This Day (An America 250 History Show)

Latest Episodes:

Ford's (Second) Assassin (1976) Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

It’s January 14th. On this day in 1976, Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life for her attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford.

Jody and Niki discuss Moore’s life, motivations, and the landscape of apocalyptic political violence that extended from the late 60s into the mid-70s.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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Victory Sausages (1943) Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

It’s January 12th. On this day in 1943, the US announces limits to the amount of meat Americans could eat, as well as a re-working of the meat content in sausages and other products.

Jody and Niki discuss the rationing in WWII, and the wartime re-branding efforts of a lot of common American items.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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Vatican Ties (1984) Jan 10, 2021

Show notes

It’s January 10th. On this day in 1984, the United States and the Vatican established formal diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.

Jody and Niki discuss the history of anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States, and how the fear of Communism finally brought Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II together.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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Bush Vomits on the Japanese PM (1992) Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

It’s January 8th. On this day in 1992, President George HW Bush, on a diplomatic trip to Japan, ate some bad food and vomited during a state dinner, right onto the lap of the Japanese Prime Minister.

Jody and Niki discuss the event, the larger context of US-Japan relationships, and what counts as a gaffe in American politics. Plus, some thoughts on other embarrassing political moments.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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The Nixon Recount Committee (1961) Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

It’s January 5th. On this day in 1961, Vice President Richard Nixon, acting as President of the Senate, certified the electoral college results of the 1960 election, which he had lost to John F Kennedy. But this was after a long fight and lots of questions, conspiracy theories, and efforts to throw the election result into contest. Sound familiar?

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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2020 Favorite: "Coya Come Home" w/ Harry Enten Jan 03, 2021

Show notes

To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!

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On May 7th, Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer, and special guest Harry Enten of CNN discussed the “Coya Come Home” letter — a public letter written by the husband of MN representative Coya Knutson, demanding that she leave office and return to domestic life.

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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2020 Favorite: Dukakis on the Tank w/ Amy Walter Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!

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On September 13th in 1988, Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis boarded an M-1 tank in order to set up a photo op, ostensibly to make him look tough on defense. It backfired horribly.

Jody and Niki are joined by Amy Walter of the Cook Political Reporter and The Takeaway to discuss the tank photo, huge polling collapses, and the power of attack ads.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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2020 Favorite: Wyoming's Suffrage w/ Maeve Higgins Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!

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On July 23rd, 1890, Wyoming celebrated its entry into the United States. And it was doing so as a state that granted women the right to vote.

Jody and Niki are joined by Maeve Higgins of the New York Times and the podcast Mothers of Invention to discuss the suffrage movement on the American frontier.

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

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2020 Favorite: Obama's Tan Suit w/ Sam Sanders Dec 27, 2020

Show notes

To wrap up 2020, and give ourselves a week off, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the year. Thanks for listening all year, and we have lots more in store for 2021!

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On August 24th in 2014, President Barack Obama gave a press conference about Ukraine and ISIS and foreign policy — but much of the political chatter was about his choice of tan suit.

Jody and Niki are joined by Sam Sanders of NPR’s “It’s Been A Minute” to discuss the “scandal” and what it how it represented a shifting moment in political coverage.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The War On Christmas (Part 2) w/ Michael Hobbes Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

It’s December 24nd. This Christmas week, we’re doing something a little different — a two-part special on the history of The War on Christmas.

In part two, Jody and Nikki are joined by Michael Hobbes of “You’re Wrong About” to go back in time and explore the surprising roots of the War on Christmas, from the Puritans to the Egg Nog Riot to the Red Scare.

Michael Hobbes’s podcasts are “You’re Wrong About” and “Maintenance Phase.”

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices