How We Got Here

In this episode of How We Got Here - the day English settlers raid the Powhatan town of Paspahegh, slaughtering two dozen including the chief’s wife and children.

Plus, we use our archives to take you back to Charlottesville for the Unite the Right rally, remembering those who died in the skies and below during this notorious day in Virginia history.  

In this episode of How We Got Here - the day a tornado touched down in the Tri-Cities, shearing storefronts in half and claiming lives along the way. Plus, a detective story 200 years in the making. Why the British may be to blame for Virginia’s missing census records. And, the story behind the resignation letter from the commander of the Confederates after the shattering loss at Gettysburg. 

In this episode of How We Got Here - the mother of modern medicine, born in Virginia. The ethical seesaw surrounding Henrietta Lacks, and how her story changed medical discoveries for generations. Plus, meet the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy. The mystique of John Mosby during the Civil War, and how his own views changed after the Confederacy fell. And we’ll take you inside the ‘room where it happened.’ How two Virginians and a New Yorker moved the U.S. capital. Finally, hundreds were killed in an explosive instant outside of Petersburg after the Union decided to tunnel underneath their rebel foes.

In this episode of How We Got Here - how the bounties of the Caribbean island of Bermuda helped save Jamestown – in a story that inspired William Shakespeare. Plus, Virginia soil was stained with blood from the first major battle of the Civil War. How the First Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, would shape years of conflict between the Union and Confederacy.

In this episode of How We Got Here - years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Alabama, Irene Morgan in Virginia did the same thing, leading to a landmark Supreme Court decision that became the starting point for dismantling segregation in the United States. Plus, the story of the man known as the father of the U.S. Navy. How Scottish-born John Paul Jones would rise to fame during the American Revolution. And the moment that humankind first touched foot on the moon.

In this episode of How We Got Here - A look at the final execution in Virginia before the first state in the South abolished the death penalty. Plus, the most ‘animated’ of the Confederate statues comes down along Monument Avenue. Then, the decades-long tale of the Norfolk Four, from their wrongful convictions to their freedom. And revealing the identity of Virginia’s most famous sorceress, the Witch of Pungo.

Season 5 launches on Monday, July 5. How We Got Here, presented by NBC12 in Richmond, Virginia, is a podcast highlighting Virginia’s rich history, one week at a time.

In this bonus episode of How We Got Here, we go behind the sounds with Host Rachel DePompa and Executive Producer Colten Weekley to dive deep into how we made this season. You’ll hear about some of our favorite guests and which segments really stuck with us.

In this episode of How We Got Here – The fight in Virginia to give women the right to vote; a three-generation, 72-year battle that came down to one vote. Plus, the day the angel of the Confederacy was born. Why the title she was given is still debated to this day. And we look at the founding of the Virginia Military Institute, including its fight to survive the Civil War and the social battles it faces today.

In this episode of How We Got Here – Tales from the Lewis and Clark expedition that you didn’t learn in school: how American myth-making dominates the way their story is taught. Plus, the political process to elect the first – and only – President of the Confederate States of America. Why Jefferson Davis was considered a moderate choice. And one of the worst plane crashes in Virginia history is a little-known story that changed the way the United States Army transported troops around the country, as dozens died less than a mile from the runway at Byrd Field.