Did That Really Happen?

Did That Really Happen?
  • 4.2 (18)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The movie podcast for history nerds. In every episode, historians Jamie and Sofia talk about a different historical film and take a deep dive into the parts that did and didn't really happen. In each episode, we try to answer the big questions: Is this good history? Is this a good movie? And are those the same thing? To get in touch, send us an email at DidThatReallyHappenPod@gmail.com, or follow us on Twitter @ReallyHappenPod. You can also support the show by visiting Patreon.com/DidThatReallyHappen Our theme music is "Allon Gay Gay", performed by Jon Sayles.

  1. 16H AGO

    Good Night, and Good Luck

    **Note: Due to technical difficulties, there were issues affecting Jamie's audio quality this week. We apologize and promise it will be fixed on our next episode.** This week we're traveling back to 1950s America with Good Night, and Good Luck! Join us as we learn about Red Scare-Era figurse like Annie Lee Moss, Joe and Shirley Wershba, Milo Radulovich, Don Hollenbeck, and more! Sources: Loren Ghiglione, Why Don Hollenbeck Fascinated Me Enough to Write His Biography. History News Network. Available at https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/why-don-hollenbeck-fascinated-me-enough-to-write-h Loren Ghiglione, Don Hollenbeck: An Honest Reporter in the Age of McCarthyism. New York: Columbian University Press CBS News: February 2nd 1951: https://youtu.be/F8DsMDzUpe4?si=2GNdaXsGlyIStfwI Interview with Loren Ghiglione: https://cupblog.org/2008/10/03/interview-with-loren-ghiglione-author-of-cbss-don-hollenbeck/ https://www.michbar.org/programs/milestone/milestones_miloradulovich "Joseph Wershba on the Milo Radulovich Story" https://youtu.be/MEBNxrIT8r0?si=EqheG_CZKDzzDvQP  https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-2008173  "The Wisconsin Magazine; 1329; Joe McCarty," 1987-05-08, PBS Wisconsin, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed February 27, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-42n5tgg7 Martin, Douglas, "OBITUARIES: MILO RADULOVICH, 81, DIES; SYMBOL OF '50S RED SCARE." New York Times (November 21, 2007), 1. THE RADULOVICH CASE. 1953. New York Times (1923-);30. ELAINE WOO "M. Radulovich, 81; airman's case played key role in helping to end McCarthy era." Los Angeles Times (2007);1. Holley J. "Milo radulovich; cast out of air force, he put face on 'ravages of McCarthyism'." The Washington Post (2007);1. Matthew Wills, "How Annie Lee Moss Survived McCarthyism," JSTOR Daily, https://daily.jstor.org/how-annie-lee-moss-survived-mccarthyism/  "Mrs. Moss is Sorry," NY Times (1957), https://nyti.ms/4kXSwf3  Andrea Friedman, "The Strange Career of Annie Lee Moss: Rethinking Race, Gender, and McCarthyism," JAH 94:2 (2007): 445-68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25094960  Joseph Wershba, Remembered. WNYC Studios, available at https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/140064-joseph-wershba-remembered?tab=transcript https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Night,_and_Good_Luck https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/good-night-and-good-luck-2005

    52 min

  2. MAR 2

    Blue Moon

    This week we're traveling back to 1940s New York with Blue Moon! Join us as we learn about the relationship between Rogers and Hart, air raid blackouts, EB White, going on the wagon, and more! Sources: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%22off+the+wagon%22&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%22on+the+wagon%22&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3 Jellinek, Elvin Morton. Phases in the Drinking History of Alcoholics: Analysis of a Survey Conducted by the Grapevine, Official Organ of Alcoholics Anonymous. United States: Hillhouse Press, 1946. Coffey, Edward Hope. Manhattan Cocktail. United States: L. MacVeagh, The Dial Press, 1929. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/37132/origin-of-the-idiom-falling-off-the-wagon Richard Goldstein, City Room Answers: https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/answers-about-world-war-ii-in-new-york-part-iii/ Siobhan McGirl, "Surprise Blackouts Sweep the East Coast," World War 2.0, available at https://blogs.shu.edu/ww2-0/1942/08/21/surprise-blackouts-sweep-the-east-coast/ "New Raid Signal Blacks Out City," New York Times, February 19 1943. Available at https://www.nytimes.com/1943/02/19/archives/new-raid-signal-blacks-out-city-public-response-encouraging-mayor.html?smid=url-share https://time.com/7325788/blue-moon-true-story-lorenz-hart/  Robert Gottlieb, "Rodgers and Hart's Dysfunctional Partnership," The Atlantic April 2013. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/words-and-music/309249/  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1947/11/01/no-matter-what-the-skirt-length-is-every-prospect-pleases-me-because-i-am-vile https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1943/03/20/i-accept-with-widespread-pleasure  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Moon_(2025_film) Brian Tallerico review, RogerEbert.com: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-moon-tiff-ethan-hawke-margaret-qualley-film-review-2025 Parade magazine video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T7NGAvrCXkQ

    49 min

  3. FEB 16

    Train Dreams

    This week we're covering the history of the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th century to 1968 with Train Dreams! Join us as we learn about boot memorials, Chinese and Chinese-American railroad workers, women working as fire lookouts, and more! Sources: Dina Gachman, "The History of Lady Lookouts," Smithsonian Magazine, available at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/female-fire-lookouts-have-been-saving-wilderness-over-century-180977352/ Photo of Hallie Daggett and Her Dog, Fish and Wildlife: https://www.fws.gov/media/hallie-daggett https://www.facebook.com/ottawavalleywhereabouts/posts/loggers-memorial-griffith-on-45236783-77270483located-within-the-lower-madawaska/294395130019562/ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Canoe_Country/52-2DQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=logging%20memorial%20boots%20nailed%20to%20tree&pg=PA66&printsec=frontcover https://www.facebook.com/100064525572391/posts/5518774848187361/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumoine_River https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29768334/ Bilge Ebiri, "Train Dreams Is a Staggering Work of Art," Vulture 21 November 2025, https://www.vulture.com/article/sundance-review-train-dreams-is-a-staggering-work-of-art.html  Bob Mondello, "The new film 'Train Dreams' is almost unbearably beautiful," NPR All Things Considered 7 November 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/07/nx-s1-5598447/the-new-film-train-dreams-is-almost-unbearably-beautiful   Brian Tallerico, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/train-dreams-film-review-2025  Justin Chang, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/train-dreams-is-too-tidy-to-go-off-the-rails https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/train_dreams  Jennifer Fang, "Erasure and Reclamation: Centering Diasporic Chinese Populations in Oregon History," Oregon Historical Quarterly 122, no.4 (2021): 324-41. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5403/oregonhistq.122.4.0324  Sarah M. Griffith, "Finding Chinese Immigrants in Unconventional Records," History News 58, no.1 (2003): 20-23.  John R. Wunder, "The Chinese and the Courts in the Pacific Northwest: Justice Denied?" Pacific Historical Review 52, no.2 (1983): 191-211. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3638795  Yukari Takai, "Asian Migrants, Exclusionary Laws, and Transborder Migration in North America, 1880-1940," OAH Magazine of History 23, No.4 (2009): 35-42. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40506013  Asian Workers in Kinsey Brothers Photographs of the Lumber Industry, 1890-1945, University of Washington Digital Libraries, https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/clarkkinsey/search/searchterm/asian%20japanese/field/subjec/mode/any/conn/and/cosuppress/ https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/clarkkinsey/id/416/rec/45 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-bloody-history-of-anti-asian-violence-in-the-west https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Asian_Americans

    50 min

  4. FEB 2

    Hedda

    This week we're traveling back to the 1950s with Hedda! Join us as we learn about pretty little things, 1950s fashion, sparklers, women working as professors, and more! Sources: "Celebrating the Legacy of England's First Female Professor," King's College, available at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/celebrating-legacy-of-englands-first-female-professor "Gender Breakdown for Teachers in History," Making History, available at https://archives.history.ac.uk/makinghistory/resources/statistics/gender.html Peter West, "Five Lessons on Bringing Truth Back to Politics from Britain's First Female Philosophy Professor," The Conversation, available at https://theconversation.com/five-lessons-on-bringing-truth-back-to-politics-from-britains-first-female-philosophy-professor-164191 https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/reinventing-hedda-nia-dacosta-tessa-thompson-and-nina-hoss-redefine-the-ibsen-classic-for-a-new-era/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedda_(2025_film) Google Ngram: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%22pretty+little+thing%22&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3 Ellen Glasgow, The Romantic Comedians, (1926), 38. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Romantic_Comedians/c6FAAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pretty%20little%20thing%22&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover  Martin Holt, Out of Bondage (1905), 80. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Out_of_Bondage/IvBEAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pretty%20little%20thing%22&pg=PA80&printsec=frontcover  James Stephens, Light for Little Lanterns, (1886), 5. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Light_for_little_lanterns_a_series_of_mi/nZO4d4Up9ggC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pretty%20little%20thing%22&pg=PA5&printsec=frontcover  https://www.directsparklers.com/inspiration/the-history-of-sparklers/ https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/technology-you-asked-general-science/how-do-sparklers-work http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/11/98/e-cyclopedia/207791.stm https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1993/07/04/the-sparkling-history-of-a-fireworks-favorite/ https://www.si.edu/object/archives/sova-nmah-ac-0533 See "Custodial History" and "Provenance" Ogata Gekko 尾形月耕, Lighting Sparklers Over River, painting, 1891. https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_S2003.8.1699/  Image of Vintage Dress Pattern: https://thevintagepatternshop.com/shop/vintage-sewing-patterns/1950s-sewing-patterns/dresses-all-types-1950s-sewing-patterns/1950s-vintage-sewing-pattern-b34-halterneck-dress-bolero-r381/ Hedda For Your Consideration Flipbook: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/950039259/4-5/ Vintage Dancer, 10 1950s Dress Styles: https://vintagedancer.com/1950s/1950s-dress-styles/

    44 min

  5. JAN 19

    The Book of Clarence

    This week we're traveling back to first-century Jerusalem with The Book of Clarence! Join us as we learn about Mary Magdalene, Barabbas, Biblical sick burns, and more! Sources: Martínez-Cruz, B., Mendizabal, I., Harmant, C. et al. Origins, admixture and founder lineages in European Roma. Eur J Hum Genet 24, 937–943 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2015.201 Gresham D, Morar B, Underhill PA, Passarino G, Lin AA, Wise C, Angelicheva D, Calafell F, Oefner PJ, Shen P, Tournev I, de Pablo R, Kuĉinskas V, Perez-Lezaun A, Marushiakova E, Popov V, Kalaydjieva L. Origins and divergence of the Roma (gypsies). Am J Hum Genet. 2001 Dec;69(6):1314-31. doi: 10.1086/324681. Epub 2001 Nov 9. PMID: 11704928; PMCID: PMC1235543. James Carroll, "Who Was Mary Magdalene?" Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-mary-magdalene-119565482/   Cornelis Bennema, "Mary Magdalene: Recognizing the Shepherd's Voice," Encountering Jesus (2014). https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9m0t70.27  Meggan Watterson, Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet (audiobook).  Y'all Translation Bible, https://www.bible.com/bible/4108/JHN.20.YALL  NIV Study Bible Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_of_clarence_2024  Robert Daniels, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-book-of-clarence-film-review-2024  Alissa Wilkinson, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/movies/the-book-of-clarence-review.html  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-book-of-clarence-review-lakeith-stanfield-1235780399/

    58 min

  6. JAN 6

    Akira

    It's a new year, so it's time for our New Year's tradition of taking a look at movies that tried to predict the future. This year, we're traveling to the year 2019 with Akira! Join us as we learn about the Tokyo Olympics, biker gangs, technical schools, riots, and more! Sources: 2020 Host City Election Announcement: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/2020-host-city-election Image of the Stadium: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1087204/olympic-stadium-for-tokyo-2020-completed' January 2019 image, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kokuritsu_Kasumigaoka_Rikujo_Kyogijo-23a.jpg Education Senmon Gakko: Japanese Vocational Education. Available at https://cordmagazine.com/education/education-senmon-gakko-japanese-vocational-education/ A Complete Guide to Senmon Gakkou in Japan: https://studyinjapan.org/a-complete-guide-to-senmon-gakkou-in-japan/ Rikkyo University Institute of Peace and Community Studies, "Local Responses to Prime Minister Abe's Attack on Article Nine and the Constitution," translated by Saito Yuriko,The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 14, issue 3, no. 5 (2016).  David Slater, Robin O'Day, Satsuki Uno, Love Kindstrand and Chiharu Takano, "SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy): Research Note on Contemporary Youth Politics in Japan," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 37, No. 1, September 14, 2015. Obe Mitsuro, "World News: Students Protest Japan Military Shift," The Wall Street Journal (2015).  Simon Denyer, "Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka speaks out for Black Lives Matter, faces backlash: Protests in Japan have reignited a debate over racism and policing. Osaka has also won support for speaking out," Washington Post (June 8, 2020).  Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida, "In Japan, the Message of Anti-Racism Protests Fails to Hit Home," New York Times (July 1, 2020).  Anna Fifield, "Fierce opponent of U.S. military bases in Okinawa detained for three months: A protest leader's continued detention without trial has triggered accusations that Japanese authorities are trying to silence him." Washington Post (2017).  "1969: Student Protestors Paralyze Tokyo in Anti-War Demonstrations," New York Times (reprinted October 22, 2019) Alastair Gale, "Japan Pushes Ahead with Antiterrorism Bill; Government says legislation is needed as part of counterterrorism preparations for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo," Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2017).  Mariko Tamura, "Flower Demo: Fighting Sexual Violence in Japan," https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/16387  Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(1988_film) Tom Usher, "How Akira has Influenced All of Your Favorite Film, TV, and Music," Vice, available at https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-akira-has-influenced-modern-culture/ https://akira.fandom.com/wiki/Akira_(anime) https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/bosozoku-biker-gangs-of-japan https://medium.com/@essie.angelica/the-rise-and-fall-of-japans-notorious-motorcycle-gang-ee31464c2406 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251017/p2a/00m/0na/053000c https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/30-years-akira-teenage-kicks-anime-style  Christopher Gerteis, "Cold War Warriors," in Mobilizing Japanese Youth: The Cold War and the Making of the Sixties Generation (Cornell University Press, 2021), 100-120.

    47 min

  7. 12/15/2025

    Frankenstein (2025)

    This week we're traveling back to the 19th century with Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein! Join us as we learn about syphilis, big-ass blunderbusses, the Evelyn Tables, Arctic expeditions, and more! Sources: An account of divers schemes of arteries and veins, dissected from adult human bodies, and given to the repository of the Royal Society by John Evelyn, Esq; F. R. S. To which are subjoyn'd a description of the extremities of those vessels, and the manner the blood is seen, by the microscope, to pass from the arteries to the veins in quadrupeds when living: with some chirurgical observations, and figures after the life, by William Cowper, F. R. S. Richard K Aspin, "John Evelyn's Tables of Veins and Arteries: An Undiscovered Letter," Medical History 39 (1995) Photos: Hunterian Museum, Evelyn Tables: https://hunterianmuseum.org/whats-on/hunterian-museum-displays/surgery-and-anatomy-from-ancient-times-to-the-1700s-room-1 Erling Kagge, "Arctic Rush: Inside the 19th-Century Craze to Reach the North Pole," Literary Hub (2025), https://lithub.com/arctic-rush-inside-the-19th-century-craze-to-reach-the-north-pole/  https://guides.loc.gov/polar-exploration/timeline Javier Cacho, "Arctic Obsession Drove Explorers to Seek the North Pole," National Geographic (2020), https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/expedition-to-the-north-pole  Roald Amundsen, "Expedition to the North Magnetic Pole," (1902), http://www.jstor.org/stable/1775167  Myths of the Blunderbuss https://americanrevolutioninstitute.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/46F42011-5A24-4754-86A9-630691208800   https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_469432  Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(2025_film)  Pop Culture Happy Hour, 'Frankenstein' https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5600702  https://youtu.be/qIXsN-Z3UBE?si=bTQ3GigvOIWAO3_u Film School, "How Guillermo del Toro Made Frankenstein," https://youtu.be/tThIpKCXfJI?si=vKel6PTL08Z1Y_lI The History of Syphilis, Part II: Treatment, Cures, and Legislation. Science Museum. Available at https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/history-syphilis-part-two-treatments-cures-and-legislation' Szu Shen Wong, "Syphilis and the Use of Mercury," Pharmaceutical Journal, available at https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/syphilis-and-the-use-of-mercury Jeffrey Weeks, Sex, Politics, and Society: The Regulation of Sexuality Since 1800, Third Edition

    58 min

  8. 11/24/2025

    The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

    This week we're traveling back to a full century of American history with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman! Join us as we learn about naming of enslaved people, "paddy rollers", Black communities in East Texas, and more! Sources: Sparks, Elmer E, and Celia Black. Interview with Celia Black, Tyler, Texas. Tyler, Texas, November , 10, 1974. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1975009_afs17476/. Sparks, Elmer E, and Charlie Smith. Interview with Charlie Smith, Bartow, Florida. Bartow, Florida, None , 3, 1975. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1975023_afs17510/. Jennifer Davis, "A Voice from the South: Dr. Anna Julia Cooper," LOC, available at https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2025/02/a-voice-from-the-south-dr-anna-julia-cooper/ Sean Coughlan, "Last Survivor of Transatlantic Slave Trade Discovered," BBC, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/education-52010859 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Miss_Jane_Pittman_(film) Creating the Emmy-Winning Old Age Makeup for The Autobiography of Miss Jane PIttman, available at https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/creating-the-emmy-winning-makeup-for-the-autobiography-of-miss-jane-pittman Interview with Thomas Moore on Producing Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, available at https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/autobiography-of-miss-jane-pittman-the?chapter=9&clip=68703 African-American Cowboys with their Mounts Saddled Up, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.9862669  Ronald Wendell II, MA Thesis, https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/92b088d1-1108-4044-8219-c7a03d5f87e5/content  Scott L. Matthews, "Documenting SNCC and the Rural South: Danny Lyon and the Cultural Politics of Civil Rights Movement Photography" https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469646473_matthews.8  Keith Rice, "The Civil Rights Movement and Steiner-Lobman Polly Brand Work Clothes," 2 September 2022, https://bradleycenterliberated.substack.com/p/denim-and-civil-rights  Sally E. Hadden, "Slave Patrols," https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469616742_ely.57  Lisa Cook, John Parman, and Trevon Logan, "The Antebellum Roots of Distinctively Black Names," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History 55, 1 (2021) Recall Their Names: The Personal Identity of Enslaved South Carolinians, Charleston Time Machine, available at https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/recall-their-names-personal-identity-enslaved-south-carolinians Laura Alvarez Lopez, "Who Named Slaves and Their Children? Names and Naming Practices Among Enslaved Africans Brought to the Americas and Their Descendants With a Focus on Brazil," Journal of African Cultural Studies 27, 2 (2015)

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About

The movie podcast for history nerds. In every episode, historians Jamie and Sofia talk about a different historical film and take a deep dive into the parts that did and didn't really happen. In each episode, we try to answer the big questions: Is this good history? Is this a good movie? And are those the same thing? To get in touch, send us an email at DidThatReallyHappenPod@gmail.com, or follow us on Twitter @ReallyHappenPod. You can also support the show by visiting Patreon.com/DidThatReallyHappen Our theme music is "Allon Gay Gay", performed by Jon Sayles.

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