American History Tellers

Latest Episodes:

Typhoid Mary | An Invisible Menace | 1 Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

In the fall of 1906, a mysterious outbreak of typhoid fever struck a wealthy New York family vacationing in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Suspicion soon fell on the family's Irish cook, who had vanished after the first cases emerged. Desperately hoping to prevent another outbreak of typhoid, city health officials began a frustrating hunt for the woman, Mary Mallon – soon labeled in the press as ""Typhoid Mary.""

Mary's case would ultimately spark a fierce debate over the government's authority to isolate and detain people it considered a danger to society, pitting civil liberties against the demands of public safety.

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History Daily: The First Woman In Space Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

June 16, 1963. After months of rigorous training, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, orbiting the Earth for just under three days.

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History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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The Progressive Era | In the Arena | 6 Jun 11, 2025

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As president, Theodore Roosevelt pursued a progressive agenda. He worked to break up the monopolies of the Gilded Age, created a federal agency to inspect food and medicine, and fought to preserve public lands. But he believed everyone had a responsibility to fight for progress. In perhaps his most famous speech, he urged people to “get in the arena” and make a difference. Today, Lindsay is joined by Edward O’Keefe to talk about the roots of Roosevelt’s progressivism and his many achievements during his time in office. O’Keefe is CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and author of The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created A President.

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The Progressive Era | Wilson's War on Tariffs | 5 Jun 04, 2025

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In 1913, Woodrow Wilson entered the White House, ready to fulfill his promise of a “New Freedom.” It was a vision of domestic reform that aimed to wrest power away from special interests and expand economic opportunities to all. Over the next two years, he fought for lower tariffs, banking reform, and antitrust laws.

But the outbreak of war in Europe threatened to derail his agenda. As America moved closer to the brink of intervention, Progressives wondered whether war would reenergize their movement, or destroy it once and for all.

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History Daily: The Killing of Benno Ohnesorg Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

June 2, 1967. Benno Ohnesorg, a West German student, is killed by a police officer while attending a protest in West Berlin.

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History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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The Progressive Era | A Bruising Fight | 4 May 28, 2025

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In 1909, William Howard Taft entered the White House, pledging to preserve and expand the Progressive policies of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, in turn, promised to stay out of politics. But over the next year, a controversy at the Department of the Interior convinced Roosevelt that his legacy was under threat. Soon, he would reenter the political arena, sparking a bitter struggle for control of the Republican party.

Roosevelt stirred the public with a bold agenda known as the “New Nationalism.” But Taft wasn’t his only adversary. As the 1912 election got underway, New Jersey Democrat Woodrow Wilson entered the fray with an alternative vision of Progressive reform.

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The Progressive Era | The Crisis | 3 May 21, 2025

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In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt discharged 167 soldiers of the all-Black 25th Infantry stationed in Brownsville, Texas. The men were accused of shooting up the town. But there was little evidence to prove their guilt. Roosevelt’s decision sparked outcry among Black activists and revealed the limits of his campaign to build a more fair and just society.

But Black Americans refused to stand on the sidelines of the Progressive movement. In the aftermath of a deadly race riot in Springfield, Illinois, W. E. B. Du Bois and other activists formed a new national organization to fight racial prejudice, the N.A.A.C.P.

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History Daily: England Becomes a Republic May 19, 2025

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May 19, 1649. After the English Civil War, an Act of Parliament makes England a Republic.

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History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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The Progressive Era | The Shame of Cities | 2 May 14, 2025

Show notes

In the early 1900s, a new generation of crusading writers and journalists captured the nation’s attention by digging up dirt on big business and government and advocating for change. They became known as “muckrakers.” Ida Tarbell exposed the ruthless machinations of John D. Rockefeller, the tycoon who built Standard Oil. Lincoln Steffens exposed bribery in city governments across America. And Upton Sinclair chronicled the horrific conditions in Chicago’s meat packing plants and slaughterhouses. But in galvanizing public support for progressive reform, they also clashed with President Theodore Roosevelt, who was fighting his own battles with conservatives in Congress.

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The Progressive Era | Power to the People | 1 May 07, 2025

Show notes

In the late 1890s, Theodore Roosevelt emerged as a hero of the Spanish-American War and embarked on a meteoric rise through the political ranks. His bold leadership and restless energy would define a new era of Progressive change.

At the end of the 19th century, the United States had become one of the world’s great industrial powers. But prosperity hid the truth of a society rife with corruption and inequality. In response, a diverse group of reformers resolved to harness the power of government to build a better society. Journalists, activists, lawyers, and politicians joined Roosevelt to fight for safer workplaces, consumer protections, and corporate regulations. They were known as “Progressives.”

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