Impressions of America: History Podcast

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by Ian Saxine to discuss the events of the last few months with the Democratic party, as well as looking back at the Democratic National Convention from the past week, and then looking ahead to the 2024 election in November.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn return to discuss the world in 2024, including the battle of TikTok vs the US Government, all the happenings with Boeing, RFK Jr. and his potential running mate, the awful events in Gaza, and Trump vs Biden round 2 in November.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by returning guest Ian Saxine to discuss what happened at the November 7th elections, and then look ahead to the 2024 presidential election and discuss what could be the key factors in the likely Biden vs Trump showdown. Also, stay tuned to the end of the episode because we turn our attention to where it’s needed most: Ross Perot.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn discuss the historical context from the 1940s through today for the monopolistic actions of today's streaming companies, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the direct action individuals can take to help.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn celebrate Christmas by diving into a modern Christmas classic, Klaus (2019). We then take a look back at the year, both on the show and in American politics. A big thank you to all our listeners and guests who have made 2022 such a special year for the podcast. Apologies for some slight sound quality issues with this episode that were due to some technical issues on the rec...

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn were joined by historian and author Ian Saxine to discuss some of the big stories from the 2022 midterm elections, including John Fetterman defeating Dr Oz in Pennsylvania, a big night for Ron DeSantis in Florida, and what might be next for Beto O'Rourke. And stay listening to the end of the episode for some Ross Perot discussion (and impressions).

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by historian and author John Gronbeck-Tedesco to discuss his new book Pedro Pan: The Migration of Unaccompanied Children from Castro's Cuba . We discuss the 1959 Cuban Revolution, its impact on the Cuban parents who made the choice to have their children leave the country, and the ongoing legacy of Cuban immigration.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by Dr Brian Odom, NASA's Acting Chief Historian to discuss NASA during the 1950s and 1960s, including its inception after Sputnik, the increase in public funding under President and his goal of landing a man on the Moon, and the role of Wernher von Braun in the American space program, alongside his Nazi past.

In this bonus episode, Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn look at the Paramount Accords and discuss the ramifications for the film industry on them being repealed. And at the end of the show we re-introduce ourselves for any new listeners, and discuss some of our favourite episodes of Impressions of America from the past four years.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn discuss Vaughn's research into Disneyland and its place in post-war America. We look at how Walt Disney created a theme park unlike any other and use Disney's other forms of media to promote it.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by historian Ian Gordon to discuss all things history, including the books that inspired us to study the subject, finding areas of study you're passionate about, and how new technologies and platforms such as podcasts and online learning are changing how history is being taught.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by historian Ian Saxine to discuss how the Democratic party have fared in comparison to other centre left parties in the West in the 21st century, and look at how they have responded to challenges from the Republican party during that time. We also dive into the history of the party in modern times after the political realignments that took place in the mid-20th...

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn discuss what the terms ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ mean to them, and then they each give their nominations for the Conservative and Liberal Halls of Fame, which they originally created back in 2021.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn conclude their series of shows on George W. Bush by looking at his second term as president. We cover a range of topics, including the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the NSA's domestic spying program, Hurricane Katrina, the 2006 mid-term elections, and the 2008 great recession. And at the end of the show we discuss Bush’s legacy.

Simon and Vaughn discuss the ongoing troubles in America and look at the ‘Cold Civil War’ that is taking place right now.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn take a break from usual business to talk about the other podcasts that we work on, including The Joy of Star Wars and The Golden Age of Murder. We also let Vaughn rant about Dr. Oz running for Senator in her home state of Pennsylvania.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by Felix Salmon from the Slate Money podcast to discuss the 2015 film The Big Short. We look at how the film depicts the events of the housing market crash of 2008 and discuss what the films gets right and what it gets wrong. And stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out what Vaughn thinks about trading water as a commodity.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn continue their series of episodes on President George W. Bush by looking at the events and immediate fallout of the September 11th terrorist attacks, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn discuss Will Smith slapping Chris Rock and dive into a brief history of the Oscars. They then discuss some other recent news stories, including Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, and Donald Trump hitting a hole in one. Also, Simon says nice things about Tobi and Vaughn, much to the shock of Tobi and Vaughn.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by novelist Jeff Schnader to discuss his Vietnam War era novel, The Serpent Papers.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn start their new mini-series of shows on the George W. Bush presidency by looking at the 2000 election and his battle with Al Gore to become president.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by Dominic Tunney to discuss the history of comic books, comic book movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how modern cinema has changed over the past two decades.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by author and film critic Adam Nayman to look at the cinema of the late 1990s and in particular films such as Fight Club and The Matrix that portray the common theme of white men in comfortable office jobs rejecting their reality in search of a greater purpose.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by historian Ellen Schrecker to discuss her latest book The Lost Promise: American Universities in the 1960s.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn each pick 2 films that meant a lot to them as a teenager, and then we hand out our first end of year Impressions Awards. We also briefly mention our new upcoming Star Wars podcast, and at the end of the show we celebrate Christmas and have Vaughn read from A Christmas Carol. You can follow our new Star Wars podcast on Twitter @JoyOfStarWars . The first episode will be availa...