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 playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus feature...
Jul 02, 2026•51 min
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 historian Jon Meacham, who is also Niki’s fellow Vanderbilt professor. We tried to touch on a lot of books,...
Jun 30, 2026•54 min
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 ongoing practice of free expression. At “This Day”, we’re partnering with Random House, the legendar...
Jun 28, 2026•48 min
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 versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to ev...
Jun 25, 2026•30 min
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 in the gay rights movement was sparked. We talk about the larger context of activism that set the st...
Jun 23, 2026•42 min
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 engage in history as an ongoing practice of free expression. At “This Day”, we’re partnering with Ran...
Jun 21, 2026•44 min
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-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access...
Jun 18, 2026•39 min
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 Bull and Crazy Horse mounted an Indian defense; and how a bloody defeat was spun into a military legen...
Jun 16, 2026•42 min
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 book publisher, to bring you a special, month-long series called “ A Nation of Readers .” In this serie...
Jun 14, 2026•33 min
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 early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work an...
Jun 11, 2026•40 min
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 reforms are being weaponized and outright perverted today. We’re all living in Nixon’s long shadow. Join o...
Jun 09, 2026•32 min
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 Random House, the legendary book publisher, to bring you a special, month-long series called “ A Nati...
Jun 07, 2026•52 min
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 access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our w...
Jun 04, 2026•32 min
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 describe them -- set the modern template for how we treat and talk about immigrants. Join our Ameri...
Jun 02, 2026•39 min
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 of the complicity of white Americans. But it's recommendations were largely ignored and suppresed. ...
May 31, 2026•24 min
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 features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now . This Day...
May 28, 2026•41 min
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 free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers g...
May 26, 2026•36 min
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 show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subs...
May 25, 2026•18 min
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. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe ...
May 21, 2026•32 min
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 railroads started to transform the country. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for...
May 19, 2026•43 min
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 America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus ...
May 17, 2026•33 min
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 bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now . Th...
May 14, 2026•35 min
For the nineteenth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we talk about a fateful week in the spring of 1970, when the anti-Vietnam movement was confronted by a conservative backlash. We discuss the tragedy at Kent State University in Ohio, when four students were killed by National Guard. In the wake of the tragedy, many were shocked but lots of Americans felt that anti-War protesters had gone too far. Richard Nixon would dub this coalition the "silent majortity," and days later in New Y...
May 12, 2026•45 min
This past week we discussed the Plessy v Ferguson case, which helped open the door to the Jim Crow era in the American South. Today, a story from 1951 about the efforts to dismantle it -- starting with a group of students walking out of their school over unfair conditions. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how this effort mirrored some of the elements of The Marshall Plan in Europe — and why US attempts to support Latin America generally fell short. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscr...
May 10, 2026•20 min
Our conversation about Plessy vs Ferguson continues with a look at the world that the ruling helped usher in: Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, the rise of the KKK and more. 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 features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now . Thi...
May 07, 2026•38 min
For the eighteenth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we talk about a landmark Supreme Court case, Plessy v Ferguson, which in 1896 codified the idea of “separate but equal” accomodations for Black and White Americans. We trace the brief moment during Reconstruction when Black citizens in the South gained real rights, and how legislatures and White power structures began to push back. Then we discuss the case itself and the impact of the ruling, including the lone dissent. Join our Am...
May 05, 2026•46 min
Out conversation about the Golden Gate Bridge continues with the opening of the bridge, and a bunch of people who didn't get enough credit. Plus, what the story says about how we need big ideas even in moments when things feel especially dire. 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 features throughout the year. To support ou...
Apr 30, 2026•32 min
For the seventeeth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we travel to California in the 1930s, where San Francisco planners have a big idea — build a massive suspension bridge across the Golden Gate strait. We discuss how the project came together despite the Great Depression, the big egos involved, what the story says about how audacious projects can pull a country out of malaise… and why the bridge is the color it is. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get...
Apr 28, 2026•32 min
This past week we discussed the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, 1961. Today, another episode about JFK' in the very same time period -- when he hosted a couple hundred Latin American diplomats to lay out his vision for the “Alliance for Progress,” an ambitious plan to support democracy and economic development throughout the region. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how this effort mirrored some of the elements of The Marshall Plan in Europe — and why US attempts to support Latin America generally fell...
Apr 26, 2026•17 min
We continue our conversation about the Bay of Pigs invasion with a look at how it all went wrong on the two days of combat in Cuba. Plus, the long-term lessons for JFK, the CIA, and US foreign policy. 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 features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscr...
Apr 23, 2026•28 min
