This Day in American History Podcast

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we’re going to discuss an event that sent shockwaves through the global financial system and marked a pivotal moment in the 2008 financial crisis: the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. on September 15, 2008. This was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, a collapse that highlighted the fragility of glo...

Today, we explore the powerful story behind the creation of a song that would one day become the national anthem of the United States— The Star-Spangled Banner . On September 14, 1814, during a critical moment in the War of 1812, lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, a pivotal event that inspired the words to the anthem that Ame...

Welcome back to This Day in American History . I’m your host, Chuck Tanraty, and today we remember a pivotal moment in pop culture history—September 13, 1996, when the world lost one of its most influential voices in music, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Today, we dive into the life and legacy of Tupac, whose untimely death in a Las Vegas hospital left a gaping hole not only in the world of hip-hop but in th...

Welcome back to This Day in American History . I’m your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we're taking a trip back to September 12, 1959, when one of the most iconic TV shows in American history premiered on NBC— Bonanza . This long-running Western series captivated audiences for 14 seasons, spanning 431 episodes, making it NBC’s longest-running Western and the second-longest-running Western on U.S. net...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we revisit a monumental moment in baseball history that occurred on September 11, 1985, when Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds made his 4,192nd hit, surpassing Ty Cobb's long-standing record for the most hits in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. This achievement not only solidified Rose's place in baseball lore...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we're diving deep into a pivotal moment in the early history of what would become the United States. On September 10, 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia. This event marked a turning point for the fledgling English settlement, which faced many challenges in its early...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we recount a pivotal and harrowing event that began on September 9, 1971, at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York. This event, known as the Attica Prison Riot or the Attica Uprising, was one of the most significant and deadly prison rebellions in American history. Over four days, a maximum-security prison...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we turn our attention to a dramatic and controversial figure in American politics whose life was cut short on September 8, 1935. I'm talking about Huey P. Long, the "Kingfish" of Louisiana politics, who was shot at the state Capitol building in Baton Rouge and died two days later. Huey Pierce Long Jr. was a man of...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we're rewinding the clock to September 7, 1979, a day that marked a transformative moment in the world of sports broadcasting. On this day, ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on cable television. It would go on to revolutionize not just sports coverage, but how millions of peopl...

Welcome back to "This Day in American History." I'm your host, Chuck Tanraty. Today, we're diving into a pivotal and tragic moment in American history that occurred on September 6, 1901—the day President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. This shocking event ultimately led to McKinley's death and had profound implications for t...

Today, we journey back to September 5, 1836, when Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas. His election marked a pivotal moment in the history of Texas and the United States. Let's explore the life and times of Sam Houston, a complex figure whose legacy is intertwined with both the Texas Revolution and the broader narrative of American expansion. Samuel Houston, bor...

Today marks over a century since the American Expeditionary Forces, or AEF, suffered their first fatalities during World War I on September 4, 1917. The AEF played a crucial role in the Allied efforts against the Central Powers, and today, we’ll explore its formation, its contributions on the Western Front, and the challenges it faced during this pivotal time in history. The American Expeditionary...

Today, we remember a day that marked a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights in America. On September 3rd, 1955, the burial of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old African American boy brutally murdered in Mississippi, shocked the nation and reignited the passion for the Civil Rights Movement. Emmett Till's death is a harrowing story of racial violence, justice denied, and a mother's courage th...

Today, we're diving into a pivotal moment in the early days of the United States—September 2, 1789—the founding of the United States Treasury Department. This event marked the formal establishment of an institution crucial to the nation's financial stability and development. Let's explore the origins, significance, and impact of the Treasury Department on the young republic. The roots of the Treas...

Today, we revisit a pivotal moment in the Civil War that occurred on September 1, 1864, when the city of Atlanta fell into Union hands. This event, often referred to as the Fall of Atlanta, was a significant Union victory under the command of General William T. Sherman and had far-reaching implications for the course of the war and the political landscape of the United States. Let's explore how th...

Today, we turn our attention to a landmark event in sports history that took place on August 31, 1881. On this day, the first U.S. National Championship for tennis was held in Newport, Rhode Island. This event marked the beginning of what we now know as the US Open Tennis Championships, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world of tennis. The US Open, officially called the US Open Tenni...

Today, we turn our attention to a significant milestone in national defense that occurred on August 30, 2019. On this day, the United States announced the establishment of the United States Space Command, or USSPACECOM, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of the nation's military capabilities in space. USSPACECOM is a unified combatant command of the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible f...

Today, we turn our attention to an iconic moment in sports history that took place on August 29, 1885. On this day, the first prizefight under the Marquis of Queensberry Rules took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, with John L. Sullivan defeating Dominick McCaffery. This historic bout is considered by many boxing historians, including those at The Ring and Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia, to be the inaugu...

Today, we turn our attention to August 28, 1922, a pivotal day in the history of advertising and broadcasting. On this day, the first commercial radio advertisement was broadcast on WEAF in New York City, heralding the beginning of modern advertising as we know it. Commercial advertising by audio services predates even radio broadcasting, beginning with the 1893 establishment of the telephone-base...

Today, we turn our attention to a pivotal event in the industrial history of the United States. On August 27, 1859, Edwin Drake successfully drilled the first commercial oil well near Titusville, Pennsylvania, igniting the beginning of the U.S. petroleum industry. The Drake Well, a 69.5-foot-deep (21.2 m) oil well located in Cherrytree Township, Pennsylvania, stands as a testament to innovation an...

Today, we turn our attention to a shocking event that took place on August 26, 1986, when New York was stunned by the "Preppy Murder" case. Robert Chambers was arrested for the murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin, a crime that would capture national attention and highlight the darker sides of privilege and youth culture in Manhattan's elite circles. Robert Emmet Chambers Jr. was born on September...

Today, we turn our attention to a curious and amusing event that began on August 25, 1835: the publication of the "Great Moon Hoax" in The Sun, a New York newspaper, which claimed that life had been discovered on the Moon. The "Great Moon Hoax" was a series of six articles published over several days, starting on August 25, 1835. These articles described fantastical discoveries supposedly made by...

Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It remains one of the most destructive hurricanes to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged or destroyed and was the costliest until Hurricane Irma surpassed it 25 years later. Andrew was also the strongest landfalling hurricane in...

The State of Franklin, also known as the Free Republic of Franklin, was an unrecognized proposed state located in present-day East Tennessee. Franklin was created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered by North Carolina to Congress to help pay off debts related to the American War for Independence. It was founded with the intent of becoming the 1...

Today, we turn our attention to a significant event that took place on August 22, 1992, when the standoff at Ruby Ridge began, leading to a highly controversial and tragic confrontation between Randy Weaver's family and federal agents. Ruby Ridge, located in Boundary County, Idaho, became the site of a siege involving Randy Weaver and his family. The confrontation started on August 21, 1992, when...