This Day in History - July 12, 2025

Happy Halloween! We start with a brief history of Samhain. In 1517, priest and scholar Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper containing 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In 1926, escape artist and illusionist Harry Houdini died. In 1950, Earl "Big Cat" Llo ... Show More

In 1961, the Soviet Union dropped Tsar Bomba and its detonation was the largest in human history. In 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought in Kinshasa, Zaire in the 'Rumble in the Jungle.' In 1938, Orson Welles scared a lot of folks with his radio dramatization of H.G. Wel ... Show More

In 1929, Black Tuesday saw 16 million shares sold and a 12% plummet in market value. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Honduras. There were 11,374 fatalities in Central America. In 1998, 77-year old John Glenn was launched back into space. In 1969, a message was sent over ... Show More

Cast your memory back to 1979. Tensions across the US are high, on multiple levels. Disco dominates the music scene, and, oh boy, rock fans are mad about it. Things come to a head at Comiskey Park, where White Sox owner Bill Veeck and a young anti-disco DJ named Steve Dahl decide ... Show More

A day at the crossroads of chance and destiny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

The end of a terrible era. The beginning of another terrible era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

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The year in revue. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices