This Day (An America 250 History Show)

We're so excited to present an episode of one of our favorite shows: The Rest Is History. In this episode, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the life and legacy of George Washington. Be sure to subscribe to TRIH -- and join their club for all sorts of great extras -- at TheRestIsHistory.com We'll be back with more new episodes soon! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming off the 4th of July weekend, we check in on how the big America 250 celebrations went, how we marked the day, and answer some listener questions about this year, and this show. Thanks to everyone who checked in, we've got a few special things lined up over the next couple weeks -- and of course "50 Weeks That Shaped America" continues through the summer and into the second half of the year!...

For this 4th of July weekend, our "50 Weeks That Shaped America" series lands in, no surprise, 1776 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 250 years ago, a group writing assignment fell in Thomas Jefferson's lap, and he drafted a document that spurred a revolution. Jody, Niki and Kellie travelled up to Boston to WBUR's Cityspace and were joined by A.J. Jacobs, author of "The Year of L...

We continue our 250-year look at the most significant works of history by looking at the rise of popular presidential biography, and the correctives to history offered over the last 15 years. Plus, books that have aged well, aged poorly, and the ones we'd save from the flames... Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is p...

This week, as we head to the 4th of July weekend, we are bringing you a special two-part episode that provides a capstone for our month-long collaboration with Random House about the books that have shaped American history. Over almost two hours, we took a 250-year-tour of the books that shaped this country’s history. Niki, Kellie and Jody were joined by Pulitzer-prize winning presidential histori...

Hanif Abdurraqib and Javier Zamora both float between poetry, memoir, essay, spoken word and more -- finding the right form to explore their personal experience within American history. They join Jody Avirgan to discuss their work and its impact. For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books have been fundamental instruments through which we preserve, interpret, and engage in history as an...

Our conversation about the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn continues with an account of how the tension ratcheted up that night -- and how the story of that night has been shared and contested over the decades since. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free ver...

For the twenty-fifth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to June 1969, and New York City’s Greenwich Village. Police raids on the Stonewall Inn, one of the main gay bar’s in NYC, were fairly common. But for a number of reasons, on the night of June 28th, patrons had finally had enough. They pushed back on the police, a crowd formed, someone (maybe?) threw a brick, and a key moment...

A conversation about finding historical inspiration in all sorts of unique places, with Tiya Miles, author of " All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake " and Kathleen DuVal, author of " Native Nations: A Millennium in North America " For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books have been fundamental instruments through which we preserve, interpret, and e...

In part two of our look at the Battle Of Little Bighorn, we discuss what actually went down in Custer's Last Stand, how it was more chaotic than the reports, and how the legend of General Custer has shifted over the years. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-fr...

For the twenty-fourth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to the Montana Territory in the spring of 1876. General George Custer (and his cinnamon-scented hair) have been sent to the area to defeat the Plains Indians. But at the Battle Of Little Bighorn (aka Custer’s Last Stand) things would go awry. Over two episodes, we discuss the post-Civil-War Westward expansion; how Sitting Bu...

Nate DiMeo, host of "The Memory Palace" podcast and author of "The Memory Palace" book , on the small details that shape the work of history. For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books have been fundamental instruments through which we preserve, interpret, and engage in history as an ongoing practice of free expression.   At “This Day”, we’re partnering with Random House, the legendary b...

In part two of our conversation about the long shadow of Watergate, we discuss the ways in which Nixon tried to rehabilitate his image -- and how many of the reforms of the Watergate era were tested and exploited in the decades since. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to...

For the twenty-third installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1974. Of course we had to do an episode on Watergate as part of this series, but in this week’s two-parter we try to paint a picture of what came immediately after the scandal that brought down Nixon. We trace an era of genuine government reform, the decades-long debate over presidential power… and how many of those reform...

Isabel Wilkerson, author of " Caste " and " The Warmth of Other Suns " and Tara Westover, author of " Educated ," on the power of books and history to expand our horizons. For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books have been fundamental instruments through which we preserve, interpret, and engage in history as an ongoing practice of free expression.   At “This Day”, we’re partnering with...

We continue our look at the 1980 Cuban migrant crisis by discussing how it became a political nightmare for Jimmy Carter -- not to mention a young Bill Clinton -- and how it set the template for anti-immigrant rhetoric in the decades since. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get acce...

For the twenty-second installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to Miami, Florida in the spring and summer of 1980. With the Cuban economy in crisis and many Cubans trying to flee the country, Fidel Castro declared that anyone who wanted to escape was free to do so -- as long as they were picked up by a boat from Florida. The ensuing flood of refugees -- and the language that was used to...

This past week, we talked about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921. For today's "Sunday Context" episode we jump a couple generations ahead to the summer of 1967, when president Johnson convened the “Kerner Commission” to look into the roots of violence and unrest in America, largely in Black and brown communities around the country. The report came out next year and offered a frank and damning assessment...

We continue our conversation about the 1921 race riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a depiction of the descruction over two days, and how just as quickly the story of Tulsa got covered up. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus feat...

For the twenty-first installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, and trace two days of violence and terror by the White residents of the city on the community living in "Black Wall Street." We discuss life in Tulsa, how the violence kicked off, and why the story of the Tulsa Massacre was supressed for so long. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe...

For this week's "Sunday Context" episode we bring you an episode from the archives about the fight to create a Vietnam War memorial, and how we remember in the Forever War era. Originally aired in 2021. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the s...

We continue our conversation about the transcontinental railroad with a look at the impact of a connected America -- and what it means to be promised a new technology that will reshape everything. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. P...

For the twentieth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we look at the moment that East and West were connected by railroad. Throughout the 1850s and 60s, railroad barons and the U.S. government worked to take over land push rail infrastructure across the plains, through the mountains and more. Along the way, some made huge riches and others met tragedy. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how...

This past week we discussed the spring of 1970, when the massacre at Kent State and the Hardhat Riots in NYC showed how the "silent majority" was ascendent in Nixon's America. Today, a conversation about the cultural force that most represented that: Archie Bunker on All In The Family. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America2...

Our conversation about the "silent majority" continues with a look at the so-called Hard Hat Riots in New York City, and how the idea of a conservative backlash politics began to coalesce. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonu...