logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
19m 22s

Clinton Finds Life On Mars (1996)

JODY AVIRGAN & RADIOTOPIA
About this episode

It’s August 8th. This day in 1996, President Bill Clinton gives a startling announcement about a rock — ALH84001 — that seems to indicate the presence of life on Mars.

Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the larger political and cultural context for why Clinton made this big announcement, and what we really know about the rock’s origins.

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

Up next
Yesterday
Emergency Podcast: Smithsonian Showdown, Relitigating Slavery, More (2025)
This is audio of a video chat we recorded earlier this week in reaction to the recent attacks on the Smithsonian by the Trump administration, the conversation about slavery's legacy, and more. We released this in full video for our newsletter subscribers first -- consider subscri ... Show More
41m 2s
Aug 21
The First Battle Over The Smithsonian (1846) [Archive Favorite]
The Trump administration has ramped up its attacks on museums and The Smithsonian. We're recoding a special reaction episode that will appear in our newsletter - sign up now to get it. In the meantime, here's an episode from the archives on the founding of the institution.It’s Au ... Show More
21m 56s
Aug 19
The Dumbest, Most Perfect, Political Question Ever (2012) [Archive Favorite]
It’s July 31st, 2012. This day, on the campaign trail, a reporter shouts a question at Mitt Romney: “What about your gaffes?!”Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the question came to be asked and why it perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with modern political journalism. Plus ... Show More
18m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
America, America IS a Racist Country
Welcome home, y’all!  We're back with another episode of Native Land Pod, co-hosted by Tiffany Cross, Angela Rye and Andrew Gillum.  We appreciate each of you for making us the #1 podcast on Apple Podcasts for last week's debut!  This week's episode features a conversation about ... Show More
1h 27m
Jul 2024
1992: The year politics broke
We’re living in an era of extreme partisan politics, rising resentment, and fractured news media. Writer John Ganz believes that we can trace the dysfunction to the 1990s, when right-wing populists like Pat Buchanan and white supremacist David Duke transformed Republican politics ... Show More
44m 59s
Apr 2024
The Real Boogeymen: The Karens and Kateys
Welcome Home!   This week, hosts Tiffany Cross, Andrew Gillum, and Angela Rye discuss EBT. “No thanks.” That’s what nearly half the Republican governors in the country are saying to a federal program to feed hungry kids. They’re turning down FREE money to feed kids– and why??    ... Show More
1h 24m
May 2024
Protests, Presidents and Politics like it's 97!
Keir Starmer, poster boy. The Labour leader’s new pledge card is here, with six key policies and a black and white photoshoot to woo the public. Is it all a bit retro? Well that depends who you ask: George Osborne would prefer a new approach, whereas Ed Balls reckons some solid L ... Show More
57m 52s
Mar 2023
He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for DC: The Story of Marion Barry
This week on Historia Obscura: how a once well-respected civil rights leader experienced one of the greatest falls from grace in American political history. Special thanks to Patreon subscribers Barbara, Lisa Chase, and Tom! Subscribe to my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hist ... Show More
18m 21s
Jun 2024
The Alford Plea
In 1995, a tragic fire in Pittsburgh set off a decades-long investigation that sent Greg Brown Jr. to prison. But, after a series of remarkable twists, Brown found himself contemplating a path to freedom that involved a paradoxical plea deal—one that peels back the curtain on the ... Show More
53m 49s
Jun 2024
Aphantasia
Close your eyes and imagine a red apple. What do you see? Turns out there’s a whole spectrum of answers to that question and Producer Sindhu Gnanasambandan is on one far end. In this episode, she explores what it means to see – and not see – in your mind.Special thanks to Kim Ned ... Show More
34m 43s
May 2024
[TEASER] International Workers' Day w/ John from Working Class History
You can listen to the full episode "International Workers' Day" by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast As a Patreon subscriber you will get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon ... Show More
14m 19s
Jul 2023
The History of Blue Jeans (Encore)
Unquestionably, the most popular clothing innovation of the last 150 years has been blue jeans. They can be found all over the world, yet they have become synonymous with American culture. While modern blue jeans are definitely American, their origin actually goes back centuries ... Show More
9m 31s
Jun 2024
Birdie in the Cage
People have been doing the square dance since before the Declaration of Independence. But does that mean it should be THE American folk dance? That question took us on a journey from Appalachian front porches, to dance classes across our nation, to the halls of Congress, and fina ... Show More
44m 18s