History Happy Hour

This Week on History Happy Hour : No Guest – Just Us! Due to a scheduling issue, we will be sans guest on Sunday! What would you like us to talk about. FDR’s leadership? Our favorite WWI books?  Who should have won the War for Independence? Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions / topics / suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we’ll have so...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The story of a National Guard unit at the forefront in the Pacific during World War II. The 32nd Division came out of the Midwest and played a crucial role in the Pacific, eventually logging more combat hours than any other U.S. Army division during the war. Chris and Rick explore the history of this unit from mobilization in 1940 until the occupation of Japan, wi...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In 1881, the first Buffalo Soldiers arrived in Arizona, serving in both the cavalry and infantry to pursue the elusive Apaches. For more than six decades, through border battles with Mexico to WWI and WWII, Black soldiers served with honor in Arizona, all the while facing an ever-present, persistent enemy: racism. Fellow Ambrose Historian John P. Langellier return...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In 1915 Winston Churchill resigned as Lord of the Admiralty in the wake of the Dardanelles disaster. Struggling to deal with the fallout, he accepted a commission and headed for the front lines – where he began the most extraordinary comeback in political history. Chris and Rick will discuss this pivotal year in Churchill’s life with J. Furman Daniel,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris create a daring escape line that rescues dozens of Allied servicemen. With one still in a German prison camp, the other returns to America and writes a bestselling book about it that also became a sensational movie. But there is far more to the story. Our guest, Matthew Goodman, author of the book Paris Undercover , has dug up mili...

This Week on History Happy Hour : One day in World War II. One day, around the globe. That’s what author Rona Simmons has written about in her new book No Average Day.  The day she picked was October 24, 1944, when more than 2,600 Americans perished—more than on any other single day of the conflict. Chris and Rick will talk with Rona about the vastness of World War II as seen thro...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Why did Axis countries go to war against America? Given America’s industrial base, what was the rationale that underpinned their decision? And when did they realize they couldn’t win? Chris and Rick will dive into this topic with historian Harry Yeide, who drew on his experience as an intelligence analyst to write the book Betting Against America : The...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The inspiring true story of Company E, 14ist Infantry, 36th Division, comprised entirely of Mexican Americans—the only such unit in the entire U.S. Army. The division landed at Salerno, Italy, in 1943, among first American soldiers to set foot in Europe. At the Rapido River, Company E would face its greatest challenge. We’ll talk with David Gutierrez,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : There are few names in the annals of military history that evoke such emotion, as the small Belgian town of Bastogne. The 101st Airborne are the best-known defenders of Bastogne, but they only constituted one third of the eventual force that saved the city from total annihilation. Chris and Rick discuss the heroic defense of the city with historian Martin King, le...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In January 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end, the 29th Division readied itself to be at the point of the fourth Allied offensive in eight months. There, along the banks of the Roer River, is where volume five of Joe Balkoski’s epic series on the 29th gets under way. Joe will join us on his sixth History Happy Hour to talk about that book,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Tyler Perry’s new WWII movie Six Triple Eight is out on Netflix. It tells the story about the only predominantly all-black US Women's Army unit sent overseas during World War II. Their mission: raise soldiers morale by improving the disastrously backed up mail. The movie was based on an article written by HHH Alum Kevin Hymel, and we welcome Kevin back...

This Week on History Happy Hour : From his first visit in 1941 to his last one eighteen years later, Churchill made himself at home in the White House, sometimes staying for weeks at a time. These extended stays at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue changed the course of history. We will explore this story with Robert Schmuhl, author of Mr. Churchill in the White House: The Untold Story of a Prime Minister...

This Week on History Happy Hour : No Guest – Just Us! We’re bringing back another edition of History Happy Talk! What would you like us to talk about. The Battle of the Bulge? Recent trips you have been on?  Who should have won the War for Independence?  Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions/topics/suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we&r...

This Week on History Happy Hour : It is one of the most famous and controversial battles the British fought in Normandy.  On June 13, British forces were ambushed at Villers Bocage by Waffen SS German Panzers, including one commanded by German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann. This kicked off a two-day battle that resulted in a major British withdrawal. Chris and Rick dig into this story with Dani...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The legendary ‘Red Devils’, British Airborne troops, were created at Winston Churchill’s instigation in June 1940. They started with just 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions. British military historian Saul David returns this encore episode of History Happy Hour to talk about book Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The story of British scientists who developed cutting-edge underwater science that helped make D-Day possible. Chris and Rick welcome Rachel Lance, author of Chamber Divers . A long-classified tale of eccentric researchers who conducted life threatening experiments on themselves to pioneer the safe use of miniature submarines and breathing apparatuses used to reco...

This Week on History Happy Hour : One thousand years ago, Native American cities in North America rivaled urban centers around the world in size and scope. But has the surprising history of Native Americans has been obscured by historians ’ intent on minimizing the role of their still thriving societies? Chris and Rick talk about one thousand years of Native American history with Kathleen Du...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Between 1199 and 1399, English politics was high drama. These two centuries witnessed savage political blood-letting – including civil war, deposition, the murder of kings and the ruthless execution of rebel lords. Chris and Rick discuss did into this tumultuous period with Dr. Caroline Burt and Richard Partington, authors of Arise, England: Six Kings and th...

This Week on History Happy Hour : A close-up look at how WWII looked to combat nurse Lt. Mary Elizabeth Balster, who spent months caring for the sick and wounded just behind the front lines of General Patton’s Third Army. In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome NCR Davis, Lt. Balster’s daughter, and author of For the Boys: The War Story of a Combat Nurse in Patton’s Third...

This Week on History Happy Hour : An encore episode with author and historian Joe Balkoski, our first ever five-time guest. He returns to pick up the story of the 29th Division. And of course we honored him with a special ceremony honoring Joe’s five-time guest status. Chris and Rick talk with him about the 4th volume of his five-volume series on the 29th: Our Tortured Souls: The 29th Infant...

This Week on History Happy Hour : He never became as celebrated as his fellow commanders George Patton and Omar Bradley, but General William Simpson, commander of the 9th U.S. Army in WWII, built a superb combat record. General Dwight Eisenhower called him brilliant, adding: "If Simpson ever made a mistake as an Army Commander, it never came to my attention." To explore his WWII command record, Ch...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Author Eric Jay Dolin returns for his second HHH to talk about his book Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812―a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation, and the desperate struggle for survival. Dolan discusses the surprising twists and...

This Week on History Happy Hour : After its shocking defeat to the Nazis in 1940, how did France respond? In his book Resistance and Liberation: France at War, 1942-1945 , historian Douglas Porch traces how Charles de Gaulle sought to forge a French army and prevent civil war. Chris and Rick talk to Douglas about the experiences of ordinary French men and women caught up in war and defeat, the cho...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Civil War historian Scott Hartwig has been researching the Battle of Antietam for decades. Now he has written a definitive hour-by-hour tactical history of the battle, I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign. The memory of the Battle of Antietam was so haunting that when, nine months later, Major Rufus Dawes le...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Frederika Mandlebaum was a nice Jewish mother living in New York in the 1870s.  She was also America’s first great organized crime boss. She planned robberies throughout the country - handpicking a cadre of the finest bank robbers, housebreakers and shoplifters to turn street crime into big business. Chris and Rick explore the story of this entrepreneur...