This Day (An America 250 History Show)

It's September 24th. This day in 1881 (actually, September 22nd) Vice President Chester Arthur assumes office after James Garfield dies from an assassination.  Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Arthur was really no one's first choice, but nevertheless rose to meet the moment and gravity of the situation. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support...

It's September 22nd. This day in 1796, a letter from George Washington appeared in the Philadelphia Daily American Advertiser announcing that he would not be seeking a third term for president. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the significance of Washington's announcement, how it's often mis-remembered as an actual address -- and why it mattered that he went straight to the people to proclaim his in...

It's September 19th. This day in 1859, New York City declared victory in the war on pigs. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why there were so many pigs on the island of Manhattan, and how the city's expansion created an enormous amount of tension around race, class, health and gentrification. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster in...

It's September 17th. This day in 1995, Oregon Senator Bob Packwood resigns before he can be expelled for decades of sexual misconduct. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Packwood's long record of abuse, which he chronicled in detail in his own diaries -- and why it took so long to finally hold him accountable. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your suppor...

This day, in 1947, Georgia holds a special election that finally - finally - brings an end to a period in which the state had three people claiming the governor's office. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Georgia ended up in this constitutional crisis, and the many shenanigans that ensued within the halls of the capitol. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It features comedian Josh Gondelman -- so today we're rerunning and episode with Josh from 2020. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show di...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 8th. This day in 1969, a group called "New York Radical Women" holds a protest at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the wake of the protest, a very persistent story emerged, despite no evidence to support it: that women burned their bras in protest. Jody, Niki,...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 5th. This day in 1838, Frederick Douglass makes a two-day escape from Maryland to New York City. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how perilous Douglass's trip was, and how he was able to navigate the route from Baltimore to Delaware to Pennsylvania and finally New York. This Day In Esot...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 3rd. This day in 1901, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt gives remarks in which he refers to his notion that one should "speak softly and carry a big stick." Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss where Roosevelt got that phrase, and how it came to really embody American-style imperialism in the...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 29th. This day in 1987, an arson burns down the house of the Ray brothers, three HIV-positive children who had contracted the virus through blood transfusions. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Eric Marcus of "Making Gay History" project to discuss why there was so much fear and ignor...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 27th. This day (technically the 28th) in 1957, Senator Strom Thurmond embarks on what would be the longest filibuster in Senate history, arguing against civil rights legislation that would expand the vote for Black americans. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Thurmond decided to take hi...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 25th. This day in 1928, representatives from the major world powers sign on to a treaty that states that promised to not use war to "resolve disputes or conflicts of whatever nature... or of whatever origin." Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the Kellogg-Briand treaty, why there was such a...

** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Today, an episode from the...

** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Want to watch the video ver...

** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Want to watch the video ver...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 15th. This day in 2017, President Donald Trump gave a press conference in which he offered remarks about the violence that took place in Charlottesville, VA a couple days before. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the roots of the white supremacist rallies and violence in Charlottesville, as...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 13th. This day in 1846, Henry David Thoreau is thrown in jail -- for one night -- for refusing to pay his back taxes. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Thoreau objected to the poll tax, and how his political stances intersected with the more personal work that emerged from his two years...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 11th. This day in 1965, six days of civil unrest erupts in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the violence was sparked -- and how the reaction to it prefigured much of the conversation that would dominate the rest of the decade around protest, depri...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 8th. This day in 1990, George HW Bush addressed the country about Iraq's recent invasion of Kuwait. In it, Bush evoked WWII and made a comparison between Sadaam Hussein and Adolph Hitler. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Bush framed the conflict that way and how it shifted a new era fo...

Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 5th. This day in 1841, a new statue is unveiled in the Capitol rotunda, to commemorate the 100th birthday of George Washington. One notable element: he's shirtless. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the statue of Washington arrived bare-chested and, let's be honest, kinda ripped. This D...

Here in 2024, there is a lot of speculation about who Kamala Harris will select as her running mate. And the Veepstakes almost feel kind of...normal? So, today, Jody shares some thoughts about the nature of the VP pick, and we re-run our episode from "Veepstakes Week" about notable picks throughout history. Also -- we just announced our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. T...

It's August 1st. This day in 2002, Congressman James Traficant of Ohio has been expelled from Congress for bribery and corruption, only the second member ever kicked out of the institution. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Traficant's bombastic reputation, corrupt dealings -- and how his shifting politics represented the way political fault lines were moving in places like Youngstown, Ohio. This Day...

It's July 28th. This day in 1896, residents vote to incorporate the city of Miami, Florida. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the birth of Miami was in large part due to a woman named Julia Tuttle and the arrival of the railroad to the Florida "frontier." This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts a...

It's July 27th. Today we mark the start of the Olympics by looking at one of the most famous -- and perhaps apocryphal -- moments in Olympics history, when American Jesse Owens won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the legend is a little more complicated than we may know, from the controversy over whether to boycott the games to Owens's remarks about his...

It's the middle of July. In 1936, much of the country -- especially the Midwest -- is experiencing record heat. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the heat was so deadly, how it created economic and social ripple effects, and why FDR was able to rally the country to talk about government solutions to some of the problems the heat exacerbated. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud membe...