We Didn't Start the Fire: The History Podcast

Ernest Evans aka Chubby Checker is the King of the Twist! It’s the teenie bopper hit that ushered in an instructional dance music CRAZE. It’s infectious, but was it actually any good? Who even was Chubby? And how did he end up making a psychedelic rock flop called Stoned in the Bathroom? Philadelphia music historian, Jack McCarthy is here to chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

FINALLY! IT'S KENNEDY! It’s 1960 and JFK has been elected president, having beaten Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. He becomes the youngest and first Catholic president in US history, and would come to face many critics and juicy rumours over the next fews. But how does he rise so quickly? Did the mob have anything to do with it? What kind of person is he? An...

Music is often the most fondly remembered part of the 20th century, but what we don't always remember is the surreptitious dealings that were going on behind the scenes... The truth is, the mob were a huge part of some of the era's biggest stars, and the music we know and love might be known and loved thanks to corruption. To explain the eras biggest radio controversy and the mob figures behind it...

Billy's back to teaching us about Korea! This time, we've hit the '60s so it's all about the American-backed improvised authoritarian who became the first president of the Republic of Korea, after their forced split from their neighbours to the north - it's Syngman Rhee! But how did he end up as president of the ROK (rock!🤘)? How did he slip into authoritarianism? And how did student protests lea...

After the American U-2 spyplane is shot down over the Soviet Union, its pilot Francis Gary Powers becomes a controversial international figure overnight. Had he been turned? Was he involved in planning the attack? Or… did the Soviets just have more advanced weapons than the Americans had expected? Francis Gary Powers Jr. has dedicated his career to reinstating his father’s name, and today he joins...

With losses of $2 billion, it's no surprise Ford's Edsel became a meme for corporate failure. So why did they design such an ugly (and shockingly lipsy) spaceship of a car? How did the Vasty Stroke and Mongoose Civique become name options for it? What in the world was Fordlandia? And how did Ford cause a hamburger revolt? Science journalist Kit Chapman is here to tell all! Learn more about your ad...

Castro’s the kind of guy who likes to think he’s not like other dictators. He’s the rock ’n’ roll revolutionary with a solid brand, a penchant for the ladies, and a peculiar interest in bovine insemination… But how does he rise to power? Where does the revolutionary spirit come from? How does the US react? And what happens to those who oppose him? This week, we’re joined by Cuba expert Dr Stephen...

It’s 1958 and America is rife with fads. Everyone’s looking to make a quick buck with the next big thing, and Wham-O’s struck gold with the hula hoop. But the hula hoop has a long, and sometimes sordid history. At the heart of America’s love affair with the hula hoop is the often-forgotten pop-culture ICON Joan Anderson, who first introduced the hoop to Wham-O, only to be written out of history. C...

It’s time for Tommy ‘The Talker’ Fordyce and Katie ‘Dimples’ Puckrik to chat Mafia. What were the mob up to in Billy’s days? How did it all start? And how was the mob involved with the plots to kill Castro and JFK? Our knowledge of the mafia is based purely on the Godfather and Mad Magazine, so thank goodness Jeff Nadu from The Sitdown podcast is here to chat with us. Thinking of skipping this one...

They’re the heroes of space travel who had to suffer unimaginable terror for the sake of us humans. Today we’re talking about the ICONIC space monkeys of the late 1950s. But why use primates? Why did the Russians use dogs? Were there any alternatives? And what happened to these brave space pioneers? Astronomy journalist Dr Stuart Clark is here to chat about all this and more! Learn more about your...

It's the queer-coded biblical epic that rivals the Fast and the Furious in its action sequences and Avengers Endgame for its sheer enormity...it's Ben Hur time baby! But WHY oh why is it 4 whole hours long? Why is Jesus so coy? How did they record those chariot scenes? And how was it so successful? Luckily for us, film critic Helen O'Hara is back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

He's the king of nerd chic and the inventor of the power trio. He changes the way bands play and pop music wouldn't be the same without him. But without Elvis' swagger and Little Richard's flamboyance... what's Buddy's special sauce? And how does it all come crashing down so soon? We're stumped by Buddy's meteoric rise, but luckily music professor and Lubbock resident, Christopher Smith is here to...

We think you’re going to love this. ‘Where’s my Jetpack?’ explores the promises made to us by films and TV when we were kids. Flying cars, hoverboards, holidays on the moon. What happened to these space age dreams? It’s a valid question. And Sarah Cruddas and Luke Moore are here to answer it! This episode, they ask: Where's My Moon Base? To hear the full series, search for ‘Where’s My Jetpack?’ in...

We're taking a break from toasting our lobes around the fire this week, but fear not! Here's another show we think you'll love - Death of a Rock Star. It's all about the lives and deaths of the world's most famous musicians, and this episode is all about Buddy Holly. We've got a scintillating episode about the man himself coming up next week, so tune into this episode of Death of a Rock Star and p...

It's been called the most scandalous medical cover up of the 20th century. A pill that was given to pregnant women in the 60s as a treatment for morning sickness was soon found to have had disastrous side effects. If the babies didn't die in the womb, they were born with life-changing deformities and disabilities; and they're still fighting for recognition and compensation 60 years on. Katie and T...

What's the difference between a serial and a spree killer? Was Charles Starkweather a psychopath, and did he commit homicide? What even is a psychopath? Set against the life and death of Charles Starkweather, a teenager who took the lives of 11 people in 1957-58, Katie and Tom put all these questions and more to the incomparable David Wilson, ex-prison governor and one of the UK's most well-renown...

It's here. The fifth and final chapter in Billy's accolade to his favourite sport. Why did New York's two biggest baseball teams up sticks and leave their hometown, their communities, their diehard fans, and head west? The momentous move in 1958 was a reflection of a wider cultural shift that was going on in the US at this time, says this week's guest Josh Chetwynd, who's back for a final time. Le...

"The General." "The Great Asparagus." "A man with the most oversized personality." Charles de Gaulle was President of France from 1959-69, and his near-mythological status had been building up for decades before then. His debut appearance in Billy's song is because of his critical involvement in the May 1958 Crisis, which saw Algerian Nationalists rise up and, after nearly 130 years of French colo...

In May 1958, Lebanon erupted into crisis. Political and religious tensions had got too much, and people took to the streets to vent their frustration and anger. Desperate for help, President Chamoun turns to the US for help - marking the first of many American interventions in the Middle East. Our guest today is the Lebanese historian and daughter of Lebanese immigrants who escaped during the latt...

We've finally scrambled our way to the end of 1957 in Billy's smash hit, and with it we're off to Thailand in WWII. David Lean's war epic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - and film critic Helen O'Hara joins Katie and Tom to battle it out whether this still stands. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Communist China's first-ever Premier Zhou Enlai was Chairman Mao's right-hand man, and he was loved across the nation. Big smile, eye contact, questions about your family. When he died in 1976 there was a huge outpouring of grief; but that was quickly stifled by the Chinese Communist Party and Mao's ultimate power remained intact. We Didn't Start The Fire-favourite Professor Yangwen Zheng joins Ka...

This is an episode from our friends at History Daily that we think you'll like. It's the story of the 21st of December 1968, when the first ever human spaceflight reached the moon. If you like this episode, go and check out their fantastic back catalogue, because on History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back...

Book your tickets now to come see us at the DS Podcast Festival Friday 1st April in Ostend, Belgium: https://www.universe.com/users/de-standaard-4NZ5BV, and buy your Damp Cloth Utopia merch at spreadthatfire.com. The 4th October 1957 was a big day. The space race had been won. The Soviet Union had just launched the first ever orbiting satellite into space, and so ushered in a new age of space expl...

Subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel for bonus, ad-free versions of the show and visit us at spreadthatfire.com for the finest damp cloth utopia, rock 'em sock 'em merch the world has ever seen. You might have heard of the seminal 1957 novel 'On The Road'. You might have seen that classic quote 'The only ones for me are the mad ones' tattooed on someone's forearm. Well, today, you're going to fi...

We have some exciting news nuggets for you Fire lovers: firstly, we're doing our first live show! We're travelling to Belgium in a few weeks' time to take part in the Ostend Podcast Festival on Friday 1st April, alongside podcast legends like S-Town's Brian Reed. We'd love our fans from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France to join us - book your tickets now: https://podcastfestival.standaa...