This Day (An America 250 History Show)

It’s May 4th. This day in 1886, a deadly riot between police and protesters broke out in Haymarket Square in Chicago. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the Haymarket Riot came on the heels of days of escalating protest over an 8-hour work day; and how the roots of May Day, as a labor holiday, have at times been forgotten. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forge...

It’s May 1st. This day in 1934, Eleanor Roosevelt is holding a series of meetings at the White House to plan out a number of camps for women that would give them skills and community as the country tried to claw out of the Great Depression. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the role the camps played as a counterpart for the many programs aimed at giving men work, and how Eleanor was a champion for th...

It’s April 28th. This day in 2002, the northeastern English town of Hartlepool is gearing up for a mayoral election, where they would end up voting in… the local football club’s monkey mascot to run their government. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Tim Harford to discuss the story of how H’Angus the Monkey got elected, and how the man inside the suit, Stuart Drummond, went on to be a very eff...

It’s April 26th. This day in 1878, a verdict is delivered in a suit brought by the formerly-enslaved woman Henrietta Wood. She sued her former enslaver Zebulon Ward for reparations — and an all-white jury sided with her. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss this largely-forgotten early case for reparations, and why it didn’t set a larger precedent. For more, be sure to read the book “A Sweet Taste of Li...

It’s April 24th. This day in 1951, Black students at Robert Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia have walked out of school, staging a strike over poor conditions at their school, particularly when compared to the white school across town. Jody, NIki, and Kellie talk about what motivated the school strike, and how the legal case around the walkout would eventually join up with other similar cas...

It’s April 21st. This day in 1927, the Mississippi River is in beginning to breach levies and overflows the banks throughout the MS delta. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Wright Thompson to discuss the Great Flood of 1927, how it reshaped the American South, and the relationship the region has to the mighty river. Find Wright’s work at ESPN and The Atlantic, check out “Pappyland,” and watch T...

It’s April 20th. 4-20 is a de facto holiday in weed culture, with murky origins and an interesting future as a day of activism and policy conversation. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Ellen Scanlon, host of “How To Do The Pot,” to discuss the many competing theories about where 420 came from as a touchstone. Plus they discuss how the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana may change...

It’s April 17th. This day in 1945, a balloon bomb exploded over Omaha, Nebraska. This was one of thousands of Japanese devices that were sent out over the Pacific ocean to ride the jet stream and explode on U.S. soil. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the balloon bomb program, why it was largely kept secret from U.S. citizens, and how they lead to a number of American deaths. Sign up for our newslett...

It’s April 14th. This day in 1919, Socialist leader Eugene V Debs is sent to prison for violating the Espionage Act in his opposition to WWI. It wasn’t the first time Debs had been imprisoned — but a year later he would run for president and earn almost 4% of the vote from inside his jail cell. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Deb’s imprisoned candidacy, and the history of jailing political opponent...

It’s April 12th. This day in 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took an airplane ride in a small plane piloted by Charles “Chief” Anderson, a Black pilot and member of the Tuskegee airmen. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the photo caused a sensation, and controversy — and helped bolster the case for Black pilots to serve in WWII. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And d...

It’s April 10th. This day in 1964, activist Gloria Richardson is forging deep ties with other civil rights leaders, particularly Malcolm X. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Richardson’s form of activism, her push for more forceful stance, and how much changed in the Spring of 1954 for her and the movement at large. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Op...

It’s April 7th. This day in 1815, a chaotic attack at Dartmoor prison in England killled and injured dozens of American prisoners. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by historian Nicholas Guyatt to discuss why American prisoners of war were in Dartmoor even after the end of the War of 1812 — and how both the US and UK governments papered over the tragedy. Nick’s new book, out now, is called “ The H...

It’s April 4th. This day in 1970, Richard Nixon’s great White House uniform experiment is coming to an end. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Avery Trufelman to talk about Nixon’s ill-fated design for new uniforms, what message he was trying to send — and the very weird afterlife of these uniforms once they were packed up into boxes. It involves Alice Cooper. Be sure to check out Avery’s excell...

It’s April 3rd. This day in 1979, community organizations in Boston such as the Combahee River Collective are raising the alarm about a string of murders targeting Black women. The CRC looked to highlight the way in which race, gender, and class all intersected in the conditions that led to the murders and the city’s reaction. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the Roxbury murders and the identity pol...

It’s March 31st. Turns out, it’s our 300th episode, and the second anniversary of the show! What better way to celebrate than by rolling out the new Radiotopia show Oprahdemics, hosted by our very own Kellie Carter Jackson. Here we feature a sneak preview, and be sure to find it wherever you get your podcasts. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprah...

It’s March 28th. This day in 1796, President Washington cited executive privilege in refusing a request for documents from Congress. This started a long and messy tradition of presidents shielding their actions from oversight. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky to discuss why Washington finally drew an oversight line — and how others have tried to move that line o...

It’s March 27th. On Oscar Sunday in 1973, Marlon Brando refused to attend the ceremony and accept is Best Actor award for The Godfather. Instead, Native American activist and actress Sacheen Littlefeather took the stage and gave remarks about the portrayal of American Indians in Hollywood. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Amy Nicholson of the "Unspooled” podcast to talk about the moment, how L...

It’s March 24th. This day in 1812, a political cartoon appeared in a Boston newspaper lampooning a newly proposed election district. The district was the work of Governor Elbridge Gerry, and the cartoonist depicted the district in the shape of a salamander. Hence, the “gerrymander” was born. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by CNN (and former 538) reporter Harry Enten to discuss the origins of re...

It’s March 22nd. This day in 1903, a woman by the name of Lizzie Maggie filed for a patent for a new boardgame she’d invented — “The Landlord’s Game.” Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Maggie’s version of the game that would eventually become Monopoly — and how she had originally intended it to be a lesson in cooperation and shared wealth, not ruthless capitalism. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out...

It’s March 20th. This day in 1980, President Jimmy Carter is about to issue a decree that U.S. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. 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 st...

It’s March 16th. In 1861, Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, delivered a speech that came to be known as the “cornerstone speech.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Stephens’s remarks left little doubt about the centrality of slavery in the Confederacy’s desire to secede — even though the role of slavery in causing the Civil War continued to be contested for...

It’s March 15th. On March 16th, 1991, a young girl, Latasha Harlins, was killed by a shopkeeper in South Central Los Angeles. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Harlins’s death led to outrage in the Black community in LA, inflamed Korean-American and African-American tensions, and eventually fed into the riots and violence around the Rodney King beating. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more a...

It’s March 13th. This day in 1916, some 6,000 US troops are getting ready to enter Mexico to track down rebel leader Pancho Villa. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why President Wilson sent the troops into Mexico, and what it said about US meddling around the world, and colonial ambitions, in that era. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, ho...

It’s March 10th. This day in 1959, “A Raisin In The Sun” debuted on Broadway. It was the first Broadway show written by an African-American woman, and marked the arrival of Loraine Hansberry as a major creative force. Jody, NIki, and Kellie talk about the play’s critique of the mid-century American dream, Hansberry’s creative peers, and the legacy she left despite her short life. Sign up for our n...

It’s March 8th. This day in 1985, a song was released featuring virtually every major American music star, to raise money and awareness about the famine in Ethiopia. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how “We Are The World” came together, some of the stories from the recording session, and what the effort teaches us about charity, celebrity, and effective advocacy. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out...