Michael Harrington was a writer and scholar primarily concerned with the problem of poverty within the otherwise affluent postwar 20th Century USA. He grew up in a Midwestern Irish-American family, and he attended parochial schools, where he excelled academically. Harrington moved to New York & became involved in the Catholic Worker movement, before he lost his faith and turned to more secular political organizations. He considered himself a socialist, but he downplayed those beliefs when he wrote a bestselling book aimed at liberal reformers entitled "The Other America: Poverty in the United States." That 1962 work became a bestseller that helped to inspire Pres. Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs. Harrington continued to speak out against economic inequality throughout his life. He founded Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) during the 1980s and remained its leader until his 1989 death from esophageal cancer at age 61. During the 21st Century, DSA experienced a boom in membership, but it also began taking controversial positions that some original members questioned. We conclude the episode by noting that Harrington's work exposing the neglected issue of American poverty remains relevant today, as the USA's unusual gap between relatively high average incomes & relatively low life expectancy continues to grow.

Support the show

This brief biography looks at the life of marine biologist and author Rachel Carson, who wrote the book "Silent Spring," widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. After earning a graduate degree in zoology from Johns Hopkins University, Carson struggled to find employment as an independent woman during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but she eventually secured a role working as a scientist for a federal agency. In 1951, she was able to leave that job upon publication of her first bestseller, "The Sea Around Us." Her follow-up to that book would be even more successful, but also would be more politically divisive. Released to widespread acclaim in 1962, "Silent Spring" exposed the negative ecological toll of pesticides upon animals other than insects, including birds, fish, and humans. Chemical industry groups tried to label Carson as a "hysterical woman" out to damage the American system of "free enterprise" capitalism, but many scientists & politicians were persuaded by her arguments. Although Carson died of cancer in 1964 and therefore did not live to see the full flowering of the environmental movement during the Sixties and Seventies, her concerns about maintaining clean air & water helped bring forth numerous nonprofit organizations & regulatory agencies designed to address such problems. In recent years attempts to move the USA toward green energy have received setbacks, but a new generation of activists continues to be inspired by Carson's legacy to push for a move sustainable world.

Support the show

This episode begins with a brief overview of changes to the American religious landscape during the early 1960s, as highly conservative believers were shaken by the Supreme Court's decision against school prayer, and Catholics had a divided reaction to the "Vatican II" reforms to the traditional liturgy. During the Kennedy Administration, the Space Race entered high gear as the USA struggled to match Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's achievement as the first man in outer space. However, by 1962, Mercury program astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter were helping the American government attain its own impressive astronomical achievements. In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited divided Germany after the Soviet construction of the infamous Berlin Wall, and he encouraged the population of West Berlin with his legendary "ich bin ein Berliner" speech. Southeast Asia was a more difficult region for American foreign policy, because the pro-Communist members of the Viet Cong were increasingly making inroads into rural areas of South Vietnam, despite the efforts of US Green Berets in training the South Vietnamese army to defeat this elusive enemy. Buddhist protests finally led the Kennedy Administration to abandon Ngo Dinh Diem, the corrupt & venal president of the Republic of South Vietnam. However, Diem's removal & assassination failed to improve matters much, and South Vietnam became a dysfunctional puppet regime of an American government that was increasingly exasperated by its inability to control events in a small Asian country that had gained symbolic importance as a front line in the Cold War. Despite some encouraging steps toward detente with the Soviets, the US government remained concerned about the spread of Communism at the end of 1963.

Support the show

This fascinating interview dives into the history of modern Spain, and the influence of Spanish language and culture upon the United States. Juan Antonio Chica Sabariego is the head of the English Department at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas Sierra Morena, located in the Province of Jaén within the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. He discusses Spain's years of civil war and dictatorship under Francisco Franco, and the nation's transformation into a modern democracy during the 1970s and 1980s. We also talk about the occasional tensions that have developed between the USA and Spain, from the Spanish-American war in the late 19th Century to the War on Terror era of the early 21st Century. We conclude by providing some advice to North Americans interested in visiting Spain, and by pondering the increasing linguistic intermixing between the English and Spanish languages on both sides of the Atlantic.

Support the show

In this episode, we profile a little-remembered diplomat who served as a major voice of dissent against US involvement in the Vietnam War.  George Ball was born into an upper-middle class Midwestern family, and he became a prominent Chicago lawyer.  He became a political confidant of Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson during his two runs for the White House.  Ball received one of the top spots in the State Department during John F. Kennedy's presidency.  In that role, he promoted international trade and took a "dovish" view on foreign policy, recommending against US military interventions around the world.  George Ball is most famous for urging JFK to end US military involvement in Vietnam.  Kennedy remained indecisive on whether to increase or decrease the American presence in South Vietnam, up to the time of his death.  Ball gave the same antiwar advice to Kennedy's successor Lyndon B. Johnson, but the new president rejected Ball's suggestions, & he instead listened to generals who favored a heavier American military involvement in Southeast Asia.  The Vietnam War stretched into the 1970s, and the tragic conflict created millions of casualties.  Even after leaving public life, George Ball continued to publish writings questioning the conventional wisdom of US foreign policy, up until his death in 1994.

Support the show

This unique, mostly extemporaneous episode is a deep dive into modern European politics. The current United States government has destabilized the political scene by indicating it will reduce military support for NATO, and by having some of its top officials endorse the controversial far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) Party. We profile all of the main German political parties that were contenders in the February 2025 federal parliamentary elections: the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), the climate-focused Greens, the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), the hard-right AfD, the Die Linke (Left) party, and the populist BSW party. We discuss the dissatisfaction with the status quo under Chancellor Olaf Scholz that led to this disruptive election, and analyze the continued influence of anti-migrant sentiment pulling European politics to the right. Finally, we discuss the election's outcomes, including the victory of the CDU that will make Friedrich Merz the next leader of Germany, the continued rise in support for the right-populist AfD in formerly Communist East Germany, and the surprising revival in the fortunes of the left-wing Die Linke party. We conclude by examining how plans to increase German defense spending reflect a diminished partnership between Europe and the USA.

Support the show

After a brief podcast update, this episode provides the highlights from the life of Roberto Clemente, one of the first Latin American athletes to become a baseball star in the United States. Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico, and in 1955 he moved to the continental USA in order to play for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. After initially struggling with injuries, the language barrier, & culture shock, Clemente became an All-Star right fielder during the 1960s. He was a standout offensive & defensive player who became a favorite of baseball fans throughout the Western Hemisphere. He also became a major civil rights advocate for his fellow Afro-Latinos. Shortly after leading the Pirates to the 1971 World Series title, Clemente led a relief mission to provide aid to the survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua. Tragically, a cargo plane carrying supplies for the Nicaraguan people crashed with Clemente on board. Shortly after his premature death, Roberto Clemente was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he is still widely remembered for his community service & humanitarian efforts.

Support the show

After the Cuban Revolution installed a pro-Soviet Communist regime next door to the USA, American government officials had engaged in attempts at regime change in Cuba, through actions such as the Bay of Pigs invasion & Operation Mongoose. During summer 1962, the Soviets responded by sending nuclear missiles & military forces to Cuba. The North Americans discovered that operational nukes had been installed just 90 miles from US territory during October '62, which set off a panic within the Kennedy Administration. Hard-line US military leaders urged Pres. John F. Kennedy to respond by attacking Cuba with air strikes, followed by an invasion. JFK wisely chose a more cautious option. He announced to the American people that the US Navy would set up a blockade around the island, preventing further Soviet weapons & personnel from reaching Cuba. If the USSR violated the blockade, there would be war. The public breathed a huge sigh of relief when the Soviets turned their ships around. However, the Soviets then shot down an American U-2 plane flying through Cuban airspace, killing the pilot. The superpowers remained on the edge of war until a secret agreement was reached that the Soviets would remove its nukes from Cuba, in exchange for the removal of American nuclear missiles from Turkey. People around the world were greatly relieved that the crisis had been resolved peacefully (with notable exceptions including Cuban dictator Fidel Castro & American general Curtis LeMay). We conclude the episode by examining the psychological & cultural impact the Cuban Missile Crisis had upon American youths of the Baby Boomer generation.

Support the show

In this bonus episode, we look back on the year 2024, providing historical context for its dramatic events. We compare and contrast the various US presidents who have faced an impeachment, and examine its impact upon their subsequent political careers. We consider Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump as the only two presidents in American history to be elected to non-consecutive terms. We review some historic aspects of the 2024 presidential campaign, which featured an incumbent president stepping down as his party's nominee, and two assassination attempts against his challenger. Finally, we briefly consider the current domestic and foreign policy challenges that the US government will face during 2025.

Support the show

In this episode, producer Erin Rogers interviews FBTM's host & writer, Logan, about the past and future of the podcast. Topics discussed include: what inspired Logan to start a history podcast; book recommendations for US history fans; how the perspective brought by troubling current events should or shouldn't affect our approach to the show; why Thomas Dewey may be an underrated mid-20th Century moderate Republican, and why Eisenhower is one who is often overrated; what Logan's favorite episodes to write have been; the challenges of covering the turbulent 1960s; a denial that the show has been unreasonably obsessed with the Kennedys; what we do and do not about our show's audience; why Logan is not publicly disclosing his favorite color at this time; and what the future of the rebooted podcast holds.

Support the show