Operation Midnight Climax

Was Johnny Appleseed a real person or just another American tall tale? On this week's American History Hotline, Bob Crawford gets to the core of the issue with author William Kerrigan (Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard: A Cultural History) to see how one man's true story inspired an enduring folk legend. 

In this episode Bob and William explore how John Chapman's religious revival led him to pioneer apple nurseries across Pennsylvania and Ohio. Just like some hybrid apples, Chapman was a mix of naturalist and capitalist. He bought vast tracts of land for apple orchards but believed in America’s lost simplicity and a connection to nature.

So, kick off your shoes and put a pot on your head as we travel around spreading seeds of knowledge. 

GUEST: William Kerrigan, author of Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard: A Cultural History

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In 1979, the world watched as NASA’s 77-ton space station made its fiery plunge back to Earth. When Skylab broke apart over a sleepy Australian town, the falling debris set off a global media frenzy. This is the story of the night the sky actually fell — and the teenager who became an improbable hero.

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On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Was it the rise of hitchhiking? Lead in the water pipes? Or was it something a little darker in our culture? Bob rings up private investigator and host of the podcast Hell & Gone: Murder Line — Catherine Townsend — to learn why there were so many serial killers in America during the 1970s.

From Ted Bundy to the Night Stalker and John Wayne Gacy, we dive into the “golden age” of serial killers to see how difficult it was to catch predators in a world before DNA testing, cell phones, and surveillance cameras. But that also begs the question: Are there fewer serial killers today? Listen, and find out! 

GUEST: Catherine Townsend, host of Hell and Gone: Murder Line and Red Collar

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

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What Happened in Nashville is a deeply reported investigation into the sudden collapse of a Tennessee fertility clinic, and the patients caught in the fallout. When the Center for Reproductive Health shut down without warning, people lost access to their embryos, their treatments were abruptly cut off, and many were left scrambling to recover money, medical records, and time they couldn’t afford to lose. Through intimate conversations with the patients who lived through it, host Melissa Jeltsen reveals the emotional and physical toll of the clinic’s abrupt closure. But the story reaches far beyond a single clinic. The series exposes the cracks in a fertility industry built on hope, high price tags and minimal oversight. What Happened in Nashville isn’t just the story of one tragedy — it’s a warning about a system where families have everything at stake and far too little protection.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app.

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Two Jamaican musicians are making a bold claim. They say they invented the now-ubiquitous reggaeton beat on a specific track in 1989. They're suing some of the genre's biggest stars for billions in royalties.

But we found someone who’s telling a very different origin story. Hold onto your headphones as we dive into the mystery behind one of the most influential beats in modern music.

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

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It's Fandemonium! This week Dana, Zaron, and Jason respond to listener emails. They tell their Very Special origin stories, pick their favorite episodes, cast the movie version of the podcast, and preview the exciting stories coming this winter.

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving Friday! And you can always reach us at [email protected].

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When Russia invaded Ukraine, hundreds of starving dogs were trapped inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. For years, Oregon-based veterinarian Dr. Jenn Betz had been their lifeline. Now, with Putin’s troops occupying the site, she had only one thought: How do I get back there?

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If you would like to help the dogs of Chernobyl, visit CleanFutures.org.

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

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Mixing and Mastering by Jesse Nighswonger
From School of Humans, producers are Emilia Brock, Edeliz Perez and Gabbie Watts
Research and Fact-Checking by Lucas Reilly 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

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In 1989, Boris Yeltsin walked into a Houston supermarket — and walked out ready to end an empire. What he saw in Texas that day would shake the foundations of the Soviet Union.

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

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Research and Fact-Checking by Dave Roos and Austin Thompson
Voice Actor is Tom Antonellis
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Executive Producer is Jason English

Special thanks to composer Evan Mack for letting us play a clip of “Make Your Move,” from his original opera Yeltsin in Texas. Learn more at evanmack.com. 

And thanks to Yelena Biberman for sharing her story. Check out her excellent podcast How to Kill a Superpower. 

We've got a mailbag episode coming later this month. Got a question for Dana, Zaron, or Jason? Email us at [email protected]. 

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How did America’s presidents really make—and manage—their money? Bob Crawford sits down with financial expert and author Megan Gorman to explore the personal finances of presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump. Drawing from her new book, All the Presidents’ Money: How the Men Who Governed America Governed Their Money, Gorman reveals who thrived, who failed, and what their choices say about leadership, power, and legacy.

Discover why Thomas Jefferson died in debt, how Abraham Lincoln overcame his impoverished childhood, why FDR’s polio treatment transformed presidential fundraising, and how modern presidents like Obama, Clinton, and Trump built post-White House fortunes. 

Also, do you have to be wealthy to become president? Or has the oligarchy already began? 

GUEST: Megan Gorman: All the Presidents’ Money: How the Men Who Governed America Governed Their Money

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In 1897, a Swedish engineer set out to reach the North Pole ... by balloon. With two companions, a crate of champagne, and the faith of a nation, he rose into the Arctic fog — and vanished. Decades later, their frozen journals and undeveloped film emerged from the ice, revealing the haunting truth behind one of exploration’s great mysteries.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Marisa Brown and Mac Montandon
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Marisa Brown
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Research and Fact-Checking by Marisa Brown and Austin Thompson
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Special thanks to our voice actors Tom Antonellis, Chris Childs, and Josh Fisher
Executive Producer is Jason English

You can email the show at [email protected].   

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.