August 7, 1943. Off the coast of Venezuela, a Nazi U-boat is under siege. For nine days, it’s hunted by Allied aircraft across the Caribbean, until its engines fail and its commander gives the order: abandon ship. Forty-three German sailors plunge into shark-infested waters, and are pulled out by their enemy - the United States.

The Germans think the worst is behind them. Instead, they’re headed for a POW camp in the American heartland, where life will actually be pretty comfortable. They play soccer, harvest corn, eat well… until things turn violent. 

How did Nazi prisoners of war end up murdering each other on U.S. soil? And what does American justice look like when applied to the enemy?

Special thanks to William Geroux, author of The Fifteen: Murder, Retribution, and the Forgotten Story of Nazi POWs in America.

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July 29th, 1992. The Baltimore Sun runs a feature about a surprise candidate in the upcoming presidential race: Barbie. The 11.5-inch icon of girlhood and glamor is running for office – and flying off the shelves. But how did a plaything become important enough to make national news? 

To answer that question, we take you on a journey through doll history, from French porcelain beauties to cherubs that stood for women’s suffrage. And of course, the doll who taught us how fun life in plastic could be. How did these dolls revolutionize play and even politics? And what do they have to tell us about ourselves? 

Special thanks to our guests: Florence Theriault, doll expert and founder of Theriault’s antique auction firm; Pat Wahler, author of The Rose of Washington Square: A Novel of Rose O'Neill, Creator of the Kewpie Doll; and Robin Gerber, author of Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her.

** This episode originally aired July 24, 2023.

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July 23rd, 1892. Henry Clay Frick is one of America’s leading industrialists. To Alexander Berkman, he’s one of America’s leading villains. Berkman is an anarchist, along with his partner, Emma Goldman. They believe the current order of things needs to change, and one way to make change is through violence.

Frick is meeting with his associates in his Pittsburgh office when Berkman bursts into the room and draws his gun. The men lock eyes, knowing that their fates are about to be forever changed. 

Why did the "Queen of Anarchism" and her partner target one of America's wealthiest men? And how did the attack help lead to the rise of J. Edgar Hoover and policing as we know it?

Special thanks to Steven Johnson, author of The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective. We also referred to the books Love, Anarchy & Emma Goldman by Candace Falk; American Anarchy by Michael Willrich; and Sasha and Emma by Paul Avrich and Karen Avrich.

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July 17, 1674. During renovations at the Tower of London, construction workers digging beneath a stone staircase make a chilling discovery—two child-sized skeletons buried ten feet underground. And King Charles II believes he knows who they are.

The remains reignite one of the most enduring mysteries in British history: the fate of the Princes in the Tower. For over 500 years, historians have debated what happened to King Edward V and his younger brother, Prince Richard. Were they murdered—perhaps by their uncle, Richard III? Or did they simply vanish from the historical record?

This week, Sally Helm speaks with Philippa Langley, author of The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case. Langley shares why she believes we’ve been looking at this mystery the wrong way—and how new evidence could finally bring the truth to light.

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When we first aired "Operation Mincemeat" back in 2020, it was a daring WWII thriller that felt almost too wild to be true. Now, it’s not just history — it’s a hit Broadway musical. This week, we're revisiting our original episode about the ingenious Allied ruse that helped turn the tide of the war. And we’re adding a twist: an interview with Natasha Hodgson, co-creator and star of Operation Mincemeat, the musical. She joins us to talk spies, songs, and how one of the strangest wartime plots ever ended up on stage.

Original episode description --

July 10, 1943. 150,000 British and American soldiers storm the beaches of Sicily in the first Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe. But the Nazis…aren’t really there to put up a fight. Hitler thought the invasion was coming for Greece. The Nazis have been tricked by two British Intelligence officers and a covert deception plan. How did their operation— which involved a corpse, a false identity and a single eyelash—change the course of WWII?  

Special thanks to Nicholas Reed, author of The Spy Runner.

** This episode originally aired June 7, 2020.

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July 7, 1938. Superman has the villain in his grasp. They soar through the air, then slam into the ground. This villain wants to start a war. Our hero won’t let that happen.

At this point, Superman only has two comic book appearances. And yet, his legend is already beginning to grow. Kids read about heroics at the community pool, sitting on their stoops, late at night under their covers. Soon enough, Superman becomes America’s hero, but the two young men who created him will get left behind.

How did two friends from Cleveland invent a national icon? And how did he slip from their grasp?

Special thanks to Brad Ricca, author of Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – the Creators of Superman. His newest book is Lincoln’s Ghost.

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July 7, 2007. In a dramatic ceremony featuring pop stars, fireworks, and smoke cannons, the Colosseum is named one of the seven new wonders of the world. It’s an appropriately over-the-top blowout for an arena which, centuries before, was home to its own lavish events. How did spectacles once unfold on the floor of this ancient arena? And how did the Romans use games to entertain people and to control them?

Special thanks to our guests, Alison Futrell, co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, and Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium.

** This episode originally aired July 4, 2022.

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June 28, 1928. Louis Armstrong is in the studio recording what he hopes will be another hit. His career is on the rise, but he’s not a household name yet. But he’s about to lay down a track – “West End Blues” – that won’t just change his career, but the entire genre of jazz. 

But Armstrong didn’t compose “West End Blues” – it was written by his mentor, a man only remembered by people who are really into the history of jazz, a cornet player named Joe “King” Oliver. Armstrong records this song likely as a favor to this father figure, someone who set him on the path to becoming an American icon. Oliver might be forgotten by many, but his role is undeniable.

Before “What a Wonderful World” or “Hello Dolly,” how did Louis Armstrong get his start following King Oliver around New Orleans? And how did the complicated, sometimes fractured relationship with his mentor give rise to this legendary career?

Special thanks to Ricky Riccardi, director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, New York, and author of several books on Armstrong, including his most recent, Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong.

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June 22, 1611. It’s been a long, cold winter. Henry Hudson and his crew have been stranded in the Canadian Arctic for months, living on the ice in wooden shacks - starving, sick, and ready to go home.

And yet, Hudson wants to carry on and search for the Northwest Passage, a theoretical trading route to the Pacific that could bring him untold fortunes. His crew has had enough.

How does this journey go so wrong? And what happens when you push a crew of sailors beyond the extreme?

Special thanks to Peter Mancall, historian at the University of Southern California and author of Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson.

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June 9, 1954. Senator Joseph McCarthy has accused the United States Army of having communists within its midst. After rising to power during a time of great fear in America, McCarthy's name has become synonymous with anti-communism – and with baseless, life-ruining accusations. But today, five simple words will take down one of the most notorious men in American political history.

What made McCarthy so powerful in the first place? And how did that very same thing eventually bring him down?

Thank you to our guest, Ellen Schrecker, historian, author and expert on McCarthyism.

Thank you to Thomas Doherty, Professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, for speaking with us for this episode. He is the author of Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture. 

** This episode originally aired June 8, 2020.

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