It's May 5th. This day in 1985, President Reagan visits a German military cemetery in Bitburg, where a number of SS Soldiers were buried. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the visit to the cemetery had been a controversial decision for months, why Reagan still went ahead with the visit -- and how the attempt to clean up the mess afterwards didn't go any better. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps fos...
May 06, 2025•18 min
The Trump administration is targeting health and scientific research -- often based on whether it includes keywods like "women." This presents the risk that a science vacuum will emerge, which could take years or decades to unwind. Today, as part of our "Some Sunday Context" series, we go back to a moment when there was a huge dearth of research and information about women's health -- and grassroots efforts to fix it. In Boston, in 1969, a group of women got together to share information about w...
May 04, 2025•17 min
It's May 1st. This day in 1861, the Civil War is breaking out and President Lincoln issues a desperate call for more military volunteers. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Lincoln's appeal galvanized the sides of the conflict, with Northern volunteers feeling called to duy and Southerners framing the battle as "northern agression." Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned ...
May 01, 2025•20 min
[[This is an episode from the This Day archives -- we'll be back with a new conversation real soon!]] It's May 5th. This day in 1960, a British theater critic named Kenneth Tynan is hauled before a Senate sub-committee to answer questions about what is seen as his anti-American work. It's a moment that captures the cultural and political swirl of the late 50s, which is the subject of Benjamen Walker's new audio series " Not All Propaganda Is Art, " out now as part of the Radiotopia show "Theory ...
Apr 29, 2025•26 min
We're reaching the 100 day mark of Donald Trump's second term in office. 100 days has traditionally been a benchmark for assessing how productive and impactful a presidency is. Today, Jody Niki and Kellie get together for a "Some Sunday Context" conversation to look back at where the idea of "first 100 days" came from, and run through some of the more eventful starts to American presidencies -- from FDR to Lincoln to poor William Henry Harrison. Then, we discuss what from Trump's first 100 days ...
Apr 27, 2025•43 min
It's April 23rd. This day in 1778, John Paul Jones leads the only American raid on British soil in the Revolutionary War. Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss Jones's spotty past, and what brought him to the port of Whitehaven, where he launched a scheme to raid the town. It did not go well, but the day wasn't a total failure, as he later stumbled into one of America's great naval victories... Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud ...
Apr 24, 2025•21 min
It's April 22nd. This Day in 1978, former First Lady Betty Ford is in the Long Beach Naval Hospital, being treated for addiction to pain killers and alcohol. Outside, a spokesperson shares the news with the country. Jody, Niki, and Kellie look at the life of Betty Ford, from dancer to First Lady -- and why it was so significant that she shared her addiction and hospitalization with the American public. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political His...
Apr 22, 2025•21 min
The eyes of the world are on the images coming from a prison in El Salvador. The photos are being used as propoganda for U.S. deportation efforts; and are shocking those who care about abuse and the judicial process. For some, they are reminiscint of the photos that emerged during the Iraq War from the Abu Ghraib prison. Niki shares her thoughts as part of our "Some Sunday Context" series -- and then we return to our episode from 2023 about the Abu Ghraib photos that shocked America. This Day In...
Apr 20, 2025•26 min
It's April 1775. This day in 1775, the Revolutionary War is sparked when British troops enter the towns of Lexington and Concord. But later that same day there's a third battle in a third town that is often forgotten. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss what happened in the town of Menotomy, how the fighting there was much more brutal than in Lexington and Concord -- and why it has been written out of the tidy story of the Revolution. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This D...
Apr 17, 2025•16 min
It's April 17th. In 1914, at the mining town of Ludlow, Colorado tensions are ratcheting up to a moment when the national guard and private police would descend upon an encampment of striking workers, killing dozens including women and children. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how things got so heated in Ludlow -- and the public outrage that boiled over in the wake of the massacre. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member...
Apr 15, 2025•22 min
The Trump administration is going after universities -- threatening to withhold funding in an attempt to bring them under ideological control. It's a very rocky moment, but the history of the relationship between federal funding and research institutions has often been rocky. Today on our "Some Sunday Context" series, Jody, Niki, and Kellie look at the way that universities have taken federal money, and what kinds of strings have been attached though the years. Plus, some thoughts on this week's...
Apr 13, 2025•1 hr
It's April 9th. This day in 1917, a German man by the name of Robert Prager is attacked and lynched during a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment in The United States. Jody, Niki, and Kellie talk about the pervasive suspicion of Germans in the run-up to World War I, and how Prager's lynching was cheerleaded by the media, the government, and larger society. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PR...
Apr 10, 2025•16 min
It's April 8th. And it's Girl Scouts Cookies season. This day in 1917, a troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma is baking cookies to raise funds in support of the WWI efforts. Within a decades, a full-blown cookie empire would be born. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the role the cookie sales play in the larger project of the Girl Scouts, how the First Lady has always been the main booster -- and of course, which cookie flavors are the best. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This D...
Apr 08, 2025•15 min
How will this week be remembered in the history books? Will it be the week that Trump's tarrifs changed everything, or the week in which Democrats found some new energy? Jody shares his thoughts as part of our "Some Sunday Context" series -- and then we take a listen to our archive episode about Strom Thurmond's fillibuster. This was, of course, the week that New Jersey Senator Cory Booker broker Thurmond's record. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric ...
Apr 06, 2025•21 min
It's April 3rd. In 2015, Starbucks announces that it is bringing its "Race Together" initiative to a close, after it was relentlessly mocked and critced online and in stores. Jody, Niki, and Kellie look back at the very-Obama-era effort by the coffee chain to spark conversations about racial inequality by having their baristas write #racetogether on customer's cups. Customers were not feeling it. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History i...
Apr 03, 2025•20 min
It's April 1st. This day, Jimmy Carter performed on of the most unbelievable acts in presidential history. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPo...
Apr 01, 2025•19 min
We are turning five! For today's "Some Sunday Context" conversation, Jody, Niki, and Kellie mark five years of the show and run through five big themes and lessons from five years of covering American history. 00:00 Happy 5th Anniversary! 3:30 Theme One: People Are Petty! 7:10 Theme Two: Near Catastrophe 10:30 Theme Three: Backlash Defines Everything 14:30 Theme Four: Americans Hate Paying Taxes 17:20 Theme Five: We Are Still Fighting The Civil War Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at th...
Mar 30, 2025•24 min
It's March 27th. This day in 1976, Schoolhouse Rock premieres the song "I'm Just A Bill," an animated look at the process by which legislation gets passed -- or languishes in the halls of Congress. Jody, Niki, and Kellie talk about how the song came together, the legislation at the heart of the process, and whether lawmaking still happens the same way. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your...
Mar 27, 2025•18 min
It's March 25th. This day in 1980, a church in Tucson announces that it will provide sanctuary to immigrants -- in open defiance of US law. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the roots of the church sanctuary movement, the conviction of eight leaders including Reverand John Fife, and the ongoing role of religious progressivism. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political ...
Mar 25, 2025•19 min
Today, for our Some Sunday Context" series, a little bit of a departure. Jody has a new music show called "Summer Album / Winter Album" -- here's a taste of the recent conversation on Paul Simon's classic "Graceland" with special guest Malcolm Gladwell. We hope you enjoy it, and if you want to hear the full episode make sure to subscribe to the new show wherever you get your podcasts, on YouTube, and more. It's all at www.summeralbumwinteralbum.com Meanwhile, next Sunday we are marking five year...
Mar 23, 2025•43 min
It's March 23rd. This day in 1775, Patrick Henry of Virginia gave a speech in which he (maybe) uttered one of the more famous phrases in American political history. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Henry came to give such a fiery speech, the reaction from those in the room -- and why it's hard to know exactly what he said, if it matters at all. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day...
Mar 20, 2025•19 min
It's March 17th. Today (actually, March 12th) in New Hampshire kicked off its first lotto system, ushering in a new era of state-sanctioned and state-run gambling that continues to grow today. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Ian Coss, host and produer of the new series "Scratch & Win" from GBH. They discuss what the lotto was like in those early days, how it's evolved -- and whether they actually provide a fiscal solution for the states that run them. Be sure to check out Ian's full ser...
Mar 18, 2025•27 min
Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Sunday episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- throghout the first year of the second Trump administration. /// It’s October 24th. This day in 1973, former Beatle John Lennon sued the U.S. government, demanding to know whether he was under FBI surveillance. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder to discuss Lennon’s post-Beatles po...
Mar 16, 2025•30 min
Part two of our conversation with Harvard's Robin Bernstein about William Freeman's act of murder and protest in the prison town of Auburn, NY. Robin's new book is called Freeman's Challenge -- it's available now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so o...
Mar 13, 2025•22 min
It's March 11th. This day in 1846 (technically March 13th) in the town of Auburn, NY, and man by the name of William Freeman commited a series of murders that shocked the community and made them reckon we the impact of the local for-profit prison. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Harvard's Robin Bernstein to discuss how Freeman came to commit this act, why it should be thought of as an act of awareness-raising terrorism, and the early roots of a very broken prison industrial complex. Robin's...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min
Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Sunday episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- during the first year of the second Trump administration. /// Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s March 16th. This day in 1985, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney met for what came to be known as “The Shamrock Summit,” which started to repair frayed relations between the two countries. ...
Mar 09, 2025•15 min
It's March 6th. This day in 1811, Henri Christophe is proclaiming himself as the first King of Haiti -- he would also be the nation's last. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Marlene Daut of Yale to discuss how Haiti ended up with a king after its revolution, the remarkable life of Christophe, and how the instability of the time still lingers today. Marlene's new book is called " The First And Last King Of Haiti " and is available now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.co...
Mar 06, 2025•25 min
This day, it's 1913. Mexico City is in the midst of what would come to be known as "la decena tragica" -- the ten tragic days. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Mexican revolution finally arrived in Mexico City, and how the internal strife was exacerbatted by U.S. meddling, from a checked-out president to an ambassador gone rogue. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteri...
Mar 04, 2025•16 min
There's an anti-DEI push taking place under the Trump administration -- is it just another in the long cycle of backlashes going all the way to reconstruction? Welcome to our latest "Some Sunday Context" conversation. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the PC wars of the 90s, anti-affirmative action efforts of the 70s and 80s, and more. Plus, quick reactions to the latest news, from anti-trans efforts to the showdown between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at th...
Mar 02, 2025•57 min
It's February 27th. This day in 1973, the City of Chicago is converting all of its pay toilets to free toilets. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the grassroots movement and years-long fight over pay toilets -- and why public restrooms have always been such contested spaces. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories...
Feb 27, 2025•20 min
