** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! https://on.prx.org/46XCf1R ** It’s November 16th. This day in 2016, Vice President-elect Mike Pence attends a performance of the hit Broadway show “Hamilton,” where he is booed by the audience before the show; and after the show the cast reads him a statement of protest. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how this story played out in 2016, what we make of it now — and why Pence w...
Nov 16, 2023•22 min
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! https://on.prx.org/46XCf1R ** It’s November 14th. This day in 1918, famed industrialist Henry Ford starts to raise questions about the result of the Michigan Senate election, in which he lost by a narrow margin. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Ford is contesting the vote, how it ties into his growing conspiratorial and anti-Semitic mindset — and how the worlds of business ...
Nov 14, 2023•21 min
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! https://on.prx.org/46XCf1R ** It’s November 12th. This day in 1970, a small town in Oregon decides that the best way to get rid of a massive whale that has washed up on its shores is by… dynamiting it into oblivion. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the plan went so awry, pay tribute to the one local who was trying to warn everyone — and discuss how footage of the incident b...
Nov 12, 2023•20 min
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! https://on.prx.org/46XCf1R ** It’s November 9th. This day in 1865, Confederate commander Henry Wirz is executed for war crimes — the only Confederate commanding officer to face such justice. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the Andersonville prison camp that Wirz oversaw, and why his particular crimes were seen as out of bounds during the brutal aftermath of the Civil War. Sign...
Nov 09, 2023•17 min
It’s November 7th. This day in 1983, a bomb placed under a bench on the second floor of the Capitol building’s North Wing goes off, minutes after the Senate switchboard received a cryptic message claiming credit. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the little-known group that carried out the bombing, why they turned to violence in this moment — and what exactly they were protesting. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more a...
Nov 07, 2023•17 min
It’s November 5th. This day in 1980, voters in the Maryland 5th Congressional District have just re-elected Gladys Noon Spellman — despite the fact that she is in a coma from which she would never recover. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the twists and turns of the election, how Congress reacted, and how this moment led to the political career of one of the most prominent Democrats in the House. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week...
Nov 05, 2023•13 min
It’s November 2nd. This day in 2019, New York City began a process of opening up Hart Island to the public, after centuries of using the space to bury its unnamed dead. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Joe Richman of “Radio Diaries” to discuss the history of Hart Island and the ongoing tension between public space and private cemetery. Radio Diaries has a new series called “The Unmarked Grave: Stories from Hart Island.” Listen to it now ! Check out the Radio Diaries live event on November 9t...
Nov 02, 2023•22 min
It’s October 31st. This day in 1938, hundreds of thousands gather in Barcelona, Spain, to say thanks and bid farewell to the thousands of foreign volunteers who had come to join the fight in the Spanish Civil War. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by author Adam Hochschild to discuss why so many Americans were drawn to the battle in Spain, and how the anti-fascist fight there set the stage for WWII. Adam is the author of many brilliant books , including “American Midnight,” “King Leopold’s Ghost...
Oct 31, 2023•27 min
It’s October 29th. This day in 1948, a heavy, pollutant-laden fog is sitting over the Pennsylvania town of Donora. Over the course of five days, dozens of people would die and half the town’s population would get sick. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the town of Donora was so vulnerable to the US Steel plant’s pollution, and how the company fought back against regulation over the course of decades. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later th...
Oct 29, 2023•15 min
It’s October 25th. This day in 1966, a group gathers for the first conference of the National Organization for Women, aka NOW. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the group felt the need for a new activist organization — and how NOW navigated both the political and social spheres of the feminist movement. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member o...
Oct 26, 2023•17 min
It’s October 24th. This day in 2008, former secretary of state Colin Powell goes on Meet the Press and endorses Barack Obama for president — over his longtime friend, and fellow Republican, John McCain. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Leah Wrigth Rigueur to talk about why Colin rebuked his own party, what Obama represented, and what it says about the crossroads he found himself in that moment. Leah is a professor at Johns Hopkins and the author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican — sh...
Oct 24, 2023•24 min
It’s October 22nd. This day in 1927, Americans are flocking to the theaters to watch “The Jazz Singer,” the first major “talkie” film. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Walt Hickey to discuss how Hollywood became a major economic and political force in the aftermath of WWI, and how it the soft power of American entertainment started to shape the world. Walt’s new book is “You Are What You Watch” — preorder it now and get a free poster! Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to...
Oct 22, 2023•27 min
It’s October 19th. This day in 1987, real estate mogul Donald Trump was invited to New Hampshire to give a speech to a local GOP group. He bragged about his accomplishments, drew a big crowd and — of course — teased a possible presidential run. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Robert Fleegler of the University Of Mississippi to discuss why Trump showed up in the early stages of the 1988 primary, and how his message then was almost exactly the same as his message now. Robert’s latest book is ...
Oct 19, 2023•24 min
It’s October 17th. This day in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a resolution that passed Congress to restore the citizenship of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why there was a push to re-imagine Davis’s legacy — and whether Jefferson Davis would have even wanted this. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a pr...
Oct 17, 2023•17 min
It’s October 15th. This day in 2004, voters in the swing region of Clark County, Ohio are receiving letters encouraging them to vote for John Kerry — letters written by readers of the left-leaning British newspaper “The Guardian.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why “The Guardian” had launched their letter writing campaign, what it says about the gamification of politics — and how the folks who got the letters responded. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we r...
Oct 15, 2023•19 min
It’s October 12th. This day in 1863, fighting is breaking out in Jones County, Mississippi, as a group of southern farmers starts to rebel against the Confederacy. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why this group felt compelled to rebel, what their fight was really about — and what the 2016 movie starring Matthew McConoughey got right and wrong about the incident. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com ...
Oct 12, 2023•14 min
It’s October 9th. In 1919, the US Department of Agriculture began a nationwide campaign to promote better breeding among livestock — and stamp out so-called “scrub bulls.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how this effort took on absurd dimensions, but also reflected a deeper and darker cultural obsession with breeding and fitness. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political Hi...
Oct 10, 2023•20 min
It’s October 5th. This day in 1982, a massive recall is underway for Tylenol, in the wake of a series of random poisonings and deaths in the Chicago era. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the crisis, Johnson & Johnson’s relatively effective response — and the very strange ransom letter sent in the middle of it all. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a pr...
Oct 08, 2023•20 min
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1935, Italian leader Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia, one of the only independent Black states in the world. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by MSNBC’s Isaac-Davy Aronson to discuss what Italy’s aggression did to the very fragile world order — and how the move reverberated around the Black diaspora. Be sure to check out “Deja News,” which did an episode about this moment . Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended lat...
Oct 05, 2023•25 min
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1956, a group of 25 Japanese women are heading back to Japan after spending a year in the United States receiving medical and cosmetic surgery. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Slate’s Josh Levin to talk about the “Hiroshima Maidens,” who came to this country and showed Americans the horrific consequences of nuclear attack. Josh tells the story of the maidens in a new episode of his series “ One Year: 1955 .” Check it out now wherever you get your podcasts. Sign...
Oct 03, 2023•27 min
It’s October 1st. In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin is set to stop off for a diplomatic visit in Ireland. But when his plane lands on the tarmac at Shannon Airport, Yeltsin refuses to get off. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Yeltsin’s reputation for heavy drinking and boorish behavior, how that played into this incident, and what may have really happened on that plane. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at t...
Oct 01, 2023•14 min
It’s September 30th. This day in 2004, George W. Bush and John Kerry take the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2004 election. In response to Kerry saying that very few countries supported the United State’s invasion of Iraq, Bush responded that. “actually, you forgot Poland.” Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss what that comeback landed so poorly, and became an early internet meme — and the larger context of the “coalition of the willing” the Bush administration was using to justify the...
Sep 28, 2023•17 min
It’s September 26th. This day in 1983, Massachusetts Senator Michael Dukakis held a press conference to announce an enormous and ambitious infrastructure project to take a roadway that cut through the center of Boston and move it underground. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by reporter Ian Coss to discuss the initial plans for what would come to be known as “The Big Dig,” and why the project ended up taking decades, and billions of dollars, more than expected — and what it says about ambitious...
Sep 26, 2023•28 min
It’s September 26th. This day in 1983, a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Forces determined that an alert about an incoming nuclear attack was, in fact, a computer glitch, likely preventing a series of retaliations by the USSR and the USA. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Petrov made his decision, what could have gone wrong, and why the policy of “mutually assured destruction” invited such perilous scenarios. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff w...
Sep 24, 2023•20 min
It’s September 22nd. This day in 1999, Aaron Sorkin’s podcast “The West Wing” premiered on NBC. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by fellow Radiotopian Hrishikesh Hirway to talk about the political influence and legacy of the show. Check out The West Wing Weekly and all of Hrishi’s podcasts on his website ! Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud membe...
Sep 21, 2023•23 min
It’s September 19th. This day, in 1664, Marlyand passed the first “anti-amalgamation” law in the colonies, outlawing the marriage between Black men and English women. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how these anti-miscegenation laws were first written, and how they were altered, evolved, and tested over the course of two centuries. Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week. Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political ...
Sep 19, 2023•18 min
A few episodes ago, we discussed what we’d learned on our summer travels, and asked for your stories. Today, we go through some tidbits, stories, and fascinating facts. Thanks to everyone who wrote it! 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 on our websit...
Sep 17, 2023•25 min
It’s September 14th. This day in 1970, economist Milton Friedman pens an op-ed in The New York Times making the case that a corporation’s primary goal is to increase shareholder value and profits. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Noel King of “Today, Explained” to discuss how Friedman’s “shareholder theory” pushed back against existing ideas of corporate responsibility, and signaled a new vision for capitalism — and how the last forty years have reflected those values. Noel is the host of a ...
Sep 14, 2023•26 min
It’s September 14th. This day in 1986, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan gave a prime-time television address about drugs, drug policy, and crack cocaine. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by journalist Donovan X Ramsey to talk about why both Reagans took part in the address, the media-savvy narratives that emerged in the “Just Say No” era, and the real victims of drug abuse who were left behind. Donovan’s new book is When Crack Was King — buy it now, or check out the audio boo...
Sep 12, 2023•23 min
It’s September 8th. This day in 1971, a consumer advocate Esther Peterson worked with the supermarket chain GIANT to come up with the first nutrition labels. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Auburn professor Xaq Frolich to talk about Peterson’s advocacy, what labels looked like before this initiative — and whether labels do actually help empower consumers to make better choices. Frolich’s forthcoming book is “From Label to Table” — pre-order it now! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx....
Sep 10, 2023•21 min
