This Day (An America 250 History Show)

We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon! It’s December 4th. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the Colored Conventions movement, which provided and intellectual and political space for Black leaders in the years before, during, and after the Civil War. Check out the Colored Conventions database at coloredconventions.org Sign up for o...

We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon! It’s October 4th. In 1776, Benjamin Franklin is headed to France as the Continental Congress’s first diplomat, looking to secure support for the American independence movement. Jody and Kellie are joined by Mike Duncan, history podcaster behind series such as “Revolutions” and “The Fall of...

We’re re-running some favorite recent episodes this week, and will be back with brand new episodes very soon! It’s December 15th. In 1960, a New Hampshire man lined his car with dynamite and planned to ram in to the limousine in which President-Elect John F Kennedy was riding. He ditched his plan at the last second, and was arrested shortly after. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the plot, the incre...

It’s April 13th. This day 1810, a new canal is being built in Washington, DC in an attempt to give a little logic to the topography of the nation’s capital. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why DC was built where it was, and the persistent idea that DC is a “swamp” in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later...

It’s April 11th. This day in 1962, ads are appearing in Louisiana newspapers offering one-way bus rides to northern cities for Black southerners. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the plan on the part of the racist Louisiana Citizens Council to mount “reverse freedom rides,” shipping Black southerners to northern cities. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recom...

It’s April 8th. This day in 1994, the Florida legislature passed a bill that would offer some reparations and support for descendents of the Rosewood Massacre, when a Black town was burned down in 1923. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the original incident in Rosewood, the way the story faded from history for decades, and why in the early 90s there was a push to recognize and offer compensation for...

It’s April 6th. This day in 1926, a massive oil fire near San Luis Obispo, California is enveloping the area in smoke and heat and creating its own weather system. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what came to be known as the Tank Fire, how the oil industry was lightly regulated in this era — and how you try to put out a miles-long river of fire. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out link...

It’s April 3rd. This day in 1990, the Arizona Senate votes to remove Governor Evan Mecham from office — for all sorts of reasons. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Mecham’s very sketchy track record on race, corruption, abuse of power and more; and how he ended up in office to begin with. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out...

It’s April 2nd. This day in 1910, a Louisiana senator proposes allocating a quarter of a million dollars to import hippos from Africa and grow them in American swamps, then harvest them for food. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dan Pashman of The Sporkful to talk about how the hippo plan was intended to solve a hunger and ecological crisis — and why Americans never quite found the taste for h...

It’s March 20th. This day in 1959, a skirmish between the fisheries police and an oyster boat results in the death of a Virginia oysterman — and sheds light on a decades-long battle known as the “Oyster Wars.” Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Dr Christine Keiner of RIT to discuss why there was so much tension and violence along the Chesapeake Bay, going all the way back in the mid-1800s. Be su...

It’s March 27th. This day in 2009, the US is responding to the outbreak of the H1N1 flu, which would soon be a global pandemic. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dr James Hamblin of the Yale School of Public Health to discuss the fairly strategic and effective response to that pandemic — and the lessons we failed to learn heading into future outbreaks. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sendi...

It’s March 27th. This day in 1863, Jefferson Davis declared a “day of fasting and prayer” to support the Confederate cause in the Civil War. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the role of days like this — the fasting was as much about food shortages as anything — and how religion and the cause of the war mixed for both north and south. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the...

It’s March 23rd. This is, in some ways, the birthday of Uncle Sam — it was the first time that the character appeared in a political cartoon. Niki, Jody and Kellie discuss how Uncle Sam had its origins in a real-life figure, and how the character truly burst into the public imagination with those iconic “I Want You” posters. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s March 20th. This day in 1852, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is the best-selling book in the country, capturing a growing anti-slavery sentiment, as well as tremendous backlash. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel took off so quickly — and how even at the time it was viewed as well-intentioned but potentially misguided in its portrayal of the slave narrative. Sign up for our...

It’s March 19th. In 2008 (on March 17th) New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned after a week of reports about his patronizing a prostitution ring. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by long-time NY political reporter Azi Paybarah to discuss how quickly the salacious details broke, the media environment that fueled it — and why there was a particular hypocrisy at the heart of it all. Sign up for o...

It’s March 16th. Today we mark Evacuation Day (technically the 17th), a day in which Boston marks the retreat of troops during the Revolutionary War. Over the years, the holiday has been combined and conflated with St. Patrick’s Day, making it the most Boston of holidays. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the holiday gained traction in the first part of the 20th century — and why in the last deca...

It’s March 13th. This day in 1955, news breaks that the White House is engaged in a full-on battle against the squirrels that have invaded the grounds. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why President Eisenhower is so determined to get rid of the squirrels, and how he tried everything from relocating them to shooting them to — really — deploying psychological torture to solve the problem. Sign up for...

It’s March 12th. This day in 1961, an Atlanta woman by the name of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson joins the civil rights organization SNCC — and quickly starts to advocate for the role of women within the organization. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Robinson’s life and work, and the gender and class dynamics among civil rights workers. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the s...

It’s March 9th. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made a surprise visit to China, meeting with leaders and sending images back home that shocked Americans. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the trip came together, why the biggest criticism Nixon got was from his own party — and how the trip really did shift global diplomacy. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff w...

It’s March 7th. IN 1869, President Andrew Johnson pardoned a man by the name of Samuel Arnold — who had been imprisoned for five years for plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Johnson is choosing to pardon many Confederate sympathizers, as well as the many ways in which people tried to kill Lincoln before he was finally assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Sign...

It’s March 5th. In 1938, the two original creators of Superman sold the character to what would become DC Comics for $130. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by NPR’s Glen Weldon to discuss the early days of Superman, the IP cautionary tale — and how the hero has reflected political and social changes throughout the decades. Be sure to check out Glen’s work on Pop Culture Happy Hour, and his book:...

It’s March 2nd. In 1981, in late February, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher travelled to the United States to meet with new US President Ronald Reagan. Jody and Niki are joined by Dan Snow to discuss why the two felt such a kinship — even though they disagreed on foreign policy in surprising ways. Be sure to check out Dan’s Snow’s “History Hit” podcast and the many other great shows as part of...

It’s February 27th. This day in 1995, President Bill Clinton is in Canada, where he offers seemingly-bland remarks about the country, but ones that are largely seen to reveal his opinion about the looming Quebec independence vote. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Clinton’s remarks were received, and the larger context for why he was visiting Canada at this very tense moment to begin with. Sign u...

Jody has a new podcast series! It’s called “Good Sport” and all this week we’re featuring episodes. Be sure to find it wherever you get your podcasts . Today, a sample from the episode on aging and growth. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member o...

Jody has a new podcast series! It’s called “Good Sport” and all this week we’re featuring episodes. Be sure to find it wherever you get your podcasts . Today, we discuss how the deals for new sports stadiums tend to reflect larger political and economic systems. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com T...