Not Your Century

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1974: Richard Nixon Resigns Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

The president lost the support of Republicans in Congress following the release of the "Smoking Gun Tape," which revealed him plotting to obstruct the Watergate investigation. Saying "I have never been a quitter," he quits.

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1964: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Aug 07, 2019

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President Lyndon Johnson applauds Congress for authorizing him to take all necessary steps to defend Southeast Asia against Communist aggression. It's based on a lie.

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1945: Hiroshima Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

The headlines couldn't have been more stark. The most terrible destructive force ever harnessed by humanity had been unleashed on a Japanese city, with tens of thousands dead.

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1981: Reagan Fires 11,000 Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Ronald Reagan liked to point out that he was the first president who'd been a union chief, and he'd even led a strike. But when air-traffic controllers went out, he fired them. It was a devastating loss for organized labor.

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1873: The First Cable Car Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

The story is that Andrew Smith Hallidie, who manufactured "wire rope," saw horses struggling to pull a streetcar uphill. So he had an idea, and this run up Clay Street was its first test.

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1955: L.A.'s First Smog Alert Aug 01, 2019

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It wouldn't be the last. People had been donning gas masks in the smoky air for joke photos for a decade, but this was the first official recognition of Los Angeles' signature air pollution.

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1996: Clinton Triangulates Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

Bill Clinton's central campaign promise in 1992 was to "end welfare as we have come to know it." With Election Day looming, he backs ending cash welfare. A Bay Area congressman calls it a "cave" to the GOP.

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1975: Jimmy Hoffa Disappears Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

The former Teamsters president was trying to regain control of the union after serving time in prison. He had what was supposed to be a peace conference with a couple of dangerous enemies. He hasn't been seen since.

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1945: Empire State Building Plane Crash Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

World War II was still being fought in the Pacific, but this wasn't an enemy attack. An American B-25 pilot got disoriented in the fog and slammed into the 79th floor, killing 14. One woman fell from the 80th floor — and lived.

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1984: The Original Psycho Checks Out Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Ed Gein barely rated a mention in the obituary column when he died in prison, but the psychotic Wisconsin killer launched a Hollywood genre. Norman Bates, Leatherface and Buffalo Bill were all based on him.

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