15-Minute History 15-Minute History Podcast

To honor the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion, we are republishing our Pointe du Hoc episode (first aired on April 12, 2021).

"The last landing was unique. It was a 100-foot cliff facing the English Channel, situated between Utah and Omaha beach. At the top of the cliff were 155mm guns with a range of 3.5 miles that could fire on both Utah and Omaha beaches and cause maximum casualties. The challenges facing these men were obvious, with the sheer rock face and no cover, and they would be easy targets for the Germans. In addition, the choppy sea and possible equipment and mechanical failures added to the dangers of combat. All factors, from combat conditions to topographical obstacles, made the objective almost impossible. The Germans believed that whatever the invasion would be, it couldn’t include Pointe Du Hoc."


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support

In this, our last episode of Season 7, join us as we discuss Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the threat of cultural evils.

Thank you for a fantastic season! We look forward to speaking with you again this Fall.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support

Welcome to the Pop Quiz! Every other Thursday, Joe asks the other a topical question about history, and Jon has to answer it without any help or resources - other than his legendary memory and knowledge of history. These episodes are unedited and a fun way for the team to interact more with you, our outstanding audience.

Have an idea for a topic? Want to try and stump Jon? Send it to us at 15minutehistory@gmail.com or submit it to our website at https://www.15minutehistorypodcast.org. We promise not to give him any hints.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support

Last week, we discussed the political and legal framework of McCarthyism, but far more important is how it impacted ordinary citizens who were not Soviet agents. McCarthy and HUAC regularly labeled Americans as threats simply for their political beliefs, which were often countercultural at the time. Whether or not their views were correct, they did not deserve the loss of reputation, income, and even personal safety that accompanied a subversive accusation. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, had to move, and even faced legal sanctions for dissenting viewpoints. Some later repaired their reputations as the “Red Scare” faded and its moral panic subsided, but many felt McCarthyism’s lingering effects for the rest of their lives.

This week, we cover part two of our series on McCarthyism.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support

Welcome to the Pop Quiz! Every other Thursday, Joe asks the other a topical question about history, and Jon has to answer it without any help or resources - other than his legendary memory and knowledge of history. These episodes are unedited and a fun way for the team to interact more with you, our outstanding audience.

Have an idea for a topic? Want to try and stump Jon? Send it to us at 15minutehistory@gmail.com or submit it to our website at https://www.15minutehistorypodcast.org. We promise not to give him any hints.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support

A sense of moral panic had gripped the country that everyone in the room at the Republican Women’s Club could feel. The audience fell silent as the senator walked to his podium and organized his notes. He had been in the upper house for only three years, and few outside his home state of Wisconsin knew of his service as a tail gunner on bombers in the Second World War. His fingers brushed across his main prop, a long list of names, while he took a breath and raised his hands for silence. As he prepared to deliver what became a career-defining address, Joseph McCarthy could not have known that his name would soon be among the most reviled in modern American history.

Join us as we teach you about Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the threat of cultural evils.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/15minutehistory/support