This Day in Esoteric Political History
667 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 913 ratingsWe’re living in unprecedented times. Maybe. In this show, Jody Avirgan (538, 30for30, TED) and historians Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt) and Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley) take one moment, big or small, from that day in U.S. political history and explore how it might inform our present –– all in about fifteen minutes.
New episodes release Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Sign up for the newsletter and more at ThisDayPod.com. We’re also posting about moments from the past @thisdaypod on Threads and Instagram. If you have a suggestion for a topic, get in touch.
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Reagan Fires Air Traffic Controllers (1981)
August 05, 2021 12:56 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBIt’s August 5th. This day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers, who had gone on strike over failed negotiations for a new contract. In addition to firing them, he banned the workers from ever holding federal jobs again. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how this moment reflected and shifted a moment when American unions were in decline and employers — both at the federal and private level — were being emboldened in their negotiations with wor...
Garvey's Great Gathering (1920)
August 03, 2021 13:18 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBIt’s August 3rd. This day in 1920, the Universal Negro Improvement Association is holding a massive convention and rally in New York City, pushing a pan-African vision of economic empowerment for Black people. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the UNIA’s leader, Marcus Garvey, and how he fits into the long history of abolitionist and militant efforts in America and beyond. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political Histor...
The Black Tom Explosion (1916)
August 01, 2021 12:42 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBIt’s August 1st. This day in 1916 (July 30th, in fact) a massive explosion rocked New York Harbor, shattering windows in Times Square and causing tremors as far away as Philadelphia. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the explosion on “Black Tom Island,” and what we came to learn about the German spy network that caused it. This explosion also led to the rise of the FBI and national intelligence efforts to more proactively anticipate crimes. Find a transcript of this episode at: https...
The U.S. Rewrites the Haitian Constitution (1915) w/ Jelani Cobb
July 29, 2021 12:00 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBIt’s July 29th. This day in 1915, U.S. troops arrived in Haiti as the country’s political leadership is thrown into chaos by assassinations and violence. The U.S. would quickly rewrite the Haitian constitution and establish an occupying presence that lasted for decades. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Jelani Cobb of the New Yorker to discuss the political and economic justification for this intervention, and how you can’t understand Haitian history without understanding the hi...
Kerner and the "Long Hot Summer" (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb
July 27, 2021 14:44 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBIt’s 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 that came out the next year, which offered a frank and damning assessment of the complicity of white Americans. Jelani Cobb is the author of an updated version, “The E...
The Beer Summit (2009)
July 25, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBIt’s July 25th. This day (July 24th in fact) in 2009, President Obama extended an invitation to Henry Louis Gates, Jr and Sgt James Crowley to discuss an incident in which Crowley arrested Gates on his own doorstep. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the incident that sparked this attempt at reconciliation, and how Obama’s handling of the moment was a turning point for many white Americans in how they viewed his presidency. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/eso...
The Lost Robert E. Lee Oath Theory (1975) w/ John Reeves
July 22, 2021 13:37 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBIt’s July 22nd. This day in 1975, Congress voted to restore citizenship to Robert E. Lee, more than a hundred years after his death. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by author John Reeves to talk about why this vote took place, how it tied into a false theory about a missing citizenship oath, and what the myth of Lee says about how the Confederacy has been restored in the public imagination. John Reeve’s book is “The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee: The Forgotten Case against an...
Vanessa Williams Loses Her Crown (1984)
July 20, 2021 11:30 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBIt’s July 20th. This day in 1984, the Miss America pageant issued an ultimatum to Vanessa Williams, the first Black Miss America, to relinquish her title, over the impending publication of nude photographs. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the moral panic over the photographs, how a photographer misled Williams, and the intersection of race, sexuality, and pornography. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History i...
Detroit Goes Bankrupt (2013)
July 18, 2021 11:30 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBIt’s July 18h. This day in 2013, the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how a city that was once the country’s fourth-largest ran out of money, and the way the path to recovery pitted civic interests against each other. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winn...
Mary Lincoln's Money (1870)
July 15, 2021 11:30 - 15 minutes - 13.7 MBIt’s July 14h. This day in 1870, Congress authorized a yearly pension of $3000 for Mary Todd Lincoln. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why it took years for the pension to be rewarded, and the many competing narratives about Mary Lincoln and money. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory 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 st...
A Native-Confederate Alliance (1861)
July 13, 2021 11:30 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBIt’s July 13th. This day in 1861, a treaty is signed between the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes and the Confederate States of America. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why some Native American tribes aligned with the Confederacy, how this complicates the story of the Civil War, and more. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, arti...
FDR Wants More (1940)
July 11, 2021 11:30 - 16 minutes - 15 MBIt’s July 11th. This day in 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has a conversation with a supreme court justice to explore whether it would be legal for him to run for a third term. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the rationale for seeking another four years — and another four years after that — plus how the convention of two-term presidencies eventually became established law. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Pol...
The Roswell Crash (1947)
July 08, 2021 11:30 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBIt’s July 8th. This day (July 7th actually) in 1947, two ranchers stumbled across a downed flying object in the middle of the Nevada desert. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the discovery of the “mysterious” object (it was a weather balloon) and why it tapped into a rising tide of conspiracies about UFOs and alien visits. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your s...
The Death of Marsha P Johnson (1992)
July 06, 2021 11:48 - 15 minutes - 14 MBIt’s July 6th. This day in 1992, the body of Marsha P Johnson was found floating in the Hudson River off of New York City. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the death and life of Johnson, who for decades had been a central part of the drag scene in New York City and a key activist for gay rights, AIDS awareness, and more. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your su...
Garrison's 4th of July Defiance (1854)
July 04, 2021 14:10 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBIt’s July 4th. This day in 1854, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the constitution at a rally in Boston, calling it a “covenant with death and an agreement with Hell.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Garrison’s act, and how it folded into a fierce debate about whether the constitution is a pro- or anti-slavery document, or somewhere in between. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a ...
Old Enough To Fight, Old Enough To Vote (1971)
July 01, 2021 11:58 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBIt’s July 1st. This day 1971, North Carolina voted to ratify the 26th amendment, which lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the long fight to lower the voting age, and how it was often tied to an argument about the age at which Americans were sent to war. Plus: should the age be 17 or 16 or even lower? Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radio...
Moneybomb! (2008)
June 29, 2021 11:53 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 29th. This day (actually, June 30th) in 2008, Hillary Clinton raised over $6 million online in one day, part of a growing trend of fundraising events known as “moneybombs.” Jody...
Joseph Smith's Assassination (1844) w/ Spencer W McBride
June 27, 2021 11:56 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 27th. This day in 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith was killed by a mob that stormed a jail in Carthage, Illinois. Earlier that spring, Smith had announced his candidacy for presi...
Sanford Hikes the Appalachian Trail (2009)
June 24, 2021 13:20 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 24th. This day in 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is exposed for having an affair with a woman in Argentina. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the scandal unfolded, ...
Mandela in Boston (1990)
June 22, 2021 11:30 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 22nd. This day in 1990, South African leader Nelson Mandela visited Boston, Massachusetts, as part of a worldwide “thank you” tour after being released from prison. Jody, NIki, ...
The Len Bias Law (1986) w/ Adam McKay
June 20, 2021 12:21 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 20th. This day in 1986, news of the death of basketball star Len Bias is starting to spread around the country. Bias died of a cocaine overdose just days after being drafted by t...
A Rumor, An Exhumation (1991)
June 17, 2021 12:08 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 17th. This day in 1991, authorities in Louisville, KY dug up the body of former president Zachary Taylor, who had died in 1850. They were trying to put to rest a rumor that Taylo...
Borat Before Borat (1970) w/ Jill Lepore
June 15, 2021 13:02 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 15th. This day in 1970, Russian television reporter Valentin Zorin aired an episode of his series “Masters Without Masks.” For decades, Zorin was the primary source by which Russ...
Congressional Baseball Shooting (2017)
June 13, 2021 12:54 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 13th. This day (actually June 14th) in 2017, a shooter opened fire on a GOP practice for the annual congressional charity baseball game. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the incid...
The Case of the Cussing Parrot (1845)
June 10, 2021 12:48 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn 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 uncouth...
Those Pesky Fenians (1866)
June 08, 2021 13:09 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 8th. This day in 1866, a series of raids by Irish-Americans is taking place, starting in Vermont and headed across the border to attack British outposts in southern Canada. Jody...
Ollie! (1994)
June 06, 2021 11:55 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBWant to see the “Big List of Ideas” document we use to plan the show? Become a Radiotopia member today, let us know, and we’ll give you a glimpse behind the scenes. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 6th. This day in 1994 (June 4th, in fact) disgraced former National Security Council advisor Oliver North wins the GOP primary for the Virginia Senate race. He would go on to los...
Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivak
June 03, 2021 12:30 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBIt’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn 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 their flashy ensembles. Jody, Niki and Kellie are joined by Emily Spivack of “Worn Stories” to discuss the causes of the riots, how...
Zoot Suit Riots (1943)
June 03, 2021 12:30 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBIt’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn 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 their flashy ensembles. Jody, Niki and Kellie are joined by Emily Spivack of “Worn Stories” to discuss the causes of the riots, how...
Harriet The Spy (1863)
June 01, 2021 18:28 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBIt’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s June 1st. This day in 1863, Harriet Tubman led Union soldiers on a nighttime to free some 700 enslaved people in South Carolina. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the Combahee River Raid, where it fits into Harriet Tubman’s long and varied life, and whether Tubman’s legacy has become flattened and distorted. ...
The Day Before The Tulsa Massacre (1921) w/ Cord Jefferson
May 30, 2021 12:20 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBIt’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s May 30th. This day in 1921 was the day before a white mob descended on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, burning hundreds of buildings to the ground in what was known as “Black Wall Street.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Cord Jefferson, writer for the HBO series “Watchmen,” which opens du...
Voyage of the Damned (1939)
May 27, 2021 11:30 - 15 minutes - 14 MBIt’s May 27th. This day in 1939, authorities in Cuba turned away the SS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution in Germany. The U.S. and Canada would also turn the ship away, which had to eventually return to Europe. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the voyage of the St. Louis, and how it helps us understand the way the U.S. has treated refugees throughout history. It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned ...
The Unabomber Gets His Start (1978)
May 25, 2021 11:30 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBIt’s May 25th. This day in 1978, a suspicious package mailed to a university in Chicago blows up. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the start of what would be a 15-year campaign by Ted Kaczynski to mail packages to universities, airlines, and other people he saw as causing the advance of modernity and the destruction of the environment. Kaczynski would eventually be captured and be known as “The Unabomber.” Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory Th...
A Texas Dem Split (1944)
May 23, 2021 11:30 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBIt’s May 23rd. This day in 1944, Texas Democrats hold two competing conventions ahead of the fall’s election, with the party split over FDR’s policies and larger civil rights issues. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the roots of the split, and the way in which internal fractures within a party can plant the seeds for political re-alignment. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopi...
Slow Your Roll (1901)
May 20, 2021 11:58 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBIt’s May 20th. This day in 1901, Connecticut passed the first ever speed limit law for automobiles in the United States. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the chaos of the city streets, the rise of automobile regulation, and how anxieties over speed help define us. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our we...
Dan Quayle vs Murphy Brown (1992)
May 18, 2021 11:17 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBIt’s May 18th. This day in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle gave a speech about the erosion of “family values” in America, and towards the end criticized the TV show Murphy Brown, in which the main character had recently become a single mother. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the ensuing controversy, and how it mirrors the culture wars of today. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radi...
The First Radio Debate (1948)
May 16, 2021 11:50 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBIt’s May 16th. This day in 1948, New York Governor Thomas E Dewey and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen were preparing for the first nationally broadcast presidential debate. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the debate came together and the way in which it centered around one provocative question. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you want to suppo...
The MOVE Bombing (1985) w/ Gene Demby
May 13, 2021 15:08 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBIt’s May 13th. This day in 1985, the Philadelphia police department ended a standoff with the MOVE group by dropping two firebombs from a helicopter on a rowhouse, which eventually led to an entire city block burning to the ground and 11 people being killed. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Philly native Gene Demby of NPR’s “Code Switch” podcast to discuss the incident and its aftermath. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Eso...
Dust, Everywhere (1934)
May 11, 2021 12:44 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBIt’s May 11th. This day in 1934, a massive dust storm swept across the Great Plains, lifting up millions of tons of topsoil and spreading it as far as 300 miles off the coast of New York City. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the causes of the storm, the way it affected the economy and migration patterns — and the environmental efforts that finally brought the Dust Bowl era to an end. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Pol...
Sitting Bull in Canada (1877)
May 09, 2021 11:04 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBIt’s May 9th. This day in 1877, Lakota leader Sitting Bull leads a large group into Canada to seek refuge from the U.S. Army, which had been pursuing him after he defeated the U.S. in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Sitting Bull’s reasons for leaving Canada and why he eventually returned with a much smaller group. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radio...
Kennedy's Pulitzer Controversies (1957)
May 06, 2021 11:30 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBIt’s May 6th. This day in 1957, Senator John F Kennedy of Massachusetts was awarded the Pulitzer prize for his book “Profiles in Courage.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the book, which profiled courageous acts by members of Congress throughout American history — many of which have been re-evaluated in the decades since. Plus, a ghostwriting controversy! Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud mem...
SEAL Team Six (2011) w/ Dan Taberski
May 04, 2021 08:30 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBIt’s May 4th. This day (May 2nd, in fact) in 2011, a group of Navy SEALs raided a compound in Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Dan Taberski to discuss the details of the raid, how the news spread across the globe — and what the moment meant for Navy SEALs. Dan’s new podcast series “The Line” explores the physical and psychological pressures on Navy SEALs and why they have started to be more public facing in recent years. Be sure to listen t...
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (2003) w/ Noreen Malone
May 02, 2021 19:14 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBIt’s May 2nd. This day in 2003 (actually, May 1st) President George W. Bush gave a speech about the Iraq War on the USS Abraham Lincoln in front of a large banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Slate’s Noreen Malone to discuss the stagecraft of the speech, and how it came at a moment when many people inside and outside the administration still felt as if the Iraq War was a justified and successful effort. Be sure to listen to the new season of...
The First HBCU* (1854)
April 29, 2021 12:59 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBIt’s April 29th. This day in 1854, the Ashmun Institute in Pennsylvania is chartered, the first (depending on how you count) university devoted to African-American students. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the founding of Ashmun, which later changed its name to Lincoln University, and the rise of HBCUs throughout the late 19th century. Plus, Kellie tells us why her alma mater Howard University is (clearly) the best HBCU. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/eso...
Hinckley's Insanity (1982)
April 27, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBIt’s April 27th. This day in 1982, John Hinckley went on trial for the attempted assassination of President Reagan. Hinckley’s lawyers would mount a successful insanity defense, based on his fixation with actress Jodie Foster. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the way the trial played out, why Foster was forced to testify, and how this trial played into the larger conversation — and criminalization — of mental health conditions in the 1980s. Find a transcript of this episode at: http...
Our Library (1800) w/ Kerri Greenidge
April 25, 2021 12:14 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MBIt’s April 25th. This day in 1800, President John Adams approved the appropriation of $5000 for the initial collection of the Library of Congress. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by special guest Kerri Greenidge of Tufts to discuss the founding of the library, how the collection kept being lost to fire — and what it means fro something to be included or not included in a nation’s library. Kerri Greenidge’s latest book is “Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trott...
Boom Town (1889) w/ Sam Anderson
April 22, 2021 12:55 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBIt’s 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 Magazine to talk about the Oklahoma land rush, the chaos of those first few days, and how the forming of OKC represents modern America. Sam’s book about Oklahoma C...
The Franklin Cent (1787)
April 20, 2021 11:30 - 12 minutes - 11 MBIt’s April 20th. This day in 1787, Congress authorized the production of the country’s first coin. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the “Fugio cent,” designed — some say over-designed — by Ben Franklin, and what it meant for a new country to have a proper coin. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our websi...
John Freeman's Freedom (1809)
April 18, 2021 12:29 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBIt’s April 18th. This day in 1809, a man by the name of John Freeman writes a letter to Thomas Jefferson, asking that Jefferson transfer his indentured servitude contract to incoming president James Madison. Jody, Niki, and Kellie talk about the life of John Freeman, the role of enslaved people in building the White House, and the star-crosssed-lovers story at the heart of it all. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Polit...
Oprah's Beef (1996)
April 15, 2021 13:17 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIt’s 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 how she turned the trial into both television and a free speech crusade. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Eso...