America: The Story of the USA

In 1959, toy entrepreneur Ruth Handel changed her life forever. Her new product, a doll named after her Daughter Barbara, would become one of the biggest toy franchises in history. Despite the criticisms and its problems, a recent Oscar-winning movie adaptation has won over a whole new generation of fans that guarantees this toy is going nowhere. So in this episode, I want to know… how is Barbie still relevant?

Special Guests:

Highlights from this episode:

(02:03) Did you ever own a Barbie doll?

(04:10) Right place, right time

(10:14) Entirely unrealistic proportions

(13:40) Are we just seeing really good advertising?

(18:58) People will always find a reason to criticise a woman's body, and Barbie is no different

(22:45) Ken discovers patriarchy

(27:36) The Barbie brand has been building to this

(32:11) Barbenheimer and the Oscars

(37:36) New perspectives on Barbie

(40:28) We superimpose our expectations of women on toys

Additional Resources:

WEBSITE: Official Barbie store from Mattel

WIKIPEDIA: List of all Barbie films

ARTICLE: How the “Barbie” Movie Explains the Psychology of Patriarchy by Wendy Jones

ESSAY: Butch Barbie by Clara Bradbury-Rance

And if you like this episode, you’ll also love:

What Makes Country Music so American?

Are the Oscars Still Relevant?

Why Does Everyone Love Disney?

Could Friends BE Any Bigger?

How Accurate is Forrest Gump?

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In America: A History in the Making, host Liam Heffernan is joined by show regulars and special guests to discuss the breaking news and biggest stories from the USA.

This week, as the US election rages on, we discuss Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz, and recent polls suggesting they now have a lead over Trump. Is the momentum shifting in one of the weirdest Presidential election cycles ever?

Special guests on this episode...

Emma Long, our resident US politics and law expert from the University of East Anglia.

Clodagh Harrington from University College Cork, and co-host of US politics podcast 'A Chicken in Every Pot'

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

Will America Ever Elect a Woman for President?

Should Donald Trump Be Allowed to Run for President?

What is a Primary and a Caucus?

Who is Ron DeSantis?

How Are Presidents Elected?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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This week, with the Republican National Convention been and gone, and the Democratic National Convention happening over the next few days, the Presidential race is about to be set in stone.

If Donald Trump wins, he will be only the second President to serve non-consecutive terms in office. But why is there a time limit? When did this start? And can, or should, there be an exception? In this episode, I dive into all of this as I ask… Why Does the President Only Serve Two Terms?

Special Guests:

Highlights from this episode:

(02:18) Why did George Washington step down?

(07:14) An expectation to seek re-election

(10:18) Presidents who chose not to stand for a second term

(15:47) FDR: the trigger that turn precedence into law

(20:23) Can the two term limit be overturned?

(26:32) Trump and the new normal in American politics

(31:49) Family dynasties in politics, from Adams to Trump.

Additional Resources:

READ: Washington’s Farewell Address

READ: National Constitution Center – interpretations of the 22nd Amendment

READ: LBJ chooses not to run again for election (1968)

WATCH: President Biden on why he will not run for re-election (2024)

And if you like this episode, you’ll also love:

What Was the Constitutional Convention?

Why Does the President Only Serve Two Terms?

Is the President Above the Law?

How Are Presidents Elected?

What is the US Constitution?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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Exactly 79 years ago to the day this episode is released, the USA changed the course, not just of World War II, but of global history, by using nuclear weapons.

The bombs that hit Hiroshima and, three days later, Nagasaki, killed an estimated 200,000 people, and swiftly prompted Japan’s surrender. But how did it get to this? What were Japan and America even doing in a war triggered by Nazi Germany? And when there were so many other courses of action, why did the USA drop atomic bombs on Japan?

Special Guests:

Highlights from this episode:

(02:11) What happened between America and Japan?!

(05:37) Why did America care so much about Japan?

(09:56) Racism as a driving force behind the conflict

(18:53) An intensifying confrontation pre-World War II

(25;03) America outnumbered and outpowered Japan, so why drop the bomb?

(30:52) The morality of nuclear war

Additional Resources:

FILM: Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1978, Stanley Kubrick)

FILM: Oppenheimer (2023, Christopher Nolan)

PODCAST: The East Angle by Ra Mason and Sherzod Muminov

ARTICLE: How the unlucky Lucky Dragon birthed an era of nuclear fear by David Ropeik

If you liked this episode, you might also love:

Why Did the USA Drop Atomic Bombs on Japan?

Is America an Empire?

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This week, we are taking a closer look at the unidentified, the unexplained, and the stuff that, until recently, have been some of the most closely-guarded secrets of the US government. From E.T. to the X-Files via American Dad and Futurama, the existence of extraterrestrial beings has captured the imagination of the American public for decades, and as we edge closer to finding out if the truth really is out there, I want to know… why do Americans love aliens?

Special Guests:

In this episode, we cover everything from E.T. to Area 51, and why it took so long for the US government to even acknowledge its existence. Plus, did Richard Nixon and Jackie Gleeson see an alien? You'll have to listen and find out...

Additional Resources:

PODCAST: UAP Unidentified Alien Podcast

VIDEO: Ronald Regan’s 1987 UN speech

WEBSITE: What is Area 51 and what goes on there? via Space.com

WEBSITE: The Rendlesham Forest UFO via BBC

If you love this episode, you might also like:

Was the Moon Landing a Hoax?

Why Do Americans Love Aliens?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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In the first of our new strand of episodes, America: A History in the Making, Liam is joined by show regular Emma Long to discuss the breaking news and biggest stories from the USA.

It's been a rollercoaster in American politics, as Joe Biden announced he is not seeking re-election in November, just over three months before the election, but within just 48 hours, Vice President Kamala Harris secured enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee.

So what does all this mean?

Is Trump still the favourite?

And what does Harris need to do to win?

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

Will America Ever Elect a Woman for President?

Should Donald Trump Be Allowed to Run for President?

What is a Primary and a Caucus?

Who is Ron DeSantis?

How Are Presidents Elected?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

Want to advertise with us and support the American Studies community?

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In just a few days, the Olympic flame will make its way to the Seine River, where tens of thousands of athletes converge to mark the opening of another summer games. The biggest sporting event in the world has not been on American soil for nearly 30 years, so in this episode we’re going to look back to Atlanta 1996, and I ask… when did the USA last host the Olympics?

Special Guests:

In this episode, David shares his own personal experiences of attending and covering the Olympics. We discuss the corruption and scandal surrounding Atlanta's bid, the tragic Olympic park bombing, and why Atlanta has become a case study for how not to run an Olympic games.

Additional Resources:

BOOK: The Complete Book of the Olympics by David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky

WEBSITE: The International Society of Olympic Historians

WEBSITE: 11 Key Moments of Atlanta 1996

VIDEO: The 1996 Atlanta Olympics Opening Ceremony

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

What Makes the Super Bowl so Super?

When Did the USA Last Host the Olympics?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

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This week we are celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 space shuttle launch, but it’s greatest moment was when Neil Armstrong took his famous leap onto the surface of the moon.

The live broadcast to millions of people around the world is one of the greatest moments of television, indeed history, of the 20th century, and yet many millions today still believe it never happened. So on this episode, I want to know… was the Moon landing a hoax?

Extra Reading:

BOOK: One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon by Charles Fishman

ARTICLE: Apollo 11 Really Went to the Moon - and Here’s How You Can Be Sure (Sorry, Conspiracy Nuts) by Charles Fishman

WEBSITE: Apollo 11 Mission via NASA

If you love this, you might also like:

Was the Moon Landing a Hoax?

Why Do Americans Love Aliens?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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This week we are shining a light on one of the greatest figures in American history.

Born Araminta Rossin, she began her in bondage, later escaping to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad and one of the most important figures in the fight for abolition. So in this episode we are going to discuss her life, her work, and her legacy as I ask… who is Harriet Tubman?

Special Guests:

Additional Resources:

BOOK: Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton

BOOK: Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad by Andrew K. Diemer

BOOK: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black

BOOK: Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People (Significations) by Tiya Miles

FILM: Harriet (2019)

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

Why Did America Ban Slavery?

How Did Slavery Impact Cherokee Nation?

Who is Frederick Douglass?

What Does Kindred Tell Us About Plantation Life?

Who is Harriet Tubman?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

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DISCLAIMER: there may be small patches of slightly weird sound in this episode. Please bear with us!

On July 2nd 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed one of the most transformative and, for its time, controversial pieces of legislation into American law - the Civil Rights Act.

So, on its 60th anniversary, we discuss exactly what it is, the impact it's had, and how exactly it came to be, as Liam asks... what is the Civil Rights Act?

To answer this question, he is joined by two super special guests:

Check out these additional resources:

BOOK: Winning Our Freedoms Together: African Americans and Apartheid, 1945-1960 by Nicholas Grant

ARTICLE: Lester Maddox Obituary via The New York Times

WEBSITE: Brown v Board of Education

WEBSITE: The Greensboro Sit-In

WEBSITE: The Civil Rights Act of 1957

WEBSITE: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

WEBSITE: The Voting Rights Act of 1965

WEBSITE: Shelby County v Holder (2013)

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

What Do We Get Wrong About the Civil Rights Movement?

What Challenge Does Black Lives Matter Present to America?

What is the Civil Rights Act?

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

Want to advertise with us and support the American Studies community?

Email [email protected] and let's talk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices