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PODCAST

This Day (An America 250 History Show)

Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia

To mark our 250th birthday, “This Day” presents "50 Weeks That Shaped America," a series of deep dives into the stories that brought us to this moment. "This Day" takes you beyond the head-spinning headlines of today and into the unexpected historical moments that have shaped American politics and culture. Hosted by Jody Avirgan (538), and historians Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt), and Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley), each episode explores a moment from that day in U.S. political history to

history

All Episodes

36:22

FDR And Polio: The Scourge (Part 1)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/10/06

For the thirty-seventh installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to the 1920s and the moment Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted polio. We look at how the disease terrified the American public, how FDR contracted it, and how it shaped his public and private life throughout his three terms as president.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free

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39:42

Seneca to Prohobition to the 19th w/ Alex Lovit [Some...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/20

Every Sunday during our month-long collaboration with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Jody Avirgan chats with Alex Lovit, host of the Kettering podcast "The Context."Today, they follow up on the conversation about Seneca Falls by looking at how the movement for women's rights fractured after the Civil War -- and what it says about the long, winding road to progress.Be sure to check out “The Context” at kettering.org/thecontextJoin our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free

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42:57

Are We Locked In To Two Parties? w/ Alex Lovit [Some...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/13

Every Sunday during our month-long collaboration with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Jody Avirgan chats with Alex Lovit, host of the Kettering podcast "The Context." Today, they follow up on what the battle over the Bill of Rights was really about, and whether the US is forever locked into the two-party system that the Founders fell in to.Be sure to check out “The Context” at kettering.org/thecontextJoin our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news

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39:08

Bill Of Rights: Factions w/ Dahliah Lithwick (Part Two)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/10

All this month, we’re partnering with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation for a series called “Democracy Under Construction.” You can find out more about their work at kettering.org and listen to their podcast “The Context” at kettering.org/thecontext Our conversation about the Bill of Rights continues with a look at how the fight over the document led to the first hard-line parties in the United States. The ink was barely dry on the Bill of Rights when the founders split into camps, which

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40:18

Bill Of Rights: We Forgot Freedom w/ Dahliah Lithwick...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/08

All this month, we’re partnering with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation for a series called “Democracy Under Construction.” You can find out more about their work at kettering.org and listen to their podcast “The Context” at kettering.org/thecontextFor the thirty-third installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1789. The founders spent months that summer hammering out a Constitution — and nearly forgot to include freedom. Jody, Niki and Kellie are joined by Dahlia Lithwick of

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34:47

Inside A Music Festival w/ Craig Finn [Some Sunday...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/06

This past week we talked about Woodstock and the mix of culture, politics, and nostalgia wrapped up in the most famous music festival in U.S. history. Today, Jody chats with Craig Finn, lead singer of The Hold Steady, about what it's like to play music festivals, why they seem to be coming back, and how he mixes his politics into his songs. You can watch his recent re-working of "Constructive Summer" on YouTube.And be sure to check out Jody and Craig's music podcast "Summer Album / Winter

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32:30

Woodstock: Generation Gap (Part 2)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/03

Our conversation about Woodstock continues with a look at the instant nostalgia for the event, how it captures the mix of culture and politics in the Baby Boomer generation... and how the myth of the event has been re-shaped over the years.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support

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37:22

Woodstock: Before The Mud (Part 1)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/09/01

For the thirty-second installment of "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we go pehaps the most iconic cultural event in US history -- the Woodstock "Aquarian Exposition" concert in Bethel, New York. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the larger context of culture and politics in Summer 1969, how the idea for the concert came together, and who ended up on the bill.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying

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37:33

"The Giant Pool of Money" Revisited w/ Alex Blumberg...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/30

This past week, we did a two-parter on the 2008 financial crisis. In it, we discussed how This American Life's "Giant Pool of Money" episode helped explain the economic collapse to a lot of listerners, our crew included. Today, a bonus conversation between Jody and Alex Blumberg, who co-reported the piece with Adam Davidson -- the two of them went on to start Planet Money. Jody and Alex discuss what it was like to report on the collapse, try to translate it into narrative audio, the piece's

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30:37

2008 Crash: The Bailout (Part 2)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/27

Our conversation about the 2008 financial crisis continues with a look at the decision to bail out the banks, the response by the Obama and McCain campaigns, and how the seeds for our era of economic populism got planted.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get

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28:11

Scopes Monkey Trial: Darrow v Bryan (Part 2)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/20

Our conversation about the so-called "Monkey Trial" continues with a showdown between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Jody, Niki, and Kellie then discuss how the verdict in the trial didn't capture the impact it would have, and how the story of the trial has resonated through other eras -- including through the play and film "Inherit The Wind."Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying

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34:22

Scopes Monkey Trial: Evolution in Schools (Part 1)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/18

For the thirtieth installment of "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we go to 1925 and a small courthouse in the town of Dayton, Tennessee, and a trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why it took 50 years since the theory of evolution was first proposed for it to come to a head in a trial like this; the flamboyant lawyers at the heart of the case; and the circus that surrounded a trial that quickly became about much bigger issues than just what

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44:03

Moon Landing: One Giant Leap (Part 1)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/11

For the twenty-ninth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1969 and the United States victory in the race to the moon. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss John F Kennedy's speech setting the goal of reaching the moon; how the program continued after his death; and the questions about whether going to the moon was a wortwhile endeavor given all the problems here on Earth.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how

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40:04

Military Integration: Pressure On Truman (Part Two)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/06

Our conversation about military integration continues with a look at Harry Truman and the civil-rights battle within the Democratic party. After a contentious 1948 convention, Truman starts to embrace desegregation, starting witht the military. Then we discuss how the culture of the armed forces began to slowly change.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early,

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43:59

Military Integration: Double V (Part One)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/08/04

For the twenty-eighth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1948 and the moment that Harry Truman issued an executive order to — finally, formally — desegregate the armed forces. We talk about the long history of Black Americans in the armed services, and how the “double V” campaign of WWII put pressure on segregation. We also discuss how the military has served as a vehicle for growth for many Black families, including Kellie’s.Join our America250 newsletter community

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15:00

The "Coup" Against Washington (Revolutionary Rerun)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/07/28

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!It’s March 14th. This day in 1783, George Washington gave an address to his troops camped in Newburgh, NY, that averted a possible coup attempt.Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Washington’s troops were upset in the last year of the war, whether the “coup” plot was legit, and how

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23:16

The Only US Raid On British Soil (Revolutionary Rerun)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/07/26

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!It's April 23rd. This day in 1778, John Paul Jones leads the only American raid on British soil in the Revolutionary War.Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss Jones's spotty past, and what brought him to the port of Whitehaven, where he launched a scheme to raid the town. It did not go

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17:24

That Other Midnight Ride (Revolutionary Reruns)

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/07/23

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!It’s April 25th. In 1777, a 16-year-old by the name of Sybil Luddington went on a 40-mile nighttime ride to warn Colonial troops and citizens of an impending British invasion.Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Luddington’s midnight ride isn’t nearly as famous as Paul Revere’s — and

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13:40

A Declaration Abstention w/ John Dickerson...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/07/21

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!Today, the story of John Dickinson, who attended the Continental Congress, was witness to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, but abstained from voting for or signing the document.Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by John Dickerson, formerly of CBS and author

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32:26

Franklin's French Fantasies w/ Mike Duncan...

This Day (An America 250 History Show) ·

2026/07/19

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!It’s October 4th. In 1776, Benjamin Franklin is headed to France as the Continental Congress’s first diplomat, looking to secure support for the American independence movement.Jody and Kellie are joined by Mike Duncan, history podcaster behind series such as “Revolutions” and “The

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