History That Doesn't Suck

“‘What is that?' I asked. The Englishman answered calmly: 'It was my best enemy.’” This is the story of the little books that went to war, and the Frenchman whose ghosts we'll read by their light. In 1943, a consortium of American publishers began slipping pocket-sized paperbacks into the hands of GIs bound overseas: the Armed Services Editions. More than 120 million of these ASEs were printed by...

Following the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle disasters, the government had to rethink space exploration. In 2006, NASA launched the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, allocating $500 million to encourage American entrepreneurs to develop cost-effective cargo and crew transport for the ISS. Today, private enterprises like SpaceX, Starlink, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab are ubi...

"Wing Ding, you're either crazy as hell or you've got balls." This is the story of the European Theater in 1943. As Allied bombers learn the brutal cost of daylight precision raids over Ploesti and Schweinfurt, Allied armies fight their way onto the Italian mainland at Salerno, and the citizens of Naples rise to liberate themselves. Meanwhile, the U-boat is finally beaten back in the Atlantic, Ame...

“What even is the Virginia Plan but democracy checked by democracy, or pork with a little change of the sauce?”  This is the story of 55 men from 12 of the 13 sovereign states gathered at the Pennsylvania State House during the miserably hot Philadelphian summer of 1787. They are here to discuss the failing Articles of Confederation. Foreign debts are past due. Rebellions are rising. The stat...

Professor Greg Jackson and co-host Riley Neubauer are joined by returning guest Captain Mac Caldwell, a Marine veteran, to dive deeper into the Pacific Theater of early World War II. The conversation reaps key wartime conferences, unpacks the strategic tensions between MacArthur and Nimitz, analyzes the evolution of amphibious warfare, and extolls the legacy of Carlon’s Marine Raiders. The episode...

“If we ever lose Saipan, repeated air attacks on Tokyo will follow. No matter what it takes, we have to hold there.” As Operation Cartwheel neutralizes Japanese forces on Rabaul, American and British leaders meet with “Forgotten Allies” in Cairo—namely China’s nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek and his diplomat wife Soong Mei-ling. The relentless pressure on Japan continues as heroes like “Merrill...

“The ultimate defeat of Japan [will] be accomplished by blockade, bombing, and assault.” This is the story of American island hopping—or should we say leapfrogging?—through Pacific waters.  By 1943, the Japanese are settled in for the long haul, no matter what it may cost. America sees some successes like new skip bombing techniques at the Battle of the Bismarck sea, but a change of strategy...

“Guadalcanal is not the name of an island. It is the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army.” This is the story of America's first major offensive in the Pacific since Midway. Amid hard fighting among the frozen peaks of Attu at the tail end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the Americans are gaining ground. But the cost is steep. Carrying out banzai charges, Japanese soldiers are prepared to figh...

Episode 1: We The Founders (The Constitution) | Introducing Government That Doesn’t Suck Follow GTDS on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen. What if the Constitution isn't a dusty relic, but a living document built to be argued over, amended, and improved by every generation? In this debut episode, hosts Greg Jackson (creator of History That Doesn't Suck ) and Professor Linds...

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, as read by Professor Greg Jackson and fellow citizens: Lindsey Cormack co-host of Government That Doesn’t Suck , Ben Sawyer and Bob Crawford of The Road to Now , Colleen Shogan of In Pursuit , Lindsay Graham host of History Daily . Watch Prof. Jackson's PBS special here: The Unlikely Union: A Storytelling Symphony of America or vi...

In celebration of America’s 250th, we’d like to officially invite you to enjoy this special episode telling the tale of that audacious, terrifying, and formative step taken by the Second Continental Congress to declare Independence in the summer of 1776. Fought over bitterly on July 1st, voted on affirmatively on the 2nd, with the exact wording finalized on the 4th—I mean, how could we not resurfa...

Professor Greg Jackson is interviewed by Professor Ben Sawyer on The Road to Now podcast to discuss Jackson’s new book, Been There, Done That: What Our History Shows What We Can Overcome . As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, the conversation centers on the resilience of the American experiment. Rather than viewing the current political climate with despondency, Jackson argue...

"What I vividly recall is after getting to Tanforan and walking into this horse stable, and Mom… putting down her suitcase and just crying.” This is the story of Japanese American incarceration. In February 1942, shortly after the United States enters the war, FDR signs Executive Order 9066, beginning the forced removal of Japanese Americans from their West Coast homes and lives. Some 120,000 civi...

“Will young, freewheeling American boys take the iron discipline of wartime? … In my judgment the answer is Yes! ... if the answers they get are worth fighting and dying for.” This is the story of propaganda on the home front.  The word “propaganda” has some messy connotations, but it’s fundamentally about pushing a narrative, which can be good or evil. Leaders on all sides of the war thought abou...

“I suggest that while we keep defense and victory in the forefront, that we don't lose sight of our fight for true democracy at home.” This is the story of life on the American home front.  While millions of brave men and women are sacrificing life and limb “over there,” those left behind are making sacrifices of their own—heeding the call to grow gardens in their backyards or on community lots, c...

Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, Prof. Jackson’s new book publishing June 16th, takes us on a chronological journey—from the very start of the republic in 1789, through the end of the nineteenth century—while telling stories not heard in the podcast, tales that engage such topics as political violence, fake news, and contested elections. Pre-order a copy ⁠ HERE ⁠...

“Everybody’s dead. Don’t ask me about anybody. Everybody’s dead.”  This is the story of the Final Solution.  From Anne Frank’s annex to countless ghettos, Jews who have thus far avoided the concentration camps are increasingly being funneled there. Jewish leaders like Chaim Rumkowski face impossible dilemmas—who should be sent to the camps? On the other hand, some Warsaw Ghetto inhabitants choose...

“The procedure is a pretty barbaric one and not to be described here more definitively. Not much will remain of the Jews.” —Joseph Goebbels This is the story of how the Holocaust becomes industrialized.  In January 1942, Nazi leaders discuss what will become the “Final Solution”: their plan to murder millions. As more and more Jews are stripped of everything and forced into ghettos, and terrified...

After turning our attention back to Europe in the last few episodes, it’s time to finally examine the Holocaust. Back in episode 185, we covered a broad history of antisemitism in Europe and the violent results of the first few years of Hitler’s reign in Germany, going all the way to the nationwide November pogrom (also known as Kristallnacht). But before we go any further, we present this intervi...

"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.”  This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky.  On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini surely know they’ll be aiming for Sicily next, right? Actually, pre-Husky Allied intelligence victories have the German...

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.”  This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa.  Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa becomes the sandy stage for months of ugly tank battles featuring characters like the Desert Rats (Britain’s 7th Armou...

“When do we get a whack at those Germans?” This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the action in Europe, but first, they have to cross the embattled Atlantic—easier said than done with German U-boats on the prowl, sinking both military and merchant vessels in what they call an “American tur...

“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!”  This is the story of a battle that changed how wars are fought at sea—and of the thin margin between disaster and destiny. In the spring of 1942, Japanese forces surge across the Pacific, confident their next move will finish what Pearl Har...

“We had been promised relief but none was coming, and all of us in Bataan shared a sense of betrayal.” This is the story of the United State’s earliest—and most disastrous—days of war in the Pacific.  Almost immediately following Pearl Harbor, America and the Axis powers exchange rapid-fire war declarations. While embattled Britain breathes a sign of relief to have the US officially in the war, th...

With the December 1941 surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, our story has officially come to the United States’ entry into the Second World War. Professor Jackson told that story in episode 194, and in 193 we covered the long buildup to the war with Japan; yet, the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of those moments of history where the depths of inquiry and knowledge to be gain...