This week on History Happy Hour: The story of Anna May Wong, a Chinese American movie-star who battled racism and sexism as she emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywood’s most famous Chinese American actress.

Chris and Rick welcome Yunte Huang, author of Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History. The remarkable and sometimes tragic story of a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photos—with a touch of defiance—“Orientally yours.”

Yunte Huang grew up in a small town in China, where he began to learn English by secretly listening to Voice of America programs on a battered transistor radio. He came to the United States in 1991, and as a struggling Chinese restaurateur in the Deep South, continued to study American literature, reading William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, and Emily Dickinson on the greasy kitchen floor. After receiving his Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Yunte taught as an assistant professor of English at Harvard University from 1999 to 2003. A Guggenheim Fellow, Yunte is currently a professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

This week on History Happy Hour: Anna Rosenberg was a Hungarian immigrant who became one of FDR’s closest advisors and, according to Life Magazine, was “the most important official female in the world.” Her influence on 20th-century America, from the New Deal to the Cold War, was remarkable.

Chris and Rick explore her life with Christopher Gorham, author of The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America.

Christopher C. Gorham is a lawyer and teacher of modern American history at Westford Academy, outside Boston. He has degrees in history from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, and a law degree from Syracuse University. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post and in online journals. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Massachusetts.

This week on History Happy Hour: What exactly can pie tell us about American history? It’s no half-baked question! In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Rossi Anastopoulo, author Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies.

We’ll serve up the delicious details on how pies are woven into our history, from the first Thanksgiving to the lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro North Carolina. Pies, after all, are a subject as American as...apple pie. Which, turns out, is not American in origin at all. So there's lots to learn!

Rossi Anastopoulo is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in TASTE, Saveur, Food52, Bon Appetit, and Eaten Magazine. She works as the blog editor for King Arthur Baking Company and is based in Los Angeles. Rossi is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar.

This week on History Happy Hour: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. They were the only the only predominantly all-black US Women's Army unit sent overseas during World War II. Their mission: raise soldiers morale by improving the disastrously backed up mail.

To tell their story Chris and Rick welcome Col. Edna Cummings, U.S. Army (Ret) who has produced a documentary about the unit, and leads the Stephen Ambrose 6888 tour.

Edna Cummings had a distinguished 25-year military career culminating with senior-level positions at Georgetown University, the Pentagon, and NORAD/USNORTHCOM. Since 2018, Col. Cummings has worked to bring recognition to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. She championed the effort with Congress to enact the passage of the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act and served as producer for a documentary titled The Six Triple Eight. In March 2020, she was inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame and the Military Officers Association of America selected her as one of its national Changemakers.

This week on History Happy Hour: Canada’s bloodiest battle of World War II. In September 1944, the Allies liberated Antwerp, Europe’s largest port. But Antwerp would be of little unless the 12-mile-long West Scheldt Estuary linking it to the North Sea was also captured. In his greatest blunder of the war, Field Marshal Montgomery turned his back on the port, leaving the First Canadian Army to fight its way up the long coastal flank. They faced a grueling seven-week battle against a tenacious enemy determined to make them pay for every foot.

In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Our guest is Mark Zuehlke, author of Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign: September 13 - November 6, 1944.

 

Mark Zuehlke is an award-winning author generally considered to be Canada’s foremost popular military historian. His award-winning Canadian Battle Series, which traces the Canadian Army through its battles and campaigns of World War II, currently numbers thirteen titles with the latest published in 2019. Mark lives in Victoria, B.C.

This week on History Happy Hour: Chris and Rick welcome back distinguished (and sometimes disruptive!) oral historian Peter Hart to talk about his new book Footsloggers: An Infantry Battalion at War, 1939-1945.

He’ll share the story of a single British infantry battalion during WWII. From North Africa to Italy and Greece, the 16th learned their military skills the hard way facing determined German opposition every step of the way.

Peter Hart is the author of numerous books on World Wars I and II. He was formerly the lead oral historian at the Imperial War Museum in London and now is the co-host, along with Gary Bain, of the hugely popular Pete and Gary's Military History Podcast. This will be Peter’s fourth appearance on the show – putting him neck and neck with Joe Balkoski for who will get to five appearances first!

This week on History Happy Hour: A close-up look at daily life in a small Bavarian village during the years of Nazi Germany.

Chris and Rick welcome Julia Mead, co-author of the new book, A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism. An intimate portrait of German life during World War II, shining a light on how people in this picturesque village were changed by the waves of hate and horror through the rule of Hitler and beyond.

Julia Boyd is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People. Her previous books include A Dance with the Dragon: The Vanished World of Peking's Foreign Colony, The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician and Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan. As the widow of a former diplomat, she lived in Germany from 1977 to 1981. She currently resides in London.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. But he is often dismissed or left out when commentators discuss the great leaders of the Civil War.  Did he lead his troops to victory, or was he just along for the ride?  

This week Chris and Rick talk about Meade with Kent Masterson Brown, author of the recent book Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. We’ll explore Brown’s contention that Meade deserves far more credit than he usually receives for the way he handled the Army of the Potomac during and after this critical Civil War battle.

Kent Masterson Brown is the author of six Civil War history books for which he has received rave reviews and numerous national awards. He has also written, hosted, and produced eight award-winning documentary films for public and cable television.  He received his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1974 and practiced law for thirty-seven years.  

This week on History Happy Hour: Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was the highest-paid female performer in Europe, renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she vowed to stay and fight. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy.

In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome renowned historian Damien Lewis to talk about his new book Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. Lewis has spent ten years researching the story and unearthing new details about Baker’s wartime exploits.

Damien Lewis is a number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into over forty languages worldwide. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world’s major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East, winning numerous awards.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Last year we welcomed Kevin Hymel to talk about the first volume of his new Patton biography. Now we welcome him back to talk about the second volume, Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 2: August–December 1944.  

We'll be covering the period starting when Patton took command of the 3rd Army. It includes his race against France, the closing of the Falaise pocket, and the successful effort to relieve Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

A deep dive into the most incredible six months of Patton’s career.

Kevin Hymel has served as a Historian for the U.S. Army and Air Force. He is the author of Patton’s Photographs: War as He Saw It and has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton’s Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University and Master’s Degree from Villanova University, both in History.