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
It's February 24th. This day in 1928, a major report is issued highlighting conditions inside the so-called Indian Boarding Schools, which were set up by the US Government in the middle of the 19th century to "Americanize" Native American children. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by reporter Dana Hedgpeth to discuss what the report found, and how little reform took place inside these schools despite generation after generation of abuse and secrecy. Dana is one of the author's behind a massive ...
Feb 25, 2025•21 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. /// 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. S...
Feb 23, 2025•19 min
It's February 19th. This day in 1967, the NCAA has decided to ban dunking in the college game -- a move largely seen as a response to Lew Alcindor (soon known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and other Black players using the move. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer to talk about the larger political and racial context of the dunk ban, and what the dunk has meant to the game of basketball over the years. Mike's new book is " Magic In The Air: The Myth, the Myst...
Feb 20, 2025•26 min
It's February 18th. This day in 1897, 2000 educators, parents and legislators are gathered to kick off a new organization that would come to be known as the Parent Teachers Association. Jody, Niki, and Kellie dicsuss how the PTA has advocated for important issues over the years, and what kinds of activities the PTA works on in today's education environment. They also discuss how much parents should be involved in their kids' schools... This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of ...
Feb 18, 2025•20 min
Donald Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders, and Elon Musk is slashing and burning state capacity. But the courts, Congress, and public opinion may also have something to say about it. Welcome to "Some Sunday Context" series for Febraury 16th, 2025. Every Sunday, we try and bring you an episode that offers a little historical perspective on what we're seeing in Donald Trump's second term. Today: Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Trump and Musk are testing -- and sometimes defying -- th...
Feb 16, 2025•50 min
This weekend Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary. To help celebrate, we're bringing you an episode we recorded last fall about SNL's political impact. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the way that SNL's spoofs have changed, whether their skits have had a political impact -- and why it can be a struggle to do spoofs in the Trump era. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award...
Feb 13, 2025•22 min
It's February 11th. This day in 1862, the U.S. Senate has expelled Indiana Senator Jesse David Bright for colluding with the Confederacy. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Bright remained in the senate, even after secession, and how his deep sympathies with the South were ultimately exposed. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster indep...
Feb 11, 2025•17 min
Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Some Sunday Context episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- throghout the first year of the second Trump administration. /// Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “ Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s .” All this week, she’s walking through some of her favorite stories from the book, which is available for...
Feb 09, 2025•19 min
It's February 6th. This day in 1968, 82 crewmembers of the U.S.S. Pueblo have been captured by North Korea, setting off a major hostage crisis in the midst of an already very tumultuous year. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Pueblo came to be captured, what the eleven-month negotiations revealed about U.S. power, and why the incident isn't as well-remembered as some of the other events of 1968. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com Th...
Feb 06, 2025•19 min
It's February 4th. This day in 1980, the story is breaking about the FBI's "ABSCAM" operation -- a bribery sting that ended up implicating many congressman and other elected officials. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the sting morphed from art theft to political corruption, the murky line between political maneuvering and corruption, and the waning appetite for political shenanigans post-Watergate. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com T...
Feb 04, 2025•19 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 December 17th. This day in 1978, holiday travelers are flying around the country under a regulatory system that was about to come to an end. The next year, the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 would kick in. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Gan...
Feb 02, 2025•29 min
It's January 29th. In 1964, because of an impasse over redistricting, the state of Illinois held elections in which every candidate was at-large. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what happened when voters entered the booth and were confronted with 118 races to weigh in on. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! 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 p...
Jan 30, 2025•13 min
It's January 28th. This day in 1888, a new society is formed in Washington D.C. to support the exploration of the entire globe -- and soon thereafter the magazine bearing its name would hit the shelves. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the National Geographic Society was founded, how it fit into the late 19th century American vision of the world, and how the magazine took off in the years since. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This ...
Jan 28, 2025•18 min
It's January 25th. This day in 1939, Republicans in Congress are holding hearings to impeach labor secretary Frances Perkins, claiming that she'd failed to deport a communist labor organizer. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Rebecca Brenner Graham to discuss why they were going after Perkins in this moment, and how the impeachment effort fits into the wide scope of Perkins's politics and activism. Rebecca Brenner Graham, postdoctoral research associate at Brown University and author of the n...
Jan 26, 2025•23 min
It's January 23rd. This day, we discuss Donald Trump's first 48 hours, and how other presidents have spent their first hours, days, and weeks in office. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! 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 website: ThisDayPod.c...
Jan 23, 2025•30 min
It's January 21st. This day in 2017, millions of people marched in Washington, DC and across the United States to protest for women's rights and against the inauguration of Donald Trump. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the "pussy hat" movement was born, what it symbolized about resistance to the first Trump administration -- and how resistance will look very different for the next four years. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Da...
Jan 21, 2025•21 min
It's January 19th. Today, we look at Joe Biden's farewell address, and the history of presidential goodbyes. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! 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 website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for fu...
Jan 19, 2025•32 min
It's January 16th. 1920, at midnight (of the 17th) the Volstead Act took hold, bringing prohibition to the United States. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why this did very little to actually curb alcohol consumption, in those first hours and beyond. Plus, some thoughts on the decline of drinking in our modern age. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your suppo...
Jan 16, 2025•18 min
It's January 14th. This day in 1864, an Illinois woman by the name of Elizabeth Packard is on trial, claiming that she has been wrongfully imprisoned -- and accused of insanity -- by her husband. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Therese O'Neill to discuss why Packard was sent to a mental institution to begin with, how she argued for freedom from her husband, and her subsequent career of activism. Therese is the author of the book " Unbecoming A Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped...
Jan 14, 2025•23 min
