SYMHC Classics: Palmer Raids Pt. 1

Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it. Research: Armstrong, Edwin H. “Frequency ... Show More

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint? Research: "pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Bri ... Show More

This 2022 episode starts with the story of John Bibb, credited with cultivating Bibb lettuce. But his family’s legacy, good and bad, is all tied to having enslaved people build their familial wealth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

American Experience Presents stops by to share the fascinating story of Joseph McCarthy. From humble beginnings on a Wisconsin farm, to leveraging his military service after World War II to launch a successful Senate bid, McCarthy's story is one of ambition and opportunity. As Co ... Show More

Margaret tells Karl Kasarda the story of Marinus van der Lubbe, the council communist who tried to spark a civil war against the Nazis and failed spectacularly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The Red Scare — perhaps most well known through the era of McCarthyism that dominated the social, political, and legal spheres of the U.S. in the 1950s — is actually much more than just a brief window of time where communists in the United States were vilified, criminalized, and ... Show More

Hi Ridiculous History Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of season two of SNAFU: MEDBURG with Ed Helms.  About the show: Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history’s greatest screw-ups. In Season 1, Ed digs into a story he can't stop thinking about: Able Archer 83, a 19 ... Show More

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: For the hardline conservatives ruling Poland and Hungary, the transition from communism to liberal democracy was a mirag ... Show More

In the 1960s, a right-wing organization led by a former candy tycoon rose to fame in America for their anti-communist campaigns. They called themselves the John Birch Society. Then, they tried to take over the Parent-Teacher Association. This week, what the battle between the two ... Show More

Hi Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of season two of SNAFU: MEDBURG with Ed Helms.  About the show: Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history’s greatest screw-ups. In Season 1, Ed digs into a story he can't stop thinking about: Able Archer 83, a 1983 NATO military ex ... Show More

From the co-creators of Slow Burn, Fiasco is a narrative podcast that transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of America’s most pivotal historical events.  Using original interviews with dozens of key players, host Leon Neyfakh brings to life the forgotten twists and tur ... Show More

The new season of Fiasco is out now on Audible. You can sign up for a free trial and listen at adbl.co/vigilanteIn 1984, as a New York City subway train made its way downtown, a white man named Bernhard Goetz shot four unarmed Black teenagers he believed were going to rob him. Th ... Show More

In the wake of the First World War and Russian Revolutions, Central Europeans in 1919 faced a world of possibilities, threats, and extreme contrasts. Dramatic events since the end of the world war seemed poised to transform the world, but the form of that transformation was uncle ... Show More