Sometimes... it just takes time...

On this episode we turn to one of the most haunting figures in American literature, H.P. Lovecraft. Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1890, Lovecraft lived a life marked by frailty, financial struggle, and obscurity. Yet after his death in 1937, his stories took on a life of their own. He is now seen as the father of cosmic horror, the creator of a mythology that stretches from New England streets to the farthest corners of the universe.

We will trace his troubled childhood, his years in New York, and his return to Providence where he wrote his most enduring works. We will explore his strange philosophy that insisted humanity was insignificant in the vastness of space. And we will confront the controversies that remain part of his story. From cult fiction to modern pop culture, Lovecraft’s imagination continues to echo in ways he never lived to see.

France helped un in the revolution... does that mean we have to help Ukraine?

On this episode of Dave Does History we travel back to November 19, 1863, when Abraham Lincoln rose at Gettysburg to deliver what would become one of the most enduring speeches in American history. Lincoln was not the featured speaker that day, yet his brief two minutes transformed the way the nation understood itself. With 272 words he tied the bloodshed of the Civil War to the promise made in 1776, reminding Americans that liberty and equality are not passing ideas but permanent propositions.

We explore why Lincoln reached back to Jefferson’s Declaration rather than the Constitution, why “all men are created equal” remains a challenge for every generation, and how the pursuit of happiness reshaped political philosophy. Along the way, we connect the timeless ideals of the founding to the struggles of today, pressing the question Lincoln left for us all: can government of the people truly endure?

Everything changed on the night of August 18.

That evening, Rasher picked up radar contact on a large formation. It was no ordinary convoy. This was one of the most important Japanese supply efforts of the war, bound for the Philippines with troops and materiel. The convoy stretched in multiple columns, bristling with escorts, and covered by aircraft. To the American submarines waiting in the area, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. To the Japanese, it was a last chance to reinforce a crumbling position.

Computers can't be trusted

I stood on the cliff at Cape Disappointment, wind in my face, the Pacific grumbling below. Behind me, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center kept watch like a lighthouse for memory. This is where the Corps of Discovery met saltwater and fog, where maps ran out and America looked bigger than any drawing on parchment. I went to touch that edge, and to meet the shadow of a man who helped find it.

Tonight we talk about Meriwether Lewis, not the statue but the person. Soldier and observer, partner to Clark, tough in the wilderness and troubled in rooms full of ledgers. He carried Jefferson’s hopes across mountains, then carried debts and doubts that bit harder than winter rain. From triumph at the Pacific to a death that raises questions, his life reads like a warning and a promise. Join me as we chase the man behind the myth together.

Am I just getting old?

In August of 1942 the USS Argonaut left Pearl Harbor on a mission unlike any she had ever undertaken. Built as a mine-laying submarine, she was slow, heavy, and awkward in comparison to the fleet boats that now carried the war westward. But her broad hull and ample internal space made her a fit for something no one had tried before. Along with USS Nautilus, Argonaut carried Carlson’s Raiders, two hundred twenty-one Marines with orders to strike Makin Atoll, inflict damage, confuse the enemy, and get back out alive. It was the first time the Navy would send a submarine into battle not just as a hunter of ships, but as a troop transport. For Argonaut’s crew, used to torpedoes and patrols, this felt like stepping into a different kind of war.

If you thought politics could not get stranger, this week’s What the Frock? proves otherwise. Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod manage to turn an ordinary Sunday into a feast of Arby’s jokes, courtroom absurdities, global diplomacy, and even a debate over artificial intelligence. It is a ride that feels equal parts late-night comedy and kitchen table conversation.