July 14, 1970. A group of Puerto Rican activists stage an occupation demanding better health care at the Lincoln Hospital in South Bronx, New York City.

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History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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In 1925, the famous politician and presidential contender William Jennings Bryan returned to the limelight to lead a new crusade against the teaching of evolution. With Bryan’s support, Tennessee became the first state to ban the teaching of evolution in public schools.

The American Civil Liberties Union resolved to challenge the anti-evolution law in court, and the small town of Dayton, Tennessee volunteered one of their own: a shy 24-year old high school science teacher named John Scopes. What became known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial” would bring together two of America’s most famous orators in a case that would captivate the nation, and pit modern science against religious conviction.

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In 1906, a New York health department investigation into an outbreak of typhoid fever led to the discovery that a cook, Mary Mallon, was an unsuspecting ""healthy carrier"" of the deadly bacteria. This discovery forever altered Mallon’s life, thrusting her into a national spotlight as the infamous ""Typhoid Mary.""

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Dr. Seema Yasmin, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University and former Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. Dr. Yasmin discusses how Mary Mallon became a target of public health authorities and a symbol of the clash between individual rights and public safety.

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Listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.

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After spending two years in forced isolation on a remote island in the East River, Mary Mallon fought back, insisting that she posed no danger to the public and city officials had overstepped their authority in keeping her against her will. She finally managed to secure her freedom after pledging to leave the profession of cooking for good in order to keep the public safe.

But over the next several years health officials struggled to keep track of Mary’s whereabouts, along with hundreds of other “healthy carriers” of typhoid in New York just like her. She eventually slipped out of sight. Then a deadly outbreak of typhoid struck a maternity hospital in Manhattan, and Health officials were back on the hunt.

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In the fall of 1906, a mysterious outbreak of typhoid fever struck a wealthy New York family vacationing in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Suspicion soon fell on the family's Irish cook, who had vanished after the first cases emerged. Desperately hoping to prevent another outbreak of typhoid, city health officials began a frustrating hunt for the woman, Mary Mallon – soon labeled in the press as ""Typhoid Mary."" 

Mary's case would ultimately spark a fierce debate over the government's authority to isolate and detain people it considered a danger to society, pitting civil liberties against the demands of public safety.

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Listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.

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June 16, 1963. After months of rigorous training, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, orbiting the Earth for just under three days.

You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.com

History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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As president, Theodore Roosevelt pursued a progressive agenda. He worked to break up the monopolies of the Gilded Age, created a federal agency to inspect food and medicine, and fought to preserve public lands. But he believed everyone had a responsibility to fight for progress. In perhaps his most famous speech, he urged people to “get in the arena” and make a difference. Today, Lindsay is joined by Edward O’Keefe to talk about the roots of Roosevelt’s progressivism and his many achievements during his time in office. O’Keefe is CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and author of The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created A President. 

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In 1913, Woodrow Wilson entered the White House, ready to fulfill his promise of a “New Freedom.” It was a vision of domestic reform that aimed to wrest power away from special interests and expand economic opportunities to all. Over the next two years, he fought for lower tariffs, banking reform, and antitrust laws.

But the outbreak of war in Europe threatened to derail his agenda. As America moved closer to the brink of intervention, Progressives wondered whether war would reenergize their movement, or destroy it once and for all.

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June 2, 1967. Benno Ohnesorg, a West German student, is killed by a police officer while attending a protest in West Berlin.

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History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

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In 1909, William Howard Taft entered the White House, pledging to preserve and expand the Progressive policies of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, in turn, promised to stay out of politics. But over the next year, a controversy at the Department of the Interior convinced Roosevelt that his legacy was under threat. Soon, he would reenter the political arena, sparking a bitter struggle for control of the Republican party.

Roosevelt stirred the public with a bold agenda known as the “New Nationalism.” But Taft wasn’t his only adversary. As the 1912 election got underway, New Jersey Democrat Woodrow Wilson entered the fray with an alternative vision of Progressive reform.

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Listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.

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