It's the October before a presidential election, which means that some final twists and turns are surely on the way. Jody, NIki, and Kellie were recently joined by comedian Josh Gondelman at This Day's first ever live show, at WBUR's CitySpace in Boston. They talked about the history of October Surprises, from gaffes to unforseen world events, to pure shenanigans. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned ...
Oct 01, 2024•37 min
It's September 26th. This day in 1988 George HW Bush holds a rally in Boston featuring police officers who were supporting his campaign -- a stunt meant to rattle his opponent Michael Dukakis, the Governor of Massachusetts. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the back-and-forth police press conferences that ensued, and the larger question of why Republicans have tended to own the "tough on crime" and pro-police mantle. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Y...
Sep 26, 2024•22 min
It's September 24th. This day in 1881 (actually, September 22nd) Vice President Chester Arthur assumes office after James Garfield dies from an assassination. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Arthur was really no one's first choice, but nevertheless rose to meet the moment and gravity of the situation. 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 th...
Sep 24, 2024•13 min
It's September 22nd. This day in 1796, a letter from George Washington appeared in the Philadelphia Daily American Advertiser announcing that he would not be seeking a third term for president. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the significance of Washington's announcement, how it's often mis-remembered as an actual address -- and why it mattered that he went straight to the people to proclaim his intentions. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your supp...
Sep 22, 2024•17 min
It's September 19th. This day in 1859, New York City declared victory in the war on pigs. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why there were so many pigs on the island of Manhattan, and how the city's expansion created an enormous amount of tension around race, class, health and gentrification. 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...
Sep 19, 2024•18 min
It's September 17th. This day in 1995, Oregon Senator Bob Packwood resigns before he can be expelled for decades of sexual misconduct. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Packwood's long record of abuse, which he chronicled in detail in his own diaries -- and why it took so long to finally hold him accountable. 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 ...
Sep 17, 2024•18 min
This day, in 1947, Georgia holds a special election that finally - finally - brings an end to a period in which the state had three people claiming the governor's office. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Georgia ended up in this constitutional crisis, and the many shenanigans that ensued within the halls of the capitol. 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 ...
Sep 12, 2024•18 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It features comedian Josh Gondelman -- so today we're rerunning and episode with Josh from 2020. 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 t...
Sep 10, 2024•20 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 8th. This day in 1969, a group called "New York Radical Women" holds a protest at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the wake of the protest, a very persistent story emerged, despite no evidence to support it: that women burned their bras in protest. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Cristen Conger of "Unladylike" to talk about the protest, how the bra burn...
Sep 08, 2024•28 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 5th. This day in 1838, Frederick Douglass makes a two-day escape from Maryland to New York City. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how perilous Douglass's trip was, and how he was able to navigate the route from Baltimore to Delaware to Pennsylvania and finally New York. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independe...
Sep 05, 2024•18 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's September 3rd. This day in 1901, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt gives remarks in which he refers to his notion that one should "speak softly and carry a big stick." Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss where Roosevelt got that phrase, and how it came to really embody American-style imperialism in the first decades of the 20th century. They also touch on other famous presidential quotes. This Day In...
Sep 01, 2024•17 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 29th. This day in 1987, an arson burns down the house of the Ray brothers, three HIV-positive children who had contracted the virus through blood transfusions. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Eric Marcus of "Making Gay History" project to discuss why there was so much fear and ignorance around AIDS in that era -- and how even children became targets of abuse. Be sure to check out ...
Aug 29, 2024•24 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 27th. This day (technically the 28th) in 1957, Senator Strom Thurmond embarks on what would be the longest filibuster in Senate history, arguing against civil rights legislation that would expand the vote for Black americans. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Thurmond decided to take his stand, how he filled the 24 hours and 18 minutes of talking, and answer the all-important question...
Aug 27, 2024•17 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 25th. This day in 1928, representatives from the major world powers sign on to a treaty that states that promised to not use war to "resolve disputes or conflicts of whatever nature... or of whatever origin." Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the Kellogg-Briand treaty, why there was such a thirst to outlaw war in the wake of WWI, and why the treaty ultimately failed. Plus: Why do we not h...
Aug 25, 2024•26 min
** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Today, an episode from the archives about a legendary DNC moment. /// It’s August 23rd. On this day in 1964, Mississippi activi...
Aug 22, 2024•21 min
** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Want to watch the video version of this episode? Visit our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/@ThisDayPod To mark conventions w...
Aug 20, 2024•15 min
** Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now !** Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Want to watch the video version of this episode? Visit our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/@ThisDayPod To mark conventions w...
Aug 18, 2024•23 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 15th. This day in 2017, President Donald Trump gave a press conference in which he offered remarks about the violence that took place in Charlottesville, VA a couple days before. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the roots of the white supremacist rallies and violence in Charlottesville, as well as Trump's comments that there were "very fine people on both sides." Those comments have sinc...
Aug 15, 2024•28 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 13th. This day in 1846, Henry David Thoreau is thrown in jail -- for one night -- for refusing to pay his back taxes. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Thoreau objected to the poll tax, and how his political stances intersected with the more personal work that emerged from his two years living on Walden Pond. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from ...
Aug 13, 2024•16 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 11th. This day in 1965, six days of civil unrest erupts in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the violence was sparked -- and how the reaction to it prefigured much of the conversation that would dominate the rest of the decade around protest, deprivation, backlash, and more. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia f...
Aug 11, 2024•18 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 8th. This day in 1990, George HW Bush addressed the country about Iraq's recent invasion of Kuwait. In it, Bush evoked WWII and made a comparison between Sadaam Hussein and Adolph Hitler. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why Bush framed the conflict that way and how it shifted a new era for global politics. Plus, Jody shares his personal family connection to this moment. This Day In Esot...
Aug 08, 2024•18 min
Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! It's August 5th. This day in 1841, a new statue is unveiled in the Capitol rotunda, to commemorate the 100th birthday of George Washington. One notable element: he's shirtless. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the statue of Washington arrived bare-chested and, let's be honest, kinda ripped. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster...
Aug 06, 2024•14 min
Here in 2024, there is a lot of speculation about who Kamala Harris will select as her running mate. And the Veepstakes almost feel kind of...normal? So, today, Jody shares some thoughts about the nature of the VP pick, and we re-run our episode from "Veepstakes Week" about notable picks throughout history. Also -- we just announced our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now ! For other episodes in the Veepstakes series, check out our conversation a...
Aug 04, 2024•33 min
It's August 1st. This day in 2002, Congressman James Traficant of Ohio has been expelled from Congress for bribery and corruption, only the second member ever kicked out of the institution. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Traficant's bombastic reputation, corrupt dealings -- and how his shifting politics represented the way political fault lines were moving in places like Youngstown, Ohio. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster i...
Aug 01, 2024•17 min
It's July 28th. This day in 1896, residents vote to incorporate the city of Miami, Florida. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the birth of Miami was in large part due to a woman named Julia Tuttle and the arrival of the railroad to the Florida "frontier." 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: Th...
Jul 30, 2024•14 min
It's July 27th. Today we mark the start of the Olympics by looking at one of the most famous -- and perhaps apocryphal -- moments in Olympics history, when American Jesse Owens won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the legend is a little more complicated than we may know, from the controversy over whether to boycott the games to Owens's remarks about his treatment on U.S. soil. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from...
Jul 28, 2024•20 min
It's the middle of July. In 1936, much of the country -- especially the Midwest -- is experiencing record heat. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the heat was so deadly, how it created economic and social ripple effects, and why FDR was able to rally the country to talk about government solutions to some of the problems the heat exacerbated. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-win...
Jul 25, 2024•19 min
It's July 22nd. This day in 1934, FDR has signed the "Indian Reorganization Act," which provided economic relief to many tribes, but also came with provisions to reorganize the way in which Native Americans self-governed, and self-identified. This opened up a vacuum for fundamental questions of identity and community which reverberate today. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Angel Ellis and Robert Jago, the hosts of a new series called "Pretendians," which looks at the history of non-native p...
Jul 23, 2024•23 min
In 1971, a massive explosion at the Thiokol plant in Woodbine, Georgia shook the small town and killed 29 workers, injuring dozens of others. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by director Patrick Longstreth to talk about how the plant provided good jobs for the rural community, but lax safety standards ultimately led to one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. Patrick's new short film is called "The Day That Shook Georgia," you can watch it online now ! This Day In Esoteric Politic...
Jul 21, 2024•23 min
It's July 18th. This day in 1980, Ronald Reagan accepted the Republican nomination for president. His speech included the phrase "let's make American great again." Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the long history of that phrase, why it is so appealing, the power of nostalgia in American politics -- and of course how Trump made MAGA into a movement. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and awar...
Jul 18, 2024•28 min
