Operation Midnight Climax

Roald Dahl is a beloved children’s author. Turns out, he was also a British spy during WWII! So how does one transition from seducing prominent Americans’ wives to writing Matilda? 

Well, we’re glad you asked! We called up the creator of a new docu-series called The Secret World of Roald Dahl to get all the dirt on this famous children’s author. 

Aaron Tracy, Creator of The Secret World of Roald Dahl

Listen to Bob Crawford's American History Hotline wherever you get your podcasts.

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In the winter of 1980, the world turned its eyes to Lake Placid, New York, host of the Winter Olympics. But behind the pageantry, another structure loomed in the Adirondack woods. Built to house 1,800 athletes, the Olympic Village looked less like a dormitory than a detention center — because that’s exactly what it was designed to become.

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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

For School of Humans, Producers are Emilia Brock and Edeliz Perez. Executive Producer is Virginia Prescott. 

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Could a new president ever be carved into Mount Rushmore? It depends on who you ask. We call up historian Matthew Davis (author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore) to learn about the history of the monument and what its future might hold. 

It’s a story with a lot of surprising twists and turns, from the hills of Georgia to the sacred mountains of South Dakota. How does Mount Rushmore reflect America’s battles over who and what America chooses to celebrate?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why Mount Rushmore was carved, and who originally inspired the project

The forgotten faces and ideas that never made it onto the mountain

How Indigenous history and land rights shape Rushmore’s legacy

Whether a future president could legally (or physically) be added

GUEST: Matthew Davis, author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore

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Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. That's a well known piece of history. But who integrated the NFL? 

Well, it's an amazing story with lots of binge drinking, miraculous comebacks and hot dog eating. Seriously. 

Just in time for the Super Bowl, we're calling up David Fleming, author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History. He explains how one of the worst teams in NFL history shaped the game we know today. 

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Elizabeth Swaney fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an Olympian, defying all odds. But it wasn’t supernatural athletic ability that got her there. And by the time she made it to the 2018 Winter Olympics, a lot of people were rooting against her. Here's the incredible story of a woman who made it to the Games by understanding those odds better than anyone else.

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During World War II, football itself was at risk. The Steagles—a hybrid of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers—were a desperate wartime experiment. With rosters drained by the draft, the NFL turned to mostly players deemed unfit for military service. And it might be the only way the NFL can survive the war.

Special thanks to Matthew Algeo! Check out his book Last Team Standing. 

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Eighty years ago, a young John F. Kennedy took a summer job as a journalist for Hearst newspapers, filing dispatches in the final days of World War II. Even the most seasoned JFK scholars often overlook this chapter, missing the influence those months had on the future president. 

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"JFK's Forgotten Summer," which we originally published in June, was our top performing episode of 2025. Tragically, it took on more significance earlier this month with the death of Rob Reiner.

Rob — who, with Soledad O'Brien, hosted Who Killed JFK?, one of the most successful podcasts of 2023 — kindly shared with us his knowledge and passion about the Kennedy family and appears in this episode. He was under no obligation to do this. He just wanted to help. It was an honor to work with him. We still cannot believe he and Michele are gone. 

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Listen to Who Killed JFK? from Rob Reiner and Soledad O'Brien wherever you get your podcasts. 

Check out Fred Logevall's excellent book: JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century.

And thanks to our JFK voice actor, Tom Antonellis, for nailing another role. 

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Joe Pompeo
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Research and Fact-Checking by Joe Pompeo and Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

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In much of the world, Christmas dinner means roasted turkey, glazed ham, or a table crowded with family recipes passed down for generations. But in Japan, millions mark the holiday with something far less traditional — a bucket of KFC. Today we unwrap one of the strangest and most successful marketing stories of the modern era: how an American fast-food chain became an essential part of Japanese Christmas.

On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. See Also: Stealing Baby Jesus.

Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Maria Trimarchi
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

Got a question or comment for Dana, Zaron, and Jason? Hit us up at [email protected]. 

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Netflix’s Death by Lightning is gripping, dramatic and TRUE. Or is it? 

We call up historian and New York Times bestselling author Alexis Coe for a lightning round fact check of Netflix’s new James A. Garfield series Death by Lightning. What does the series gets right? What does it bend for dramatic effect? And how does it rank compared to other presidential biopic(esque) series? 

We'll hit all the highlights:

• The assassination of President James A. Garfield
• The portrayal of Chester A. Arthur by Nick Offerman
• Political corruption
• 19th century medicine
• Should we have more stories about obscure presidents? 

Did you have thoughts on the series? Send your thoughts to [email protected] 

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In 1983, a cherubic, homely doll triggered something close to national hysteria. Parents fought in store aisles. Shelves were stripped bare. Even the New York mafia found itself selling children’s toys.  

Cabbage Patch Kids went from handmade curiosities to the most coveted object in America — igniting riots, corporate battles, and a moral panic that stretched from suburban malls to federal courtrooms. All in a single Christmas season. 

And the frenzy didn’t end when the Kids disappeared from shelves. In an unexpected twist decades later, these dolls would get more care and attention than they ever had before.

Previously on VSE: The Furby Files

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Very special thanks to all our guests! You can hear more of Larry Mazza’s story in his book The Life, available on Amazon.

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Today's episode is a production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
From School of Humans, producers are Emilia Brock and Edeliz Perez
Research and Fact-Checking by Jake Rossen, Virginia Prescott, and Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Executive Producers are Virginia Prescott and Jason English

Got a question for a future mailbag? Send it to [email protected]. 

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