logo
episode-header-image
Yesterday
31m 44s

Golden Gate Bridge: We Can Do Big Things...

Jody Avirgan
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Apr 28
Golden Gate Bridge: Depression, Construction, And The Rise of California (Part 1)
For the seventeeth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we travel to California in the 1930s, where San Francisco planners have a big idea — build a massive suspension bridge across the Golden Gate strait. We discuss how the project came together despite the Great Depres ... Show More
31m 37s
Apr 26
The Highs And Lows Of Latin American Diplomacy [Some Sunday Context]
This past week we discussed the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, 1961. Today, another episode about JFK' in the very same time period -- when he hosted a couple hundred Latin American diplomats to lay out his vision for the “Alliance for Progress,” an ambitious plan to support democra ... Show More
16m 48s
Apr 23
Bay of Pigs: Lessons Not-Learned (Part Two)
We continue our conversation about the Bay of Pigs invasion with a look at how it all went wrong on the two days of combat in Cuba. Plus, the long-term lessons for JFK, the CIA, and US foreign policy.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest n ... Show More
27m 59s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
The Atomic Bomb & Civil War Cigars: Greatest 'What Ifs' from History
<p>We think of history as a neat chain of predictable events; but what if the truth is far wilder than that? Today, we're talking about the pivotal forces of randomness and chance, and how tiny moments can change the course of our human story.</p><br><p>Dan is joined by Brian Kla ... Show More
29m 28s
Oct 2025
Who Was the Worst President Ever?
What makes a bad President? Who was the worst of all time? Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of This Is Democracy.Next week we'll be looking at who is the best President ever!Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Se ... Show More
32m 28s
Sep 2025
History's Worst F*ckboys: Charles II
Our mini-series exploring the worst f*ckboys in history is back!In today's episode, Kate is joined by Dr. David Taylor of Oxford University to get to know the so-called Merry Monarch and the many women in his life.Was it better to be married or be a mistress to Charles II? How ma ... Show More
44m 49s
Oct 2025
303. Orwell: Fighting Fascism In The Spanish Civil War (Part 2)
Why did George Orwell go to Spain to fight on the Republican side against General Franco? Who saved his life when he was shot in the throat? How did internal feuds on the leftist side of the war influence his writing and his paranoia? In Part 2 of this miniseries, William and Ani ... Show More
40m 51s
Oct 2025
The Cold War
For decades after the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were locked in a conflict of ideology that took the planet to the brink of catastrophe. Known as the Cold War, it was an era of paranoia, fear and mutual suspicion, where the contest for sup ... Show More
57m 50s
Oct 2025
A Teach-In for History
<p>On Sunday, October 26th, 2025, Nate DiMeo of this here show, The Memory Palace, and his friends and colleagues at his fellow Radiotopia show, This Day, will be holding a good, old-fashioned teach-in in defense of history and museums currently targeted by the Trump Administrati ... Show More
15m 17s
Mar 2021
Spanish Civil War Interview Series 18: Memory and the Civil War with Tom Wardle
On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Tom Wardle. Tom's research focuses on memory activism and how the Spanish Civil War is remembered, and how that memory is fought over, in modern day Spain. When discussing history it can be easy to fall int ... Show More
35m 49s
Jul 2024
The Sound of Patriotism
<p>Every year on the Fourth of July, households across America embrace the aesthetics of patriotism. On this week’s On the Media, find out how the early country music industry got a major boost from the US military and became associated with the “sound of patriotism.” Plus, how a ... Show More
50m 38s
Nov 2025
"I Know I am Right" | A Discussion on John Adams
While our episode on John Adams centered on his career, today's discussion focused more on his personality, beliefs, and relationships with others (especially Abigail and his children). We also covered some of Adams' legacy and what he and the other Founding Fathers gave to Ameri ... Show More
38m 19s