453 episodes
This Day in Esoteric Political History Radiotopia
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- History
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4.5 • 842 Ratings
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We’re living in unprecedented times. Maybe. In this show, Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer and Kellie Carter Jackson (and guests) take one moment, big or small, from that day in U.S. political history and explore how it might inform our present –– all in about fifteen minutes. New episodes release Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Find us at ThisDayPod.com. We’re also posting about moments from the past @thisdaypod on Twitter and Instagram. If you have a suggestion for a topic, get in touch. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX.
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Uncle Sam Is Born (1852)
It’s March 23rd. This is, in some ways, the birthday of Uncle Sam — it was the first time that the character appeared in a political cartoon.
Niki, Jody and Kellie discuss how Uncle Sam had its origins in a real-life figure, and how the character truly burst into the public imagination with those iconic “I Want You” posters. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Bestseller (1852)
It’s March 20th. This day in 1852, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is the best-selling book in the country, capturing a growing anti-slavery sentiment, as well as tremendous backlash.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel took off so quickly — and how even at the time it was viewed as well-intentioned but potentially misguided in its portrayal of the slave narrative.
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Find out more at thisdaypod.com
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
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
Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia -
The Spitzer Scandal Breaks (2008) w/ Azi Paybarah
It’s March 19th. In 2008 (on March 17th) New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned after a week of reports about his patronizing a prostitution ring.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by long-time NY political reporter Azi Paybarah to discuss how quickly the salacious details broke, the media environment that fueled it — and why there was a particular hypocrisy at the heart of it all.
Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week.
Find out more at thisdaypod.com
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
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
Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia -
Evacuation: A Very Boston Holiday (1901)
It’s March 16th. Today we mark Evacuation Day (technically the 17th), a day in which Boston marks the retreat of troops during the Revolutionary War. Over the years, the holiday has been combined and conflated with St. Patrick’s Day, making it the most Boston of holidays.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the holiday gained traction in the first part of the 20th century — and why in the last decade or so it’s receded a bit.
Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week.
Find out more at thisdaypod.com
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
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
Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia -
Ike's War On Squirrels (1955)
It’s March 13th. This day in 1955, news breaks that the White House is engaged in a full-on battle against the squirrels that have invaded the grounds.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why President Eisenhower is so determined to get rid of the squirrels, and how he tried everything from relocating them to shooting them to — really — deploying psychological torture to solve the problem.
Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week.
Find out more at thisdaypod.com
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
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
Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia -
Ruby Robinson and SNCC (1961)
It’s March 12th. This day in 1961, an Atlanta woman by the name of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson joins the civil rights organization SNCC — and quickly starts to advocate for the role of women within the organization.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Robinson’s life and work, and the gender and class dynamics among civil rights workers.
Sign up for our newsletter! We’ll be sending out links to all the stuff we recommended later this week.
Find out more at thisdaypod.com
This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
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
Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia
Customer Reviews
fun addictive snackable
you won’t even know you’re learning something
Don't let the word "esoteric" put you off!
This is an excellent podcast on important moments in US history. Perhaps in our "history-is-bunk" culture, some people might call the topics "esoteric" (by which they might mean oscure and unimportant), but I think there are giving us a thick description of how we have became what we are today. They help us to overcome our belief in "imaginary bridges" (see episode "Family Jewels w/ Rick Perlstein") and a false sense of our national innocence. Check out the episode "McKinley Lost-Causes: The Civil War (1898)! Many must-listen episodes!
Just another woke anti capitalist university shill
I really wanted to like this, but I just can’t get past their pro government intervention, anti capitalist agenda. These hosts throw around words like “capitalist” in the wrong context instead of actually educating people on what these words actually mean. I’m tired if listening to unacademic girlfriends chat about their day. I’ll move on to another history podcast.