Shows / This Day (An America 250 History Show)
This Day (An America 250 History Show)
To mark our 250th birthday, “This Day” presents "50 Weeks That Shaped America," a series of deep dives into the stories that brought us to this moment.
"This Day" takes you beyond the head-spinning headlines of today and into the unexpected historical moments that have shaped American politics and culture. Hosted by Jody Avirgan (538), and historians Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt), and Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley), each episode explores a moment from that day in U.S. political history to…
Episodes
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Harrisburg Seven's Plot to Kidnap Kissinger (1971)
It’s January 11th. This day in 1971, the federal government charged a group of anti-war activists, led by Catholic priest Father Phillip Berrigan, in a scheme…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Declaring "War" on Poverty (1964)
It’s January 9th. In 1964, in his State of the Union speech, president Johnson declared “war on poverty.” It was part of his ambitious Great Society agenda to…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
January 6th, In Context (2021)
This episode, a conversation about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol one year ago, and how the stories and themes we’ve discussed on this show can help us…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
"The Body" Becomes Governor (1999)
It’s January 4th. This day in 1999, former wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss “The Body’s” improbable…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: The Cussing Parrot (1845)
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: NYC Slavery Revolt (1712)
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: Zoot Suit Riots (1943) w/ Emily Spivack
Heading into 2022, we’re re-airing a couple favorite episodes from the year, and bringing you a couple special episodes. We’ll be back live in the new year…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes
Part 2 of one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. We’ll be back with live episodes in 2022. Our guest this episode is Michael Hobbes, host of…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Favorite: A History of the War On Christmas (Part 1) w/ Michael Hobbes
We’re re-airing one of our favorite — and most timely — episodes ever. Part 1 of our conversation about the history of the War on Christmas. We’ll run part 2…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Calumet Christmas Tragedy (1913) w/ Erik Loomis
It’s December 19th. In 1913, on Christmas Eve, 73 people, 59 of them children, died during a stampede at a gathering in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Grant Expels Jews (1860)
It’s December 16th. This day in 1860, Union General Ulysses Grant issued Order Number 11, which expelled Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Grant…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Bush, Meet Shoe (2008)
It’s December 14th. This day in 2008, at a press conference in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist flung his shoes at George W Bush. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)A Vote Against Entering WWII (1941)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The John Birch Society Is Born (1958) w/ John S Huntington
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Coup in Wilmington (1898)
It’s December 7th. In 1898, a white supremacist coup took place in Wilmington, NC — in which white leaders overthrew a biracial, democratically elected…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Lenny Bruce Is Not Afraid (1962)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)NYC Almost Burns to the Ground (1864)
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
The Battle In Seattle (1999)
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: Drafting the Confederate Constitution (1861)
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: Oprah's Beef Beef (1996)
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: Instant City (1889) w/ Sam Anderson
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
'21 Favorite: The Kerner Alarm (1967) w/ Jelani Cobb
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Milhouse's Missing Minutes (1973)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Murkowski's Write-In Surprise (2010)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Why Sherman Marched (1864) w/ Anne Sara Rubin
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Bootlegger Biplane Bombings (1926)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)"The Enemy Is The Knife" (1974)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Snatching Lincoln's Body (1876)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Carol Moseley-Braun Wears Pants (1992)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)A Minimum Minimum Wage Increase (1977)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Spy vs. Spy in Louisiana (2015)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Godless Americans (2008)
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Central Park's Black Village is Demolished (1857) w/ Bobby Wooten
It’s October 26th. In October of 1857, the residents of Seneca Village, a community mostly comprised of formerly enslaved African-Americans, were forcibly…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Lennon's FBI File (1971) w/ Hrishikesh Hirway
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Billy Beer (1978)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Textbook Wars Spiral Out of Control (1974)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Why Lincoln Grew A Beard (1860)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The President Who Cried Swine Flu (1976) w/ Jim Hamblin
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Perot Crashes The Debate (1992)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The HoJo Incident (1957)
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Access Hollywood Tape (2016) w/ Roy Wood, Jr
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…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Borking (1987) w/ Jay Willis
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…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Earl "Rusty" Butz Gets Weirdly Racist (1976)
It’s October 3rd. This day in 1976, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz hands in his resignation after a media firestorm over racist comments he made on an…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
The Congressional Page Scandal (2006)
It’s September 30th. This day in 2006, Florida Congressman Mark Foley resigned after inappropriate messages he’d sent to underage congressional pages were made…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Lincoln's Spiritualist Stumper (1864)
It’s September 28th. This day in 1864, in the midst of the civil war and the run-up to the election of 1864, the notable spiritualist Emma Hardinge Britten…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The War on Rats (1977)
It’s September 26th. This day in 1977, a Chicago alderman offered a $1 bounty to every one of his constituents who presented him with a severed rat tail. Jody…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Atlanta Massacre (1906)
It’s September 23rd. This day in 1906, racialized mob violence broke out in Atlanta, GA, as part of a growing post-Reconstruction wave of violence and rioting…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)DADT No More (2011)
It’s September 21st. This day in 2011, President Obama repealed the Clinton-era policy of “don’t ask don’t tell,” regarding openly gay military service…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Charlie Chaplin's Exile (1952)
It’s September 19th. This day in 1952, during a trip abroad, the U.S. attorney general announced an inquiry into whether Chaplin would be allowed to return to…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Calendar Confusion (1752)
It’s September 16th. Or is it? We recently got an email from a listener asking us which calendar we are using when we discuss episodes prior to 1752. Jody…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Attica (1971) w/ Heather Ann Thompson
It’s September 14th. This day in 1971, the Attica Prison uprising was coming to a close. Over the prior four days, a massive riot had rocked the facility…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Ship of Gold (1857)
It’s September 12th. This day in 1857, the SS Central America, a ship loaded with 30,000 pounds of gold, sank to the bottom of the ocean in a hurricane off the…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Monkey Business (1987) w/ Matt Bai
It’s September 9th. This day in 1987, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart gave an interview on Nightline where he, finally, admitted that he’d been unfaithful to…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)McKinley Shot (1901)
It’s September 7th. This day in 1901, President William McKinley is in Buffalo, NY when he is shot twice in the chest. He would succumb to the injury a few…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Condom On Jesse Helms's House (1991)
It’s September 5th. This day in 1991, members of the group ACT UP erected a giant yellow condom over the home of North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms to protest…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Camp Casey (2005)
It’s September 2nd. This day in 2005, Cindy Sheehan embarks on a tour around the country to protest the Iraq War, where her son Casey had died the prior year…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Fred Korematsu's Internment (1942)
It’s August 31st. This day in 1942, a judge upholds the arrest of a Japanese-American man named Fred Korematsu. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Korematsu…
- This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Teacher In Space (1984)
It’s August 29th. This day in 1984, NASA and the Reagan administration announced a “Teacher in Space” program intended to find one American teacher who would…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)Capitol for A Day (1814)
It’s August 26th. This day in 1814, the small town of Brookeville, MD becomes the Capitol of the United States — for one night. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss…
This Day (An America 250 History Show)The Battle of Blair Mountain (1921) w/ Anna Sale
It’s August 24th. This day in 1921, tensions are mounting in southwestern West Virginia, where some 10-15,000 miners are going on strike to protest working and…