Podcast Episodes

The Great Crush Train Crash (1896)

It's September 16th. This day in 1896, a railroad executive named William Crush (really) has a brilliant idea: take two trains and hurtle them towards each other in the middle of the Texas prairie.

Jo…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Ollie North, Still In The News [Some Sunday Context]

On Sundays, we try to bring you fresh conversations and stories from the archives that give you a little context on the news playing out in front of us. Today, Jody and Niki discuss the very dish-y n…

Published on 1 month ago

The Irish-Americans Fighting For Mexico (1847)

It's 1847. This day, a battalion of Irish immigrants are hung by the U.S. Army for deserting to the Mexican side in the Mexican-American War.

Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the "San Patricios Batt…

Published on 1 month ago

The Hummer Takes Over (2001)

It's September 9th. This day in 2001, a nationwide advertising campaign is underway for The Hummer truck, which has recently been taken over by GM and is poised to be everywhere.

Jody, Niki, and Kelli…

Published on 1 month ago

Fred Tuttle Goes From Mockumentary to Senate Candidate (1998)

It's September 4th. This day in 1998, an elderly Vermont farmer by the name of Fred Tuttle has all of a sudden found himself as the Republican Senate candidate, after initially entering the race as a…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Alaska vs. Ohio: Mt McKinley To Denali And Back Again (2015)

We're back with new episodes! Today, it's September 2nd, 2015. The Obama administration has just signed paperwork to re-name North America's tallest mountain from Mt McKinley to Denali, its tradition…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The Subway Vigilante Shooting (1984) w/ Leon Neyfakh [Archive Favorite]

It’s August 1st. This day in 1996, a judge ruled that Bernie Goetz still owed his victims millions of dollars in damages as a result of the “Subway Vigilante” incident some twelve years earlier.

Jody,…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The U.S. Gets A New Capitol - For One Day (1814) [Archive Favorite]

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 why Brookeville became the seat of govern…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Emergency Podcast: Smithsonian Showdown, Relitigating Slavery, More (2025)

This is audio of a video chat we recorded earlier this week in reaction to the recent attacks on the Smithsonian by the Trump administration, the conversation about slavery's legacy, and more. We rel…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The First Battle Over The Smithsonian (1846) [Archive Favorite]

The Trump administration has ramped up its attacks on museums and The Smithsonian. We're recoding a special reaction episode that will appear in our newsletter - sign up now to get it. In the meantim…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago