The Clan of...
Listen
Nightwalking w/ Bianca Giaever from 2023-06-20T13:00:28
It’s June 20th. Tonight, it will be dark — and maybe you will go for a walk?
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Bianca Giaever, host of the podcast series “Constellation Prize,” to tal...
Listen
Lift Every Voice and Sing (1900) from 2023-06-18T14:41:45
It’s June 18th. Today, for Juneteenth, we look at the history of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” aka the Black National Anthem.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the song’s history and the var...
Listen
The Seligman Affair (1877) w/ Zev Eleff from 2023-06-15T20:58:15
It’s June 15th. This day in 1877, a prominent Jewish businessman by the name of Joseph Seligman is turned away from staying at the Grand Union Hotel, with the hotel claiming a new policy “no Isr...
Listen
The Challenger Disaster Final Report (1986) from 2023-06-13T13:06:25
It’s June 13th. This day in 1986, the Rogers Commission has issued a report and is conducting a series of hearings on the causes of the Challenger space shuttle disaster earlier that year.
... Listen
Death On The Lot: Hattie McDaniel's Fight w/ Hadley Meares and Brian Steele from 2023-06-11T08:30
As it happens, the This Day team has a bunch of cool new projects coming out over the next week or two. So, we’re going to feature them here.
Today: Jody is the executive produc...
Listen
Death On The Lot: Hollywood's Wild Labor History w/ Brian Steele and Hadley Meares from 2023-06-08T12:01:53
As it happens, the This Day team has a bunch of cool new projects coming out over the next week or two. So, we’re going to feature them here.
Today: Jody is the executive produc...
Listen
The Obama Oral History Project Is Here from 2023-06-06T12:57
As it happens, the This Day team has a bunch of cool new projects coming out over the next week or two. So, we’re going to feature them here.
Today: Our very own Nicole Hemmer h...
Listen
An Ode To The Obit w/ Don Van Natta and Jacob Feldman from 2023-06-04T12:21:15
As it happens, the This Day team has a bunch of cool new projects coming out over the next week or two. So, we’re going to feature them here.
Today: Our producer and researcher ...
Listen
You Get A Podcast! from 2023-06-01T08:30
As it happens, the This Day team has a bunch of cool new projects coming out over the next week or two. So, we’re going to feature them here.
Today: Kellie’s other podcast is back! You G...
Listen
Etan Patz And The Rise Of "Stranger Danger" (1979) from 2023-05-30T08:30
It’s May 30th. This day in 1979, a Manhattan 6-year-old by the name of Etan Patz goes missing on his two-block walk to the bus stop.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the Patz case beca...
Listen
Memorial Rerun: The Vietnam Memorial Controversy from 2023-05-28T13:40:49
It’s Memorial Day — today we’re bringing you an episode from the archives to mark the weekend. We’ll be back with new episodes next week.
It’s November 12th. On this day in 1982...
Listen
Addy, American Girl Doll (Part 2) w/ Aisha Harris from 2023-05-25T08:30
We’re doing a special two-part series on the American Girl Doll line of historical dolls! This is part two.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Aisha Harris of NPR to look at A...
Listen
American Girl Doll (Part 1) w/ Aisha Harris from 2023-05-23T08:30
We’re doing a special two-part series on the American Girl Doll line of historical dolls!
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Aisha Harris of NPR to look at the origins of the ...
Listen
William Burns, America's Sherlock Holmes (1934) from 2023-05-21T13:32:37
It’s May 21st. This day in 1934, William Burns resigns from the Bureau of Investigations in scandal, replaced by J Edgar Hoover.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Burns had gained the r...
Listen
The Bath School Bombing (1927) from 2023-05-18T08:30
It’s May 18th. This day in 1927, a man detonated bombs at a school in Bath, Michigan, killing dozens of children, then killing himself.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Andrew Kehoe wa...
Listen
Wounded Knee '73 (1973) from 2023-05-16T13:35:03
It’s May 16th. This day in 1973, a 70-day standoff at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation comes to an end.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Native activists occupied the town, h...
Listen
RFK's Fateful Meeting With Baldwin And Belafonte (1963) w/ Paul Kix from 2023-05-14T11:56:17
It’s the second of two episodes we’re doing with Paul Kix about the critical weeks in Birmingham, Alabama in May 1963.
This day, in New York City, a group of civil rights leaders meets w...
Listen
The Gaston Bombing in Birmingham (1963) w/ Paul Kix from 2023-05-11T14:27:55
It’s May 11th. This day in 1963, a series of bombs explode in Birmingham, Alabama — one at the hotel in which Martin Luther King, Jr. was staying, and one at his brother’s house.
Jody, N...
Listen
Biden Spoils Obama's Gay Marriage Evolution (2012) w/ Sasha Issenberg from 2023-05-09T13:40:58
It’s May 9th. This day in 2012, President Obama gives an interview in which he expresses his support for gay marriage, a stance that he’d been reluctant to take up until that point. His hand was...
Listen
Clinton Boxers or Briefs (1994) w/ Kelsey and Alex from Normal Gossip from 2023-05-07T12:34:41
It’s May 7th. This day in 1994, during a town hall airing on MTV, President Bill Clinton is asked whether he wears “boxers or briefs.”
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined once again by the...
Listen
Anne Royall, Common Scold (1826) w/ Kelsey and Alex from Normal Gossip from 2023-05-04T08:30
We’re doing a couple episodes on moments of historical gossip with our new Radiotopia pals from the show Listen
USS Jamestown Helps Ireland (1847) from 2023-05-02T08:30
It’s May 2nd. In 1847, a US military ship, the USS Jamestown, was loaded up with food and other relief to sail to Ireland and help with the famine in that country.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie...
Listen
The Caning of Michael Fay (1994) from 2023-04-30T13:31:43
It’s April 30th. This day in 1994, an 18-year-old American named Michael Fay is awaiting his punishment in Singapore for acts of vandalism. That punishment included caning, which caused a media ...
Listen
The Abu Ghraib Photos (2004) from 2023-04-27T08:30
It’s April 27th. In 2004, a report aired on 60 Minutes II featuring reports and photos of abuse by American troops at the Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the ...
Listen
Sybill's Midnight Ride (1777) from 2023-04-25T08:30
It’s April 25th. In 1777, a 16-year-old by the name of Sybil Luddington went on a 40-mile nighttime ride to warn Colonial troops and citizens of an impending British invasion.
Jody, Niki...
Listen
Recent Favorite: Colored Conventions (1830) from 2023-04-23T08:30
We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon!
It’s December 4th. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the Colored Conve...
Listen
Recent Favorite: Franklin in France (1776) w/ Mike Duncan from 2023-04-20T08:30
We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon!
It’s October 4th. In 1776, Benjamin Franklin is headed to France as...
Listen
Recent Favorite: JFK Almost Assassinated (1960) from 2023-04-18T08:30
We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon!
It’s December 15th. In 1960, a New Hampshire man lined his car with...
Listen
DC, Not A Swamp (1810) from 2023-04-13T13:15:44
It’s April 13th. This day 1810, a new canal is being built in Washington, DC in an attempt to give a little logic to the topography of the nation’s capital.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discu...
Listen
Reverse Freedom Rides (1962) from 2023-04-11T12:16:08
It’s April 11th. This day in 1962, ads are appearing in Louisiana newspapers offering one-way bus rides to northern cities for Black southerners.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the plan ...
Listen
Rosewood Reparations (1994) from 2023-04-09T11:38:10
It’s April 8th. This day in 1994, the Florida legislature passed a bill that would offer some reparations and support for descendents of the Rosewood Massacre, when a Black town was burned down ...
Listen
The Tank Fire-Nado (1926) from 2023-04-06T13:43:43
It’s April 6th. This day in 1926, a massive oil fire near San Luis Obispo, California is enveloping the area in smoke and heat and creating its own weather system.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie...
Listen
Mecham: Worst Governor Ever? (1990) from 2023-04-04T08:30
It’s April 3rd. This day in 1990, the Arizona Senate votes to remove Governor Evan Mecham from office — for all sorts of reasons.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Mecham’s very sketchy tra...
Listen
The Hippo Meat Plan (1910) w/ Dan Pashman from 2023-04-02T08:30
It’s April 2nd. This day in 1910, a Louisiana senator proposes allocating a quarter of a million dollars to import hippos from Africa and grow them in American swamps, then harvest them for food...
Listen
The Oyster Wars (1959) w/ Christine Keiner from 2023-03-30T13:39:59
It’s March 20th. This day in 1959, a skirmish between the fisheries police and an oyster boat results in the death of a Virginia oysterman — and sheds light on a decades-long battle known as the...
Listen
H1N1 Reaches America (2009) w/ James Hamblin from 2023-03-28T08:30
It’s March 27th. This day in 2009, the US is responding to the outbreak of the H1N1 flu, which would soon be a global pandemic.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dr James Hamblin of t...
Listen
A Confederate Day of Fasting and Prayer (1863) from 2023-03-26T12:23:54
It’s March 27th. This day in 1863, Jefferson Davis declared a “day of fasting and prayer” to support the Confederate cause in the Civil War.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the role of da...
Listen
Uncle Sam Is Born (1852) from 2023-03-23T13:06
It’s March 23rd. This is, in some ways, the birthday of Uncle Sam — it was the first time that the character appeared in a political cartoon.
Niki, Jody and Kellie discuss how Uncle Sam ...
Listen
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Bestseller (1852) from 2023-03-21T08:00
It’s March 20th. This day in 1852, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is the best-selling book in the country, capturing a growing anti-slavery sentiment, as well as tremendous backlash.
Jody, Niki, an...
Listen
The Spitzer Scandal Breaks (2008) w/ Azi Paybarah from 2023-03-19T12:53:03
It’s March 19th. In 2008 (on March 17th) New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned after a week of reports about his patronizing a prostitution ring.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by ...
Listen
Evacuation: A Very Boston Holiday (1901) from 2023-03-16T12:50:43
It’s March 16th. Today we mark Evacuation Day (technically the 17th), a day in which Boston marks the retreat of troops during the Revolutionary War. Over the years, the holiday has been combine...
Listen
Ike's War On Squirrels (1955) from 2023-03-14T08:30
It’s March 13th. This day in 1955, news breaks that the White House is engaged in a full-on battle against the squirrels that have invaded the grounds.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why...
Listen
Ruby Robinson and SNCC (1961) from 2023-03-12T13:59:17
It’s March 12th. This day in 1961, an Atlanta woman by the name of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson joins the civil rights organization SNCC — and quickly starts to advocate for the role of women withi...
Listen
Nixon Sneaks Into China (1972) from 2023-03-09T15:21:59
It’s March 9th. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made a surprise visit to China, meeting with leaders and sending images back home that shocked Americans.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss ...
Listen
Lincoln's Almost-Assassin (1869) from 2023-03-07T14:42:31
It’s March 7th. IN 1869, President Andrew Johnson pardoned a man by the name of Samuel Arnold — who had been imprisoned for five years for plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Jody, ...
Listen
Superman Gets Sold For $130 (1938) w/ Glen Weldon from 2023-03-05T16:14:08
It’s March 5th. In 1938, the two original creators of Superman sold the character to what would become DC Comics for $130.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Listen
Thatcher Meets Reagan (1981) w/ Dan Snow from 2023-03-02T14:04:55
It’s March 2nd. In 1981, in late February, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher travelled to the United States to meet with new US President Ronald Reagan.
Jody and Niki are joined by Dan...
Listen
Clinton In Quebec (1995) from 2023-02-28T09:30
It’s February 27th. This day in 1995, President Bill Clinton is in Canada, where he offers seemingly-bland remarks about the country, but ones that are largely seen to reveal his opinion about t...
Listen
Good Sport Week: Aging and Growth from 2023-02-26T15:00:03
Jody has a new podcast series! It’s called “Good Sport” and all this week we’re featuring episodes. Be sure to find it Listen
Good Sport Week: What Stadiums Can Teach Us from 2023-02-23T13:05:11
Jody has a new podcast series! It’s called “Good Sport” and all this week we’re featuring episodes. Be sure to find it Listen
Fat Tuesday Special: Integrating Mardis Gras (1992) w/ Oliver Thomas from 2023-02-21T14:05:17
It’s Fat Tuesday, Jody is in New Orleans, and today we’re bringing you an episode we did last year about the integration of Mardis Gras. It’s one of our favorites.
It’s March 1s...
Listen
Good Sport Week: Limbaugh and Sports Talk (2003) from 2023-02-19T14:08:17
Jody has a new podcast series! It’s called “Good Sport” and all this week we’re featuring episodes. Be sure to find it Listen
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day (1988) from 2023-02-16T14:10:28
It’s February 16th — Elizabeth Peratrovich Day!
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the life and work of Alaska Native cativist Elizabeth Peratrovich.
Sign up for our newslett...
Listen
Gandhi Meets the US Civil Rights Movement (1936) from 2023-02-14T13:57:19
It’s February 14th. This day in 1936, a delegation of US civil rights activists is touring India, where they would meet with Mahatma Gandhi to discuss non-violent resistance.
Jody, Niki,...
Listen
Utah Grants And Un-Grants Women The Right To Vote (1870) from 2023-02-12T14:46:26
It’s February 12th. This day in 1870, women in Utah become the first in the country to cast ballots in elections. But after granting women the right to vote, Utah then took it back a generation ...
Listen
The Beating of Isaac Woodard (1946) w/ Matthew Delmont from 2023-02-09T09:30
It’s February 9th. In 1946, a recently-returned World War II vet by the name of Isaac Woodard is beaten by police, an incident that became a national civil rights rallying cry.
Jody, Nik...
Listen
Tractorcade! (1979) from 2023-02-07T12:47:35
It’s February 7th. This day in 1979, thousands of tractors descended on Washington, D.C. as part of a protest over agricultural policy.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why farmers were up...
Listen
Huey Long Invents a Bank Holiday (1933) from 2023-02-05T12:47:31
It’s February 4th. This day in 1933, Louisiana Senator Huey Long invents a holiday out of whole cloth in order to close banks and prevent a bank run.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why t...
Listen
Laddie Boy! First Celebrity Presidential Pet (1929) from 2023-02-02T15:01:39
It’s February 2nd. This day in 1929, Laddie Boy died and the country mourned.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Warren Harding’s dog, and why he was such a beloved celebrity.
Carter Hacks Iowa (1976) from 2023-01-31T09:30
It’s January 31st. This day in 1976, Jimmy Carter is coming out of Iowa having rocketed to the top of the Democratic nomination field. This is in large part because he was the first to recognize...
Listen
Elian Gonzalez, Stuck in the US (2000) w/ Geraldo Cadava from 2023-01-29T14:08:52
It’s January 29th. This day in 2000, the Cuban relatives of Elian Gonzalez are in the United States arguing that the six-year-old child should be returned to Cuba — while his relatives in Miami ...
Listen
The Black Panther Breakfast Program (1969) w/ Mary Phillips from 2023-01-26T14:23:03
It’s January 26th. This day in 1969, free meals are being handed out to kids in Oakland, California as part of the Black Panther Party Free for Children Breakfast Program.
Jody, NIki, an...
Listen
The Billy Possum Craze (1909) from 2023-01-24T14:07:30
It’s January 24th. This day in 1909, the administration of William Howard Taft has gone completely possum crazy — and is desperately trying to make “Billy Possum” a mascot along the lines of the...
Listen
The Lumbees vs. the KKK (1958) from 2023-01-22T09:30
It’s January 22nd. This day in 1958, near Maxton, North Carolina, a KKK rally was broken up by a group of armed members of the Lumbee tribe.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what came to b...
Listen
The Donkey and the Elephant (1870) from 2023-01-19T15:05:07
It’s January 19h. This day in 1870, a political cartoon by Thomas Mast depicts a donkey to represent southern Democrats. Around this same time, Nast also starts to use the elephant for Republica...
Listen
Topsy the Elephant is Electrocuted (1903) from 2023-01-17T09:30
It’s January 16th. This day in 1903, film of the electrocution of an elephant, Topsy, is being viewed in kinetoscopes across the country. Topsy was executed on Coney Island a few weeks earlier.<...
Listen
McKinley Lost-Causes The Civil War (1898) from 2023-01-15T09:30
It’s January 15th. In the winter of 1898-99, at the end of the Spanish-American War, President McKinley is touring the south to drum up support from Southern lawmakers.
Jody, Niki, and K...
Listen
Recent Favorite: Family Jewels w/ Rick Perlstein from 2023-01-12T09:30
Here’s a recent favorite episode — the first part of a four-part series we did on the Church Committee hearings. We’ll be back real soon with new stories!
We’ve got a new minise...
Listen
Recent Favorite: The Dominion of Melchizedek (1993) from 2023-01-10T09:30
Here’s a recent favorite episode — we’ll be back real soon with new stories!
It’s June 2nd. This day in 1993, the very-fake nation known as “The Dominion Of Melchizedek” receive...
Listen
On The Media: The Divided Dial from 2023-01-08T13:58:13
This episode, we bring you a favorite conversation from our friends at On The Media. They have a whole new series on the rise and influence of talk radio, particularly on the political right. It...
Listen
In The Bubble: Ken Burns on Franklin, Public Health, and More from 2023-01-05T15:11:19
This episode, we bring you a favorite conversation from our friends at In The Bubble with host Andy Slavitt. Here he talks with filmmaker Ken Burns about Benjamin Franklin, public health, and th...
Listen
Ask Us Anything (Part 2) from 2023-01-03T14:12:15
Happy New Year! To kick off 2023, we’re answering a bunch of your questions about things big and small. Thanks for all your great questions and comments this year, and we’re looking forward to m...
Listen
Ask Us Anything (Part 1) from 2023-01-01T09:30
Happy New Year! To kick of 2023, we’re answering a bunch of your questions about things big and small. Thanks for all your great questions and comments this year, and we’re looking forward to ma...
Listen
Stuff That Inspired Us: Popular Work from 2022-12-29T12:57:36
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Stuff That Inspired Us: Academic Work from 2022-12-27T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The Reagan Astrology Scandal w/ Mangesh Hattikudur (1988) from 2022-12-25T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Karl Rove's "IT Guru" and the 2004 Ohio Rumor Mill (2008) from 2022-12-22T14:17:52
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Ford on "Dynasty" (1983) from 2022-12-20T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
JFK Almost Assassinated (1960) from 2022-12-15T14:11:24
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Bernie Madoff's Pyramid Collapses (2008) from 2022-12-13T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Sandy Hook Conspiracies Take Root (2012) from 2022-12-11T13:05:57
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The Video Game Freakout (1993) from 2022-12-08T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The Nullification Crisis and the Almost-Civil-War (1832) from 2022-12-06T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Colored Conventions Movement (1830) from 2022-12-04T11:57
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The First Email. Probably. (1971) from 2022-12-01T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Jews To Alaska (1938) from 2022-11-29T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
401 Episodes! w/ Jacob Feldman from 2022-11-27T13:36:07
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
400 Episodes! (pt 1) w/ Jacob Feldman from 2022-11-24T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The Jekyll Island Secret Meeting (1910) w/ Jacob Goldstein from 2022-11-22T13:33:19
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Jaywalking (1923) w/ Doug Gordon from 2022-11-20T13:22:58
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Trotter Confronts Wilson (1914) from 2022-11-17T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Denver Rejects The Olympics (1972) from 2022-11-15T12:39:37
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The GOP Reckoning Report (2012) from 2022-11-13T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
The Colored Conventions Movement (1830) from 2022-11-10T09:30
*** The Radiotopia fundraiser is happening right now! Support this show by becoming a member today: https://on.prx.org...
Listen
Election Day Special: Reporting The Results w/ Jad Abumrad from 2022-11-08T12:24:59
It’s election day here in the United States. We hope you’ve already voted, or maybe are reading this while you’re standing in line. Today, we bring you an episode we originally did on election d...
Listen
Mid-Terms Week: NJ Voter Intimidation (1981) from 2022-11-06T09:30
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Mid-Terms week, looking at a few of our favorit...
Listen
Mid-Terms Week: The First Blue Wave (1826) from 2022-11-03T16:57:26
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Mid-Terms week, looking at a few of our favorit...
Listen
Mid-Terms Week: 1946 Changes Everything (1946) from 2022-11-01T15:53:24
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Mid-Terms week, looking at a few of our favorit...
Listen
Mid-Terms Week: I'm Not A Witch (2010) from 2022-10-30T12:41:37
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Mid-Terms week, looking at a few of our favorit...
Listen
Polling Week: Let's Get Thermostatic w/ Harry Enten from 2022-10-27T14:26:17
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Polling Week, looking at some interesting polli...
Listen
Polling Week: The Red Wave (1994) w/ Harry Enten from 2022-10-25T12:53:17
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Polling Week, looking at some interesting polli...
Listen
Polling Week: Harry Reid's Upset (2010) w/ Harry Enten from 2022-10-23T12:30:01
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Polling Week, looking at some interesting polli...
Listen
Referendum Week: Prop 13 (1978) from 2022-10-20T15:50:37
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Referendum Week, looking at the world of refere...
Listen
Referendum Week: The Badass Grandmas of North Dakota (2018) w/ Joshua Graham Lynn from 2022-10-18T14:22:58
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Referendum Week, looking at the world of refere...
Listen
Referendum Week: Direct Democracy In Action (1778) w/ Joshua Graham Lynn from 2022-10-16T14:08:05
In the run-up to the November election, we’re doing a number of episodes that may help you track and process the current news. This week, it’s Referendum Week, looking at the world of refere...
Listen
Mid-Term Favorites: The Murkowski Write-In (2010) from 2022-10-13T08:30
In the run-up to the November election, we’re taking on and revisiting some of our favorite mid-term related topics. Today, we revisit an episode from 2021.
In 2010, Alaskan Sen...
Listen
Mid-Term Favorites: Paul Wellstone Plane Crash (2002) from 2022-10-11T08:30
In the run-up to the November election, we’re taking on and revisiting some of our favorite mid-term related topics. Today, we revisit an episode from 2020.
Just days before the...
Listen
Mid-Term Favorites: Contract with America (1994) w/ Kirsten Soltis Anderson from 2022-10-09T08:30
In the run-up to the November election, we’re taking on and revisiting some of our favorite mid-term related topics. Today, we revisit an episode from 2020.
On this day in 1994,...
Listen
The Whiskey Rebellion and the Fear Of The Tax Collector (1794) from 2022-10-06T12:45:37
It’s October 6th. In 1794, violent skirmishes are breaking out in Western Pennsylvania as the newly formed country tries to levy a tax on whisky.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the ...
Listen
Franklin in France (1776) w/ Mike Duncan from 2022-10-04T11:49:24
It’s October 4th. In 1776, Benjamin Franklin is headed to France as the Continental Congress’s first diplomat, looking to secure support for the American independence movement.
Jody and ...
Listen
Rudy vs Brooklyn Museum (1999) w/ Harry Siegel from 2022-10-02T14:32:26
It’s October 2nd. This day in 1999, a First Amendment battle is brewing between New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Brooklyn Museum, which is mounting a controversial exhibit Giuliani deem...
Listen
Rural Free Delivery (1896) from 2022-09-29T11:27:30
It’s September 29th. This day in 1896, a postal worker sets out to deliver the mail to ten rural towns in West Virginia. It’s the start of the Rural Free Delivery service.
Jody, Niki, an...
Listen
No Crime Day (1986) w/ Josh Levin from 2022-09-27T13:50:59
It’s September 27th. This day in 1986, NBA star Isaiah Thomas promoted “No Crime Day” in the city of Detroit.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Slate’s Josh Levin to talk about the ef...
Listen
Pauli Murray Shoots Her Shot (1971) from 2022-09-25T12:05:07
It’s September 25th. In 1971, the longtime activist and law professor Pauli Murray wrote a letter to Richard Nixon nominating herself for the vacant Supreme Court seat, even though she admits th...
Listen
Dogs as Deflection: Fala and Checkers (1944/1952) from 2022-09-22T13:01:24
It’s September 22nd. Today, we visit two speeches that used anecdotes about dogs to deflect and charm. In 1944, FDR gave a speech about his dog Fala and the misuse of government funds — the joke...
Listen
The Cleveland BalloonFest Fiasco (1986) w/ Clare Malone from 2022-09-20T08:30
It’s September 19th. In 1986, the city of Cleveland decided to stage a charity event in which they released millions of balloons into the air. It went very, very poorly.
Jody, Niki, and ...
Listen
Romney's Secret 47% Tape (2012) w/ David Corn from 2022-09-18T08:30
It’s September 17th. In 2012, durig the home stretch of the presidential election, a secretly-recorded tape of Mitt Romney at a fundraiser upended the race. The video showed him talking about “4...
Listen
The Christiana Resistance (1851) from 2022-09-15T12:41:25
It’s September 15th. This day in 1851, a dramatic showdown takes place in Christiana, Pennsylvania over four fugitive enslaved people who were hiding in a farmhouse near the Maryland border.
... Listen
The Basket Of Deplorables (2016) from 2022-09-13T13:09:10
It’s September 13th. This day in 2016, comments from Hillary Clinton about how half of Trump supporters can be put into a “basket of deplorables” are going viral.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie ...
Listen
Partisans Week: Clinton Chronicles VHS (1994) from 2022-09-11T13:40:29
Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “Partisans: The Conservative R...
Listen
Partisans Week: Buchanan at Smuggler's Gulch (1992) from 2022-09-08T13:01:30
Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “Partisans: The Conservative R...
Listen
Partisans Week: Black Helicopters (1995) from 2022-09-06T08:30
Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “Partisans: The Conservative R...
Listen
The Mystery of LBJ's "Box 13" (1948) w/ Mark Lawrence from 2022-09-04T12:35:28
It’s September 4th. In 1948, a heated Texas Senate primary comes down to a very mysterious box of ballots found in Jim Wells County — which conveniently put Lyndon Johnson ahead by just a few vo...
Listen
Brownie, Heckuva Job (2005) from 2022-09-01T13:01:05
It’s September 1st. In 2005, in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, George W Bush offered praise to the director of FEMA, Michael Brown, saying “Brownie, you’re doing a a heckuva job.” Listen
Lincoln's Avenger (1894) from 2022-08-30T16:17:42
It’s August 30th. This day in 1894, a man by the name of Thomas H “Boston” Corbett is presumed dead in a fire in Minnesota. Boston Corbett led a troubled life, particularly over the previous thi...
Listen
Biden Bites Kinnock (1987) from 2022-08-28T08:30
It’s August 27th. This day in 1987, rumors are building that Joe Biden had plagiarized remarks from British politician Neil Kinnock. Soon, reporters would find evidence that Biden used lines dir...
Listen
Port Chicago Mutiny (1944) from 2022-08-25T08:30
It’s August 25th. In 1944, a group of sailors at Port Chicago in California are facing mutiny charges, after refusing to work under dangerous conditions. Just under a month earlier, there had be...
Listen
Wooed By Mussolini (1926) from 2022-08-23T08:30
It’s August 22nd. Throughout the late summer of 1926, legendary journalist Ida Tarbell is publishing a series of flattering profiles of Benito Mussolini.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss w...
Listen
Hoover Feeds Russia (1922) from 2022-08-21T08:30
It’s August 19th. This day in 1922, a massive food relief program is underway, with tons of American supplies headed for Russia.
Jody, Kellie, and Niki discuss why the United States was ...
Listen
The Roots of "Roots" (1976) from 2022-08-18T14:09:36
It’s August 18th. This day in 1976, Alex Haley’s sprawling epic Roots hits the bookshelves. It quickly caused a sensation — and controversy.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how H...
Listen
The Acquittal of Joan Little (1975) from 2022-08-16T08:30
It’s August 16th. This day in 1975, a woman by the name of Joan Little was acquitted of murder — the first case in which a woman is acquitted of a murder committed in self-defense against sexual...
Listen
The Benghazi Memo (2012) w/ Leon Neyfakh from 2022-08-14T14:24:35
It’s August 14th. In 2012, on August 16th, a State Department memo was sent regarding the security of the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Less than a month later, the compound was a...
Listen
The Irish-American Gun-Runners (1973) w/ Nate Lavey from 2022-08-11T13:59:04
It’s August 11th. This day in 1973, a group of Irish-Americans known as “The Fort Worth Five” are caught up in the court system, accused of running guns to Ireland to aid the independence moveme...
Listen
TN Week: Elvis, Cash, and Tricky Dick (1972) w/ Jane Carr from 2022-08-09T13:45:22
Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a...
Listen
TN Week: State of Franklin (1784) w/ Jane Carr from 2022-08-07T12:17:28
Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a cen...
Listen
TN Week: Saint Dolly w/ Jad Abumrad from 2022-08-04T13:19:59
Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a cen...
Listen
What About Your Gaffes (2012) from 2022-08-02T10:09:16
It’s July 31st, 2012. This day, on the campaign trail, a reporter shouts a question at Mitt Romney: “What about your gaffes?!”
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the question came to be ...
Listen
The Sinking of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior (1985) w/ Adam McKay from 2022-07-31T12:47:26
It’s July 31st. This day in 1985, two divers acting on behalf of the French government planted bombs on the Greenpeace ship The Rainbow Warrior, blowing a hole in the side of the hull and sinkin...
Listen
Morris The Cat And Adam McKay's Big Break (1992) w/ Adam McKay from 2022-07-28T11:53:10
It’s July 28th. This day in 1992, “Morris The Cat,” the feline spokesperson for Nine Lives cat food, is in the heart of a stunt presidential campaign.
Jody and Niki are joined by directo...
Listen
Bush Gets Stuck In A Bog (1995) from 2022-07-26T08:42:08
It’s July 26th. This day in 1995, former President George HW Bush gets stuck neck-deep in a Canadian bog while on a fishing trip.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how exactly Bush got stuc...
Listen
The ADA Changes Everything (1990) from 2022-07-24T07:07:06
It’s July 24th. This day in 1990, President George HW Bush signed the American with Disabilities Act, after decades of activism and political pressure from disabilities rights advocates.
DC's Red Summer (1919) from 2022-07-21T14:10:54
It’s July 21st. This day in Washington, DC, racialized violence is sweeping the city, part of what is known as “Red Summer” around the country.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why DC was ...
Listen
The McDonald's Massacre (1984) w/ Cari Babitzke from 2022-07-19T17:55:07
It’s July 19th. This day in 1984, a gunman killed 21 people at a McDonald’s in San Isidro, California. It was one of the earliest public mass shootings in this country.
Jody, Niki, and K...
Listen
The Wallace What-If (1944) from 2022-07-17T12:02:24
It’s July 17th. This day in 1944, there are real questions about who will be the Vice Presidential nominee going into FDR’s run for office that fall. Henry Wallace was almost chosen instead of H...
Listen
Nelson Hackett's Escape -- and Return -- from Canada (1844) from 2022-07-14T13:11:34
It’s July 14th. This day in 1844, a formerly enslaved man by the name of Nelson Hackett is being sent back to the United States after having escaped to Canada. It would be the first — and last —...
Listen
The Great Upheaval (Railroad Strike Version) (1877) from 2022-07-12T12:36:45
It’s July 12th. This day in 1877, a railroad worker strike is starting in West Virginia and will soon spread throughout the midwest and eastern United States.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie disc...
Listen
Nativists vs Catholics in Philadelphia (1844) from 2022-07-10T11:40:17
It’s July 10th. This day in 1844, riots and violence are breaking out in Philadelphia as nativist groups coalesce around anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiment.
Jody, NIki, and Kelli...
Listen
Harriet Jacobs, Budding Author (1853) from 2022-07-07T11:41:37
It’s July 7th. This day in 1853, Harriet Jacobs, a formerly enslaved woman, writes her first letter to the editor, and begins to work on her memoirs. Her story, published almost ten years later ...
Listen
Texas Opts In (1845) from 2022-07-05T15:00:31
It’s July 5th. This day in 1845, the Texas legislature votes to ratify a decision to join the United States of America. This marked the end, at least for a bit, of an era in which Texas changed ...
Listen
The Great American Road Trip (1956) w/ Eddie Alterman from 2022-07-03T12:40:07
It’s July 3rd. This day in 1956, President Eisenhower signed the National Highway Act, the largest infrastructure project in American history.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Eddie ...
Listen
The Wrights Make Might (1909) from 2022-06-30T13:04:26
It’s June 30th. This day in 1909, the Wright Brothers are at Fort Meyer, Virginia, to demonstrate their latest airplane technology.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Wrights went fr...
Listen
The Abramoff Scandal (2005) w/ Philip Bump from 2022-06-28T08:30
It’s June 27th. This day in 2006, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee released a report about the breadth and depth of corruption on the part of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates.
<... Listen
Stuck On 435 (1929) w/ Philip Bump from 2022-06-26T11:42:50
It’s June 26th. In 1929, Congress passed the “Permanent Reapportionment Act,” which capped the number of representatives in the house.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Philip Bump of...
Listen
The Solar Panels On The White House Roof (1979) from 2022-06-23T10:13:14
It’s June 20th. This day in 1979, Jimmy Carter held a ceremony to celebrate the new solar panels that had been installed on the White House roof. The panels were symbolic support for new energy ...
Listen
The Dinner Where It Happened (1790) from 2022-06-21T10:33:21
It’s June 21st. This day in 1790, in lower Manhattan, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison sit down in a meeting brokered by Thomas Jefferson to work out a major compromise involving the Treasur...
Listen
The Pig War (1859) from 2022-06-19T08:30
It’s June 19th. This day in 1859, a skirmish on the San Juan Islands over a pig that intruded on a farmer’s potato crops leads to an argument, which leads to a diplomatic crisis, which almos...
Listen
Paired: HBCUs (w/ The Stoop) from 2022-06-16T08:30
For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme.
Today, two sto...
Listen
Paired: Attica and San Quentin (w/ Ear Hustle) from 2022-06-14T11:18:19
For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme.
Today, a look ...
Listen
Paired: The Moton School Strike (w/ Memory Palace) from 2022-06-12T08:30
For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme.
Today, our epi...
Listen
Paired: Nuclear Mishaps (w/ Radio Diaries) from 2022-06-09T08:30
For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme.
Today, our epi...
Listen
The Oprah-Oz Conundrum (from Oprahdemics) from 2022-06-07T12:09:14
Dr. Mehmet Oz has secured the GOP nomination for Senate in Pennsylvania. On our sister show Oprahdemics, Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur discuss his very dubious medical track reco...
Listen
Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men (1968) from 2022-06-05T12:37:56
It’s June 6th. This day in 1968, Robert Kennedy is assassinated, and the gunman is first tackled by former NFL player Rosey Grier.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Grier was on the sce...
Listen
The Dominion of Melchizedek (1993) from 2022-06-02T11:32:14
It’s June 2nd. This day in 1993, the very-fake nation known as “The Dominion Of Melchizedek” received official recognition from the Central African Republic. The Dominion was a nation set up to ...
Listen
The Night Of The Johnstown Flood (1889) from 2022-05-31T12:02:18
It’s May 31st. This day in 1889, a wall of water rushing down the Conemaugh River wiped out the mountain town of Johnstown, PA. It was one of the worst “natural” disasters in American history, a...
Listen
The Randolph Freedpeople (1846) from 2022-05-29T12:26:18
It’s May 29th. This day in 1846, 13 years after being granted their freedom, a group of formerly-enslaved Virginians arrive in Ohio to settle on land that they’d secured in a long court battle.<...
Listen
Obama Apologizes, Sort Of, For Hiroshima (2016) from 2022-05-26T12:25:07
It’s May 26th. This day in 2016, President Obama offered remarks at a memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, Japan.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Obama’s speech, whether it constituted a prope...
Listen
Nellie Taft's Stroke (1909) from 2022-05-24T10:13:23
It’s May 23rd. This day in 1909, Helen “Nellie” Taft, wife of President William Howard Taft, suffered a stroke that caused her to retreat from the White House to recover.
Jody, NIki, and...
Listen
The Potato Beetle Wars (1950) from 2022-05-22T11:52:06
It’s May 22nd. This day in 1950, East German farmers begin to report that the Colorado Potato Beetle has invaded their crops, causing devastation and fueling rumors that the infestation is part ...
Listen
Tennessee Finally Teaches Evolution (1967) from 2022-05-19T08:30
It’s May 19th. This day in 1967, the Tennessee state legislature finally repealed the Butler Act, the law that had been on the books since the 1920s banning the teaching of evolution in public s...
Listen
Tuskegee Study Apology (1997) from 2022-05-17T13:08
It’s May 16th. This day in 1997, President Clinton offered a formal apology for the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, which took place in the 1930s-1970s.
Jody, Nik...
Listen
Family Jewels Pt 4: Meddling In The Press (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein from 2022-05-15T08:30
We wrap up our four-part series on the 1975/76 Church Committee hearings with a look at the contentious, cozy, and murky relationship between intelligence communities and the press. The CIA targ...
Listen
Family Jewels Pt 3: Meddling In Your Mind (1975) from 2022-05-12T14:20:39
Our miniseries on the 1975/76 Church Committee findings on CIA and FBI operations continues. This episode, we re-visit our conversation about the MKULTRA program, which conducted mind-control an...
Listen
Family Jewels Pt 2: Meddling At Home (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein from 2022-05-10T08:30
Our miniseries on the 1975/76 Church Committee findings on CIA and FBI operations continues. This episode, we look at what Americans learned with regards to COINTELPRO — domestic spying on peopl...
Listen
Family Jewels Pt 1: Meddling Abroad (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein from 2022-05-08T12:40:09
We’ve got a new miniseries for you, looking back at the 1975 Church Committee hearings and report, which disclosed a wide array of shady behavior by the NSA, FBI, and CIA.
For the next f...
Listen
Our Bodies, Ourselves (1969) from 2022-05-05T13:06:36
It’s May 5th, 1969. In Boston, a group of women are meeting to share information about women’s health, which would eventually lead to writing a 193-page pamphlet, which would eventually lead to ...
Listen
Haymarket and the Roots of May Day (1886) from 2022-05-03T08:30
It’s May 4th. This day in 1886, a deadly riot between police and protesters broke out in Haymarket Square in Chicago.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the Haymarket Riot came on the he...
Listen
The She She She Camps (1934) from 2022-05-01T08:17:03
It’s May 1st. This day in 1934, Eleanor Roosevelt is holding a series of meetings at the White House to plan out a number of camps for women that would give them skills and community as the coun...
Listen
The Monkey Mayor of Hartlepool (2002) w/ Tim Harford from 2022-04-28T08:30
It’s April 28th. This day in 2002, the northeastern English town of Hartlepool is gearing up for a mayoral election, where they would end up voting in… the local football club’s monkey mascot to...
Listen
Henrietta Wood Sues For Reparations (1878) from 2022-04-26T08:30
It’s April 26th. This day in 1878, a verdict is delivered in a suit brought by the formerly-enslaved woman Henrietta Wood. She sued her former enslaver Zebulon Ward for reparations — and an all-...
Listen
The Moton Walkout and the "Lost Generation" (1951) from 2022-04-24T08:46:27
It’s April 24th. This day in 1951, Black students at Robert Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia have walked out of school, staging a strike over poor conditions at their school, particularl...
Listen
They're Trying To Wash Us Away (1927) w/ Wright Thompson from 2022-04-21T12:09:10
It’s April 21st. This day in 1927, the Mississippi River is in beginning to breach levies and overflows the banks throughout the MS delta.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Wright Tho...
Listen
The Mystery of 420's Origins (1986?) w/ Ellen Scanlon from 2022-04-19T13:07:14
It’s April 20th. 4-20 is a de facto holiday in weed culture, with murky origins and an interesting future as a day of activism and policy conversation.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined ...
Listen
Japanese Balloon Bombs Over U.S. Skies (1945) from 2022-04-17T12:02:11
It’s April 17th. This day in 1945, a balloon bomb exploded over Omaha, Nebraska. This was one of thousands of Japanese devices that were sent out over the Pacific ocean to ride the jet stream an...
Listen
Eugene Debs: Lock Him Up (1919) from 2022-04-14T09:30
It’s April 14th. This day in 1919, Socialist leader Eugene V Debs is sent to prison for violating the Espionage Act in his opposition to WWI. It wasn’t the first time Debs had been imprisoned — ...
Listen
Eleanor Roosevelt's Tuskegee Plane Ride (1941) from 2022-04-12T08:30
It’s April 12th. This day in 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took an airplane ride in a small plane piloted by Charles “Chief” Anderson, a Black pilot and member of the Tuskegee airmen.
... Listen
Gloria Richardson, Connector (1964) from 2022-04-10T12:54:51
It’s April 10th. This day in 1964, activist Gloria Richardson is forging deep ties with other civil rights leaders, particularly Malcolm X.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Richardson’s fo...
Listen
The Forgotten Massacre at Dartmoor Prison (1815) w/ Nick Guyatt from 2022-04-07T08:30
It’s April 7th. This day in 1815, a chaotic attack at Dartmoor prison in England killled and injured dozens of American prisoners.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by historian Nicholas...
Listen
Nixon's Weird-Ass White House Uniforms (1970) w/ Avery Trufelman from 2022-04-05T08:30
It’s April 4th. This day in 1970, Richard Nixon’s great White House uniform experiment is coming to an end.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Avery Trufelman to talk about Nixon’s ill...
Listen
The Roots of Intersectionality (1979) from 2022-04-03T12:24:13
It’s April 3rd. This day in 1979, community organizations in Boston such as the Combahee River Collective are raising the alarm about a string of murders targeting Black women. The CRC looked to...
Listen
Our 300th Episode, and Something New from 2022-03-31T08:30
It’s March 31st. Turns out, it’s our 300th episode, and the second anniversary of the show! What better way to celebrate than by rolling out the new Radiotopia show Oprahdemics, hosted by our ve...
Listen
Washington Asserts His Privilege (1796) w/ Lindsay M. Chervinsky from 2022-03-29T08:30
It’s March 28th. This day in 1796, President Washington cited executive privilege in refusing a request for documents from Congress. This started a long and messy tradition of presidents shieldi...
Listen
Brando and Littlefeather Refuse The Oscar (1973) w/ Amy Nicholson from 2022-03-27T13:24:42
It’s March 27th. On Oscar Sunday in 1973, Marlon Brando refused to attend the ceremony and accept is Best Actor award for The Godfather. Instead, Native American activist and actress Sacheen Lit...
Listen
Gerry + Mander (1812) w/ Harry Enten from 2022-03-24T08:30
It’s March 24th. This day in 1812, a political cartoon appeared in a Boston newspaper lampooning a newly proposed election district. The district was the work of Governor Elbridge Gerry, and the...
Listen
Monopoly's Secret History (1903) from 2022-03-22T12:56:43
It’s March 22nd. This day in 1903, a woman by the name of Lizzie Maggie filed for a patent for a new boardgame she’d invented — “The Landlord’s Game.”
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Magg...
Listen
US Boycotts Russian Games (1980) from 2022-03-20T12:26:04
It’s March 20th. This day in 1980, President Jimmy Carter is about to issue a decree that U.S.
Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com
The Cornerstone of the Confederacy (1861) from 2022-03-17T11:30
It’s March 16th. In 1861, Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, delivered a speech that came to be known as the “cornerstone speech.”
Jody, Niki, and K...
Listen
Latasha Harlins and the LA Riots (1991) from 2022-03-15T08:30
It’s March 15th. On March 16th, 1991, a young girl, Latasha Harlins, was killed by a shopkeeper in South Central Los Angeles.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Harlins’s death led to ou...
Listen
The US Hunts Pancho Villa (1916) from 2022-03-13T12:57:46
It’s March 13th. This day in 1916, some 6,000 US troops are getting ready to enter Mexico to track down rebel leader Pancho Villa.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why President Wilson sen...
Listen
A Raisin In The Sun (1959) from 2022-03-10T12:30
It’s March 10th. This day in 1959, “A Raisin In The Sun” debuted on Broadway. It was the first Broadway show written by an African-American woman, and marked the arrival of Loraine Hansberry as ...
Listen
We Are The World (1985) from 2022-03-08T13:53:55
It’s March 8th. This day in 1985, a song was released featuring virtually every major American music star, to raise money and awareness about the famine in Ethiopia.
Jody, Niki, and Kel...
Listen
The War on Pinball (1948) w/ Harry Siegel from 2022-03-06T12:26:49
It’s March 6th. This day in 1948, New York City’s war on pinball was raging, with police smashing machines
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Harry Siegel of The Daily Beast and The Da...
Listen
The Woman Behind The New Deal (1933) w/ Jenny Kaplan from 2022-03-03T11:33:11
It’s March 3rd. This day in 1933, Frances Perkins is appointed Secretary of Labor, the first woman to hold a cabinet position.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Jenny Kaplan of Woman...
Listen
Mixing at Mardi Gras (1992) w/ Oliver Thomas from 2022-03-01T12:06:21
It’s March 1st, the first day of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. This day in 1992, a city ordinance mandating that all Mardi Gras krewes be integrated in order to march on city streets is in effect —...
Listen
Lincoln At Cooper Union, The Speech That Changed Everything (1860) from 2022-02-27T09:30
It’s February 27th. This day in 1860, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at the Cooper Union in New York City. Before the speech, he was relatively unknown and not considered a viable candidate for p...
Listen
Our Favorite "Making Trouble" Stories from 2022-02-24T10:00:42
All this week, shows across the Radiotopia network are doing special episodes around the theme of “making trouble.” It’s being done to celebrate the Radiotopia fundraiser. If you want to sup...
Listen
Birth of The Peace Symbol (1958) w/ Ian Chillag from 2022-02-22T10:30
It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! We couldn’t make this show without your support. Become a member now at radiotopia.fm
It’s February 22nd. This day in 1958, in advance of a massi...
Listen
The Long Telegram (1946) from 2022-02-20T09:30
It’s February 20th. This day in 1946, diplomat George Kennan, stationed in Moscow, sent a 5,000 word telegram to the State Department outlining his assessment of the Soviet Union and how the U.S...
Listen
Black History Month Week: Baldwin v Buckley (1965) w/ Nick Buccola from 2022-02-17T13:03:16
This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month.
In 1965, two of America’s leading intellectuals debated the question of race — first in f...
Listen
Black History Month Week: Capital B w/ Jelani Cobb from 2022-02-15T10:30
This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month.
Over the course of this country’s history, the terms we use to describe black Americans h...
Listen
Black History Month Week: Where BHM Came From (1924) from 2022-02-13T09:30
This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month.
Today, February 13th — the roots of the celebration in 1924, when historian Carter G Wood...
Listen
The Anarchist Soup Plot (1916) from 2022-02-10T09:09:43
It’s February 10th. This day in 1916, at an event attended by much of Chicago’s political and religious elite, an anarchist cook poisoned a batch of soup in an attempt to kill all two hundred at...
Listen
"Birth Of A Nation" (1915) w/ Tyler Parry from 2022-02-08T13:53:05
It’s February 8th. This day in 1915, at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles, “The Birth of a Nation” premiered.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Tyler Parry of UNLV to discuss D.W. Gr...
Listen
The Smoking Section (1987) w/ Sarah Milov from 2022-02-06T14:50:22
It’s February 6th. This day in 1987, federal regulations go into effect limiting where federal workers can smoke cigarettes. Smoking rooms, smoking couches, and the little designated smoking are...
Listen
The SPAM Strike (1986) w/ Julia Longoria from 2022-02-03T13:59:30
It’s February 3rd. This day, 1986, the town of Austin, Minnesota is being torn apart by an ongoing strike at the Hormel meat-packing plant.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by podcast h...
Listen
McDonald's Comes to Moscow (1990) from 2022-02-01T15:21:16
It’s February 1st. This day in 1990, the very first McDonald’s opened in Moscow, after 14 years of negotiations and a moment where the USSR was softening its economic policy — and heading toward...
Listen
Here Come the AKAs (1908) from 2022-01-30T13:49:44
It’s January 30th. This day in 1913, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority was formally incorporated, five years after its founding in 1908 at Howard University.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss...
Listen
Early Prohibition and The Rise of Weird Liquor Laws (1838) from 2022-01-27T14:33
IT’s January 27th. This day in 1838, some 80 years before national prohibition, the country’s first liquor restriction was passed.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the temperance movem...
Listen
The U.S. Almost Nukes Itself (1961) from 2022-01-25T12:47:15
It’s December 25th. In 1961, on the night of January 23rd, a bomber carrying two massive nuclear weapons broke up in the sky over eastern North Carolina. The bombs came crashing to the ground an...
Listen
Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers (1977) from 2022-01-23T12:50:44
It’s January 23rd. This day in 1977, on his first day in office, President Jimmy Carter pardoned Americans who had evaded service in the Vietnam War.
Jody, Nicole, and Kellie discuss how...
Listen
Lurleen Wallace, Proxy Governor (1967) from 2022-01-20T13:44:36
It’s January 20th. This day in 1967, Lurleen Wallace took office as the Govenor of Alabama, only the third female governor in the United States history.
She was the wife of segregationis...
Listen
Silver Shenanigans (1980) w/ Bijan Stephen from 2022-01-18T12:40:43
It’s January 18th. This day in 1980, a group of Texas oil billionaires were in the middle of a scheme to drive up the worldwide price of silver. This would culminate in a few months later on wha...
Listen
The Great Boston Molasses Flood (1919) w/ Cara Giaimo from 2022-01-16T13:42:40
It’s January 16th. This day in 1919, the North End neighborhood of Boston is digging out from under 2.3 million gallons of molasses, which flooded city streets after a storage tank burst.
<... Listen
The Hawaii (False) Missile Alert (2018) from 2022-01-13T09:30
It’s January 13th. This day in 2018, at 8:07am, residents of Hawaii received a disturbing alert on their phones: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A...
Listen
The Harrisburg Seven's Plot to Kidnap Kissinger (1971) from 2022-01-11T13:57:31
It’s January 11th. This day in 1971, the federal government charged a group of anti-war activists, led by Catholic priest Father Phillip Berrigan, in a scheme to bomb tunnels in Washington DC an...
Listen
Declaring "War" on Poverty (1964) from 2022-01-09T15:35:32
It’s January 9th. In 1964, in his State of the Union speech, president Johnson declared “war on poverty.” It was part of his ambitious Great Society agenda to remake American lives from birth to...
Listen
January 6th, In Context (2021) from 2022-01-06T08:30
This episode, a conversation about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol one year ago, and how the stories and themes we’ve discussed on this show can help us understand what took place.
...
Listen
"The Body" Becomes Governor (1999) from 2022-01-04T17:01:22
It’s January 4th. This day in 1999, former wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss “The Body’s” improbable and surprisingly-substantiv...
Listen
'21 Favorite: The Cussing Parrot (1845) from 2021-12-30T12:30
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all...
Listen
'21 Favorite: NYC Slavery Revolt (1712) from 2021-12-28T08:31:52
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all...
Listen
'21 Favorite: Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivack from 2021-12-26T14:53:57
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all...
Listen
Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes from 2021-12-23T14:06:34
Part 2 of one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. We’ll be back with live episodes in 2022.
Our guest this episode is Michael Hobbes, host of the podcast “Maintenance Phas...
Listen
Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 1) w/ Michael Hobbes from 2021-12-21T16:59:07
We’re re-airing one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. Part 1 of our conversation about the history of the War on Christmas. We’ll run part 2 next, and be back with live episodes...
Listen
The Calumet Christmas Tragedy (1913) w/ Erik Loomis from 2021-12-19T19:09:44
It’s December 19th. In 1913, on Christmas Eve, 73 people, 59 of them children, died during a stampede at a gathering in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are j...
Listen
Grant Expels Jews (1860) from 2021-12-16T14:40:31
It’s December 16th. This day in 1860, Union General Ulysses Grant issued Order Number 11, which expelled Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Grant was trying to cut down on illegal t...
Listen
Bush, Meet Shoe (2008) from 2021-12-14T13:50:07
It’s December 14th. This day in 2008, at a press conference in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist flung his shoes at George W Bush.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the incident, why Muntadhar a...
Listen
A Vote Against Entering WWII (1941) from 2021-12-12T14:32:37
It’s December 12th. This day in 1941, the US Congress provides an overwhelming vote in support of Roosevelt’s declaration of war. But Jeanette Rankin of Montana was the lone dissenter.
J...
Listen
The John Birch Society Is Born (1958) w/ John S Huntington from 2021-12-09T23:19:51
It’s December 9th. This day in 1958, a group of twelve men met in Indianapolis to found the “John Birch Society,” a virulently anti-communist, conspiracy-minded group that would come to be influ...
Listen
The Coup in Wilmington (1898) from 2021-12-07T14:15:18
It’s December 7th. In 1898, a white supremacist coup took place in Wilmington, NC — in which white leaders overthrew a biracial, democratically elected government.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie...
Listen
Lenny Bruce Is Not Afraid (1962) from 2021-12-05T14:03:07
It’s December 5th. This day in 1962, comedian Lenny Bruce is arrested in Chicago during a performance at a nightclub. His arrest is ostensibly because of underage patrons at the club, but Bruce ...
Listen
NYC Almost Burns to the Ground (1864) from 2021-12-02T14:01:04
It’s December 2nd. This day in 1864, a plot to burn down New York City just barely fails. A group of eight saboteurs tried to light simultaneous fires in hotels around the city on “evacuation da...
Listen
The Battle In Seattle (1999) from 2021-11-30T14:56:06
It’s November 30th. This day in 1999, the city of Seattle was the site of massive protests during the meeting of the World Trade Organization.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the WTO ...
Listen
'21 Favorite: Drafting the Confederate Constitution (1861) from 2021-11-28T14:03
This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back with new episodes the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
/////
<... Listen
'21 Favorite: Oprah's Beef Beef (1996) from 2021-11-25T13:11:41
This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
////
This episode orig...
Listen
'21 Favorite: Instant City (1889) w/ Sam Anderson from 2021-11-23T13:53:22
This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
////
This episode orig...
Listen
'21 Favorite: The Kerner Alarm (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb from 2021-11-21T15:07:01
This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
////
This episode orig...
Listen
Milhouse's Missing Minutes (1973) from 2021-11-18T14:43:19
It’s November 18th. This day in 1973, the major revelation that there are 18 1/2 minutes missing from the secret recordings Richard Nixon was making in the Oval Office as he discussed the Waterg...
Listen
Murkowski's Write-In Surprise (2010) from 2021-11-16T14:49:32
It’s November 16th. This day in 2010, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski prevailed in her re-election effort — one in which she was forced to mount a write-in campaign after losing the primary.
... Listen
Why Sherman Marched (1864) w/ Anne Sara Rubin from 2021-11-14T13:47:44
It’s November 14th. This day in 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman left Atlanta and began destructive march to the sea, burning buildings and supply lines in his attempt to “break the ...
Listen
Bootlegger Biplane Bombings (1926) from 2021-11-11T13:07:35
It’s November 11th. This day in 1926, members of the Shelton gang in southern Illinois commandeered a biplane to drop homemade bombs on the hideout of their main bootlegging rivals, the Birgers....
Listen
"The Enemy Is The Knife" (1974) from 2021-11-09T12:36:57
It’s November 9th. This day in 1974, Dr. Connie Redbird Uri testified at a hearing about the practice of forced sterilization at Indian Health Services clinics. She sounded the alarm about the l...
Listen
Snatching Lincoln's Body (1876) from 2021-11-07T13:20:58
It’s November 7th. This day in 1876, a group of Chicago-area men attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body from his grave in Springfield, Illinois, hoping to hold it ransom to release one of their...
Listen
Carol Moseley-Braun Wears Pants (1992) from 2021-11-04T13:17:26
It’s November 4th. This day in 1992, Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois is elected Senator, becoming the first Black woman elected to the Senate, the first African-American senator from the Democra...
Listen
A Minimum Minimum Wage Increase (1977) from 2021-11-02T15:59:11
It’s November 2nd. This day in 1977, Jimmy Carter signed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $3.35.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the relatively short history of the minimum wage i...
Listen
Spy vs. Spy in Louisiana (2015) from 2021-10-31T12:37:29
It’s October 31st. This day in 2015, the campaign of Louisiana Senator David Vitter is in a tailspin after reports of a bungled spying attempt on his opponent, Bel Edwards.
Jody, NIki an...
Listen
Godless Americans (2008) from 2021-10-28T11:30
It’s October 27th. This day in 2008, an ad endorsed by Elizabeth Dole is running in North Carolina accusing Senate candidate Kay Hagan of being a “godless American.”
Jody, Niki, and Kell...
Listen
Central Park's Black Village is Demolished (1857) w/ Bobby Wooten from 2021-10-26T15:26:24
It’s October 26th. In October of 1857, the residents of Seneca Village, a community mostly comprised of formerly enslaved African-Americans, were forcibly removed in order to make room for the c...
Listen
Lennon's FBI File (1971) w/ Hrishikesh Hirway from 2021-10-24T13:22:21
It’s October 24th. This day in 1973, former Beatle John Lennon sued the U.S. government, demanding to know whether he was under FBI surveillance.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Hri...
Listen
Billy Beer (1978) from 2021-10-21T11:46:12
It’s October 21st. In October 1978, the Falls City Brewing Company ceased production of Billy Beer, a cheap brew endorsed by the younger brother of President Jimmy Carter.
Jody, Niki, an...
Listen
The Textbook Wars Spiral Out of Control (1974) from 2021-10-19T12:56:05
It’s October 19th. This day in 1974, Kanawha County, West Virginia is embroiled in an increasingly violent battle over a slate of new textbooks being added to the local school curriculum. Over t...
Listen
Why Lincoln Grew A Beard (1860) from 2021-10-17T12:24
It’s October 17th. This day in 1860, in the run-up to the next month’s presidential election, Abraham Lincoln received a letter from an 11-year-old girl urging him to grow a beard and improve hi...
Listen
The President Who Cried Swine Flu (1976) w/ Jim Hamblin from 2021-10-14T11:56:09
It’s October 14th. This day in 1976, President Ford invited cameras into the White House as he got his vaccination for the influenza strain that was commonly referred to as “swine flu.” It was p...
Listen
Perot Crashes The Debate (1992) from 2021-10-12T11:34:52
It’s October 12th. This day in 1992, Ross Perot joined Bill Clinton and incumbent George HW Bush on stage for the first three-person debate in modern presidential election history.
Jody,...
Listen
The HoJo Incident (1957) from 2021-10-10T12:14:54
It’s October 10th. This day in 1957, Ghanaian finance minister Komla Gbedemah was refused service at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Delaware. The incident led to an apology from president Eise...
Listen
The Access Hollywood Tape (2016) w/ Roy Wood, Jr from 2021-10-07T13:01:45
It’s October 7th. This day in 2016, the Washington Post published excerpts of a tape of Donald Trump talking to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about how he commits sexual assault.
Jody...
Listen
Borking (1987) w/ Jay Willis from 2021-10-05T11:23:33
It’s October 5th. This day in 1987, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork to a full senate vote — with the recommendation that he be struck down. La...
Listen
Earl "Rusty" Butz Gets Weirdly Racist (1976) from 2021-10-03T13:45:20
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1976, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz hands in his resignation after a media firestorm over racist comments he made on an airplane in front of Pat Boone, Sonny B...
Listen
The Congressional Page Scandal (2006) from 2021-09-30T11:25:21
It’s September 30th. This day in 2006, Florida Congressman Mark Foley resigned after inappropriate messages he’d sent to underage congressional pages were made public.
Jody, NIki, and Ke...
Listen
Lincoln's Spiritualist Stumper (1864) from 2021-09-28T11:55:48
It’s September 28th. This day in 1864, in the midst of the civil war and the run-up to the election of 1864, the notable spiritualist Emma Hardinge Britten gave a series of lectures in support o...
Listen
The War on Rats (1977) from 2021-09-26T12:37:38
It’s September 26th. This day in 1977, a Chicago alderman offered a $1 bounty to every one of his constituents who presented him with a severed rat tail.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss h...
Listen
Atlanta Massacre (1906) from 2021-09-23T13:36:13
It’s September 23rd. This day in 1906, racialized mob violence broke out in Atlanta, GA, as part of a growing post-Reconstruction wave of violence and rioting around the country.
Jody, N...
Listen
DADT No More (2011) from 2021-09-21T11:33:29
It’s September 21st. This day in 2011, President Obama repealed the Clinton-era policy of “don’t ask don’t tell,” regarding openly gay military service members.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie di...
Listen
Charlie Chaplin's Exile (1952) from 2021-09-19T11:30
It’s September 19th. This day in 1952, during a trip abroad, the U.S. attorney general announced an inquiry into whether Chaplin would be allowed to return to the country. He would stay in Europ...
Listen
Calendar Confusion (1752) from 2021-09-16T11:30
It’s September 16th. Or is it? We recently got an email from a listener asking us which calendar we are using when we discuss episodes prior to 1752.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie look at the s...
Listen
Attica (1971) w/ Heather Ann Thompson from 2021-09-14T11:46:26
It’s September 14th. This day in 1971, the Attica Prison uprising was coming to a close. Over the prior four days, a massive riot had rocked the facility, killing dozens of prisoners and guards....
Listen
Ship of Gold (1857) from 2021-09-12T11:30
It’s September 12th. This day in 1857, the SS Central America, a ship loaded with 30,000 pounds of gold, sank to the bottom of the ocean in a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina.
J...
Listen
Monkey Business (1987) w/ Matt Bai from 2021-09-09T12:52:11
It’s September 9th. This day in 1987, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart gave an interview on Nightline where he, finally, admitted that he’d been unfaithful to his wife. But it was too little, t...
Listen
McKinley Shot (1901) from 2021-09-07T13:08:04
It’s September 7th. This day in 1901, President William McKinley is in Buffalo, NY when he is shot twice in the chest. He would succumb to the injury a few weeks later.
Jody, Niki, and K...
Listen
The Condom On Jesse Helms's House (1991) from 2021-09-05T11:36:32
It’s September 5th. This day in 1991, members of the group ACT UP erected a giant yellow condom over the home of North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms to protest his stance on AIDS research and awa...
Listen
Camp Casey (2005) from 2021-09-02T13:17:05
It’s September 2nd. This day in 2005, Cindy Sheehan embarks on a tour around the country to protest the Iraq War, where her son Casey had died the prior year.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie disc...
Listen
Fred Korematsu's Internment (1942) from 2021-08-31T14:01:43
It’s August 31st. This day in 1942, a judge upholds the arrest of a Japanese-American man named Fred Korematsu.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Korematsu tried to resist the detention...
Listen
Teacher In Space (1984) from 2021-08-29T12:44:24
It’s August 29th. This day in 1984, NASA and the Reagan administration announced a “Teacher in Space” program intended to find one American teacher who would join a shuttle mission.
Jody...
Listen
Capitol for A Day (1814) from 2021-08-26T13:49:28
It’s August 26th. This day in 1814, the small town of Brookeville, MD becomes the Capitol of the United States — for one night.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Brookeville became the ...
Listen
The Battle of Blair Mountain (1921) w/ Anna Sale from 2021-08-24T10:30
It’s August 24th. This day in 1921, tensions are mounting in southwestern West Virginia, where some 10-15,000 miners are going on strike to protest working and economic conditions. Eventually, t...
Listen
Nat Turner's Community (1831) w/ Vanessa Holden from 2021-08-22T13:06:27
It’s August 22nd. This day in 1831, Nathaniel “Nat” Turner is leading a rebellion in Southampton, Virginia — what would become perhaps the most famous slave revolt in the Antebellum South. But t...
Listen
Banneker's Sneaky Letter (1791) from 2021-08-19T13:37:20
It’s August 19th. This day in 1791, Benjamin Banneker sent an advance copy of his almanac to Thomas Jefferson. Along with the almanac, he included a letter pleading with Jefferson to recognize s...
Listen
Leo Frank and the KKK's Resurgence (1915) from 2021-08-17T12:58:17
It’s August 17th. This day in 1915, a Jewish man by the name of Leo Frank was kidnapped from jail and hanged by a mob in Marietta, Georgia.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the inciden...
Listen
The Flag, Elvis, Aliens (1977) w/ Josh Levin from 2021-08-15T13:05:10
It’s August 15th. This episode, we discuss three notable events from this day in 1977: a young woman’s protest over the pledge of allegiance; a scramble for photos of Elvis’s dead body; and poss...
Listen
Lizzie Borden, Axe Murderer, Maybe (1892) from 2021-08-12T11:30
It’s August 12th. This day in 1892, Lizzie Borden is arrested for the murder of her father and step-mother, accused of hacking them to death with an axe in a gruesome murder that caused a media ...
Listen
"Macaca" (2006) w/ Peter Hamby from 2021-08-10T11:30
It’s August 10th. This day in 2006, Virginia Senator George Allen is caught on tape referring to S.R. Sidarth, a young man filming his event, as “macaca.” This video became an early viral moment...
Listen
East Africa Bombings (1998) w/ Karen Greenberg from 2021-08-08T13:11:56
It’s August 8th. This day in 1998, two massive truck bombs detonated outside American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. They were the work of Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden....
Listen
Reagan Fires Air Traffic Controllers (1981) from 2021-08-05T12:56:46
It’s August 5th. This day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers, who had gone on strike over failed negotiations for a new contract. In addition to firi...
Listen
Garvey's Great Gathering (1920) from 2021-08-03T13:18:47
It’s August 3rd. This day in 1920, the Universal Negro Improvement Association is holding a massive convention and rally in New York City, pushing a pan-African vision of economic empowerment fo...
Listen
The Black Tom Explosion (1916) from 2021-08-01T12:42:27
It’s August 1st. This day in 1916 (July 30th, in fact) a massive explosion rocked New York Harbor, shattering windows in Times Square and causing tremors as far away as Philadelphia.
Jod...
Listen
The U.S. Rewrites the Haitian Constitution (1915) w/ Jelani Cobb from 2021-07-29T12:00:20
It’s July 29th. This day in 1915, U.S. troops arrived in Haiti as the country’s political leadership is thrown into chaos by assassinations and violence. The U.S. would quickly rewrite the Haiti...
Listen
Kerner and the "Long Hot Summer" (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb from 2021-07-27T14:44
It’s July 27th. This day in 1967, LBJ convened the “Kerner Commission” to look into the roots of violence and unrest in America, largely in Black and brown communities around the country.
<... Listen
The Beer Summit (2009) from 2021-07-25T11:30
It’s July 25th. This day (July 24th in fact) in 2009, President Obama extended an invitation to Henry Louis Gates, Jr and Sgt James Crowley to discuss an incident in which Crowley arrested Gates...
Listen
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves from 2021-07-22T13:37:51
It’s July 22nd. This day in 1975, Congress voted to restore citizenship to Robert E. Lee, more than a hundred years after his death.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by author John Reev...
Listen
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves from 2021-07-22T13:37:51
It’s July 22nd. This day in 1975, Congress voted to restore citizenship to Robert E. Lee, more than a hundred years after his death.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by autho...
Vanessa Williams Loses Her Crown (1984) from 2021-07-20T11:30
It’s July 20th. This day in 1984, the Miss America pageant issued an ultimatum to Vanessa Williams, the first Black Miss America, to relinquish her title, over the impending publication of nude ...
Listen
Detroit Goes Bankrupt (2013) from 2021-07-18T11:30
It’s July 18h. This day in 2013, the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how a city that was once the country’s fourth-largest ran out of money, and the w...
Listen
Mary Lincoln's Money (1870) from 2021-07-15T11:30
It’s July 14h. This day in 1870, Congress authorized a yearly pension of $3000 for Mary Todd Lincoln.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why it took years for the pension to be rewarded, and...
Listen
A Native-Confederate Alliance (1861) from 2021-07-13T11:30
It’s July 13th. This day in 1861, a treaty is signed between the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes and the Confederate States of America.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why some Native Americ...
Listen
FDR Wants More (1940) from 2021-07-11T11:30
It’s July 11th. This day in 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has a conversation with a supreme court justice to explore whether it would be legal for him to run for a third term.
<... Listen
The Roswell Crash (1947) from 2021-07-08T11:30
It’s July 8th. This day (July 7th actually) in 1947, two ranchers stumbled across a downed flying object in the middle of the Nevada desert.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the discovery ...
Listen
The Death of Marsha P Johnson (1992) from 2021-07-06T11:48:39
It’s July 6th. This day in 1992, the body of Marsha P Johnson was found floating in the Hudson River off of New York City.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the death and life of Johnson, w...
Listen
Garrison's 4th of July Defiance (1854) from 2021-07-04T14:10:04
It’s July 4th. This day in 1854, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the constitution at a rally in Boston, calling it a “covenant with death and an agreement with Hell.”
<... Listen
Old Enough To Fight, Old Enough To Vote (1971) from 2021-07-01T11:58:02
It’s July 1st. This day 1971, North Carolina voted to ratify the 26th amendment, which lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the long fight to low...
Listen
Moneybomb! (2008) from 2021-06-29T11:53:22
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Joseph Smith's Assassination (1844) w/ Spencer W McBride from 2021-06-27T11:56:37
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Sanford Hikes the Appalachian Trail (2009) from 2021-06-24T13:20:52
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Mandela in Boston (1990) from 2021-06-22T11:30
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
The Len Bias Law (1986) w/ Adam McKay from 2021-06-20T12:21:16
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
A Rumor, An Exhumation (1991) from 2021-06-17T12:08:58
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Borat Before Borat (1970) w/ Jill Lepore from 2021-06-15T13:02:42
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Congressional Baseball Shooting (2017) from 2021-06-13T12:54:31
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
The Case of the Cussing Parrot (1845) from 2021-06-10T12:48:23
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Those Pesky Fenians (1866) from 2021-06-08T13:09:20
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Ollie! (1994) from 2021-06-06T11:55:21
Want to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes.
Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivak from 2021-06-03T12:30:45
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
Donate today at Listen
Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivak from 2021-06-03T12:30:45
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
Donate today at Listen
Harriet The Spy (1863) from 2021-06-01T18:28:30
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
Donate today at Listen
The Day Before The Tulsa Massacre (1921) w/ Cord Jefferson from 2021-05-30T12:20:13
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
Donate today at Listen
Voyage of the Damned (1939) from 2021-05-27T11:30
It’s May 27th. This day in 1939, authorities in Cuba turned away the SS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution in Germany. The U.S. and Canada would also turn the sh...
Listen
The Unabomber Gets His Start (1978) from 2021-05-25T11:30
It’s May 25th. This day in 1978, a suspicious package mailed to a university in Chicago blows up.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the start of what would be a 15-year campaign by Ted Kacz...
Listen
A Texas Dem Split (1944) from 2021-05-23T11:30
It’s May 23rd. This day in 1944, Texas Democrats hold two competing conventions ahead of the fall’s election, with the party split over FDR’s policies and larger civil rights issues.
Jod...
Listen
Slow Your Roll (1901) from 2021-05-20T11:58:26
It’s May 20th. This day in 1901, Connecticut passed the first ever speed limit law for automobiles in the United States.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the chaos of the city streets, the...
Listen
Dan Quayle vs Murphy Brown (1992) from 2021-05-18T11:17:39
It’s May 18th. This day in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle gave a speech about the erosion of “family values” in America, and towards the end criticized the TV show Murphy Brown, in which the ma...
Listen
The First Radio Debate (1948) from 2021-05-16T11:50
It’s May 16th. This day in 1948, New York Governor Thomas E Dewey and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen were preparing for the first nationally broadcast presidential debate.
Jody...
Listen
The MOVE Bombing (1985) w/ Gene Demby from 2021-05-13T15:08:57
It’s May 13th. This day in 1985, the Philadelphia police department ended a standoff with the MOVE group by dropping two firebombs from a helicopter on a rowhouse, which eventually led to an ent...
Listen
Dust, Everywhere (1934) from 2021-05-11T12:44:43
It’s May 11th. This day in 1934, a massive dust storm swept across the Great Plains, lifting up millions of tons of topsoil and spreading it as far as 300 miles off the coast of New York City. Listen
Sitting Bull in Canada (1877) from 2021-05-09T11:04:49
It’s May 9th. This day in 1877, Lakota leader Sitting Bull leads a large group into Canada to seek refuge from the U.S. Army, which had been pursuing him after he defeated the U.S. in the Battle...
Listen
Kennedy's Pulitzer Controversies (1957) from 2021-05-06T11:30
It’s May 6th. This day in 1957, Senator John F Kennedy of Massachusetts was awarded the Pulitzer prize for his book “Profiles in Courage.”
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the book, which ...
Listen
SEAL Team Six (2011) w/ Dan Taberski from 2021-05-04T08:30
It’s May 4th. This day (May 2nd, in fact) in 2011, a group of Navy SEALs raided a compound in Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dan Taberski to di...
Listen
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (2003) w/ Noreen Malone from 2021-05-02T19:14:38
It’s May 2nd. This day in 2003 (actually, May 1st) President George W. Bush gave a speech about the Iraq War on the USS Abraham Lincoln in front of a large banner reading “Mission Accomplished.”...
Listen
The First HBCU* (1854) from 2021-04-29T12:59:37
It’s April 29th. This day in 1854, the Ashmun Institute in Pennsylvania is chartered, the first (depending on how you count) university devoted to African-American students.
Jody, Niki, ...
Listen
Hinckley's Insanity (1982) from 2021-04-27T11:30
It’s April 27th. This day in 1982, John Hinckley went on trial for the attempted assassination of President Reagan. Hinckley’s lawyers would mount a successful insanity defense, based on his fix...
Listen
Our Library (1800) w/ Kerri Greenidge from 2021-04-25T12:14:15
It’s April 25th. This day in 1800, President John Adams approved the appropriation of $5000 for the initial collection of the Library of Congress.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by sp...
Listen
Boom Town (1889) w/ Sam Anderson from 2021-04-22T12:55:51
It’s April 22nd. This day in 1889, tens of thousands of people gathered in the middle of “unassigned territory” to wait for the signal at high noon — at which point they rushed to claim their fr...
Listen
The Franklin Cent (1787) from 2021-04-20T11:30
It’s April 20th. This day in 1787, Congress authorized the production of the country’s first coin.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the “Fugio cent,” designed — some say over-designed — by...
Listen
John Freeman's Freedom (1809) from 2021-04-18T12:29:03
It’s April 18th. This day in 1809, a man by the name of John Freeman writes a letter to Thomas Jefferson, asking that Jefferson transfer his indentured servitude contract to incoming president J...
Listen
Oprah's Beef (1996) from 2021-04-15T13:17:38
It’s April 15th. On this day in 1996, Oprah Winfrey hosted a segment on her show about “Mad Cow Disease” and proclaimed that she would no longer eat beef. That same day, cattle futures plummeted...
Listen
The CIA LSD Experiments (1953) from 2021-04-13T12:58:24
It’s April 13th. This day in 1953, the CIA started the secretive MK Ultra program, which experimented on unwitting subjects to determine the effects of LSD and other drugs.
Jody, Niki, a...
Listen
Pets are People (1866) from 2021-04-11T12:17:09
It’s April 11th. This day in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is founded.
Jody, Niki, Kellie and special guest Anne Helen Petersen discuss the rise of ...
Listen
Go Ahead, Make Me Mayor (1986) from 2021-04-08T12:59:15
It’s April 8th. This day in 1986, Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, a wealthy town of 4,000 in California.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Eastwood decided to get ...
Listen
NYC Revolt (1712) from 2021-04-06T11:58:09
It’s April 6th. This day in 1712, a group of enslaved people start a fire in New York City aimed at sparking a larger rebellion.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the slave rebellion of 171...
Listen
MLK at Riverside (1967) w/ Peniel Joseph from 2021-04-04T14:27:19
It’s April 4th. This day in 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr delivers his “Beyond Vietnam” speech at Riverside Church in New York City.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Peniel Joseph of ...
Listen
Blowing Smoke from 2021-04-01T11:34:49
It’s April 1st. This day in the early 1980s, a surprising discovery at Mt Vernon.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie talk about George Washington, conspiracy theories, and more.
Find a trans...
Listen
The Rosenbergs (1951) w/ Jamelle Bouie from 2021-03-30T11:54:15
It’s March 30th. This day in 1951, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of spying in order to share nuclear secrets with the U.S.S.R. They would be sentenced to death and eventually executed...
Listen
Three Mile Meltdown (1979) from 2021-03-28T11:38:18
It’s March 28th. This day, in 1979, a partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what led to the crisis, ...
Listen
I'm On A Boat (1933) from 2021-03-25T12:00:35
It’s March 25th. This day in 1933, the USS Sequoia is commissioned as a presidential yacht.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the long and strange history of presidential boats, from anti-r...
Listen
Illinois Blazes A Trail (1872) from 2021-03-23T14:24:22
It’s March 23rd. This day in 1872, the Illinois becomes the first state to pass a law guaranteeing equal employment for women.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the state was so far ahe...
Listen
La Masacre de Ponce (1937) w/ Alana Casanova-Burgess from 2021-03-21T11:46:38
It’s March 21st. On Palm Sunday, 1937, a peaceful march in Ponce. Puerto Rico was attacked by police who shot and killed 19 Puerto Ricans, including a seven year old girl and wounded over 200 ot...
Listen
Terri Schiavo's Right To Die (2005) from 2021-03-18T11:54:15
It’s March 18th. This day in 2005, a feeding tube was removed from Terri Schiavo for the final time. She would die later that month.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Schiavo case becam...
Listen
3000 Troops To Honduras (1988) from 2021-03-16T12:00:55
It’s March 16th. This day in 1988, President Reagan ordered 3000 US troops to Honduras, along the border with Nicaragua.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the decision in the context of the...
Listen
The Newburgh Conspiracy (1783) from 2021-03-14T12:55:22
It’s March 14th. This day in 1783, George Washington gave an address to his troops camped in Newburgh, NY, that averted a possible coup attempt.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Washin...
Listen
The Confederate Constitution (1861) from 2021-03-11T11:30
It’s March 11th. This day in 1861, the Confederate States of America ratifies its own constitution. It’s largely based on the United States constitution, but with some key changes.
Jody,...
Listen
The Murder of Dr. Gunn (1993) from 2021-03-09T11:52:09
It’s March 9th. On this day in 1993, Dr. David Gunn was murdered outside the women’s clinic at which he worked by an anti-abortion protester.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the incident ...
Listen
Know-Nothings Steal The Pope's Stone (1854) from 2021-03-07T11:57:29
It’s March 7th. On this day in 1854, vandals broke into the construction site at the Washington Monument, made off with the “Pope’s Stone,” and threw it in the Potomac River.
Jody, NIki,...
Listen
Florence Nightingale, Huge Nerd (1855) w/ Tim Harford from 2021-03-04T13:50:38
It’s March 4th. This day in 1855, a British sanitary commission arrived in Istanbul to inspect a field hospital where soldiers were dying at alarming rates. Among the nurses treating the soldier...
Listen
The Weather Underground Bombs the Capitol (1971) from 2021-03-02T13:35:59
It’s March 2nd. This day, in 1971, the leftist group The Weather Underground carries out a bombing at the US Capitol.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the bombing, and the rise of more vio...
Listen
Sickles, American Weirdo (1859) w/ Wright Thompson from 2021-02-28T12:38:01
It’s February 28th. This day in 1859 (February 27th, actually) a New York representative named Daniel Sickles shot and killed Phillip Barton Key, the son of Francis Scott Key, in a dispute over ...
Listen
The Canuck Letter and Muskie's Tears (1972) from 2021-02-25T12:59:50
It’s February 25th. This day in 1972, Democratic frontrunner Edmund Muskie of Maine was embroiled in a “scandal” that would ultimately sink his candidacy.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss ...
Listen
The Polio Vaccine Arrives! (1954) from 2021-02-23T14:17:16
It’s February 23rd. This day in 1954, children in Pittsburgh began to receive vaccines as part of the first clinical trials for Dr Jonas Salk’s polio eradication efforts.
Jody, Niki, and...
Listen
Betty Friedan's Critique (1963) w/ Nichole Perkins from 2021-02-21T11:49:11
It’s February 21st. This day in 1963 (actually, it was the 19th), Betty Friedan published her enormously influential book “The Feminine Mystique.”
Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Ni...
Listen
The Chippendale's Conundrum (1984) from 2021-02-18T11:30
It’s February 18th. On this day in 1984, a New York State liquor board is holding hearings on the all-male strip club Chippendale’s.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the way in which Chipp...
Listen
US vs Pirates (1804) from 2021-02-16T11:30
It’s February 16th. On this day in 1804, US Marines carried out a mission to destroy a ship that had been captured by enemy forces off the coast of Tripoli.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discus...
Listen
A Fascist Coup Plot (1935) from 2021-02-14T12:51:16
It’s February 14th. On this day in 1935, a Congressional committee released a report acknowledging what came to be known as “The Business Plot,” a scheme by Wall St financiers to stage a violent...
Listen
Ike's Vietnam (1954) from 2021-02-11T11:30
It’s February 11th. On this day in 1954, President Eisenhower expressed deep skepticism about US involvement in Vietnam. That would, of course, come to change.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie dis...
Listen
Martial Law in Seattle (1886) from 2021-02-09T11:30
It’s February 9th. On this day in 1886, a mob descended on Seattle’s Chinatown, amid growing tensions between white and Chinese workers.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the events of the ...
Listen
The Mayflower of Liberia (1820) from 2021-02-07T13:04:39
It’s Februrary 7th. On this day in 1820, 86 freed slaves boarded a ship from New York City headed to a region in West Africa that would soon come to be known as Liberia.
Jody, Niki, and ...
Listen
Nixon Saves The Eagle (1973) from 2021-02-04T12:00
It’s February 4th. On this day in 1973, president Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the legislation, how it fit into the growing environment...
Listen
Harding's Lust Letters (1920) from 2021-02-02T12:00
It’s February 2nd. On this day in 1920, Senator Warren G Harding pens a letter to his long-time mistress, laying out the terms under which they could break off their affair.
Jody, Niki, ...
Listen
The 13th You May Not Know (1865) from 2021-01-31T11:30
It’s January 31st. On this day (actually, February 1st) 1865, the House passed the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.
Jody, Niki, and...
Listen
Delaying The Civil War (1850) from 2021-01-28T11:30
It’s January 28th. This day in 1850, Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions aimed at trying to build compromise and forestall the Civil War.
Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss ...
Listen
Run Margaret Run (1964) from 2021-01-26T11:52:31
It’s January 26th. On this day in 1964, Margaret Chase Smith announced that she was running for the GOP nomination for president.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Smith’s trailblazing run,...
Listen
Fluoride Scare (1945) from 2021-01-24T11:30:59
It’s January 24th. On this day in 1945, the town of Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first town in the country to add fluoride to its drinking water.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how ...
Listen
"Blood In The Air" at the Capitol (1861) from 2021-01-21T11:30
It’s January 21st. On this day in 1861, Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis gave a farewell address in the Senate, announcing that his state (along with several others) would be seceding from th...
Listen
Inauguration Day Special (and Kellie's First Show!) from 2021-01-19T12:06:08
On this Inauguration Day 2021, we look back at some notable other transition ceremonies, and discuss whether the day is pure symbolism or if it actually matters.
Plus, a big announcement...
Listen
The Pets.Com Implosion (2001) w/ Julia Furlan from 2021-01-17T12:30
It’s January 17th. On this day in 2001, the company pets.com was in the process of liquidating its assets, after just 18 months in existence.
Jody and Niki are joined by Julia Furlan to ...
Listen
Ford's (Second) Assassin (1976) from 2021-01-14T11:30
It’s January 14th. On this day in 1976, Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life for her attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford.
Jody and Niki discuss Moore’s life, motivations, and t...
Listen
Victory Sausages (1943) from 2021-01-12T11:00
It’s January 12th. On this day in 1943, the US announces limits to the amount of meat Americans could eat, as well as a re-working of the meat content in sausages and other products.
Jod...
Listen
Vatican Ties (1984) from 2021-01-10T11:30
It’s January 10th. On this day in 1984, the United States and the Vatican established formal diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.
Jody and Niki discuss the history of a...
Listen
Bush Vomits on the Japanese PM (1992) from 2021-01-08T08:30
It’s January 8th. On this day in 1992, President George HW Bush, on a diplomatic trip to Japan, ate some bad food and vomited during a state dinner, right onto the lap of the Japanese Prime Mini...
Listen
The Nixon Recount Committee (1961) from 2021-01-05T12:30
It’s January 5th. On this day in 1961, Vice President Richard Nixon, acting as President of the Senate, certified the electoral college results of the 1960 election, which he had lost to John F ...
Listen
2020 Favorite: "Coya Come Home" w/ Harry Enten from 2021-01-03T12:30
To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!
////...
Listen
2020 Favorite: Dukakis on the Tank w/ Amy Walter from 2020-12-31T12:03
To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!
////...
Listen
2020 Favorite: Wyoming's Suffrage w/ Maeve Higgins from 2020-12-29T12:00
To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!
////...
Listen
2020 Favorite: Obama's Tan Suit w/ Sam Sanders from 2020-12-27T10:00
To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!
////...
Listen
The War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes from 2020-12-24T12:00
It’s December 24nd. This Christmas week, we’re doing something a little different — a two-part special on the history of The War on Christmas.
In part two, Jody and Nikki are joined by M...
Listen
The War On Christmas (Part 1) w/ Michael Hobbes from 2020-12-22T12:11:09
It’s December 22nd. This Christmas week, we’re doing something a little different — a two-part special on the history of The War on Christmas.
In part one, Jody and Nikki are joined by M...
Listen
Back On The Montgomery Bus (1956) w/ Christina Greer from 2020-12-20T13:31:58
It’s December 20th. On this day in 1956, the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott ended after 381 days.
Jody and Niki are joined by Christina Greer of Fordham University to discuss what broug...
Listen
Ellis Island Opens (1900) w/ Brian Lehrer from 2020-12-17T12:30
It’s December 17th. On this day in 1900, the Ellis Island immigration center in New York harbor opened its doors.
Jody and Niki are joined by Brian Lehrer of WNYC to discuss the new wave...
Listen
Boss Tweed Goes Down (1871) from 2020-12-15T14:08:15
It’s December 15th. On this day in 1871, William “Boss” Tweed is arrested in Manhattan while returning to the city to, reportedly, see the Christmas lights.
Jody and Niki discuss what th...
Listen
Trump the Moderator (2011) w/ James Poniewozik from 2020-12-13T12:37:05
It’s December 13th. On this day in 2011, Donald Trump wrote a letter announcing that he was bowing out of moderating (!) a Newsmax presidential debate.
Jody and Niki are joined by James ...
Listen
The Great Toledo War (1836) w/ Hanif Abdurraqib from 2020-12-10T13:41:01
It’s December 10th. On this day in 1836, the final days of the “Great Toledo War,” a conflict over a strip of territory between the state of Ohio and the territory of Michigan.
Jody and ...
Listen
The ANTI-Suffragettes (1915) w/ Kimberly Hamlin from 2020-12-08T13:44:46
It’s December 8th. On this day in 1915, newspapers reported a “near riot” at a meeting of the Democratic party, when pro- and anti-suffrage women debated each other over the right to vote.
... Listen
United States vs One Book Called Ulysses (1933) w/ Kurt Andersen from 2020-12-06T12:13:34
It’s December 6th. On this day in 1933, a judge ruled that James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” which had been effectively banned in the United States, was not obscene.
Jody and Niki are joined by K...
Listen
US, Meet UN (1945) from 2020-12-03T14:09:48
It’s December 3rd. On this day in 1945 (technically, December 4th), the United States Senate voted to ratify an agreement to have the US join the United Nations.
Jody and Niki discuss th...
Listen
John Brown's Body (1859) from 2020-12-01T12:30
It’s December 1st. On this day in 1859, abolitionist John Brown was awaiting his execution by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Jody and Niki discuss John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, how...
Listen
Harvey Milk is Assassinated (1978) from 2020-11-29T12:54:27
It’s November 29th. On this day in 1978, San Fransisco is in mourning, and there is violence in the streets, in the wake of the assassination of Harvey Milk, a board of supervisors member and ga...
Listen
Franksgiving! (1939) w/ Adam Conover from 2020-11-26T12:30
It’s November 26th. On this day in 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had declared that Thanksgiving would take place a week earlier than usual. Americans were not happy.
Jody and...
Listen
The Alcatraz Occupation (1969) w/ Julian Brave Noisecat from 2020-11-24T13:30
It’s November 24th. On this day in 1969, Native American activists have staged an occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
Jody and Niki are joined by Julian Brave Noisecat to...
Listen
Queen of Code (1943) w/ Mar Hicks from 2020-11-22T13:30
It’s November 22nd. On this day in 2016, Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to computer programmer Grace Hopper, who entered the Navy in the mid-1940s and helped pioneer a lo...
Listen
The US Rejects A Peace Treaty (1919) w/ Christopher McKnight Nichols from 2020-11-19T08:00
It’s November 19th. On this day in 1919, the US Senate rejected the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles.
Jody and Niki are joined by Christopher McKnight Nichols of the University o...
Listen
The Governator (2003) from 2020-11-17T08:00
It’s November 16th. On this day in 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as Governor of California, after having won a recall election that ousted former Governor Gray Davis.
Jody and...
Listen
The Occupy Encampment (2011) from 2020-11-15T08:00
It’s November 15th. On this day in 2011, the NYPD issued orders to clear the encampment at Zuccotti Park in lower manhattan, that had been the site of the Occupy Wall Street protests since the f...
Listen
The Vietnam Memorial Controversy (1982) from 2020-11-12T08:00
It’s November 12th. On this day in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial opened in Washington, DC.
Jody and Niki discuss the controversy over the memorial’s design, the additions over the ...
Listen
The Obama Transition (2008) from 2020-11-10T08:00
It’s November 10th. On this day in 2008, President-Elect Obama stepped into the Oval Office for the first time for a meeting with President George W Bush.
Jody and Niki discuss the lesso...
Listen
GOP Latinos (1973) w/ Geraldo Cadava from 2020-11-08T22:13:44
It’s November 8th. On this day in 1973, a many by the name of Ben Fernandez testified during the Watergate hearings. Fernandez was a Nixon fundraiser but also a major organizer around Latinos wi...
Listen
Special: What Moment Are You Thinking Of? (2020) w/ Kellie Carter Jackson from 2020-11-06T18:18:19
In the wake of the 2020 election, we have been thinking about and asking “What historical moment are you thinking about in this moment?” Jody and Niki are joined by Kellie Carter Jackson of Well...
Listen
Quick Update, Question, Recommendation (2020) from 2020-11-05T13:38:15
Jody with a quick update on our post-election coverage. We’re recording on Friday morning with the question “What historical moment are you thinking about in this moment?” Email us Listen
When Black Voters Went Blue (1936) w/ Leah Wright Rigueur from 2020-11-03T08:00
It’s November 3rd. Election Day! On this day in 1936, FDR won his second term for president in a landslide. But it was the first election since the Civil War in which African-American voters vot...
Listen
Election Sunday: Election Night Info w/ Jad Abumrad from 2020-11-01T08:00
It’s November 1st. On this Sunday before election day, we mix it up a bit and look at number of moments from history that teach us about how election results have been conveyed, from the origins...
Listen
Witches (1693) w/ Josh Gondelman from 2020-10-29T07:00
It’s October 29th. On this day in 1693, the Salem witch trials came to an end when a superior court decided it would no longer hear “spectral evidence.”
Jody and Niki are joined by comed...
Listen
Reagan's "Time for Choosing" (1964) from 2020-10-27T07:00
It’s October 27th. On this day in 1964, Ronald Reagan gave a televised speech that marked him as the leading voice of American conservatives.
Jody and Niki discuss the “Time for Choosing...
Listen
Election Sunday: Wellstone Plane Crash (2002) from 2020-10-25T07:00
It’s October 25th. On this day in 2002, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash, eleven days before the midterm election.
Jody and Niki discuss the impact of his death on ...
Listen
Ike's Heart Attack (1955) w/ Will Hitchcock from 2020-10-22T07:00
It’s October 22nd. On this day in 1955, President Eisenhower was recovering from a serious heart attack the month before.
Jody and Niki are joined by William Hitchcock of UVA to discuss ...
Listen
Are You, Or Have You Ever Been... (1947) w/ Will Hitchcock from 2020-10-20T07:00
It’s October 20th. On this day in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began hearings to root out communist sympathizers in Hollywood.
Jody and Niki are joined by Will...
Listen
Election Sunday: Podium Protests (1968) w/ Joel Anderson from 2020-10-18T07:00
It’s October 18th. On this day in 1968, US Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a Black power salute on the podium in Mexico City.
Jody and Niki are joined by Joe...
Listen
Million Man March (1995) w/ Joel Anderson from 2020-10-15T07:00
It’s October 15th. On this day in 1995 hundreds of thousands of Black Americans descended on Washington DC for the Million Man March.
Jody and Niki are joined by Joel Anderson of Slate t...
Listen
A Bull Moose Gets Shot (1912) w/ Alex Schmidt from 2020-10-13T07:00
It’s October 13th. On this day in 1912 (well, technically the 14th), Teddy Roosevelt is shot as he’s on his way to a speech in Milwaukee. He still gave the speech.
Jody and Niki are join...
Listen
Election Sunday: Anita Hill's Testimony (1991) w/ Farai Chideya from 2020-10-11T07:00
It’s October 11th. On this day in 1991, Anita Hill provided testimony during the confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Hill alleged that Thomas sexually harassed her wh...
Listen
Anthrax Letters (2001) from 2020-10-08T07:00
It’s October 8th. On this day in 2001, the FBI opened an investigation into a series of letters containing anthrax powder that were mailed to news organizations and politicians.
Jody and...
Listen
Fallout Shelters (1961) from 2020-10-06T07:00
It’s October 6th. On this day in 1961, President Kennedy penned a letter urging the country to prepare fallout shelters and take other steps in anticipation of nuclear warfare.
Jody and ...
Listen
Election Sunday: A Great Debate Zinger (1988) w/ Mike Pesca from 2020-10-04T07:00
It’s October 4th. On this day in 1988, Lloyd Bentsen delivered one of the most memorable debate lines of all time when he told his VP opponent Dan Quayle that he “was no Jack Kennedy.”
J...
Listen
REPOST -- The President Catches The Virus (1919) from 2020-10-02T14:16:54
With the news that President Trump has COVID, we are reposting our episode from early April about the time that President Wilson caught the Influenza virus in 1919.
We’ll be back with a ...
Listen
Shutdown (2013) w/ Steve Kornacki from 2020-10-01T07:00
It’s October 1st. On this day in 2013, the United States government shut down after the Congress was unable to agree to a new budget proposal, that had been saddled with provisions that would ha...
Listen
Goodbye 538 (1970) w/ Steve Kornacki from 2020-09-29T07:00
It’s September 29th. On this day in 1970, the United States Senate came six votes shy of voting for an amendment that would have scrapped the Electoral College system in favor of a much more str...
Listen
Election Sunday: Contract with America (1994) w/ Kristen Soltis Anderson from 2020-09-27T07:00
It’s September 27th. On this day in 1994, Republicans in the House of Representatives gathered on the steps of the Capitol to announce the “Contract with America,” a plank of ten policy points t...
Listen
The Republic of West Florida (1810) w/ Kristen Soltis Anderson from 2020-09-24T07:00
It’s September 24th. On this day in 1810, a band of rebels took control of a fort in Baton Rogue and shortly thereafter established “The Republic of West Florida,” which would last for… just und...
Listen
Dueling Lincoln (1842) w/ Alexis Coe from 2020-09-22T07:00
It’s September 22nd. On this day in 1842, Abe Lincoln almost duels, using swords, with a man named James Shields, but manages to get out of it.
Jody and Niki are joined by histo...
Listen
Election Sunday: Carter's Lust (1976) w/ Alexis Coe from 2020-09-20T07:00
It’s September 20th. On this day in 1976, Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter gave an interview to Playboy magazine in which he admitted that he has “lust in his heart” for women.
... Listen
Khrushchev Comes to America (1959) from 2020-09-17T07:00
It’s September 17th. On this day in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was in New York City as part of his goodwill tour of the United States.
Jody and Niki discuss the visit by Khru...
Listen
A Dead Candidate (1992) from 2020-09-15T07:00
It’s September 15th. On this day in 1992, the congressional district on Manhattan’s west side held its Democratic Primary. Incumbent Ted Weiss won handily. There was just one catch — Weiss had d...
Listen
Election Sunday: Dukakis on the Tank (1988) w/ Amy Walter from 2020-09-13T07:00
It’s September 13th. On this day in 1988, Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis baorded an M-1 tank in order to set up a photo op, ostensibly to make him look tough on defense. It backfired horribl...
Listen
Bank War (1833) w/ Jacob Goldstein from 2020-09-10T07:00
It’s September 10th. On this day in 1833, President Andrew Jackson announced that the U.S. government would no longer be keeping its money with the Second Bank of the United States.
Jody...
Listen
The Obama Star Trek Theory (2004) w/ Ian Chillag from 2020-09-08T07:00
It’s September 6th. On this day Star Trek debuted. We are discussing Star Trek because of a convoluted theory that if the actress Jeri Ryan had never been cast on the series Star Trek: Voyager, ...
Listen
Election Sunday: The Stars and Stripes and Sports (1918) w/ Jason Concepcion from 2020-09-06T07:00
It’s September 6th. On this day in 1918, during the seventh inning stretch of a World Series game between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, a band played the “Star Spangled Banner” for the fi...
Listen
Recy and Rosa (1944) w/ Danielle McGuire from 2020-09-03T07:00
It’s September 3rd. On this day in 1944, a woman by the name of Recy Taylor was raped in Abbeville, Alabama.
Jody and Niki are joined by Danielle McGuire to discuss how Taylor’s case bec...
Listen
Tax The Rich (1862) from 2020-09-01T07:00
It’s September 1st. On this day in 1862, the Internal Revenue Act went into effect.
Jody and Niki discuss how the act codified many of the systems and precepts of our tax code — includin...
Listen
Election Sunday: Carter and the Killer Rabbit (1979) w/ Sam Sanders from 2020-08-30T07:00
It’s August 30th. On this day in 1979, newspapers around the country reported on an encounter President Jimmy Carter had earlier that summer with a rabbit while fishing.
Jody and Niki ar...
Listen
Obama's Tan Suit (2014) w/ Sam Sanders from 2020-08-27T07:00
It’s August 27th. On this day in 2014, President Barack Obama gave a press conference about Ukraine and ISIS and foreign policy — but much of the political chatter was about his choice of tan su...
Listen
The 19th (1920) w/ Kellie Carter Jackson from 2020-08-25T07:00
It’s August 25th. On this day in 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed papers that ratified the 19th amendment, which stated that the right to vote would not be denied “on account of ...
Listen
Election Sunday: Fannie Lou Hamer vs Lyndon B Johnson (1964) from 2020-08-23T07:00
It’s August 23rd. On this day in 1964, Mississippi activist Fannie Lou Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention about her efforts to be recognized as part of the MS delegation. ...
Listen
Rockefeller Republicans (1974) from 2020-08-20T11:24:22
It’s August 20th. On this day in 1974, Gerald Ford announced Nelson Rockefeller of New York as his pick for Vice President.
Jody and Niki discuss how the pick of Rockefeller represented ...
Listen
The Dakota War and the Mankato Hanging (1862) from 2020-08-18T07:00
It’s August 18th. On this day in 1862, fighting broke out in southern Minnesota between Dakota Indians and the United States. Later in the year, 38 Dakota men would be hanged in Mankato, the lar...
Listen
Election Sunday: Adlai and The Always-Rans (1952) w/ Harry Enten from 2020-08-16T07:00
It’s August 16th. On this day in 1956, Adlai Stevenson accepted the nomination for Democratic candidate for president. It was the second election in a row that he would go up against Eisenhower ...
Listen
Ebola (2014) w/ Andy Slavitt from 2020-08-13T07:00
It’s August 13th. On this day in 2014, deaths from Ebola passed 1,000 in four West African nations. Over the summer and fall fears about Ebola would grow around the world and in the US.
...
Listen
RBG Arrives (1993) w/ Dahlia Lithwick from 2020-08-11T07:00
It’s August 11th. On this day in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her first full day on the Supreme Court.
Jody and Niki are joined by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate to discuss Ginsburg’s nomin...
Listen
Election Sunday: How Third Parties Happen (1848) from 2020-08-09T07:00
It’s August 9th. On this day in 1848, former President Martin Van Buren was nominated as the presidential nominee for the breakaway Free Soil Party. The party was short-lived, but influential, a...
Listen
The Case Of The Missing Judge (1930) from 2020-08-06T07:00
It’s August 6th. On this day in 1930, NY Judge Joseph Force Crater disappeared after getting dinner and heading to a Broadway show. He was never seen again, and his case has been a vacuum for co...
Listen
Braceros (1942) from 2020-08-04T07:09:56
It’s August 4th. On this day in 1942, the US started an immigration program for “braceros,” agricultural workers from Mexico who came to work on farms using temporary visas.
Jody and Nik...
Listen
Election Sunday: Reagan's Dog Whistle (1980) from 2020-08-02T10:46:07
It’s August 2nd. On this day in 1980, Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential general election campaign with a speech at the Neshoba County Fair in MS. During the speech he used the phras...
Listen
How We Got "In God We Trust" (1956) w/ Kevin M Kruse from 2020-07-30T07:00
It’s July 30th. On this day in 1956, Congress approved a bill to adopt “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States, mandating that it appear on paper currency and elsewhere.
... Listen
A Major Watergate Vote (1974) w/ Leon Neyfakh from 2020-07-28T07:00
It’s July 28th. On this day in 1974, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to recommend the impeachment of Richard Nixon on counts of obstructing justice. The vote would b...
Listen
Election Sunday: Chappaquidick (1969) from 2020-07-26T07:00
It’s July 26th. On this day in 1969, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy pled guilty to leaving the scene of the crime following a car accident on the island of Chappaquidick.
Jody and Ni...
Listen
Why Wyoming (1890) w/ Maeve Higgins from 2020-07-23T07:00
It’s July 23rd. On this day in 1890, Wyoming celebrated its entry into the United States. And it was doing so as a state that granted women the right to vote.
Jody and Niki are joined by...
Listen
Small Step For (A?) Man (1969) w/ Maeve Higgins from 2020-07-21T07:00
It’s July 21st. On this day in 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin rode the Apollo 11 lunar module down to the moon’s surface — while their pal Michael Collins stayed behind.
Jody and N...
Listen
Election Sunday: Convention Speeches (1980s) from 2020-07-19T07:00
It’s July 19th. In our first special Sunday show, Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss some notable convention speeches from the 1980s, and what makes for a good speech in the room and on TV. ...
Listen
Riots Sweep NYC (1863) from 2020-07-16T07:00
It’s July 16th. On this day in 1863, riots are raging in New York City. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss how the unrest shifted from Civil War protest to a race riot, and what it says abou...
Listen
The Pandemic We Forget (1968) w/ Leon Neyfakh from 2020-07-14T07:00
It’s July 14th. On this day in 1968, reports of a new strain of influenza. The “Hong Kong Flu” would spread worldwide and kill upwards of a million people, including 50-100,00 in the United Stat...
Listen
VP Gore (1992) w/ John Dickerson from 2020-07-09T07:00
It’s July 9th. On this day in 1992, Bill Clinton announced Al Gore as his selection to be his Vice Presidential running mate.
Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by John Dickerson ...
Listen
Welcome Alaska (1958) w/ John Dickerson from 2020-07-07T07:00
It’s July 7th. On this day in 1958, President Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act, bringing Alaska on as the 49th state.
Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by John Dickerso...
Listen
The Man Who Didn't Sign The Declaration (1776) w/ John Dickerson from 2020-07-02T07:00
It’s July 2nd. Today, the story of John Dickinson, who attended the Continental Congress, was witness to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, but abstained from voting for or signing...
Listen
Newspaper Strike! (1945) w/ Jane Coaston from 2020-06-30T07:00
It’s June 30th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by Jane Coaston of Vox to discuss the NYC newspaper strike of 1945. There were eight daily newspapers serving millions and millions each...
Listen
The Great Reunion (1913) w/ Jane Coaston from 2020-06-25T07:00
It’s June 25th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by Jane Coaston of Vox to discuss “The Great Reunion” of 1913. 50 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War veterans returned to s...
Listen
Resurrection City (1968) w/ Jane Coaston from 2020-06-23T07:00
It’s June 23rd. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by Jane Coaston of Vox to discuss “Resurrection City,” an encampment that occupied the National Mall in Washington DC for six weeks in t...
Listen
Juneteenth (1865) from 2020-06-18T07:00
It’s June 18th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the history of Juneteenth — which is tomorrow, June 19th! It started as a Texas commemoration of the end of slavery, and has slowly spread ...
Listen
Getting The New Deal Done (1933) from 2020-06-16T07:00
It’s June 16th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the passage of the first raft of legislation that would come to be known as The New Deal. History remembers the entire era as one of sweepi...
Listen
One Of Those Days (1963) w/ Josh Levin from 2020-06-11T07:00
It’s June 11th. We’re breaking format a bit today. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by Slate’s Josh Levin to talk about a day in 1963 where four massive events all happened together. Al...
Listen
David Duke The Democrat (1988) from 2020-06-09T07:00
It’s June 9th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by Slate’s Josh Levin to talk about neo-nazi David Duke, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, and continued to see...
Listen
Shirley Shows Up (1972) from 2020-06-04T07:00
It’s June 4th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the California democratic debate of 1972, which features Shirley Chisholm — the first woman to appear on a presidential debate stage. She wa...
Listen
The Steel Strike Showdown (1952) from 2020-06-02T07:00
It’s June 2nd. Before the show, some words about the protests and violence over the weekend. Then, Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss a massive steel strike in 1952, and the way it pitted Pr...
Listen
Ain't I A Woman (1851) w/ Akilah Hughes from 2020-05-28T07:00
It’s May 28th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Akilah Hughes (What A Day podcast) discuss Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech. It tells us a lot about how myths are ...
Listen
Hands Across America (1986) from 2020-05-26T07:00
It’s May 26th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Akilah Hughes (What A Day podcast) discuss “Hands Across America,” the charity event that tried to get Americans to line up from coa...
Listen
Treason! (1807) from 2020-05-21T07:00
It’s May 21st. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Joanne Freeman (Backstory Radio) discuss the treason trial of Aaron Burr. It pitted Burr against Thomas Jefferson, for whom he had s...
Listen
The Caning Of Sumner (1856) from 2020-05-19T07:05
It’s May 19th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Joanne Freeman (Backstory) discuss one of the more notorious incidents in U.S. political history — when Senator Charles Sumner was s...
Listen
Ron Paul Bows Out (2012) from 2020-05-14T07:05
It’s May 14th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Harry Enten of CNN discuss the career of Ron Paul. He ran in several Republican primaries, capturing a part of the electorate that w...
Listen
The Killer Ds (2003) from 2020-05-12T07:00
It’s May 12th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Harry Enten of CNN discuss the incident where over 50 Texas legislators fled across the boarder to Oklahoma, to avoid having to vote...
Listen
Coya Come Home (1958) from 2020-05-07T07:05
It’s May 7th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Harry Enten of CNN discuss the “Coya Come Home” letter — a public letter written by the husband of MN representative Coya Knutson, de...
Listen
The Forgotten Crash (1893) from 2020-05-05T07:05
It’s May 5th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the crash of 1893. It was the result of a rapidly changing economy, heavy debt, and slow-footed governmental response. And it ushered in a ne...
Listen
Bernie Jumps In (2015) from 2020-04-30T07:05
It’s April 30th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the moment Bernie Sanders entered the 2016 Democratic primary. He was relatively unknown, but the issues he was championing were already g...
Listen
The East Coast Dims Out (1942) from 2020-04-28T07:00
It’s April 28th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer talk about the “dim outs” of 1942, when businesses and residents along the east coast were asked to turn off their lights to protect from enemy su...
Listen
Howard Stern For Governor (1994) from 2020-04-23T07:05
It’s April 23rd. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First) discuss when shock-jock Howard Stern secured the Libertarian Party nomination for New Yor...
Listen
Adams Doesn't Want To Be VP (1789) from 2020-04-21T07:00
It’s April 21st. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First) discuss America’s first Vice President, John Adams. He was inaugurated nine days before G...
Listen
Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963) from 2020-04-16T07:00
It’s April 16th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times discuss Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, in which he rejected calls to go s...
Listen
The Lincoln Coup (1865) from 2020-04-14T07:00
It’s April 14th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times discuss the assasination of Abraham Lincoln, and what parts of the story history tends not to ...
Listen
The Amendment That Changed The Senate (1913) from 2020-04-09T07:05
It’s April 9th. Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times discuss the passage of the 17th amendment. It changed the way that senators are elected, and th...
Listen
Obama's "Bitter Clinger" Comments (2008) from 2020-04-07T07:05
It’s April 7th. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the scandal that erupted after candidate Barack Obama made comments at a fundraiser ahead of the Pennsylvania primary. His remarks about “b...
Listen
Wilson Gets The Flu (1919) from 2020-04-02T07:05
It’s April 2nd. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss the Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. In the spring of 1919, President Wilson got sick on his way to Paris for talks to bring a close to Wor...
Listen
LBJ Isn't Running (1968) from 2020-03-31T07:05
It’s March 31st. Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer discuss President Johnson’s surprise announcement that he isn’t running for re-election, and how politics can be upended in a tumultuous year like...
Listen
Introduction: This Day In Esoteric Political History from 2020-03-23T13:16:40
This Day In Esoteric Political History is hosted by Jody Avirgan, with historian Nicole Hemmer of Columbia. Our researcher and producer is Jacob Feldman.
Find us online at thisdaypod.com...
Listen