Episodes

August 13, 1906. A shooting in Brownsville, Texas, leads to the largest dismissal in the history of the United States Army. This episode originally aired in 2024.

August 12, 1865. British surgeon and scientist Joseph Lister performs the first antiseptic surgery.

August 11, 1950. The alleged traitor Ethel Rosenberg is arrested on allegations of spying for the Soviet Union. This episode originally aired in 2022.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we follow teenage millionaire Howard Hughes as he heads west with dreams of conquering Hollywood by revolutionizing the film industry. Link to Business Movers: https://wondery.com/shows/business-m...

August 8, 1988. a wave of nationwide student-led protests against Myanmar’s socialist dictator leads to a ruthless military crackdown. This episode originally aired in 2023.

August 7, 1909. Alice Huyler Ramsey becomes the first woman to drive across the continental United States.

August 6, 1991. British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee launches a digital information revolution when he uploads the first site to the World Wide Web. This episode originally aired in 2024.

August 5, 1966. Students at a school in Beijing, China beat a teacher to death, one of the first fatalities of the Cultural Revolution.

August 4, 1944. Jewish teen Anne Frank and her family are discovered by the Gestapo after two years in hiding in a “secret annex” behind her father’s business in Amsterdam. This episode originally aired in 2022.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we take a short boat ride off the coast of New York City to explore the mysterious history of the forbidden North Brother Island. Link to The Bowery Boys : https://the-bowery-boys-new-york-city-hi...

August 1, 1981. MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.

July 31, 1975. James Riddle Hoffa, the powerful and infamous union leader, is officially reported missing. This episode originally aired in 2023.

July 30, 1966. England defeats West Germany to lift the World Cup in the country where soccer originated. This episode originally aired in 2024.

July 29, 1954. After years of struggle for its author, the first installment of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is published in Britain. This episode originally aired in 2022.

July 28, 1540. King Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, 32 years his junior.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we shine the light on two remarkable transgender figures in STEM who were trailblazers in their fields; pioneering eighteenth century surgeon Dr. James Barry, and renowned nuclear physicist Angela...

July 25, 1965. at the Newport Folk Festival, American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan eschews his acoustic guitar to go electric in a controversial performance considered one of the most pivotal moments in the history of rock...

July 24, 1148. Crusaders lay siege to Damascus, attempting to regain control of the Holy Land, a fiasco that brings the second Crusade to an end.

July 23, 1982. Three people are killed when a helicopter crashes on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie. This episode originally aired in 2024.

July 22, 1916. A bomb explodes during a “Preparedness Day” parade in San Francisco, killing 10 people and wounding another 40.

July 21, 1969. American astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the moon. This episode originally aired in 2022.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we dig into the evolution of zombies in media- from their birth in the Caribbean amidst the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade to their high-speed, globalized, modern incarnations. Link to What W...

July 18, 64 AD. When the Great Fire of Rome reduces two-thirds of the city to ashes, Emperor Nero uses the catastrophe as an excuse to persecute a new religious group, the Christians. This episode originally aired in 2022.

July 17, 1918. Following the Russian Revolution, the Romanov royal family are executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in the basement of Ipatiev House, in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. This episode originally aired in 2023.