History Ago Go

New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin discusses his book Tombstone.  He covers all of the key figures in the Wild West story including, Wyatt Earp and the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Cochise County Cowboys.  He discusses the early days of Wyatt Earp and how he became one of the most known lawmen in American history.  Clavin also talks about the early life of Doc Holliday and how he met Wyatt Earp and how they became friends.  The conversation also covers the rough and tumble cowboys such as the Clanton's, McLaury's, Curly Bill, and Johnny Ringo.  He suggests what Hollywood portrayals are accurate and which take a great deal of liberties with the story - which often happens when covering the legends of the American West.  Clavin explains what actually happened at the OK Corral and indicates that it did not even occur at he corral.  He finishes with the last days of Wyatt Earp and the last of the Wild West.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Tombstone Lite, Tombstone Brewing Company, Tombstone, Arizona

BOOK:  Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell
https://www.amazon.com/Tombstone-Earp-Brothers-Holliday-Vendetta/dp/1250214580

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

MOVIE CLIPS:  Tombstone, Hollywood Pictures (1993)

Author Kathryn Smith reveals the amazing life of FDR's gatekeeper, Missy LeHand.  She starts from her early days helping Franklin Roosevelt with the 1920 Election and the tragedy of FDR being stricken with polio in 1921.  She explains the importance of LeHand and how she became a key figure in FDR's inner circle.  She details the relationship Missy had with the Roosevelt's and how she became almost like a member of the family.  Smith talks about the gubernatorial races in 1928 and 1930 and how that prepared Franklin Roosevelt for a presidential run in 1932.  The entire way to the White House, Missy LeHand was by FDR's side.  The discussion also covers how the president shielded his disability from the public.  The talk finishes with the untimely death of Missy LeHand and the lasting importance she had on FDR, the New Deal, and the nation.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA

BOOK:  The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story of the Partnership that Defined a Presidency
https://www.amazon.com/Gatekeeper-LeHand-Partnership-Defined-Presidency/dp/1501114972/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=missy+lehand&qid=1610603614&s=books&sr=1-2

WEBSITE:  http://margueritelehand.com/

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

Baseball writer and historian David Krell details the storied and amazing history of the New York Mets.  He talks about a myriad of topics from the first sponsorship for the Mets to their connection with the New York Metropolitans of the 19th century.  He explains how the Mets came to New York in 1962 and their owner the influential Joan Whitney Payson who owned the team from 1962 to 1975.  Krell details the early struggles for the Mets and their eventual rise of World Series Champions in 1969.  He discusses their powerful rotation of the early 70s with Seaver, Koosman, and Nolan Ryan.  After some down years the Mets returned to prominence in the mid-1980s with a brash and swaggering team.  Krell talks about the 80s rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals and the funs style of baseball of each team.  He then discusses the Mets in popular culture with movies such as Gone Girl and City Slickers and famous TV shows like Seinfeld.  He finishes with a discussion on the future of the New York Mets and the future of baseball.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Rhinegold Extra Dry Lager, Drinks Americas, Connecticut

BOOK:  The New York Mets in Popular Culture
https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Mets-Popular-Culture/dp/1476680108

MUSIC:  Bones Fork
https://bonesfork.com/

The award-winning author, journalist, and television producer Thomas Maier discusses the amazing story of the CIA's secret objective to assassinate Fidel Castro.  He explains how the mafia lost millions of dollars when Castro took control of Cuba and how the CIA used them to develop several schemes to kill the Cuban leader.  He spins the web by brining in the connection of the Kennedy family to the mafia and how the stars of the day such as Frank Sinatra was the connection between Kennedy, the mob, and the CIA.  He describes in detail the role that famous gangsters Sam Giancana and Johnny Roselli played in the secret mission to assassinate Fidel Castro.  Maier explains the many wild methods and schemes such as exploding cigars, poisoning, diseased handkerchiefs, and bomb-laden sea shells - none of which were successful.  The author indicates that Kennedy's fascination with James Bond led to that having a direct influence on real world missions.  He explains the wild connections between Kennedy, Sinatra, Giancana, Roselli, and the women in their lives who played a major role in the story - to include a proposed hit on Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.  He talks about the power struggled between Dulles/CIA and Hoover/FBI.  He details the Church Committee hearings in 1975 and how they led to the hits put on Sam Giancana and Johnny Roselli.  Maier finishes with secrets he uncovered in his research and even touches on the subject of who killed President Kennedy in 1963.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Anti-Hero IPA, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, Illinois

BOOK:  Mafia Spies:  The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK and Castro
https://www.amazon.com/Mafia-Spies-Inside-Gangsters-Castro/dp/1510741712

MUSIC:  Bones Fork
https://bonesfork.com/

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning, New York Times best selling author Thomas Ricks discusses the classical education of the Founding Fathers and how that impacted the creation of the American government.  He explains the moment that shocked him into starting to research this topic.  He details the intellectual journey of the first four American presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison.    Ricks explains civic virtue and how it was viewed by the founding generation.  He warns of a political environment that could lead to oligarchy, which Aristotle considered the least stable form of government.  He talks about how he held Washington and Madison in higher regard after writing First Principles, and that Adams and Jefferson lost some of their luster.  He details the system that Madison developed which used vice instead of virtue to strengthen the new government.  He discusses the rise of the market economy and how that has come to dominate American political, economic and social thought.  He concludes with some suggestions on how the American system can long endure with changes, which the Founders anticipated would happen.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Samuel Adams Limited Edition Winter Lager, Samuel Adams Brewing Company, Boston, Massachusetts

BOOK:  First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How that Shaped Our Country
https://www.amazon.com/First-Principles-Americas-Founders-Learned/dp/0062997459/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2QOOQJNANFWH4&dchild=1&keywords=first+principles+thomas+ricks&qid=1608591561&sprefix=first+principles%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-2

MUSIC:  Bones Fork
https://bonesfork.com/

Award winning author Judith Flanders discusses her book Christmas: A Biography.  She explains two major assumptions that are made about the holiday and how we have grown to accept many myths and legends as fact.  Christmas is a holiday that we all know, do not really know at all.  She talks about the early Roman celebrations such as Saturnalia and the importance of the winter solstice.  Flanders also discusses the reasons that December 25th was chosen to celebrate the nativity.  She does into detail about the many food traditions that accompany the holiday.  She explains the reason for the use of greenery and the history of the use of the Christmas tree.  She covers the giving of gifts and the origins of Santa Clause from St. Nicholas to Coca-Cola and she busts a few myths along the way.  She even discusses the history of the reindeer from Donner and Blitzen to Rudolph - for who we have Montgomery Ward and Gene Autry to thank for that.  She explains how carols did not start as Christmas songs and were not incorporated into church and religious services until modern times.  She discusses the importance of carols during WWII and their proliferation due to radio and TV.  She finishes with what Christmas really is and what it could look like in the future.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Rogue's 2020 Santa's Private Reserve Peppermint Bark Milk Stout, Rogue Brewery, Newport, Oregon

BOOK:  Christmas: A Biography
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Biography-Judith-Flanders/dp/1250190797/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N25ZBE7MD30G&dchild=1&keywords=christmas+a+biography+by+judith+flanders&qid=1608248862&sprefix=christmas+a+bio%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

Professor Douglas Boin discusses the Goths and ancient Gothia and why they are often misunderstood.  He talks about the difficulty of researching a people that did not have a written language for much of their existence.  He explains Roman stereotypes and prejudices against the Goths and the world that Alaric grew up in on the border of the Roman Empire.  Boin covers how many Goths were converted to Christianity through Roman missionaries as well as the difference between the Arian form of Christianity practiced by Alaric and the Nicaean form practiced by most Romans during that time.  He explains the exploitation of the Goths and how that led to hunger, raids, and pillaging by Alaric.  The author goes into the interesting political intrigue and deception that followed the death of Emperor Theodosius and how that destabilized an already challenged empire.  He discusses the importance of the Roman General Stilicho who was half-Vandal which caused some in the leadership to question him and eventually led to his execution.  Boin talks about Alaric's rise to military power, his problems with the Romans and why the death of Stilicho led to his decision to sack the imperial city of Rome in 410 A.D.  He finishes with what we can learn today from the fractured and complicated relationship between the Romans and the Goths.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Southern Gothic Unfiltered Pilsner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, California

BOOK:  Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome
https://www.amazon.com/Alaric-Goth-Outsiders-History-Fall/dp/0393635694/ref=asc_df_0393635694/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795269210872&psc=1

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

Pulitzer Prize winning author and Harvard University historian Dr. Fredrik Logevall covers the early years and eventual rise of John F. Kennedy.  He discusses his father Joseph Kennedy, Sr. and the impact he had on his children.  He challenges some of the myths about Joe Kennedy's contacts to organized crime and questionable business dealings and instead focuses JFK's father as a successful, although ruthless businessman.  Logevall compares demanding fathers of American presidents, Fred Trump and Joe Kennedy.  He explains how Jack Kennedy developed a different philosophy from his father in regards to international relations and how educational trips to the capitals of Europe help shape John Kennedy's worldview.  Dr. Logevall talks about Kennedy's military service and what actually happened with the famous PT-109 incident.  He also covers the controversial topic of Jack Kennedy's womanizing and his relationship with a possible Nazi spy Inga Marie Arvad.  The Congressional elections of 1946 are discussed which included the election of JFK, Nixon and Joseph McCarthy.  He discusses John Kennedy's service in the House and the Senate, and the criticism he receives for his conduct during the McCarthy-era.  He connects JFK's rise in politics and the rise of American power in the world.  He finishes with a discussion on the legacy of John F. Kennedy.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Heineken, Heineken International, Amsterdam

BOOK:  JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
https://www.amazon.com/JFK-Coming-American-Century-1917-1956/dp/0812997131

MUSIC:  Bones Fork
https://bonesfork.com/

Chuck Scholz discusses the background and connection of Father Augustus Tolton to the Gem City.  He was the first African American priest in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.  After his mother escaped from slavery in Missouri she made her way with her children across the Mississippi River to Illinois under gunfire.  Chuck details the early years of young Gus and his working in tobacco factory and attending school first at St. Boniface and later St. Peter's.  He explains the importance of Father McGirr in taking the Tolton family into his congregation and his effort to develop Augustus Tolton's religious training and education.  Chuck moves on to Tolton's education at St. Francis (Quincy University) and at a seminary in Rome, Italy where he became the first Catholic priest in history.  Scholz talks about Ft. Tolton's charismatic sermons and how he started to gain a large bi-racial congregation, which drew the jealousy of other Quincy priests.  The Diocese moved Tolton to Chicago where he continued his ministry where he died in 1897.  At his request, he was brought back to Quincy to be buried.  Chuck then goes into detail about the Cause for Sainthood of Father Augustus Tolton.  He finishes with where Father Tolton is in the process and even discusses one of the miracles that has been included as part of the Positio and his Cause of Sainthood.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

GUEST:  Chuck Scholz

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

HYMN:  Holy God We Praise Thy Name, Faith of Our Fathers

Dr. Mark Roehrs discusses the expansion of the Japanese military starting with their victory over Russia in 1905.  He explains the role Japan played in the First World War and the political system that developed in Japan after WWI.  He emphasizes the impact the Great Depression had on Asian countries and Japanese dependence on American products.  Roehrs talks about the dynamic between the Japanese military and the emperor.  He discusses the invasion of Manchuria and the U.S. response.  He goes into the military commanders of the Japanese and the United States and the rising tensions between the two nations.  He explains why the President Roosevelt moved the American Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor and the Japanese plan to destroy the U.S. naval presence in the Pacific.  Roehrs covers Admiral Yamamoto's plan and the situation that led to the American military being susceptible to attack.  He does include the mistakes the Japanese made at Pearl Harbor will giving them a large amount of credit for a near flawless attack.  He details the events on the morning of December 7, 1941 in Hawaii.  He concludes with a review of the conspiracy theory that FDR or Churchill knew about the attack and allowed it to occur to get the U.S. into WWII.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Big Wave Golden Ale, Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii

BOOK:  WWII in the Pacific
https://www.routledge.com/World-War-II-in-the-Pacific/Renzi-Roehrs/p/book/9780765608369

MUSIC:  Bones Fork