History That Doesn't Suck

With the December 1941 surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, our story has officially come to the United States’ entry into the Second World War. Professor Jackson told that sto...

“If this is to be a skyscraper… why not make it scrape the sky.”  This is the story of the race for the tallest building in New York City—in the world.  Erstwhile partners-turned-bitter rivals, arch...

“Everybody says it can’t be done.” This is the story of San Francisco’s two great bridges.  The bustling cities of Oakland and San Francisco are separated by less than ten miles of water, but fo...

“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet.” This is the story of FDR’s first term after facing down the initial emergency.  100 days down, about 1,300 more to go...

Our last few episodes have reveled in stories of the popularization of movies, music and sports during the Roaring 1920s. In this epilogue episode, Professor Jackson steps out of storytelling mode and...

As a follow up to episode 165 America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, we’re proud to share an interview with Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. Founded ...

"As I hit the ball, every muscle in my system, every sense I had, told me that I had never hit a better one . . . I didn't have to look. But I did. That ball . . . hit . . . exactly the spot I had poi...

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothing yet!” This is the story of the silver screen.  In the late nineteenth century, technology is advancing rapidly. Eadweard Muybridge’s trip-wire c...

“You’re Bill McCoy.” “Never heard of him.” This is the story of a crazy decade-plus when America outlawed booze…but the liquor kept flowing.  The Prohibition era marks a partial return to the Golden...

The Prof. sits down with fellow Prof. Ben Sawyer of the Road to Now Podcast and Middle Tennessee State University to chat through the last volume episodes. Russia, the Red Scare, the second Klan, and ...

“Palmer, do not let this country see red.” This is the story of America’s First Red Scare. On June 2, 1919, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer is just going to bed when the first floor of his home is b...

“The circumstances under which we are spending this particular Christmas are unusual.” This is the story of the Christmases of World War I. Germans and British troops, singing carols together. Frenc...

“Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.” This is the story of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive’s beginnings. “Tout le monde à la bataille.” So says Ferdinand ...

 “Marshal Foch, you have no authority as Allied Commander-in-Chief to call upon me to yield up my command of the American Army and have it scattered among the Allied Forces where it will not be an Ame...

“Now, how would you like to be a reporter, if you have got nothing better to do?” This is the story of a reporter–a muckraker–answering a boy who wants to know if Santa Clause actually exists. And so...

So much to say–it’s been a while! Kelsi and Greg share stories that they wish made it into some episodes, but alas, just couldn’t (looking at you, Ellis Island). Greg expresses his deep sympathy for ...

“Not in a thousand years would man ever fly.”   This is the story of two brothers and the dream of controlled, sustained, and powered flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine.   The Wrights are a t...

With the Presidency of Teddy Roosevelt covered, Greg sits down with Zach and Kelsi to talk favorite stories (especially those that didn’t make it in the episodes) and take in the big picture of this b...

“In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck Rake …” This is the story of another “C” in Teddy’s Square Deal: “consumer protection.” The nation is grapplin...

Greg, Zach, and Kelsi sit down for a chat about America’s surprisingly compact burst of turn-of-the-century overseas expansion (Age of Imperialism). They talk through an overarching overview of the er...

“Co … wards! Assassins!” This is the story of the Philippine-American War. Having bested the Spanish in war, the United States now lays claim to holding sovereignty over the Philippines. President Wi...

“Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!” This is the story of the road to war for American Empire. Ruled by Spain, Cuba has nonetheless been at odds with the Crown for decades. The Caribbean isle ha...

“I am going to hell anyhow.” This is the story of the rise of Western outlaws and gunslingers. From transportation of goods and people, to mining and even the cattle industry, a Second Industrial Revo...

“How dare you try to hog all the continent?” This is the story of the Union Pacific Railroad. The US Government has legislated that a private company be organized with government oversight to build a ...

“In my opinion, Cadet Jackson of Virginia is a complete jackass.” This is the story of daring. On both sides. President Lincoln is tired of waiting for General-in-Chief George “Little Mac” McClellan...

“Give us free! Give us free!” This is the story of a daring slave rebellion at sea and the long road to freedom. This is the story of La Amistad. It’s 1839, and the international slave trade is illega...

“Hostilities may now be considered as commenced.” This is the story of the Mexican-American War’s beginnings. President James Polk is annexing Texas (much to Mexico’s chagrin). But does Texas end at t...

“I could have walked on the dead bodies of the British for one-quarter of a mile without stepping on the ground.” This is the story of peace and war; of self-destruction and political birth. American ...

“Does that star-spangled banner yet wave?” This is the story of the worst of the War of 1812 for America--the year 1814. As the threat of Napoleon’s crumbling empire subsides, the British military has...

“Don’t give up the ship!”  This is the story of the first two years of the War of 1812, and it seems quite backward. Despite expectations, the Americans are trying and failing (miserably) to invade Ca...

“We’ll root out the damn’d tories. We’ll drink their blood. We’ll eat their hearts!” This is the story of the path to war--the War of 1812. The United States is stuck between a rock and a hard place: ...

“The American Revolution is really different from most revolutions around the world. Sometimes Americans get a false sense of how revolutions work because we look at ours and think, ‘Oh right, revolut...

"I'd say you know more than 90 percent of the American population about the American Revolution at this point." This is the story... of your questions! Rather than telling you a story this week, Greg ...

"These are the times that try men's souls." This is the story of the Battle of Trenton. George crosses another ice-filled river, this time on Christmas Day. Plenty will go wrong, but at the end of it....

“I wish there was a war.” This is the story of independence and crushed hope. Congress is finally declaring independence and it’s not a straight-forward process. We’ll listen to different delegates ar...

“Fire, for God’s sake, fire!” ​ This is the story of the first battle of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. We're in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Between Lexington's Green, Concord's ...

"Damn you, fire, be the consequences what it will!" ​ This is the story of the Boston Massacre. In the aftermath of a second botched attempt to tax the Americans and stop them from smuggling, John Han...