Episodes

February 21, 1965. Civil rights leader Malcolm X is assassinated while giving a speech in New York.

February 20, 1281. The Japanese Imperial Court orders all temples and shrines to pray for victory in the face of a Mongol invasion and, in an unlikely twist, a massive typhoon saves the country.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, Chris Wimmer and the podcast Infamous America tells the story of the largest hotel robbery in American history, netting the thieves an estimated 28-million dollars worth of stolen jewelry and cash. Link to Infamous America: https://podfollow.com/1437525441 …

February 17, 1972. The Volkswagen Beetle becomes the world's best-selling car, breaking a record held for decades by the Ford Model T.

February 16, 2003. The Antwerp World Diamond Centre is robbed of over $100 million in loose diamonds, gold and jewelry in what is considered the biggest heist of all time.

February 15, 399 BC. Athenian philosopher Socrates is sentenced to death for impiety and corrupting the city’s youth.

February 14, 1349. After being blamed for the spread of the Black Death, hundreds of Jews are executed in the Strasbourg Massacre.

February 13, 1935. Carpenter Bruno Hauptmann is convicted of the abduction and murder of the 20-month old son of famous American aviator, Charles Lindbergh – a case that will make kidnapping a federal crime.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, Bob & Ben speak with Author Amy Argetsinger about Miss America’s origins, how the pageant both shaped and was shaped by American society, and why it might be okay that the pageant’s significance in American culture has faded. Link to The Road to Now: www.theroadtonow…

February 10, 1962. At the height of the Cold War, America and the Soviet Union agree a spy exchange.

February 9, 1897. In response to the massacre of a trade delegation, a British army invades Benin in a campaign known as the Punitive Expedition, overthrowing Oba Ovonramwen and marking the end of his independent kingdom.

February 8, 1925. Leader of the Pan-Africanism movement, Marcus Garvey, enters federal prison for mail fraud, initiating a steep decline in his influence.

February 7th, 2005: British sailing sensation Ellen MacArthur smashes the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe.

February 6, 1958. Twenty-three people die, including eight members of Manchester United's championship-winning football team, when an airplane crashes on take-off in Munich.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, Bears! Telling the story of two such animals and how they changed the life of one president, and the course of history of a nation. Link to The Past and the Curious: https://thepastandthecurious.com/ Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily. S…

February 2, 1943. The Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest of WWII, ends in defeat for Nazi Germany.

February 1, 1925. After a diphtheria outbreak threatens to decimate the entire icebound community of Nome, Alaska, a five-day dog sled relay to carry life-saving medicine finally arrives in the isolated town.

January 31, 1928. Leon Trotsky, one of the architects of the Russian Revolution, is exiled to Kazakhstan by his longtime rival, Joseph Stalin.

January 30, 1661. On the 12th anniversary of the beheading of King Charles I, the controversial politician Oliver Cromwell faces the same grisly fate, even though he’s already been dead for two and a half years.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, host Ian Sanders talks with Brian Morra, the Chief of Intelligence Analysis for US Forces Japan at Yakota airbase when on September 1st, 1983, an unarmed Korean airliner was shot down by a Soviet fighter causing the deaths of 269 people.  Link to Cold War Conve…

January 27, 1945. In the midst of World War Two, Soviet forces liberate the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.

January 26, 1808. British Officer William Bligh is deposed as Governor of New South Wales, Australia in a coup called the Rum Rebellion.

January 25, 1964. A young entrepreneur founds Blue Ribbon Sports, a company that will one day be better known as Nike.