This is a brand-new episode from HISTORY This Week, available wherever you listen to podcasts! September 16, 1968. Richard Nixon isn't exactly seen as a comedian. But tonight, he's trying to change that by appearing on Laugh-In, a TV show similar to Saturday Night Live. Nixon needs every vote he can get in the 1968 election, facing off against Hubert Humphrey, the vice president who became the Democratic nominee after Lyndon Johnson withdrew from the ticket. Nixon's Laugh-In appearance is a surp...
Sep 16, 2024•35 min
HISTORY This week is about to return! We'll be back with new episodes this Monday, September 16th. In the meantime, listen to our trailer for Season 5, and follow HISTORY This Week wherever you get your podcasts. To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 12, 2024•1 min
August 16th, 2023. Over the past 16 months, Sports History This Week has covered sporting events from football to baseball to roller derby to a man skydiving from outer space. It has been an absolute joy working on the show, and we've loved hearing from the listeners along the way. In this episode, you'll hear from the team who produces and writes the show: what we loved, what we learned, and what we wished we had a chance to do. Thank you all for listening, and just know that we'll be wat...
Aug 16, 2023•22 min
August 9, 1988: Coming off their fourth Stanley Cup win in the last five seasons, the Edmonton Oilers do the unthinkable: trade Wayne Gretzky, hockey’s biggest superstar. Just as he’s entering his competitive peak, Gretzky departs a team where he looked like the centerpiece of a budding dynasty. And his destination is the Los Angeles Kings… in a city that barely knows it has a hockey team. Today, hockey changes forever, as Canada loses its greatest son to the United States. Why would the Oilers ...
Aug 09, 2023•33 min
We’ll be back next week with a regular episode, but please listen to this for an important SHTW update! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 04, 2023•42 sec
August 1, 2004. Before esports became a billion-dollar industry, a few college halls in Southern California hosted a video game tournament: the Evolution Championship Series. Justin Wong is facing Daigo Umehara in the semifinals in Street Fighter III. Surprisingly, Wong has Umehara on the ropes. He goes in for a game-ending move when something unimaginable happens. Today, the moment that changes fighting games forever. When EVO Moment #37 takes the world by storm, it helps revive &n...
Aug 02, 2023•30 min
July 27, 1999. Barry Sanders, star running back of the Detroit Lions, writes a letter announcing his intentions to abruptly retire from the NFL. At just 31 years old, one of the game’s top players is ready to hang it up and walk away — on his own terms. Today, Barry Sanders stuns his teammates, his fans, and the entire football world. How did Barry Sanders become one of his era's most dominant offensive weapons? And what factors contributed to him retiring from football, at the peak of...
Jul 26, 2023•30 min
July 18, 2006. The owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, Howard Schultz, calls a press conference. Ever since the Starbucks chairman took over the team, he's been hemorrhaging money. Now, Schultz has run out of patience too. He's selling the team... to out-of-town buyers. Today, the SuperSonics are sold out. The franchise delivered Seattle its first pro sports championship, was a cultural touchstone, and produced superstars like Gary Payton. Fans are desperate to keep the Sonics in town. So why do t...
Jul 19, 2023•32 min
July 10, 1999. It’s 107 degrees on the soccer field in Pasadena, California, at third-ever Women’s World Cup. The US Women’s National Team is stuck in a scoreless tie against China. Just a few years earlier, these teams were playing in stadiums that looked like they belonged to the local high school. Now? They’re playing in front of 90,000 screaming fans, desperate to see the U.S. come out on top. Today, the U.S. Women’s National Team puts the finishing touches on one of the most iconic tourname...
Jul 12, 2023•29 min
July 4, 2010. Nathan’s Famous is holding its annual hot dog eating competition on Coney Island. But this year, one perennial champion is not taking the stage: Takeru Kobayashi. The legendary eater destroyed competition for six years in a row, launching him into international stardom. But then, things start to go wrong. Today, Takeru Kobayashi looks to make a statement. In front of thousands of spectators, Kobayashi gets arrested at the very competition he used to dominate. Why is there so much d...
Jul 05, 2023•34 min
July 2, 1997. Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux takes the mound for a regular-season start against the defending champion New York Yankees. And in typical Maddux fashion, he starts making quick work of the Yankees lineup. In fact, he gets through the game so quickly, that Major League Baseball would eventually add a new stat into its official glossary to commemorate this, and other performances like it. Today, Greg Maddux inspires a baseball writer named Jason&...
Jun 28, 2023•24 min
June 19, 2005. Formula 1 is hosting its U.S. Grand Prix at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For years, F1 has desperately tried to establish a foothold in America, and heading into this race, there’s real momentum — until there’s a major problem. Today, F1’s nightmare at the U.S. Grand Prix. More than a 100,000 spectators show up to a race that becomes a disaster. How do things go so wrong? And how will this race affect F1’s future in America? Special thanks to our guests: Herbie Blash, f...
Jun 21, 2023•27 min
June 16, 1996. Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to their fourth NBA Championship. Many basketball fans consider 1995-96 to be Jordan’s best individual season, and that Bulls squad as perhaps the greatest in the history of team sports. But behind the scenes, Jordan is still grieving over the death of his father, a traumatic event that led to him stepping away from basketball for over a year to pursue professional baseball. Without him, the Bulls fall into chaos. Today, a look back at one of...
Jun 14, 2023•31 min
June 11, 1999. Inside Madison Square Garden, Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals tips off between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Hardly anyone expected this Knicks squad to be here — a lockout and a roster overhaul created a season of chaos. Yet somehow, New York stands just one win away from a shot at the title. Today, the Knicks become the first-ever No. 8 seed to make it to the NBA Finals. How do they overcome so much in-season chaos? And can they capture their first champion...
Jun 07, 2023•27 min
May 29, 2003. Every year, a little island off the English coast is home to the world’s most dangerous race: the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Motorcyclists zip through the course going more than 200 miles per hour, navigating hairpin turns — all on public roads. Today, one of the greatest racers in Isle of Man TT history passes away, when nine-time champion David Jefferies becomes the event’s 206th casualty. How does the TT become such a deadly competition? And how can a race be held every year wh...
May 31, 2023•23 min
May 23, 2003. Chris Moneymaker is the last amateur standing. The 28-year-old Tennessee accountant has defied the odds and outlasted over 800 of the best players on the planet at the World Series of Poker, but that’s not enough. He finds himself at the Final Table, going for poker immortality. Today, Chris Moneymaker wins the $2.5 million prize at the World Series of Poker, inspiring an entire generation of online players to join the poker gold rush. How did this amateur Internet poker player eve...
May 24, 2023•29 min
May 16, 2023. If you were watching TV last night, you may have seen NBA history being made. A few ping-pong balls bounced around a lottery machine, and suddenly, the San Antonio Spurs won the first pick at the 2023 NBA Draft, which they’ll almost certainly use to draft a potential superstar from France named Victor Wembanyama. Today, a look back at some of the most electrifying prospects the NBA has ever seen – from Hakeem Olajuwon to Patrick Ewing to LeBron James to Wembanyama – as well as the ...
May 17, 2023•30 min
May 11th, 1997. The eyes of the world are focused on a chessboard. It's the decisive game of one of the most highly anticipated chess matches of the 20th century. The reigning world champion, Garry Kasparov, is agitated, furrowing his brow and clutching his face while he considers his next move. His opponent—unphased by the pressure—hums loudly from a nearby room. Today, a legendary battle between arguably the greatest chess player that ever lived and a thinking machine. How does a compute...
May 10, 2023•29 min
May 3rd, 2007. Oracle Arena is rocking. In Oakland, 20,000 fans, all wearing mustard-yellow t-shirts with the slogan “We Believe,” are amped. It’s so loud that the opposing players can’t even hear each other in the huddle. That’s because the 2007 Golden State Warriors are on the verge of pulling off the greatest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs. Today, the Warriors square off against the Dallas Mavericks, a 67-win team led by league MVP Dirk Nowitzki. It’s a matchup that pretty much ever...
May 03, 2023•30 min
April 29, 1980. An upstart media company has proposed a strange idea to the NFL: broadcast the pro football draft live on TV. Nobody really paid much attention to the NFL Draft before, but with the young ESPN still finding its voice, it was a perfect opportunity. Today, ESPN broadcasts the NFL Draft for the first time. How did a guy reading a list of names become must-see TV? And how does this experimental telecast turn the NFL into a year-round phenomenon? Special thanks to our guests: Upton Be...
Apr 26, 2023•31 min
April 21, 1980. The Boston Marathon, the oldest and arguably most prestigious marathon in the world, attracts the sport’s top professional runners. So, when a completely unknown woman named Rosie Ruiz, with barely any marathoning experience, crosses the finish line first, many in the media and racing community are shocked… and more than a little suspicious. Over the next seven days, a massive investigation is launched, and eventually a story filled with some genuinely bizarre twists and turns is...
Apr 19, 2023•27 min
April 13, 1986. In honor of the Masters Invitational Tournament, we revisit two of its most famous finishes. First, an aging Jack Nicklaus attempts to become the Masters' oldest champion. Then, 11 years later to the day, Tiger Woods seeks to become the youngest ever to win the Masters' coveted green jacket. Today, two of the greatest golfers ever aim to overcome expectations in their sport's most prestigious event. Can either pull off a victory? And how do two players a generation apart cope wit...
Apr 12, 2023•32 min
April 10, 1971. A team of ping pong players leaves Hong Kong to step across a border and become the first group of Americans welcomed to China in over 20 years. These competitors find themselves becoming unlikely diplomats at the center of a media frenzy, and at the heart of one of the 20th century’s major geopolitical shifts. How did table tennis turn into a powerful tool of foreign policy? And how did these athletes leave an impact that went far beyond the ping pong table? Special thanks to ou...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min
March 27, 1986. Decades before pitch clocks and bigger bases, Peter Ueberroth, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has to make a decision. He knows he’s going to upset players and fans, but something has to change. The World Series, the biggest baseball stage, should be fair for both sides. They need to play by the same rules. With all the MLB rule changes coming this year, we’re taking a look back at the constant adjustments the game has made to be more competitive, more popular, and mor...
Mar 29, 2023•28 min
March 26, 1979. Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. The pair of basketball superstars have reached the biggest moment in their young careers: the NCAA Tournament championship. Magic goes to greet Bird with a pre-game hug… but he’s not having it. “It’s on now,” says Johnson. Today, two of the greatest basketball players ever face off for college hoops’ crown. Who wins this legendary matchup? And with their own distinct paths to stardom, how do Magic and Bird come together to reshape the game? Special than...
Mar 22, 2023•30 min
March 17, 2001. Serena Williams is getting booed. She’s trying to prepare to face Kim Clijsters in the finals of the prestigious annual tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, but when her name is announced before the match, 14,000-plus audience members begin loudly jeering her every move. This angry mob mentality continues throughout the match, while her older sister, Venus, and father, Richard, can only watch from the stands. Today, an all-time great, at just 19 years old, faces t...
Mar 15, 2023•31 min
March 12, 1996. The Denver Nugget's leading scorer, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, is shooting around before the big game tonight. Strangely, a large crowd of reporters is gathering. It turns out, they’re here to ask him one big question: what do you think about the American Flag? Today, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf faces consequences for not standing during the national anthem. Twenty years before Colin Kaepernick, why does Abdul-Rauf make this controv...
Mar 08, 2023•32 min
A new History Channel podcast, American Football is the untold tale of the rough-and-tumble origins of the National Football League. Produced and presented by Michael Strahan and narrated by actress and pro football enthusiast Kate Mara, this podcast reaches back into the past to explain the dirty, bloody, and tumultuous beginnings of America's most popular sport. In this first episode, the sport of American football begins as a stand-in for war – a place where young men at elite colleges could ...
Mar 07, 2023•40 min
March 2, 1962. Wilt Chamberlain, the NBA’s biggest star, makes the long drive out to Hershey, PA. There’s no pro basketball team in Hershey, but tonight, the town made famous for its chocolate is hosting a matchup between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks. Chamberlain is Philly’s biggest star and he’s having a great season, but he partied hard the night before. Which makes what happens next all the more incredible. Today, Wilt Chamberlain leads the Warriors against the Knicks in ...
Mar 01, 2023•31 min
February 20, 1951 (or July 1951). Emmett Ashford is waiting inside the ballpark of the Mexicali Eagles. At 36 years old, he's toiled around the United States, working toward his goal of becoming a professional umpire. Finally, he lands a tryout just south of the border to make it happen. But there's a problem: the other umpires needed to play the game are white — they won't take the field with a Black man. Today, Emmett Ashford attempts to become the first Bl...
Feb 22, 2023•34 min
