Episodes

February 9, 1886. After anti-Chinese violence descends into riots, President Grover Cleveland declares a state of emergency in Seattle.

February 8, 1587. Mary Queen of Scots, the rival of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle.

February 7, 1964. The Beatles land in NYC on their way to perform on the Ed Sullivan show in front of an audience of tens of millions.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we’re investigating the Brooklyn Bridge in an episode from “History That Doesn’t Suck,” another spectacular history podcast hosted by a friend of mine, Professor Greg Jackson. Link to History That Doesn't Suck: https://historythatdoesntsuck.com/podcast See Privacy P…

February 4, 1974. Patty Hearst is kidnapped by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army.

February 3, 1870. The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing black men the right to vote.

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

February 1, 2009. Icelandic politician Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is sworn in as the country's prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold that post in Iceland and the world's first openly gay head of government.

January 31, 1874. The outlaw Jesse James and his gang pull off one of the most infamous crimes in the American Old West with the Gads Hill Train Robbery.

This Saturday Matinee comes from the spectacular “Legends of The Old West” podcast, hosted by my friend Chris Wimmer. But it’s not an “all hat, no cattle” tale. In this episode, Chris tells the story of a victory for Indiginous Americans that cannot stop the tide of losses: The Battle of the Little…

January 28, 1986. The space shuttle Challenger breaks apart in the sky 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven astronauts on board.

January 27, 1945. Soviet forces liberate the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.

January 26, 1939. In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco’s nationalist forces conquer the city of Barcelona.

January 25, 1971. Cult leader Charles Manson is found guilty of a series of notorious murders.

January 24, 1536. King Henry VIII is badly injured in a jousting accident, turning the once athletic and wise king into a paranoid, overweight tyrant.

In this week’s Saturday Matinee episode, we’re bringing you a podcast episode from a friend, interviewing a legend. Ben Sawyer and his co-host Bob Crawford from the podcast The Road To Now talk to Ken Burns about his newest documentary on Ernest Hemmingway. Link to The Road to Now: https://www.ther…

January 21, 1793. During the French Revolution, the King of France, King Louis XVI, is executed on the guillotine.

January 20, 2009. After a divisive campaign, Barack Obama is inaugurated as America's first African American president.

January 19, 1977. A Japanese-American radio broadcaster known as the mythical “Tokyo Rose” is pardoned after being falsely convicted of treason following World War Two.

January 18, 1778. Captain James Cook becomes the first European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands, but Cook’s journey will lead to his brutal killing on a Hawaiian beach.

January 17, 1920. Prohibition officially goes into effect after the passage of the Volstead Act.

In this debut weekend episode, we're bringing you something fascinating from history, and hopefully introduce you to a new podcast, too. In this selection from the podcast The History of Vikings, host Noah Tetzner speaks with author Martyn Whittock about Norse mythology, but most specifically its p…

January 14, 1967. A gathering of thousands in San Francisco kicks off the Summer of Love, and introduces “hippies” to the mainstream media.

January 13, 1968. American singer and songwriter Johnny Cash records his best selling live album in front of an audience of convicts. This episode includes a portion of "Jugo Blues" by janogonzalez, licensed under a Creative Commons License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. )