Retropod

Latest Episodes:

The heroine of Lime Rock Lighthouse Oct 01, 2018

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Ida Lewis saved as many as 25 people during her service at the lighthouse. But her deeds have largely been forgotten.

How accusations against Supreme Court nominees were once handled Sep 28, 2018

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In 1890, Henry Brown sailed through the confirmation process after being accused of shooting and killing someone in self defense.

The man and the coconut that saved JFK Sep 27, 2018

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William Liebenow rescued John F. Kennedy from an island filled with coconuts.

Rosie the Riveter isn’t who you think she is Sep 26, 2018

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An American in the 1940s would not recognize the woman from the “We Can Do It!” poster as Rosie the Riveter.

The presidential pardon the country never forgot Sep 25, 2018

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When Gerald Ford took over the presidency after Richard Nixon’s resignation, he soon made a controversial choice: He pardoned Nixon.

How Anita Hill’s testimony led to the "Year of the Woman" Sep 24, 2018

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No women served on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991. The ugly Anita Hill hearings changed that.

The thin-skinned president who made it illegal to criticize his office Sep 21, 2018

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The Alien and Sedition Acts passed under President John Adams led to the arrests of more than two dozen people.

The photographer who helped end child labor in America Sep 20, 2018

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Lewis Hine posed as a Bible salesman or machinery photographer to expose the hardships of child labor.

Only half of George Washington’s Supreme Court justices showed up on time Sep 19, 2018

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All of George Washington’s Supreme Court nominees were confirmed in only two days, but half of them didn't show up on time.

Winnie and Nelson Mandela’s marriage survived prison but not freedom Sep 18, 2018

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Their 38-year marriage endured his incarceration and hers.