Episodes

May 31, 1921. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Black teenager is accused of assaulting a white woman, setting off one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history.

May 30, 1431. In Rouen, France, 19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, the venerable, beloved, quirky Jeep, the original SUV, as explored on a new show from Pushkin, “Car Show! with Eddie Alterman” Link to Car Show! with Eddie Alterman: https://www.pushkin.fm/show/car-show-with-eddie-alterman/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 27, 1940. During World War Two, the British Military launches Operation Dynamo, pulling out hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers from the French port city of Dunkirk.

May 26, 1896. In the aftermath of a financial crisis, the Wall Street Journal begins printing the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the nation’s oldest market index still in use today.

May 25, 1977. After a production plagued by mishap and doubt, the first Star Wars film is released and becomes a global sensation.

May 24, 1818. Determined to expand the US empire by any means necessary, Andrew Jackson invades Pensacola to complete his conquest of Spanish Florida.

May 23, 1934. Notorious American outlaws, Bonnie and Clyde, are killed in a police shoot-out in Louisiana.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, Billy the Kid and a new show from Noiser, “Real Outlaws.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 20, 1916. Freezing, exhausted and starving, Ernest Shackleton stumbles back to civilization after a grueling escape from the punishing Antarctic conditions that crushed and sank his ship, the Endurance.

May 19, 1536. After being accused of treason, adultery, and incest, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, is publicly executed.

May 18, 1804. Rising from obscurity to become a national hero, Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power in France and declares himself Emperor. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 17, 1638. Pirates sack the city of Veracruz in New Spain, taking a large group of hostages, and holding them for ransom.

May 16, 1975. Junko Tabei, a Japanese mountaineer, author and teacher, becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. .

On today’s Saturday Matinee, the impenetrable Maginot Line, 280-mile-long defensive border the French erected to keep Germany out. It didn’t work. Link to the History of the Second World War podcast: http://historyofthesecondworldwar.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 13,1862. During the American Civil War, a slave steals a Confederate ship and flees with his family to freedom.

May 12, 2002. Former President Jimmy Carter goes to Cuba, becoming the first American president to visit the country since Castro's revolution in 1959.

May 11, 1812. A disgruntled former merchant named John Bellingham shoots and kills Spencer Perceval, the only British Prime Minister assassinated in history.

May 10, 1994. Nelson Mandela is sworn in as South Africa’s first Black president, marking an end to the nation’s oppressive and segregationist Apartheid laws.

May 9, 1945. The Soviet Union celebrates Victory Day after Germany’s surrender brings an end to World War II in Europe.

On today’s Saturday Matinee, before it was history, it was news. But one news event made history: the Hindenburg disaster, one of the earliest examples of new electronic media that would routinely report shocking events in the moment that they occurred. Link to We Interrupt This Broadcast: https://weinterruptthisbroadcast.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 6, 1937. The Hindenburg, the largest rigid airship ever built, and the pride of Nazi Germany, bursts into flames, killing 36 people.

May 5, 1862. Following the French invasion of Mexico, Mexican soldiers succeed in defending the town of Puebla, sealing a victory that will be commemorated by the national holiday, Cinco de Mayo.

May 4, 1535. Carthusian monks are hanged, drawn, and quartered for their refusal to acknowledge King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.