The black power protest that shook the world
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, one of the most iconic moments of that chaotic year unfolded on television screens around the world.
Apr 17, 2019•3 min
Retropod
The Washington Post
Retropod is a show for history-lovers, featuring stories about the past, rediscovered. Host Mike Rosenwald introduces you to history’s most colorful characters - forgotten heroes, overlooked villains, dreamers, explorers, world changers.
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Episodes
History's most fascinating misquote
The Apollo 13 astronauts never said “Houston we have a problem.” Here’s why you think they did.
Apr 16, 2019•4 min
Hate the IRS? Blame Abraham Lincoln.
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln was in a financial bind. Also, he was in a war. To raise money, he pushed for and won passage of an income tax and, a year or so later, established the Internal Revenue Bureau to collect what was owed.
Apr 12, 2019•4 min
The Mouth of the South
Martha Mitchell was the wife of President Nixon's attorney general. Nixon blamed Mitchell for Watergate.
Apr 12, 2019•6 min
Hair peace. Bed peace.
On March 25, 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were a few days into their marriage when they invited the press to join them at their honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel.
Apr 11, 2019•6 min
Queen Arawelo
Growing up in Somalia, a country where stories are handed down through generations, one of the first tales that children are told is about an ancient queen who fought to give women power by castrating men.
Apr 10, 2019•7 min
The man who killed Bonnie and Clyde
It was April of 1934. The multi-state crime spree of Bonnie and Clyde came to an end in an ambush on a winding country road in Louisiana. The man who finally hunted them down was Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, a legendary lawman from the Wild West.
Apr 09, 2019•7 min
Ketamine in the mainstream
Once a party drug, ketamine has found its way into modern medicine.
Apr 05, 2019•6 min
From handsaws to parades: D.C.’s cherry blossom trees weren’t always beloved
Over one million people attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival each year. But the cherry blossom trees, and Japanese culture, were not always embraced in the United States.
Apr 05, 2019•6 min
The day before the Chernobyl disaster
Disasters don’t just happen. Like anything in life, there’s usually a buildup. In the case of the Chernobyl disaster, the series of failures stretched back more than a decade. But what happened the day before the explosion?
Apr 04, 2019•7 min
Last Seen Ads
After the Civil War, formerly enslaved people placed notices in black-owned newspapers across the country to find their loved ones.
Apr 03, 2019•6 min
Earthrise
On Christmas Eve in 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts captured an image that symbolizes hope and inspired environmentalism.
Apr 02, 2019•5 min
George Taliaferro, the first black player drafted to the NFL
He thought being drafted into the National Football League was so unlikely that he signed with an African American league team. Then, the NFL called.
Apr 01, 2019•6 min
The first 'Queen of the Air'
Four years before Amelia Earhart ever got into a plane, Ruth Law was already making a name for herself in the skies.
Mar 29, 2019•5 min
A spy in the Confederate White House
During the American Civil War, a former slave smuggled secrets from the Confederate President to help the North to victory. Her name was Mary Bowser.
Mar 28, 2019•7 min
The nurse who picked up a rifle
During World War I, British nurse Flora Sandes put down her nurses bag to fight with the Serbian Army.
Mar 27, 2019•4 min
The 'Night Witches'
During World War II, around 80 Russian women took to the skies and risked their lives to fight against the Germans.
Mar 26, 2019•5 min
The extraordinary life of Civil War veteran Albert Cashier
On August 6, 1862, a shy young man from Belvidere, Illinois, signed up to fight for the North in the Civil War. His name was Albert Cashier.
Mar 25, 2019•7 min
The first black senator and America’s brief biracial democracy
Hiram Rhodes Revels came to the Senate after the Civil War in a shining moment of triumph — a black man taking over the seat once held by Jefferson Davis. It didn’t last.
Mar 22, 2019•6 min
Why isn’t lynching illegal?
It is one of the worst expressions of racism in American history. And there’s no federal law to prevent it.
Mar 21, 2019•6 min
Robert Morris, the creator of the subpoena
The history of subpoenas, and the fiery congressional hearings that have captivated Americans for centuries began with a Founding Father raising his hand to say, “Investigate me!”
Mar 20, 2019•6 min
Judy Garland and the long history of 'Me Too' in Hollywood
Sexual harassment has been existed in showbiz as long as there have been bright lights.
Mar 19, 2019•5 min
A rich piece of scandal
In the 19th century, publications both reputable and scandalous routinely blackmailed society figures caught in compromising circumstances.
Mar 18, 2019•6 min
The godfather of bracketology
Some 50 million people are projected to fill out a March Madness bracket this year. As you finish filling out yours, you might want to tip your pencil and say thanks to the late and loud Staten Island bar owner Jody Haggerty.
Mar 15, 2019•4 min
To ban a 'Mockingbird'
Harper Lee's classic novel has been causing controversy for as long as its been in print. Here's a look at the history of banning "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Mar 14, 2019•4 min
The history of epic North Korean insults
North Korea has long been a superpower when it comes verbal attacks.
Mar 13, 2019•3 min
Special delivery!
There’s one thing that you can’t have delivered anymore that was totally normal to send by mail in the early 1900s.
Mar 12, 2019•3 min
Why Thurgood Marshall asked an ex-Klan member to help him make Supreme Court history
Thurgood Marshall, the first African American member of the Supreme Court, took the constitutional oath of office from Hugo Black, a white associate justice who had once been a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Mar 11, 2019•4 min
The glass ceiling
In 1978, Marilyn Loden gave new meaning to an image women have fought for decades.
Mar 08, 2019•4 min
The woman behind Lisa Ben
Edythe Eyde, also known by her pen name Lisa Ben, was a visionary who fought to make lesbians visible in pop culture decades before most others had the guts to do the same.
Mar 07, 2019•4 min
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