A new HTDS episode arrives Monday, June 8th. Meanwhile, four-time NBA Champion and All-star, Draymond Green breaks down his biggest takeaways from the Spurs/Thunder 2026 NBA playoff series so far. Then, he gives full preview of the May 30th Game 7 including key matchups to watch, who has more at stake, the SGA "Foul Baiting" discussion, and more. Finally, he wraps things up by giving his Sling Shots of the Night. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.auda...
May 30, 2026•28 min
“Will young, freewheeling American boys take the iron discipline of wartime? … In my judgment the answer is Yes! ... if the answers they get are worth fighting and dying for.” This is the story of propaganda on the home front. The word “propaganda” has some messy connotations, but it’s fundamentally about pushing a narrative, which can be good or evil. Leaders on all sides of the war thought about how to spur the populace to join in the war effort, and in America, it fell to entertainers and art...
May 22, 2026•1 hr 7 min
Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
May 18, 2026•41 min
“I suggest that while we keep defense and victory in the forefront, that we don't lose sight of our fight for true democracy at home.” This is the story of life on the American home front. While millions of brave men and women are sacrificing life and limb “over there,” those left behind are making sacrifices of their own—heeding the call to grow gardens in their backyards or on community lots, combing their homes for spare scrap metal and rubber, rationing so there’s enough to go ‘round, and bu...
May 11, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, Prof. Jackson’s new book publishing June 16th, takes us on a chronological journey—from the very start of the republic in 1789, through the end of the nineteenth century—while telling stories not heard in the podcast, tales that engage such topics as political violence, fake news, and contested elections. Pre-order a copy HERE or come see him on ON TOUR. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https...
May 04, 2026•35 min
“Everybody’s dead. Don’t ask me about anybody. Everybody’s dead.” This is the story of the Final Solution. From Anne Frank’s annex to countless ghettos, Jews who have thus far avoided the concentration camps are increasingly being funneled there. Jewish leaders like Chaim Rumkowski face impossible dilemmas—who should be sent to the camps? On the other hand, some Warsaw Ghetto inhabitants choose to fight back, their last ditch efforts to resist and escape living on in the words of only a few surv...
Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 7 min
“The procedure is a pretty barbaric one and not to be described here more definitively. Not much will remain of the Jews.” —Joseph Goebbels This is the story of how the Holocaust becomes industrialized. In January 1942, Nazi leaders discuss what will become the “Final Solution”: their plan to murder millions. As more and more Jews are stripped of everything and forced into ghettos, and terrified parents bid a tearful (and often final) farewell to their children, German leaders decide how to deal...
Apr 13, 2026•1 hr 8 min
After turning our attention back to Europe in the last few episodes, it’s time to finally examine the Holocaust. Back in episode 185, we covered a broad history of antisemitism in Europe and the violent results of the first few years of Hitler’s reign in Germany, going all the way to the nationwide November pogrom (also known as Kristallnacht). But before we go any further, we present this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield . Sara has worked w...
Mar 30, 2026•48 min
"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.” This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky. On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini surely know they’ll be aiming for Sicily next, right? Actually, pre-Husky Allied intelligence victories have the Germans and Italians barking up the wrong tree (shoring up the wrong island defenses), all thanks to one Maj...
Mar 16, 2026•59 min
“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.” This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa. Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa becomes the sandy stage for months of ugly tank battles featuring characters like the Desert Rats (Britain’s 7th Armoured Division), and the Desert Fox (Field Marshall Erwin Rommel). By the time American reinforcements a...
Mar 02, 2026•1 hr 5 min
“When do we get a whack at those Germans?” This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the action in Europe, but first, they have to cross the embattled Atlantic—easier said than done with German U-boats on the prowl, sinking both military and merchant vessels in what they call an “American turkey shoot.” After stubborn U.S. Navy Admiral Ernest King finally adopts a workable convoy system, th...
Feb 16, 2026•1 hr 3 min
“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!” This is the story of a battle that changed how wars are fought at sea—and of the thin margin between disaster and destiny. In the spring of 1942, Japanese forces surge across the Pacific, confident their next move will finish what Pearl Harbor began. But beneath the surface, American codebreakers are listening, watching, and waiting. Fresh...
Feb 02, 2026•1 hr 3 min
“We had been promised relief but none was coming, and all of us in Bataan shared a sense of betrayal.” This is the story of the United State’s earliest—and most disastrous—days of war in the Pacific. Almost immediately following Pearl Harbor, America and the Axis powers exchange rapid-fire war declarations. While embattled Britain breathes a sign of relief to have the US officially in the war, the Japanese Empire’s sun is rising on the Pacific fast—and at great cost to the Philippines. As the Co...
Jan 19, 2026•1 hr 4 min
With the December 1941 surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, our story has officially come to the United States’ entry into the Second World War. Professor Jackson told that story in episode 194, and in 193 we covered the long buildup to the war with Japan; yet, the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of those moments of history where the depths of inquiry and knowledge to be gained is almost endless. There is still more to learn. To that end, Prof. Greg Jackson welcomes Profess...
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr
“This year very few Hanukkah candles were lit.” / “This is a strange Christmas Eve.” This is the story of 1941’s wartime holiday season. It’s difficult to conjure up a more miserable picture than the Warsaw Ghetto, but Jewish residents are doing their best to stay close to their faith in spite of the dismal circumstances. In a sermon that draws parallels between this hungry, fearful group and the Maccabees of old, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira will bring a little light to these dark times. Mean...
Dec 22, 2025•37 min
“Man your battle stations! This is no sh*t!” This is the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s 7:55 on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. 183 Japanese aircraft descend on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sailors awaken to a nightmare as “Battleship Row” becomes a graveyard, hundreds of US planes are destroyed without ever leaving the ground, and the cries of thousands of dying, wounded, and terrified Americans rend the air. It is a day that will “live in infamy.”...
Dec 07, 2025•1 hr 3 min
“To be perfectly frank, the ways you and I look at the Chinese are fundamentally different. You seem to think of them as human, but I see them as pigs.” This is the origin story of the Empire of the Rising Sun. After an uninvited visit from one Commodore Matthew Perry and his four black ships, Japan opens its doors to the wider world, ending seven centuries of isolation. Picking up the best and the worst from the West, a new ruling class implements changes in everything from government structure...
Nov 24, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Professor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his co-producer Sarah Botstein to discuss their newest film series, The American Revolution plus a conversation about their 2007 WWII series, The War. Ken and Sarah’s latest endeavor about the American War for Independence has been in production for nearly a decade, and the release comes on the cusp of America’s 250th anniversary. According to Ken, the American Revolution is “the most important historical event s...
Nov 10, 2025•58 min
Today Professor Jackson tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Over Our Coffee Cups” weekly radio show. Starting in the fall of 1941, the First Lady took to the airwaves with this cafe-style program to provide information and comfort as the nation began mobilizing for war. This short story is an example of the extras you can get as an HTDS premium member. HTDS will always be widely available, supported by ads. However, our membership program offers ad-free episodes delivered early, plus extra s...
Nov 03, 2025•7 min
“No more defenses. Our army is wiped out—artillery, air force, everything wiped out.” This is the story of the invasion of New Jersey. “The War of the Worlds” is a 1938 radio adaptation of an 1897 science fiction novel by H.G. Wells that details an alien invasion of Earth, a seminal work that popularized the term “Martian” and the theme of “first contact” in sci-fi. 23-year-old Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre team were tasked with zhuzhing up the classic novel for their series of one-hour C...
Oct 20, 2025•42 min
Professor Jackson takes a step back to review themes from episodes 187 through 189 (War in Europe and America’s Response), specifically the slow turn from isolationism to aid via Lend-Lease, and eventually to preparing for war. Prof. Jackson’s guests are Professor Lindsey Cormack , an associate professor of political science at Stevens Institute of Technology, and historian Lynne Olson , author of several books on WW2 including Citizens of London which chronicles the pivotal role played by three...
Oct 13, 2025•1 hr 10 min
"At long last, Mr. President.”—Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill This is the story of the second year of WWII and the United States’ response. As the war enters its second full year, things are looking dire for Britain: Germany has forced France into submission, the Blitz is in full swing, and the cash-strapped nation is running out of money to pay for US aid. Lend-Lease, or H.R. 1776, is the proposed solution; it’ll allow Franklin to transfer munitions to “any country whose defense the Presi...
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Professor Greg Jackson shares a personal message about our politically divided times and announces more tour dates for his live show: The Unlikely Union . This show is not recorded for the podcast. Go to HTDSpodcast.com/live-shows for more information and dates. Prof. Jackson’s national tour has already been to half of the 50 states, so-called red and blue states, big cities and small towns. What he’s encountered is everyday people, regardless of their political stripe coming together to share i...
Sep 29, 2025•11 min
“I have said not once but many times that I have seen war and that I hate war. … I hope the United States will keep out of this war. I believe that it will.” This is the story of the first year of WWII in the European theater and the United States’ response. Since the days of President George Washington, the United States has largely held to George Washington’s and Thomas Jefferson’s counsel to avoid “interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe,” and to have “entangling alliances wi...
Sep 22, 2025•1 hr 8 min
“A great war can hardly be avoided any longer.” This is the story of Nazi Germany’s aggressive territorial expansion and the start of WWII. The Treaty of Versailles has long been a thorn in Adolf Hitler’s side. Its troublesome limits on troops and technology pose challenges for a man bent on taking lebensraum and building a Grossdeuschland by any means necessary. So he starts quietly building planes and submarines. Then he starts publicly adding a few hundred thousand more soldiers. By 1936, he’...
Sep 08, 2025•1 hr 9 min
“Comrade Stalin, now that he is general secretary, has concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of exercising this power with sufficient caution.” This is the story of Joseph Stalin’s path to becoming the dictator of the USSR. Ioseb (Joseph) Jughashvili, or little “Soso,” is a good student. A choir boy, in fact. But that changes as the Orthodox Georgian increasingly puts his faith in the Bolshevik branch of Russia’s Social Democrats. Under Vlad...
Aug 25, 2025•1 hr 7 min
“Being a Jew is not a crime, I am not a dog.” This is the story of the start of the Holocaust. Serving as the scapegoat for everything from a disappearing child to the Black Plague, European Jews are used to “anti-Jewry.” But as the nation state rises in the modern world, it brings the so-called “Jewish Question” to the fore: can one be a faithful Jew and modern citizen? As modern antisemitism rises and European Jews face pogroms and the Dreyfus Affair, some begin to think they need a nation of ...
Aug 11, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Professor Greg Jackson is touring the country with a live version of the podcast telling the story of The Unlikely Union of American states. Starting Sep 19, 2025 through July 4, 2026, you can hear the Professor history-tell in person, with video and live musicians. It’s not recorded for the podcast so get your tickets now at HTDSpodcast.com/live-shows In 100 minutes Professor Jackson will take audiences on a remarkable 100-year journey that begins when thirteen distinct, disparate British colo...
Aug 07, 2025•9 min
“There will be no more mercy now; anyone who stands in our way will be butchered.” This is the story of Adolf Hitler and the collapse of the Weimar Republic. A dropout. A failed applicant to Vienna’s prestigious Academy of Fine Arts. A decorated but low-ranking soldier who attempts to overthrow the state and is convicted of treason. But only a decade or so later, he’s the nation’s leader. Not just the Chancellor, not even a “mere” president. He’s Germany’s dictator. The “Führer.” How on earth do...
Jul 28, 2025•1 hr 7 min
“Italy, Gentlemen, wants peace, wants quiet, wants work, wants calm; we will give it with love, if that be possible, or with strength, if that be necessary.” This is the story of Italy’s Benito Mussolini’s creation of fascism and rise to power in interwar Italy. Benito starts life the way his father intended—as a socialist—and the often moving, young schoolteacher quickly emerges as a leading voice in the movement as he’s entrusted to serve as the editor of one of the party’s most important news...
Jul 14, 2025•1 hr 11 min
