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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast It’s December 7th. In 1898, a white supremacist coup took place in Wilmington, NC — in which white leaders overthrew a biracial, democratically elected government. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the incidents in Wilmington, what it says about the backlash to Reconstruction, and the living legacy of the coup. 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 suppor...
Dec 07, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s December 5th. This day in 1962, comedian Lenny Bruce is arrested in Chicago during a performance at a nightclub. His arrest is ostensibly because of underage patrons at the club, but Bruce had been targeted and arrested a number of times for his use of obscenity, and for making jokes about religion, big business, and more. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Bruce’s legacy and the way in which norms and laws around speech, comedy, and profanity have been negotiated over the years. This Day In Es...
Dec 05, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s December 2nd. This day in 1864, a plot to burn down New York City just barely fails. A group of eight saboteurs tried to light simultaneous fires in hotels around the city on “evacuation day,” part of an effort to spark Confederate sympathy in the north. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the plot failed, and what it says about pro-slavery forces in the north, and the razor’s edge on which the Civil War was balanced until the very end. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud membe...
Dec 02, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 30th. This day in 1999, the city of Seattle was the site of massive protests during the meeting of the World Trade Organization. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the WTO protests represented a new kind of coalition between populist and environmental forces, and more — and marked a new era of protest in this 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 storie...
Nov 30, 2021•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back with new episodes the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. ///// This episode originally ran on March 11th. This day in 1861, the Confederate States of America ratifies its own constitution. It’s largely based on the United States constitution, but with some key changes. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what values were expressed in the constitutional do-over, and why the similarities between ...
Nov 28, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. //// This episode originally aired on April 15th. On this day in 1996, Oprah Winfrey hosted a segment on her show about “Mad Cow Disease” and proclaimed that she would no longer eat beef. That same day, cattle futures plummeted, and she was soon sued by the cattle industry. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the power of Oprah, the “veggie libel laws” and...
Nov 25, 2021•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. //// This episode originally ran on April 22nd. This day in 1889, tens of thousands of people gathered in the middle of “unassigned territory” to wait for the signal at high noon — at which point they rushed to claim their free land in what would, overnight, become Oklahoma City. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Sam Anderson of the New York Times ...
Nov 23, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Thanksgiving week, we’re running some favorite episodes from the year that you may have missed. We’ll be back the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. //// This episode originally aired on July 27th. This day in 1967, LBJ convened the “Kerner Commission” to look into the roots of violence and unrest in America, largely in Black and brown communities around the country. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by The New Yorkers Jelani Cobb to discuss the convening of the Kerner commission and the report th...
Nov 21, 2021•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 18th. This day in 1973, the major revelation that there are 18 1/2 minutes missing from the secret recordings Richard Nixon was making in the Oval Office as he discussed the Watergate break-in. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the missing minutes supercharged the Watergate scandal, created loads of theories and conspiracies — an whether what’s on those tapes will ever be recovered. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps...
Nov 18, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 16th. This day in 2010, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski prevailed in her re-election effort — one in which she was forced to mount a write-in campaign after losing the primary. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how hard it is to get a successful write-in campaign going, and what the Murkowski story says about the way in which parties and voters can moderate themselves. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent...
Nov 16, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 14th. This day in 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman left Atlanta and began destructive march to the sea, burning buildings and supply lines in his attempt to “break the back” of the Confederacy. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Anne Sarah Rubin of UMBC to talk about why Sherman’s March endures as such a powerful story of “total war,” and how the story of the march has been reframed over the years. Anne’s book is Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman’s March and America...
Nov 14, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 11th. This day in 1926, members of the Shelton gang in southern Illinois commandeered a biplane to drop homemade bombs on the hideout of their main bootlegging rivals, the Birgers. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the scheme, how the Shelton-Birger feud reached this level, and where this story fits in to the history of aerial bombings on American soil. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned ...
Nov 11, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 9th. This day in 1974, Dr. Connie Redbird Uri testified at a hearing about the practice of forced sterilization at Indian Health Services clinics. She sounded the alarm about the large numbers of women who were given hysterectomies and other procedures without their consent. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the long and shameful history of forced sterilization in this country, usually among poor and marginalized communities. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...
Nov 09, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 7th. This day in 1876, a group of Chicago-area men attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body from his grave in Springfield, Illinois, hoping to hold it ransom to release one of their colleagues from prison. It does not go well. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the harebrained scheme, the larger context of grave-robbing in the 19th century, and what ended up happening to Lincoln’s body. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps f...
Nov 07, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 4th. This day in 1992, Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois is elected Senator, becoming the first Black woman elected to the Senate, the first African-American senator from the Democratic party, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an election, and the first female senator from Illinois. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Moseley-Brauns impressive list of firsts, and how her first term was both consequential and fairly quickly dragged down by scandal and allegations of corrupt...
Nov 04, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 2nd. This day in 1977, Jimmy Carter signed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $3.35. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the relatively short history of the minimum wage in this country — one in which the rate was increased fairly regularly, until a generation ago. 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 ...
Nov 02, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 31st. This day in 2015, the campaign of Louisiana Senator David Vitter is in a tailspin after reports of a bungled spying attempt on his opponent, Bel Edwards. Jody, NIki and Kellie discuss why the Vitter campaign had sent a spy into a coffee shop to record conversations among Edwards supporters — and what happened when word got out that there was another spy in that same room. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster...
Oct 31, 2021•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 27th. This day in 2008, an ad endorsed by Elizabeth Dole is running in North Carolina accusing Senate candidate Kay Hagan of being a “godless American.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the ad was deceptively edited, why it created such a backlash, and why the charge of “Godlessness” is so stick in American politics. 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 storie...
Oct 28, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 26th. In October of 1857, the residents of Seneca Village, a community mostly comprised of formerly enslaved African-Americans, were forcibly removed in order to make room for the construction of Manhattan’s Central Park. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by musician Bobby Wooten to discuss the forgotten history of Seneca Village, the use of eminent domain, and how to go beyond signs and placards in terms of repairing the damage done to the residents. Bobby is the bassist in David B...
Oct 26, 2021•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 political life, his personal evolution, the threat of deportation he faced, and what was in his FBI file. Check out Hrishi’s new music, his TED Talk, Song Exploder episode with John Lennon, and lots more here . This Day In Esoteric Political History...
Oct 24, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 21st. In October 1978, the Falls City Brewing Company ceased production of Billy Beer, a cheap brew endorsed by the younger brother of President Jimmy Carter. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the rise and quick fall of Billy Beer, why Billy Carter was an ongoing headache for the Carter administration, and the role of presidential siblings in general. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned pod...
Oct 21, 2021•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 19th. This day in 1974, Kanawha County, West Virginia is embroiled in an increasingly violent battle over a slate of new textbooks being added to the local school curriculum. Over the course of a few weeks, there would be shootings, bombings, conspiracies to attack school buses full of children, and more. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the textbook battle got so out of control, what it says about the rise of backlash politics, and echoes to today’s violent political discourse. T...
Oct 19, 2021•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 17th. This day in 1860, in the run-up to the next month’s presidential election, Abraham Lincoln received a letter from an 11-year-old girl urging him to grow a beard and improve his prospects. Jody, NIki, and Kellie read from the incredibly charming exchange between Lincoln and Grace Bedell of Westfield, NY. 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 ...
Oct 17, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 14th. This day in 1976, President Ford invited cameras into the White House as he got his vaccination for the influenza strain that was commonly referred to as “swine flu.” It was part of a big effort from the White House to avoid a health disaster — a pandemic that never actually came to pass. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dr. James Hamblin to talk about the swine flu response, whether political factors played into the administration’s response, and the parallels to the curr...
Oct 14, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 12th. This day in 1992, Ross Perot joined Bill Clinton and incumbent George HW Bush on stage for the first three-person debate in modern presidential election history. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Perot’s candidacy, how he was able to destabilize both Clinton and Bush on stage — and whether he was actually a “spoiler” in that election. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and a...
Oct 12, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 10th. This day in 1957, Ghanaian finance minister Komla Gbedemah was refused service at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Delaware. The incident led to an apology from president Eisenhower and a meeting at the White House, which paved the way for American investment in a major infrastructure project in Ghana. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the incident, how American racism effected the U.S. standing on the global stage, and the rise of economic colonialism. This Day In Esoteric Polit...
Oct 10, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 7th. This day in 2016, the Washington Post published excerpts of a tape of Donald Trump talking to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about how he commits sexual assault. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood, Jr. to talk about the impact of that tape, the way the Trump campaign quickly reacted by arranging for the release of Hillary Clinton’s emails, and other memories of that moment. Check out Roy on tour this fall, and listen to “The Run,” the p...
Oct 07, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s October 5th. This day in 1987, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork to a full senate vote — with the recommendation that he be struck down. Later that month, after an incredibly contentious hearing, Bork would be denied a seat on the court. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Jay Willis of Balls and Strikes to talk about what is misremembered regarding the Bork fight — and how “borking” lives on in conservative legal circles. This Day In Esote...
Oct 05, 2021•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
