This Day in Esoteric Political History

By Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia

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Category: History

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Rate for this podcast

Subscribers: 1068
Reviews: 9
Episodes: 617

Byrd Bones
 Apr 12, 2024

Annie
 Apr 26, 2022
Engaging and informative.

k327
 Aug 17, 2021
First year was fantastic. Learned a lot about obscure events in history. It's gotten really, really focused on blaming everything on white supremacy and racism. I'm not downplaying the issue, but there's a hundred podcasts on that already.

Texas
 Jun 27, 2021
Well produce show, love the banter between the guest and I always learn something in an entertaining fashion.

Matt E B
 Apr 27, 2021
The first season was great. very cool factoids and throughlines. Now seems to just be SJW trying to identify less Woke times of US history

Description

We’re living in unprecedented times. Maybe. In this show, Jody Avirgan (538, 30for30, TED) and historians Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt) and Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley) take one moment, big or small, from that day in U.S. political history and explore how it might inform our present –– all in about fifteen minutes.

New episodes release Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Sign up for the newsletter and more at ThisDayPod.com. We’re also posting about moments from the past @thisdaypod on Threads and Instagram. If you have a suggestion for a topic, get in touch.

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX.


Episode Date
The Great San Francisco Earthquake (1906)
Apr 18, 2024
Walter Cronkite's America (1962)
Apr 16, 2024
George W. Bush Meets With Gay Voters (2000) w/ Neil J. Young
Apr 14, 2024
Democrats Seize Power In South Carolina (1877)
Apr 11, 2024
Marian Anderson Sings On The Steps Of The Lincoln Memorial (1939)
Apr 09, 2024
Wisconsin Tries To Recall Scott Walker (2012)
Apr 07, 2024
Why William Henry Harrison Really Died (1841)
Apr 04, 2024
The Richmond Bread Riots (1863)
Apr 02, 2024
Truman Says He Won't Seek Re-Election (1952)
Mar 31, 2024
The Slaveowner Executed for Killing His Slave (1839)
Mar 28, 2024
DC Plants The Cherry Blossoms (1912)
Mar 26, 2024
Lincoln's Avenger And The Aftermath Of Assassination (1894) [[Archive Episode]]
Mar 24, 2024
Montana Enshrines a Right To Privacy (1972)
Mar 21, 2024
The First Government Shutdown Fight (1879)
Mar 19, 2024
The Shamrock Summit (1985)
Mar 17, 2024
FDR Says Bottoms Up (1933)
Mar 14, 2024
Kennedy's Latin American Marshall Plan (1964)
Mar 12, 2024
Hoover Almost Takes Over Baseball (1951)
Mar 10, 2024
When "Primary" Became A Verb (2004)
Mar 07, 2024
The Ask President Carter 1-900 Number (1977)
Mar 05, 2024
Hangers On Week: Al Smith and Remakes The Democratic Party
Mar 03, 2024
Hangers On Week: Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition
Feb 29, 2024
Hangers On Week: Sowing The Seeds of Trump
Feb 27, 2024
Hangers On Week: Why Candidates Stick Around w/ Amy Walter
Feb 25, 2024
Malcolm X Is Assassinated (1965)
Feb 22, 2024
Dick Cheney Shoots His Friend In The Face (2006)
Feb 20, 2024
NJ Law Calls For "Gradual Emancipation Of Slaves" (1804)
Feb 18, 2024
The FDR Assassination Attempt (1933)
Feb 15, 2024
Mandela Released From Prison (1990)
Feb 13, 2024
The First Execution By Gas Chamber (1924)
Feb 11, 2024
Lockheed Caught Bribing The Japanese Government (1976)
Feb 08, 2024
FDR's Court-Packing Plan Backfires (1937)
Feb 06, 2024
The Sketchy Deal That Makes Hayes President (1877)
Feb 04, 2024
Groundhog Day's Very Weird Origins (1877)
Feb 01, 2024
A Brawl In Congress (1798) w/ Joanne Freeman
Jan 30, 2024
No Nukes In Space (1967)
Jan 28, 2024
Why Do We Vote On Tuesday? (1845)
Jan 25, 2024
Ed Roberts, Father Of Independent Living (2010)
Jan 23, 2024
Marion Barry Caught Smoking Crack (1990)
Jan 21, 2024
The Pentagon, The Building (1943)
Jan 18, 2024
America's Biggest Slave Rebellion (1811)
Jan 16, 2024
America Drags Its Feet on MLK Day (1986)
Jan 14, 2024
The Children's Blizzard (1888)
Jan 11, 2024
Jefferson's Wall Between Church and State (1802)
Jan 09, 2024
Vietnam Draft Lottery Is Exposed (1970) w/ Walt Hickey
Jan 07, 2024
Ike vs. Squirrels (1955) [Archive Episode]
Jan 03, 2024
The Great Idaho Beaver Parachute Drop (1948) w/ Ian Chillag
Dec 31, 2023
A Bombing At LaGuardia Airport (1975)
Dec 28, 2023
The Assassination of Harry and Harriette Moore (1951)
Dec 26, 2023
How Puzzles Explain WWII w/ A.J. Jacobs
Dec 24, 2023
The First Crossword (1913) w/ A.J. Jacobs
Dec 21, 2023
Poor Richard's Almanack (1732)
Dec 19, 2023
When Flying Got Miserable (1978) w/ Ganesh Sitaraman
Dec 17, 2023
Alaskan Natives Embrace Capitalism (1971)
Dec 14, 2023
The Garment Strikes Before Triangle Shirtwaist (1909)
Dec 12, 2023
Louis Riel Needs Grant's Help (1875)
Dec 10, 2023
Lā Kū'oko'a aka Hawaiian Independence Day (1843)
Dec 07, 2023
Du Bois Joins The Communist Party (1961)
Dec 05, 2023
The First Phone In The White House (1878)
Dec 03, 2023
The Alcatraz Occupation (1969) w/ Julian Brave Noisecat [[Archive Episode]]
Nov 30, 2023
The Hopis On Alcatraz (1894)
Nov 28, 2023
A Thanksgiving Potluck!
Nov 22, 2023
JFK Almost Assassinated (1960) [Revisited]
Nov 21, 2023
Joe Hill's Last Will (1915)
Nov 19, 2023
Pence Gets Booed At "Hamilton" (2016)
Nov 16, 2023
Henry Ford Contests An Election (1918)
Nov 14, 2023
The Exploding Whale (1970)
Nov 12, 2023
"The Demon of Andersonville" Executed for War Crimes (1865)
Nov 09, 2023
An Explosion Rocks The Capitol (1983)
Nov 07, 2023
Elected While In A Coma (1980)
Nov 05, 2023
The Unmarked Grave (2019) w/ Joe Richman
Nov 02, 2023
The Americans Fighting In Spain (1938) w/ Adam Hochschild
Oct 31, 2023
The Donora Killer Smog (1948)
Oct 29, 2023
NOW is Next (1966)
Oct 26, 2023
Colin + Obama (2008) w/ Leah Wright Rigueur
Oct 24, 2023
"The Jazz Singer" and Hollywood Empire (1927) w/ Walt Hickey
Oct 22, 2023
Trump Shows Up In New Hampshire (1987) w/ Robert Fleegler
Oct 19, 2023
Carter Restores Jefferson Davis's Citizenship (1978)
Oct 17, 2023
"Operation Clark County" Totally Backfires (2004)
Oct 15, 2023
The Real Free State of Jones (1863)
Oct 12, 2023
The Scrub Bull Trials (1919)
Oct 10, 2023
The Poisoned Tylenol Panic (1982)
Oct 08, 2023
Italy Invades Ethiopia, World Freaks Out (1935) w/ Isaac-Davy Aronson
Oct 05, 2023
The Hiroshima Maidens (1955) w/ Josh Levin
Oct 03, 2023
Yeltsin Refuses To Leave The Plane (1994)
Oct 01, 2023
"Actually, You Forgot Poland" (2004)
Sep 28, 2023
Big Dig Energy (1983) w/ Ian Coss
Sep 26, 2023
Stanislav Petrov Prevents Armageddon (1983)
Sep 24, 2023
'The West Wing' Premieres (1999) w/ Hrishikesh Hirway
Sep 21, 2023
The First Anti-Amalgamation Law (1664)
Sep 19, 2023
What YOU Learned On Your Summer Travels
Sep 17, 2023
The Case For Capitalism (1970) w/ Noel King
Sep 14, 2023
The Reagan's Prime-Time Drug Address (1986) w/ Donovan X Ramsey
Sep 12, 2023
The First Food Nutrition Labels (1971) w/ Xaq Frohlich
Sep 10, 2023
Upton Sinclair's Epic Run For Governor (1933)
Sep 07, 2023
What We Learned On Our Summer Travels
Sep 05, 2023
Adam Mckay is Morris The Cat (1992) [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 31, 2023
The Man Who Killed The Man Who Killed Lincoln (1894) [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 29, 2023
Fred Korematsu's Internment (1942) [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 27, 2023
Missouri's Early Emancipation Proclamation (1861)
Aug 24, 2023
The Bridge To Nowhere (2005)
Aug 22, 2023
Nat Turner's Community (1831) w/ Vanessa Holden [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 20, 2023
The Steam Tunnel Incident and the D&D Panic (1979)
Aug 17, 2023
The Smithsonian, Great Idea (1846)
Aug 15, 2023
"Macaca" (2006) w/ Peter Hamby [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 13, 2023
Budd Trips Decker at the '84 Olympics (1984)
Aug 10, 2023
Clinton Finds Life On Mars (1996)
Aug 08, 2023
The Roots of "Roots" (1976) [[Archive Episode]]
Aug 06, 2023
Clean Up After Your Dog! (1978)
Aug 03, 2023
The Subway Vigilante (1984) w/ Leon Neyfakh
Aug 01, 2023
The Irish-American Gun-Runners (1973) w/ Nate Lavey [[Archive Episode]]
Jul 30, 2023
Thunderation! The Speaker Demands Bean Soup (1904)
Jul 27, 2023
The Plot To Blow Up Hell Gate Bridge (1942) w/ Rebecca Seidel
Jul 25, 2023
The Beer Summit (2009) [[Archive Episode]]
Jul 23, 2023
The Szilard Anti-Nuke Petition (1945)
Jul 20, 2023
The Ft Ontario Holocaust Refugees (1944) w/ Sarah Botstein
Jul 18, 2023
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves [[Archive Episode]]
Jul 16, 2023
Hubert Humphrey Takes Center Stage (1948) w/ Samuel G Freedman
Jul 13, 2023
Skylab Crashes Back To Earth (1979)
Jul 11, 2023
Nativists vs Catholics in Philadelphia (1844) [[Archive Episode]]
Jul 09, 2023
L'Enfant Maps Out DC (1791) w/ Scott W Berg
Jul 06, 2023
Napalming Harvard's Soccer Field (1942)
Jul 04, 2023
The Great American Roadtrip (1956) w/ Eddie Alterman [[Archive Episode]]
Jul 02, 2023
The Abortion Pill Protest (1992) w/ TJ Raphael
Jun 29, 2023
Readmitting Rebel States (1868)
Jun 27, 2023
Flag Burning Is Free Speech (1989) w/ Michael Liroff
Jun 25, 2023
Superman vs KKK (1946)
Jun 22, 2023
Nightwalking w/ Bianca Giaever
Jun 20, 2023
Lift Every Voice and Sing (1900)
Jun 18, 2023
The Seligman Affair (1877) w/ Zev Eleff
Jun 15, 2023
The Challenger Disaster Final Report (1986)
Jun 13, 2023
Death On The Lot: Hattie McDaniel's Fight w/ Hadley Meares and Brian Steele
Jun 11, 2023
Death On The Lot: Hollywood's Wild Labor History w/ Brian Steele and Hadley Meares
Jun 08, 2023
The Obama Oral History Project Is Here
Jun 06, 2023
An Ode To The Obit w/ Don Van Natta and Jacob Feldman
Jun 04, 2023
You Get A Podcast!
Jun 01, 2023
Etan Patz And The Rise Of "Stranger Danger" (1979)
May 30, 2023
Memorial Rerun: The Vietnam Memorial Controversy
May 28, 2023
Addy, American Girl Doll (Part 2) w/ Aisha Harris
May 25, 2023
American Girl Doll (Part 1) w/ Aisha Harris
May 23, 2023
William Burns, America's Sherlock Holmes (1934)
May 21, 2023
The Bath School Bombing (1927)
May 18, 2023
Wounded Knee '73 (1973)
May 16, 2023
RFK's Fateful Meeting With Baldwin And Belafonte (1963) w/ Paul Kix
May 14, 2023
The Gaston Bombing in Birmingham (1963) w/ Paul Kix
May 11, 2023
Biden Spoils Obama's Gay Marriage Evolution (2012) w/ Sasha Issenberg
May 09, 2023
Clinton Boxers or Briefs (1994) w/ Kelsey and Alex from Normal Gossip
May 07, 2023
Anne Royall, Common Scold (1826) w/ Kelsey and Alex from Normal Gossip
May 04, 2023
USS Jamestown Helps Ireland (1847)
May 02, 2023
The Caning of Michael Fay (1994)
Apr 30, 2023
The Abu Ghraib Photos (2004)
Apr 27, 2023
Sybill's Midnight Ride (1777)
Apr 25, 2023
Recent Favorite: Colored Conventions (1830)
Apr 23, 2023
Recent Favorite: Franklin in France (1776) w/ Mike Duncan
Apr 20, 2023
Recent Favorite: JFK Almost Assassinated (1960)
Apr 18, 2023
DC, Not A Swamp (1810)
Apr 13, 2023
Reverse Freedom Rides (1962)
Apr 11, 2023
Rosewood Reparations (1994)
Apr 09, 2023
The Tank Fire-Nado (1926)
Apr 06, 2023
Mecham: Worst Governor Ever? (1990)
Apr 04, 2023
The Hippo Meat Plan (1910) w/ Dan Pashman
Apr 02, 2023
The Oyster Wars (1959) w/ Christine Keiner
Mar 30, 2023
H1N1 Reaches America (2009) w/ James Hamblin
Mar 28, 2023
A Confederate Day of Fasting and Prayer (1863)
Mar 26, 2023
Uncle Sam Is Born (1852)
Mar 23, 2023
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Bestseller (1852)
Mar 21, 2023
The Spitzer Scandal Breaks (2008) w/ Azi Paybarah
Mar 19, 2023
Evacuation: A Very Boston Holiday (1901)
Mar 16, 2023
Ike's War On Squirrels (1955)
Mar 14, 2023
Ruby Robinson and SNCC (1961)
Mar 12, 2023
Nixon Sneaks Into China (1972)
Mar 09, 2023
Lincoln's Almost-Assassin (1869)
Mar 07, 2023
Superman Gets Sold For $130 (1938) w/ Glen Weldon
Mar 05, 2023
Thatcher Meets Reagan (1981) w/ Dan Snow
Mar 02, 2023
Clinton In Quebec (1995)
Feb 28, 2023
Good Sport Week: Aging and Growth
Feb 26, 2023
Good Sport Week: What Stadiums Can Teach Us
Feb 23, 2023
Fat Tuesday Special: Integrating Mardis Gras (1992) w/ Oliver Thomas
Feb 21, 2023
Good Sport Week: Limbaugh and Sports Talk (2003)
Feb 19, 2023
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day (1988)
Feb 16, 2023
Gandhi Meets the US Civil Rights Movement (1936)
Feb 14, 2023
Utah Grants And Un-Grants Women The Right To Vote (1870)
Feb 12, 2023
The Beating of Isaac Woodard (1946) w/ Matthew Delmont
Feb 09, 2023
Tractorcade! (1979)
Feb 07, 2023
Huey Long Invents a Bank Holiday (1933)
Feb 05, 2023
Laddie Boy! First Celebrity Presidential Pet (1929)
Feb 02, 2023
Carter Hacks Iowa (1976)
Jan 31, 2023
Elian Gonzalez, Stuck in the US (2000) w/ Geraldo Cadava
Jan 29, 2023
The Black Panther Breakfast Program (1969) w/ Mary Phillips
Jan 26, 2023
The Billy Possum Craze (1909)
Jan 24, 2023
The Lumbees vs. the KKK (1958)
Jan 22, 2023
The Donkey and the Elephant (1870)
Jan 19, 2023
Topsy the Elephant is Electrocuted (1903)
Jan 17, 2023
McKinley Lost-Causes The Civil War (1898)
Jan 15, 2023
Recent Favorite: Family Jewels w/ Rick Perlstein
Jan 12, 2023
Recent Favorite: The Dominion of Melchizedek (1993)
Jan 10, 2023
On The Media: The Divided Dial
Jan 08, 2023
In The Bubble: Ken Burns on Franklin, Public Health, and More
Jan 05, 2023
Ask Us Anything (Part 2)
Jan 03, 2023
Ask Us Anything (Part 1)
Jan 01, 2023
Stuff That Inspired Us: Popular Work
Dec 29, 2022
Stuff That Inspired Us: Academic Work
Dec 27, 2022
The Reagan Astrology Scandal w/ Mangesh Hattikudur (1988)
Dec 25, 2022
Karl Rove's "IT Guru" and the 2004 Ohio Rumor Mill (2008)
Dec 22, 2022
Ford on "Dynasty" (1983)
Dec 20, 2022
JFK Almost Assassinated (1960)
Dec 15, 2022
Bernie Madoff's Pyramid Collapses (2008)
Dec 13, 2022
Sandy Hook Conspiracies Take Root (2012)
Dec 11, 2022
The Video Game Freakout (1993)
Dec 08, 2022
The Nullification Crisis and the Almost-Civil-War (1832)
Dec 06, 2022
Colored Conventions Movement (1830)
Dec 04, 2022
The First Email. Probably. (1971)
Dec 01, 2022
Jews To Alaska (1938)
Nov 29, 2022
401 Episodes! w/ Jacob Feldman
Nov 27, 2022
400 Episodes! (pt 1) w/ Jacob Feldman
Nov 24, 2022
The Jekyll Island Secret Meeting (1910) w/ Jacob Goldstein
Nov 22, 2022
Jaywalking (1923) w/ Doug Gordon
Nov 20, 2022
Trotter Confronts Wilson (1914)
Nov 17, 2022
Denver Rejects The Olympics (1972)
Nov 15, 2022
The GOP Reckoning Report (2012)
Nov 13, 2022
The Colored Conventions Movement (1830)
Nov 10, 2022
Election Day Special: Reporting The Results w/ Jad Abumrad
Nov 08, 2022
Mid-Terms Week: NJ Voter Intimidation (1981)
Nov 06, 2022
Mid-Terms Week: The First Blue Wave (1826)
Nov 03, 2022
Mid-Terms Week: 1946 Changes Everything (1946)
Nov 01, 2022
Mid-Terms Week: I'm Not A Witch (2010)
Oct 30, 2022
Polling Week: Let's Get Thermostatic w/ Harry Enten
Oct 27, 2022
Polling Week: The Red Wave (1994) w/ Harry Enten
Oct 25, 2022
Polling Week: Harry Reid's Upset (2010) w/ Harry Enten
Oct 23, 2022
Referendum Week: Prop 13 (1978)
Oct 20, 2022
Referendum Week: The Badass Grandmas of North Dakota (2018) w/ Joshua Graham Lynn
Oct 18, 2022
Referendum Week: Direct Democracy In Action (1778) w/ Joshua Graham Lynn
Oct 16, 2022
Mid-Term Favorites: The Murkowski Write-In (2010)
Oct 13, 2022
Mid-Term Favorites: Paul Wellstone Plane Crash (2002)
Oct 11, 2022
Mid-Term Favorites: Contract with America (1994) w/ Kirsten Soltis Anderson
Oct 09, 2022
The Whiskey Rebellion and the Fear Of The Tax Collector (1794)
Oct 06, 2022
Franklin in France (1776) w/ Mike Duncan
Oct 04, 2022
Rudy vs Brooklyn Museum (1999) w/ Harry Siegel
Oct 02, 2022
Rural Free Delivery (1896)
Sep 29, 2022
No Crime Day (1986) w/ Josh Levin
Sep 27, 2022
Pauli Murray Shoots Her Shot (1971)
Sep 25, 2022
Dogs as Deflection: Fala and Checkers (1944/1952)
Sep 22, 2022
The Cleveland BalloonFest Fiasco (1986) w/ Clare Malone
Sep 20, 2022
Romney's Secret 47% Tape (2012) w/ David Corn
Sep 18, 2022
The Christiana Resistance (1851)
Sep 15, 2022
The Basket Of Deplorables (2016)
Sep 13, 2022
Partisans Week: Clinton Chronicles VHS (1994)
Sep 11, 2022
Partisans Week: Buchanan at Smuggler's Gulch (1992)
Sep 08, 2022
Partisans Week: Black Helicopters (1995)
Sep 06, 2022
The Mystery of LBJ's "Box 13" (1948) w/ Mark Lawrence
Sep 04, 2022
Brownie, Heckuva Job (2005)
Sep 01, 2022
Lincoln's Avenger (1894)
Aug 30, 2022
Biden Bites Kinnock (1987)
Aug 28, 2022
Port Chicago Mutiny (1944)
Aug 25, 2022
Wooed By Mussolini (1926)
Aug 23, 2022
Hoover Feeds Russia (1922)
Aug 21, 2022
The Roots of "Roots" (1976)
Aug 18, 2022
The Acquittal of Joan Little (1975)
Aug 16, 2022
The Benghazi Memo (2012) w/ Leon Neyfakh
Aug 14, 2022
The Irish-American Gun-Runners (1973) w/ Nate Lavey
Aug 11, 2022
TN Week: Elvis, Cash, and Tricky Dick (1972) w/ Jane Carr
Aug 09, 2022
TN Week: State of Franklin (1784) w/ Jane Carr
Aug 07, 2022
TN Week: Saint Dolly w/ Jad Abumrad
Aug 04, 2022
What About Your Gaffes (2012)
Aug 02, 2022
The Sinking of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior (1985) w/ Adam McKay
Jul 31, 2022
Morris The Cat And Adam McKay's Big Break (1992) w/ Adam McKay
Jul 28, 2022
Bush Gets Stuck In A Bog (1995)
Jul 26, 2022
The ADA Changes Everything (1990)
Jul 24, 2022
DC's Red Summer (1919)
Jul 21, 2022
The McDonald's Massacre (1984) w/ Cari Babitzke
Jul 19, 2022
The Wallace What-If (1944)
Jul 17, 2022
Nelson Hackett's Escape -- and Return -- from Canada (1844)
Jul 14, 2022
The Great Upheaval (Railroad Strike Version) (1877)
Jul 12, 2022
Nativists vs Catholics in Philadelphia (1844)
Jul 10, 2022
Harriet Jacobs, Budding Author (1853)
Jul 07, 2022
Texas Opts In (1845)
Jul 05, 2022
The Great American Road Trip (1956) w/ Eddie Alterman
Jul 03, 2022
The Wrights Make Might (1909)
Jun 30, 2022
The Abramoff Scandal (2005) w/ Philip Bump
Jun 28, 2022
Stuck On 435 (1929) w/ Philip Bump
Jun 26, 2022
The Solar Panels On The White House Roof (1979)
Jun 23, 2022
The Dinner Where It Happened (1790)
Jun 21, 2022
The Pig War (1859)
Jun 19, 2022
Paired: HBCUs (w/ The Stoop)
Jun 16, 2022
Paired: Attica and San Quentin (w/ Ear Hustle)
Jun 14, 2022
Paired: The Moton School Strike (w/ Memory Palace)
Jun 12, 2022
Paired: Nuclear Mishaps (w/ Radio Diaries)
Jun 09, 2022
The Oprah-Oz Conundrum (from Oprahdemics)
Jun 07, 2022
Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men (1968)
Jun 05, 2022
The Dominion of Melchizedek (1993)
Jun 02, 2022
The Night Of The Johnstown Flood (1889)
May 31, 2022
The Randolph Freedpeople (1846)
May 29, 2022
Obama Apologizes, Sort Of, For Hiroshima (2016)
May 26, 2022
Nellie Taft's Stroke (1909)
May 24, 2022
The Potato Beetle Wars (1950)
May 22, 2022
Tennessee Finally Teaches Evolution (1967)
May 19, 2022
Tuskegee Study Apology (1997)
May 17, 2022
Family Jewels Pt 4: Meddling In The Press (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein
May 15, 2022
Family Jewels Pt 3: Meddling In Your Mind (1975)
May 12, 2022
Family Jewels Pt 2: Meddling At Home (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein
May 10, 2022
Family Jewels Pt 1: Meddling Abroad (1975) w/ Rick Perlstein
May 08, 2022
Our Bodies, Ourselves (1969)
May 05, 2022
Haymarket and the Roots of May Day (1886)
May 03, 2022
The She She She Camps (1934)
May 01, 2022
The Monkey Mayor of Hartlepool (2002) w/ Tim Harford
Apr 28, 2022
Henrietta Wood Sues For Reparations (1878)
Apr 26, 2022
The Moton Walkout and the "Lost Generation" (1951)
Apr 24, 2022
They're Trying To Wash Us Away (1927) w/ Wright Thompson
Apr 21, 2022
The Mystery of 420's Origins (1986?) w/ Ellen Scanlon
Apr 19, 2022
Japanese Balloon Bombs Over U.S. Skies (1945)
Apr 17, 2022
Eugene Debs: Lock Him Up (1919)
Apr 14, 2022
Eleanor Roosevelt's Tuskegee Plane Ride (1941)
Apr 12, 2022
Gloria Richardson, Connector (1964)
Apr 10, 2022
The Forgotten Massacre at Dartmoor Prison (1815) w/ Nick Guyatt
Apr 07, 2022
Nixon's Weird-Ass White House Uniforms (1970) w/ Avery Trufelman
Apr 05, 2022
The Roots of Intersectionality (1979)
Apr 03, 2022
Our 300th Episode, and Something New
Mar 31, 2022
Washington Asserts His Privilege (1796) w/ Lindsay M. Chervinsky
Mar 29, 2022
Brando and Littlefeather Refuse The Oscar (1973) w/ Amy Nicholson
Mar 27, 2022
Gerry + Mander (1812) w/ Harry Enten
Mar 24, 2022
Monopoly's Secret History (1903)
Mar 22, 2022
US Boycotts Russian Games (1980)
Mar 20, 2022
The Cornerstone of the Confederacy (1861)
Mar 17, 2022
Latasha Harlins and the LA Riots (1991)
Mar 15, 2022
The US Hunts Pancho Villa (1916)
Mar 13, 2022
A Raisin In The Sun (1959)
Mar 10, 2022
We Are The World (1985)
Mar 08, 2022
The War on Pinball (1948) w/ Harry Siegel
Mar 06, 2022
The Woman Behind The New Deal (1933) w/ Jenny Kaplan
Mar 03, 2022
Mixing at Mardi Gras (1992) w/ Oliver Thomas
Mar 01, 2022
Lincoln At Cooper Union, The Speech That Changed Everything (1860)
Feb 27, 2022
Our Favorite "Making Trouble" Stories
Feb 24, 2022
Birth of The Peace Symbol (1958) w/ Ian Chillag
Feb 22, 2022
The Long Telegram (1946)
Feb 20, 2022
Black History Month Week: Baldwin v Buckley (1965) w/ Nick Buccola
Feb 17, 2022
Black History Month Week: Capital B w/ Jelani Cobb
Feb 15, 2022
Black History Month Week: Where BHM Came From (1924)
Feb 13, 2022
The Anarchist Soup Plot (1916)
Feb 10, 2022
"Birth Of A Nation" (1915) w/ Tyler Parry
Feb 08, 2022
The Smoking Section (1987) w/ Sarah Milov
Feb 06, 2022
The SPAM Strike (1986) w/ Julia Longoria
Feb 03, 2022
McDonald's Comes to Moscow (1990)
Feb 01, 2022
Here Come the AKAs (1908)
Jan 30, 2022
Early Prohibition and The Rise of Weird Liquor Laws (1838)
Jan 27, 2022
The U.S. Almost Nukes Itself (1961)
Jan 25, 2022
Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers (1977)
Jan 23, 2022
Lurleen Wallace, Proxy Governor (1967)
Jan 20, 2022
Silver Shenanigans (1980) w/ Bijan Stephen
Jan 18, 2022
The Great Boston Molasses Flood (1919) w/ Cara Giaimo
Jan 16, 2022
The Hawaii (False) Missile Alert (2018)
Jan 13, 2022
The Harrisburg Seven's Plot to Kidnap Kissinger (1971)
Jan 11, 2022
Declaring "War" on Poverty (1964)
Jan 09, 2022
January 6th, In Context (2021)
Jan 06, 2022
"The Body" Becomes Governor (1999)
Jan 04, 2022
'21 Favorite: The Cussing Parrot (1845)
Dec 30, 2021
'21 Favorite: NYC Slavery Revolt (1712)
Dec 28, 2021
'21 Favorite: Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivack
Dec 26, 2021
Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes
Dec 23, 2021
Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 1) w/ Michael Hobbes
Dec 21, 2021
The Calumet Christmas Tragedy (1913) w/ Erik Loomis
Dec 19, 2021
Grant Expels Jews (1860)
Dec 16, 2021
Bush, Meet Shoe (2008)
Dec 14, 2021
A Vote Against Entering WWII (1941)
Dec 12, 2021
The John Birch Society Is Born (1958) w/ John S Huntington
Dec 09, 2021
The Coup in Wilmington (1898)
Dec 07, 2021
Lenny Bruce Is Not Afraid (1962)
Dec 05, 2021
NYC Almost Burns to the Ground (1864)
Dec 02, 2021
The Battle In Seattle (1999)
Nov 30, 2021
'21 Favorite: Drafting the Confederate Constitution (1861)
Nov 28, 2021
'21 Favorite: Oprah's Beef Beef (1996)
Nov 25, 2021
'21 Favorite: Instant City (1889) w/ Sam Anderson
Nov 23, 2021
'21 Favorite: The Kerner Alarm (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb
Nov 21, 2021
Milhouse's Missing Minutes (1973)
Nov 18, 2021
Murkowski's Write-In Surprise (2010)
Nov 16, 2021
Why Sherman Marched (1864) w/ Anne Sara Rubin
Nov 14, 2021
Bootlegger Biplane Bombings (1926)
Nov 11, 2021
"The Enemy Is The Knife" (1974)
Nov 09, 2021
Snatching Lincoln's Body (1876)
Nov 07, 2021
Carol Moseley-Braun Wears Pants (1992)
Nov 04, 2021
A Minimum Minimum Wage Increase (1977)
Nov 02, 2021
Spy vs. Spy in Louisiana (2015)
Oct 31, 2021
Godless Americans (2008)
Oct 28, 2021
Central Park's Black Village is Demolished (1857) w/ Bobby Wooten
Oct 26, 2021
Lennon's FBI File (1971) w/ Hrishikesh Hirway
Oct 24, 2021
Billy Beer (1978)
Oct 21, 2021
The Textbook Wars Spiral Out of Control (1974)
Oct 19, 2021
Why Lincoln Grew A Beard (1860)
Oct 17, 2021
The President Who Cried Swine Flu (1976) w/ Jim Hamblin
Oct 14, 2021
Perot Crashes The Debate (1992)
Oct 12, 2021
The HoJo Incident (1957)
Oct 10, 2021
The Access Hollywood Tape (2016) w/ Roy Wood, Jr
Oct 07, 2021
Borking (1987) w/ Jay Willis
Oct 05, 2021
Earl "Rusty" Butz Gets Weirdly Racist (1976)
Oct 03, 2021
The Congressional Page Scandal (2006)
Sep 30, 2021
Lincoln's Spiritualist Stumper (1864)
Sep 28, 2021
The War on Rats (1977)
Sep 26, 2021
Atlanta Massacre (1906)
Sep 23, 2021
DADT No More (2011)
Sep 21, 2021
Charlie Chaplin's Exile (1952)
Sep 19, 2021
Calendar Confusion (1752)
Sep 16, 2021
Attica (1971) w/ Heather Ann Thompson
Sep 14, 2021
Ship of Gold (1857)
Sep 12, 2021
Monkey Business (1987) w/ Matt Bai
Sep 09, 2021
McKinley Shot (1901)
Sep 07, 2021
The Condom On Jesse Helms's House (1991)
Sep 05, 2021
Camp Casey (2005)
Sep 02, 2021
Fred Korematsu's Internment (1942)
Aug 31, 2021
Teacher In Space (1984)
Aug 29, 2021
Capitol for A Day (1814)
Aug 26, 2021
The Battle of Blair Mountain (1921) w/ Anna Sale
Aug 24, 2021
Nat Turner's Community (1831) w/ Vanessa Holden
Aug 22, 2021
Banneker's Sneaky Letter (1791)
Aug 19, 2021
Leo Frank and the KKK's Resurgence (1915)
Aug 17, 2021
The Flag, Elvis, Aliens (1977) w/ Josh Levin
Aug 15, 2021
Lizzie Borden, Axe Murderer, Maybe (1892)
Aug 12, 2021
"Macaca" (2006) w/ Peter Hamby
Aug 10, 2021
East Africa Bombings (1998) w/ Karen Greenberg
Aug 08, 2021
Reagan Fires Air Traffic Controllers (1981)
Aug 05, 2021
Garvey's Great Gathering (1920)
Aug 03, 2021
The Black Tom Explosion (1916)
Aug 01, 2021
The U.S. Rewrites the Haitian Constitution (1915) w/ Jelani Cobb
Jul 29, 2021
Kerner and the "Long Hot Summer" (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb
Jul 27, 2021
The Beer Summit (2009)
Jul 25, 2021
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves
Jul 22, 2021
Vanessa Williams Loses Her Crown (1984)
Jul 20, 2021
Detroit Goes Bankrupt (2013)
Jul 18, 2021
Mary Lincoln's Money (1870)
Jul 15, 2021
A Native-Confederate Alliance (1861)
Jul 13, 2021
FDR Wants More (1940)
Jul 11, 2021
The Roswell Crash (1947)
Jul 08, 2021
The Death of Marsha P Johnson (1992)
Jul 06, 2021
Garrison's 4th of July Defiance (1854)
Jul 04, 2021
Old Enough To Fight, Old Enough To Vote (1971)
Jul 01, 2021
Moneybomb! (2008)
Jun 29, 2021
Joseph Smith's Assassination (1844) w/ Spencer W McBride
Jun 27, 2021
Sanford Hikes the Appalachian Trail (2009)
Jun 24, 2021
Mandela in Boston (1990)
Jun 22, 2021
The Len Bias Law (1986) w/ Adam McKay
Jun 20, 2021
A Rumor, An Exhumation (1991)
Jun 17, 2021
Borat Before Borat (1970) w/ Jill Lepore
Jun 15, 2021
Congressional Baseball Shooting (2017)
Jun 13, 2021
The Case of the Cussing Parrot (1845)
Jun 10, 2021
Those Pesky Fenians (1866)
Jun 08, 2021
Ollie! (1994)
Jun 06, 2021
Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivak
Jun 03, 2021
Harriet The Spy (1863)
Jun 01, 2021
The Day Before The Tulsa Massacre (1921) w/ Cord Jefferson
May 30, 2021
Voyage of the Damned (1939)
May 27, 2021
The Unabomber Gets His Start (1978)
May 25, 2021
A Texas Dem Split (1944)
May 23, 2021
Slow Your Roll (1901)
May 20, 2021
Dan Quayle vs Murphy Brown (1992)
May 18, 2021
The First Radio Debate (1948)
May 16, 2021
The MOVE Bombing (1985) w/ Gene Demby
May 13, 2021
Dust, Everywhere (1934)
May 11, 2021
Sitting Bull in Canada (1877)
May 09, 2021
Kennedy's Pulitzer Controversies (1957)
May 06, 2021
SEAL Team Six (2011) w/ Dan Taberski
May 04, 2021
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (2003) w/ Noreen Malone
May 02, 2021
The First HBCU* (1854)
Apr 29, 2021
Hinckley's Insanity (1982)
Apr 27, 2021
Our Library (1800) w/ Kerri Greenidge
Apr 25, 2021
Boom Town (1889) w/ Sam Anderson
Apr 22, 2021
The Franklin Cent (1787)
Apr 20, 2021
John Freeman's Freedom (1809)
Apr 18, 2021
Oprah's Beef (1996)
Apr 15, 2021
The CIA LSD Experiments (1953)
Apr 13, 2021
Pets are People (1866)
Apr 11, 2021
Go Ahead, Make Me Mayor (1986)
Apr 08, 2021
NYC Revolt (1712)
Apr 06, 2021
MLK at Riverside (1967) w/ Peniel Joseph
Apr 04, 2021
Blowing Smoke
Apr 01, 2021
The Rosenbergs (1951) w/ Jamelle Bouie
Mar 30, 2021
Three Mile Meltdown (1979)
Mar 28, 2021
I'm On A Boat (1933)
Mar 25, 2021
Illinois Blazes A Trail (1872)
Mar 23, 2021
La Masacre de Ponce (1937) w/ Alana Casanova-Burgess
Mar 21, 2021
Terri Schiavo's Right To Die (2005)
Mar 18, 2021
3000 Troops To Honduras (1988)
Mar 16, 2021
The Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)
Mar 14, 2021
The Confederate Constitution (1861)
Mar 11, 2021
The Murder of Dr. Gunn (1993)
Mar 09, 2021
Know-Nothings Steal The Pope's Stone (1854)
Mar 07, 2021
Florence Nightingale, Huge Nerd (1855) w/ Tim Harford
Mar 04, 2021
The Weather Underground Bombs the Capitol (1971)
Mar 02, 2021
Sickles, American Weirdo (1859) w/ Wright Thompson
Feb 28, 2021
The Canuck Letter and Muskie's Tears (1972)
Feb 25, 2021
The Polio Vaccine Arrives! (1954)
Feb 23, 2021
Betty Friedan's Critique (1963) w/ Nichole Perkins
Feb 21, 2021
The Chippendale's Conundrum (1984)
Feb 18, 2021
US vs Pirates (1804)
Feb 16, 2021
A Fascist Coup Plot (1935)
Feb 14, 2021
Ike's Vietnam (1954)
Feb 11, 2021
Martial Law in Seattle (1886)
Feb 09, 2021
The Mayflower of Liberia (1820)
Feb 07, 2021
Nixon Saves The Eagle (1973)
Feb 04, 2021
Harding's Lust Letters (1920)
Feb 02, 2021
The 13th You May Not Know (1865)
Jan 31, 2021
Delaying The Civil War (1850)
Jan 28, 2021
Run Margaret Run (1964)
Jan 26, 2021
Fluoride Scare (1945)
Jan 24, 2021
"Blood In The Air" at the Capitol (1861)
Jan 21, 2021
Inauguration Day Special (and Kellie's First Show!)
Jan 19, 2021
The Pets.Com Implosion (2001) w/ Julia Furlan
Jan 17, 2021
Ford's (Second) Assassin (1976)
Jan 14, 2021
Victory Sausages (1943)
Jan 12, 2021
Vatican Ties (1984)
Jan 10, 2021
Bush Vomits on the Japanese PM (1992)
Jan 08, 2021
The Nixon Recount Committee (1961)
Jan 05, 2021
2020 Favorite: "Coya Come Home" w/ Harry Enten
Jan 03, 2021
2020 Favorite: Dukakis on the Tank w/ Amy Walter
Dec 31, 2020
2020 Favorite: Wyoming's Suffrage w/ Maeve Higgins
Dec 29, 2020
2020 Favorite: Obama's Tan Suit w/ Sam Sanders
Dec 27, 2020
The War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes
Dec 24, 2020
The War On Christmas (Part 1) w/ Michael Hobbes
Dec 22, 2020
Back On The Montgomery Bus (1956) w/ Christina Greer
Dec 20, 2020
Ellis Island Opens (1900) w/ Brian Lehrer
Dec 17, 2020
Boss Tweed Goes Down (1871)
Dec 15, 2020
Trump the Moderator (2011) w/ James Poniewozik
Dec 13, 2020
The Great Toledo War (1836) w/ Hanif Abdurraqib
Dec 10, 2020
The ANTI-Suffragettes (1915) w/ Kimberly Hamlin
Dec 08, 2020
United States vs One Book Called Ulysses (1933) w/ Kurt Andersen
Dec 06, 2020
US, Meet UN (1945)
Dec 03, 2020
John Brown's Body (1859)
Dec 01, 2020
Harvey Milk is Assassinated (1978)
Nov 29, 2020
Franksgiving! (1939) w/ Adam Conover
Nov 26, 2020
The Alcatraz Occupation (1969) w/ Julian Brave Noisecat
Nov 24, 2020
Queen of Code (1943) w/ Mar Hicks
Nov 22, 2020
The US Rejects A Peace Treaty (1919) w/ Christopher McKnight Nichols
Nov 19, 2020
The Governator (2003)
Nov 17, 2020
The Occupy Encampment (2011)
Nov 15, 2020
The Vietnam Memorial Controversy (1982)
Nov 12, 2020
The Obama Transition (2008)
Nov 10, 2020
GOP Latinos (1973) w/ Geraldo Cadava
Nov 08, 2020
Special: What Moment Are You Thinking Of? (2020) w/ Kellie Carter Jackson
Nov 06, 2020
Quick Update, Question, Recommendation (2020)
Nov 05, 2020
When Black Voters Went Blue (1936) w/ Leah Wright Rigueur
Nov 03, 2020
Election Sunday: Election Night Info w/ Jad Abumrad
Nov 01, 2020
Witches (1693) w/ Josh Gondelman
Oct 29, 2020
Reagan's "Time for Choosing" (1964)
Oct 27, 2020
Election Sunday: Wellstone Plane Crash (2002)
Oct 25, 2020
Ike's Heart Attack (1955) w/ Will Hitchcock
Oct 22, 2020
Are You, Or Have You Ever Been... (1947) w/ Will Hitchcock
Oct 20, 2020
Election Sunday: Podium Protests (1968) w/ Joel Anderson
Oct 18, 2020
Million Man March (1995) w/ Joel Anderson
Oct 15, 2020
A Bull Moose Gets Shot (1912) w/ Alex Schmidt
Oct 13, 2020
Election Sunday: Anita Hill's Testimony (1991) w/ Farai Chideya
Oct 11, 2020
Anthrax Letters (2001)
Oct 08, 2020
Fallout Shelters (1961)
Oct 06, 2020
Election Sunday: A Great Debate Zinger (1988) w/ Mike Pesca
Oct 04, 2020
REPOST -- The President Catches The Virus (1919)
Oct 02, 2020
Shutdown (2013) w/ Steve Kornacki
Oct 01, 2020
Goodbye 538 (1970) w/ Steve Kornacki
Sep 29, 2020
Election Sunday: Contract with America (1994) w/ Kristen Soltis Anderson
Sep 27, 2020
The Republic of West Florida (1810) w/ Kristen Soltis Anderson
Sep 24, 2020
Dueling Lincoln (1842) w/ Alexis Coe
Sep 22, 2020
Election Sunday: Carter's Lust (1976) w/ Alexis Coe
Sep 20, 2020
Khrushchev Comes to America (1959)
Sep 17, 2020
A Dead Candidate (1992)
Sep 15, 2020
Election Sunday: Dukakis on the Tank (1988) w/ Amy Walter
Sep 13, 2020
Bank War (1833) w/ Jacob Goldstein
Sep 10, 2020
The Obama Star Trek Theory (2004) w/ Ian Chillag
Sep 08, 2020
Election Sunday: The Stars and Stripes and Sports (1918) w/ Jason Concepcion
Sep 06, 2020
Recy and Rosa (1944) w/ Danielle McGuire
Sep 03, 2020
Tax The Rich (1862)
Sep 01, 2020
Election Sunday: Carter and the Killer Rabbit (1979) w/ Sam Sanders
Aug 30, 2020
Obama's Tan Suit (2014) w/ Sam Sanders
Aug 27, 2020
The 19th (1920) w/ Kellie Carter Jackson
Aug 25, 2020
Election Sunday: Fannie Lou Hamer vs Lyndon B Johnson (1964)
Aug 23, 2020
Rockefeller Republicans (1974)
Aug 20, 2020
The Dakota War and the Mankato Hanging (1862)
Aug 18, 2020
Election Sunday: Adlai and The Always-Rans (1952) w/ Harry Enten
Aug 16, 2020
Ebola (2014) w/ Andy Slavitt
Aug 13, 2020
RBG Arrives (1993) w/ Dahlia Lithwick
Aug 11, 2020
Election Sunday: How Third Parties Happen (1848)
Aug 09, 2020
The Case Of The Missing Judge (1930)
Aug 06, 2020
Braceros (1942)
Aug 04, 2020
Election Sunday: Reagan's Dog Whistle (1980)
Aug 02, 2020
How We Got "In God We Trust" (1956) w/ Kevin M Kruse
Jul 30, 2020
A Major Watergate Vote (1974) w/ Leon Neyfakh
Jul 28, 2020
Election Sunday: Chappaquidick (1969)
Jul 26, 2020
Why Wyoming (1890) w/ Maeve Higgins
Jul 23, 2020
Small Step For (A?) Man (1969) w/ Maeve Higgins
Jul 21, 2020
Election Sunday: Convention Speeches (1980s)
Jul 19, 2020
Riots Sweep NYC (1863)
Jul 16, 2020
The Pandemic We Forget (1968) w/ Leon Neyfakh
Jul 14, 2020
VP Gore (1992) w/ John Dickerson
Jul 09, 2020
Welcome Alaska (1958) w/ John Dickerson
Jul 07, 2020
The Man Who Didn't Sign The Declaration (1776) w/ John Dickerson
Jul 02, 2020
Newspaper Strike! (1945) w/ Jane Coaston
Jun 30, 2020
The Great Reunion (1913) w/ Jane Coaston
Jun 25, 2020
Resurrection City (1968) w/ Jane Coaston
Jun 23, 2020
Juneteenth (1865)
Jun 18, 2020
Getting The New Deal Done (1933)
Jun 16, 2020
One Of Those Days (1963) w/ Josh Levin
Jun 11, 2020
David Duke The Democrat (1988)
Jun 09, 2020
Shirley Shows Up (1972)
Jun 04, 2020
The Steel Strike Showdown (1952)
Jun 02, 2020
Ain't I A Woman (1851) w/ Akilah Hughes
May 28, 2020
Hands Across America (1986)
May 26, 2020
Treason! (1807)
May 21, 2020
The Caning Of Sumner (1856)
May 19, 2020
Ron Paul Bows Out (2012)
May 14, 2020
The Killer Ds (2003)
May 12, 2020
Coya Come Home (1958)
May 07, 2020
The Forgotten Crash (1893)
May 05, 2020
Bernie Jumps In (2015)
Apr 30, 2020
The East Coast Dims Out (1942)
Apr 28, 2020
Howard Stern For Governor (1994)
Apr 23, 2020
Adams Doesn't Want To Be VP (1789)
Apr 21, 2020
Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)
Apr 16, 2020
The Lincoln Coup (1865)
Apr 14, 2020
The Amendment That Changed The Senate (1913)
Apr 09, 2020
Obama's "Bitter Clinger" Comments (2008)
Apr 07, 2020
Wilson Gets The Flu (1919)
Apr 02, 2020
LBJ Isn't Running (1968)
Mar 31, 2020
Introduction: This Day In Esoteric Political History
Mar 23, 2020