This Day (An America 250 History Show)

It’s June 30th. This day in 1909, the Wright Brothers are at Fort Meyer, Virginia, to demonstrate their latest airplane technology. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Wrights went from independent inventors to striking a deal with the military — and their decades-long hope that aviation would actually help put an end to wars. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’...

It’s June 27th. This day in 2006, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee released a report about the breadth and depth of corruption on the part of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Philip Bump of the Washington Post to discuss how Abramoff cheated his clients out of millions — and the political price many Republicans paid as a result. Be sure to subscrib...

It’s June 26th. In 1929, Congress passed the “Permanent Reapportionment Act,” which capped the number of representatives in the house. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Philip Bump of the Washington Post to discuss why the overall number of representatives had shifted a fair amount up to that point, but has now been stuck for almost a century. They also discuss the efforts at reform — and the u...

It’s June 20th. This day in 1979, Jimmy Carter held a ceremony to celebrate the new solar panels that had been installed on the White House roof. The panels were symbolic support for new energy initiatives, but also looked to reduce the building’s energy bill at a time of soaring gas prices. Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss the panels, the green energy efforts, and why Ronald Reagan tore them down. S...

It’s June 21st. This day in 1790, in lower Manhattan, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison sit down in a meeting brokered by Thomas Jefferson to work out a major compromise involving the Treasury department and the location of the US Capitol. Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss the meeting, the myths around it, and how it was ultimately a major test of a new democracy in action. Sign up for our newslett...

It’s June 19th. This day in 1859, a skirmish on the San Juan Islands over a pig that intruded on a farmer’s potato crops leads to an argument, which leads to a diplomatic crisis, which almost leads to a war between the US and Canada. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Polit...

For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme. Today, two stories about HBCUs, including one from our friends at The Stoop. Thanks to everyone at The Stoop for letting us run this episode! ///// Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget abo...

For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme. Today, a look at two prison uprisings from the summer of 1971. On our show, we talked about Attica and the many false narratives that emerged from that famous riot; and then our friends at Ear Hustle look back at a revolt at San...

For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme. Today, our episode about the 1951 school walkout in Farmville, Virginia, paired with an episode of The Memory Palace about the same event, led by Barbara Johns. Thanks to Nate DiMeo for letting us run this episode, and be sure t...

For the next few episodes, we’re re-posting some of our favorite recent conversations — alongside episodes from fellow Radiotopia shows that cover the same topic or theme. Today, our episode about the time the Air Force almost detonated nuclear weapons in Goldsboro, NC — paired with the Radio Diaries episode about a near-calamitous nuclear missile accident in Arkansas. Be sure to check out Radio D...

Dr. Mehmet Oz has secured the GOP nomination for Senate in Pennsylvania. On our sister show Oprahdemics, Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur discuss his very dubious medical track record, how much Oprah Winfrey is responsible for promoting his brand, and whether she has any obligation to speak out about his political life. Check out Oprahdemics wherever you get your podcasts — and join u...

It’s June 6th. This day in 1968, Robert Kennedy is assassinated, and the gunman is first tackled by former NFL player Rosey Grier. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Grier was on the scene, and Grier’s improbable and varied path through different parts of politics, media and society — including his turn as an advocate for needlepoint. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And...

It’s June 2nd. This day in 1993, the very-fake nation known as “The Dominion Of Melchizedek” received official recognition from the Central African Republic. The Dominion was a nation set up to commit bank fraud, but now it was formally recognized as a sovereign state. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Melchizedek was able to exploit a number of legal loopholes to establish itself — and how the s...

It’s May 31st. This day in 1889, a wall of water rushing down the Conemaugh River wiped out the mountain town of Johnstown, PA. It was one of the worst “natural” disasters in American history, and due in large part to negligence by wealthy developers. Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss the details of the flood, the class dynamics, and how the incident changed liability law. Plus: what to make of David...

It’s May 29th. This day in 1846, 13 years after being granted their freedom, a group of formerly-enslaved Virginians arrive in Ohio to settle on land that they’d secured in a long court battle. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the plight of the “Randolph Freedpeople,” why their former owner John Randolph willed them their freedom, and the legacy of this group in Ohio today. Sign up for our newslette...

It’s May 26th. This day in 2016, President Obama offered remarks at a memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, Japan. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Obama’s speech, whether it constituted a proper acknowledgment of the US’s use of nuclear weapons, and how Obama grappled with the political dimensions of his “apology tour.” Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Op...

It’s May 23rd. This day in 1909, Helen “Nellie” Taft, wife of President William Howard Taft, suffered a stroke that caused her to retreat from the White House to recover. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Nellie was a highly influential figure, and how her absence may have significantly effected the course of the Taft presidency. Plus, Jody floats a theory… Sign up for our newsletter! Find out mo...

It’s May 22nd. This day in 1950, East German farmers begin to report that the Colorado Potato Beetle has invaded their crops, causing devastation and fueling rumors that the infestation is part of an American plot. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the Beetles came to Germany, why the presence of the pest was so easy to propagandize, and the history of entomological warfare. Sign up for our newsl...

It’s May 19th. This day in 1967, the Tennessee state legislature finally repealed the Butler Act, the law that had been on the books since the 1920s banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the law was finally repealed, and how many of the myths about the law’s passing — and the famous “Scopes monkey trial” — continue to this day. Sign up for our news...

It’s May 16th. This day in 1997, President Clinton offered a formal apology for the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, which took place in the 1930s-1970s. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the shameful study, the role of the Tuskegee Institute in the government study, and whether Clinton’s apology made a difference. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And...

We wrap up our four-part series on the 1975/76 Church Committee hearings with a look at the contentious, cozy, and murky relationship between intelligence communities and the press. The CIA targeted individual journalists, but often with the tacit approval of media elites. Our guest throughout this series has been Rick Perlstein. Be sure to check out his many brilliant books! Sign up for our newsl...

Our miniseries on the 1975/76 Church Committee findings on CIA and FBI operations continues. This episode, we re-visit our conversation about the MKULTRA program, which conducted mind-control and psychedelic drug experiments on unwitting subjects during the 50s and 60s. The existence of the program came out during the Church Committee hearings. Be sure to check out the whole “Family Jewels” series...

Our miniseries on the 1975/76 Church Committee findings on CIA and FBI operations continues. This episode, we look at what Americans learned with regards to COINTELPRO — domestic spying on people like MLK and John Lennon, as well as groups like the Black Panthers and KKK. Be sure to check out the whole “Family Jewels” series, where we’re looking at Meddling Abroad, Meddling at Home, Meddling with...

We’ve got a new miniseries for you, looking back at the 1975 Church Committee hearings and report, which disclosed a wide array of shady behavior by the NSA, FBI, and CIA. For the next four episodes, we’ll look at the findings and what the revelations meant for US government and media. We’ll look at Meddling Abroad, Meddling at Home, Meddling with Your Mind, and Meddling in the Press. Our guest fo...

It’s May 5th, 1969. In Boston, a group of women are meeting to share information about women’s health, which would eventually lead to writing a 193-page pamphlet, which would eventually lead to the book “Our Bodies, Our Selves.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why women felt the need to share this basic information about their health, the book’s influence over the generations, and whether it’s stil...