This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month. In 1965, two of America’s leading intellectuals debated the question of race — first in front of a packed university audience, and then on national television. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Nick Buccola of Linfield University to talk about James Baldwin and William F. Buckley and their riveting debates over civil rights, race, and the American dream. Nick Buccola is the author of “ The Fire Is Upon Us ...
Feb 17, 2022•32 min
This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month. Over the course of this country’s history, the terms we use to describe black Americans have shifted and signified different things — from “colored” to “negro” to “African-American” and “black.” There’s now a debate about whether to capitalize the “b” in black. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Jelani Cobb of the New Yorker to talk about the current debate, and the key moments in the shifting language. Sig...
Feb 15, 2022•31 min
This week, we’re doing a number of episodes around the history of… Black History Month. Today, February 13th — the roots of the celebration in 1924, when historian Carter G Woodson started Negro History Week. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Woodson started the commemoration and how Black History Month has evolved in the century since. 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 Esote...
Feb 13, 2022•19 min
It’s February 10th. This day in 1916, at an event attended by much of Chicago’s political and religious elite, an anarchist cook poisoned a batch of soup in an attempt to kill all two hundred attendees. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the plot failed, who the main suspect was, and whether any of the attendees ate soup again. 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 Politi...
Feb 10, 2022•19 min
It’s February 8th. This day in 1915, at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles, “The Birth of a Nation” premiered. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Tyler Parry of UNLV to discuss D.W. Griffith’s film and some of the myths and truths about how the film portrayed the Civil War and led to a resurgence of the KKK around the country. 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. I...
Feb 08, 2022•27 min
It’s February 6th. This day in 1987, federal regulations go into effect limiting where federal workers can smoke cigarettes. Smoking rooms, smoking couches, and the little designated smoking areas on sidewalks spring up as a result. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Sarah Milov of the University of Virginia to talk about the way non-smokers rights were regulated and negotiated, legally and culturally, throughout the 1980s. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia...
Feb 06, 2022•27 min
It’s February 3rd. This day, 1986, the town of Austin, Minnesota is being torn apart by an ongoing strike at the Hormel meat-packing plant. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by podcast host Julia Longoria to talk about the strike and her larger reporting on the way in which SPAM can explain many of the larger forces in American history. Julia is the host of “The Experiment” from WNYC and The Atlantic — they have a three-part series on SPAM out now! This Day In Esoteric Political History is a pro...
Feb 03, 2022•27 min
It’s February 1st. This day in 1990, the very first McDonald’s opened in Moscow, after 14 years of negotiations and a moment where the USSR was softening its economic policy — and heading towards its eventual collapse. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what it meant for the most American of brands to land behind the iron curtain, and the role of cultural forces in ushering in the end of the Cold War. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps...
Feb 01, 2022•15 min
It’s January 30th. This day in 1913, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority was formally incorporated, five years after its founding in 1908 at Howard University. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the early days of the AKAs, the need for black women to create a space for themselves within HBCU’s, and the legacy of the group and its alumni network over the years. Plus: why Kellie never joined! This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independ...
Jan 30, 2022•20 min
IT’s January 27th. This day in 1838, some 80 years before national prohibition, the country’s first liquor restriction was passed. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the temperance movement gained momentum alongside other moral crusades in the mid-19th century, and how we are still living with a weird patchwork of alcohol laws around the country. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award...
Jan 27, 2022•16 min
It’s December 25th. In 1961, on the night of January 23rd, a bomber carrying two massive nuclear weapons broke up in the sky over eastern North Carolina. The bombs came crashing to the ground and an investigation later revealed that they had gone through several of the steps required for detonation. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the near-disaster, how many times the U.S. has come close to this sort of incident, and the big “what if” at the heart of this story. This Day In Esoteric Political His...
Jan 25, 2022•18 min
It’s January 23rd. This day in 1977, on his first day in office, President Jimmy Carter pardoned Americans who had evaded service in the Vietnam War. Jody, Nicole, and Kellie discuss how Carter saw a difference between “pardon” and “amnesty” for draft dodgers, the various ways in which people got out of military service, and how much this decision set the tone for the entire Carter presidency. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps fos...
Jan 23, 2022•19 min
It’s January 20th. This day in 1967, Lurleen Wallace took office as the Govenor of Alabama, only the third female governor in the United States history. She was the wife of segregationist governor George Wallace, who was unable to run because of term limits. Instead, he asked his wife to run and they campaigned on a thinly-disguised “two governors, one cause” platform. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the dynamic between the Wallace’s, the proxy campaign — and how Lurleen Wallace’s health struggle...
Jan 20, 2022•19 min
It’s January 18th. This day in 1980, a group of Texas oil billionaires were in the middle of a scheme to drive up the worldwide price of silver. This would culminate in a few months later on what came to be known as “Silver Thursday,” when their speculation collapsed and sent worldwide markets into chaos. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Bijan Stephen, host of the podcast “Eclipsed,” which is currently running a four-part series on the Hunt brothers and Silver Thursday. Listen to Eclipsed wh...
Jan 18, 2022•23 min
It’s January 16th. This day in 1919, the North End neighborhood of Boston is digging out from under 2.3 million gallons of molasses, which flooded city streets after a storage tank burst. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by science and history writer Cara Giaimo to discuss how the flood has been reduced to a quirky tidbit of history, when in fact it should be taken serious as an industrial disaster that could have been prevented. Cara wrote about the flood for Atlas Obscura in 2019 and also did...
Jan 16, 2022•19 min
It’s January 13th. This day in 2018, at 8:07am, residents of Hawaii received a disturbing alert on their phones: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the false alert, how the mistake was made, and how residents of Hawaii reacted in the almost 40 minutes before word got out that it was a false alarm. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independ...
Jan 13, 2022•19 min
It’s January 11th. This day in 1971, the federal government charged a group of anti-war activists, led by Catholic priest Father Phillip Berrigan, in a scheme to bomb tunnels in Washington DC and kidnap Henry Kissinger. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the details of the plot, Berrigan’s life of activism, and how it mixed with his religious pacifism. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and awa...
Jan 11, 2022•16 min
It’s January 9th. In 1964, in his State of the Union speech, president Johnson declared “war on poverty.” It was part of his ambitious Great Society agenda to remake American lives from birth to death. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the language that Johnson used in his speech, and how branding an effort as a “war” can help or hurt a cause. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winni...
Jan 09, 2022•19 min
This episode, a conversation about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol one year ago, and how the stories and themes we’ve discussed on this show can help us understand what took place. 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: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or j...
Jan 06, 2022•30 min
It’s January 4th. This day in 1999, former wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss “The Body’s” improbable and surprisingly-substantive third-party campaign, and how he was able to capture the media’s attention to sneak through to victory. Plus, what happened when his bombastic style came up against the much more boring work of governing. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster ...
Jan 04, 2022•21 min
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all your support this year, if you’d like to become a member of Radiotopia you can do so on our website thisdaypod.com /// It’s June 10th. This day in 1845, at the funeral of Andrew Jackson, his parrot “Poll” had to be removed from the room for excessive swearing. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Poll’s uncout...
Dec 30, 2021•15 min
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all your support this year, if you’d like to become a member of Radiotopia you can do so on our website thisdaypod.com /// It’s April 6th. This day in 1712, a group of enslaved people start a fire in New York City aimed at sparking a larger rebellion. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the slave rebellion of 171...
Dec 28, 2021•18 min
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year with a brand new slate. Thanks for all your support this year, if you’d like to become a member of Radiotopia you can do so on our website thisdaypod.com //// It’s June 3rd. This day in 1943 marked the start of the “Zoot Suit Riots,” a series of skirmishes and attacks in Los Angeles targeting Mexican-Americans, who were often identified by th...
Dec 26, 2021•23 min
Part 2 of one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. We’ll be back with live episodes in 2022. Our guest this episode is Michael Hobbes, host of the podcast “Maintenance Phase” and former host of “You’re Wrong About.” 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: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch i...
Dec 23, 2021•27 min
We’re re-airing one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. Part 1 of our conversation about the history of the War on Christmas. We’ll run part 2 next, and be back with live episodes in 2022. Our guest this episode is Michael Hobbes, host of the podcast “Maintenance Phase” and former host of “You’re Wrong About.” 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 y...
Dec 21, 2021•28 min
It’s December 19th. In 1913, on Christmas Eve, 73 people, 59 of them children, died during a stampede at a gathering in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by labor historian Erik Loomis to discuss the Calumet tragedy, the brutal working conditions in the mines, the union organizing that was taking place at the time — and whether the tragedy was a result of company operatives. Erik Loomis is associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island and ...
Dec 19, 2021•24 min
It’s December 16th. This day in 1860, Union General Ulysses Grant issued Order Number 11, which expelled Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Grant was trying to cut down on illegal trading in the region, and based his policy on an Semitic stereotype about Jewish merchants. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Grant’s order, anti-Semitism in the United States, and the was in which Grants relationship with Jewish community evolved over the years. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a p...
Dec 16, 2021•15 min
It’s December 14th. This day in 2008, at a press conference in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist flung his shoes at George W Bush. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the incident, why Muntadhar al-Zaidi was moved to fling his shoes, and the many interesting wrinkles to the story — including the massive monument to the shoes that was built in Tikrit. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winni...
Dec 14, 2021•17 min
It’s December 12th. This day in 1941, the US Congress provides an overwhelming vote in support of Roosevelt’s declaration of war. But Jeanette Rankin of Montana was the lone dissenter. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Rankin’s vote, her role as the first woman to hold elected federal office, and her long history of pacifism. 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...
Dec 12, 2021•15 min
It’s December 9th. This day in 1958, a group of twelve men met in Indianapolis to found the “John Birch Society,” a virulently anti-communist, conspiracy-minded group that would come to be influential and controversial in 20th century conservatism. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by John S Huntington to discuss what the Birchers were hoping to accomplish, how they’ve floated in and out of conservative movement, and why a John Birch style of thinking is alive and well today. John’s book is “Far...
Dec 09, 2021•32 min
