This Day

It’s September 15th. On this day in 1992, the congressional district on Manhattan’s west side held its Democratic Primary. Incumbent Ted Weiss won handily. There was just one catch — Weiss had died of heart failure the day before. Jody and Niki discuss the aftermath of Weiss’s death which saw Jerry Nadler assume the seat. They also look at the incumbency advantage in American politics, and why there has traditionally been so little turnover in Congress. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 13th. On this day in 1988, Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis baorded an M-1 tank in order to set up a photo op, ostensibly to make him look tough on defense. It backfired horribly. Jody and Niki are joined by Amy Walter of the Cook Political Reporter and The Takeaway to discuss the tank photo, huge polling collapses, and the power of attack ads. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 10th. On this day in 1833, President Andrew Jackson announced that the U.S. government would no longer be keeping its money with the Second Bank of the United States. Jody and Niki are joined by Jacob Goldstein, host of the “Planet Money” podcast, to discuss Jackson’s showdown with the country’s official bank, and how it fits into the long history of distrust in banking institutions in America. Jacob’s new book is called “Money: The True Story of a Made Up Thing.” Buy it now! Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 6th. On this day Star Trek debuted. We are discussing Star Trek because of a convoluted theory that if the actress Jeri Ryan had never been cast on the series Star Trek: Voyager, Barack Obama would never have become president. Jody and Niki are joined by Ian Chillag, host of Everything Is Alive, and fan of this convoluted theory. Ian walks us through it and we discuss how much luck plays in political trajectories. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 6th. On this day in 1918, during the seventh inning stretch of a World Series game between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, a band played the “Star Spangled Banner” for the first time at a major sporting event. Jody and Niki are joined by Jason Concepcion of The Ringer to discuss why we now sing the national anthem at virtually every sporting event, and how sports, patriotism, and militarism have intertwined in the 100 years since. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 3rd. On this day in 1944, a woman by the name of Recy Taylor was raped in Abbeville, Alabama. Jody and Niki are joined by Danielle McGuire to discuss how Taylor’s case became one of the most notable cases in the early modern civil rights movement — and an important chapter in the political life of Rosa Parks. Danielle McGuire’s book is “At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Race and Resistance -- A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power.” Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s September 1st. On this day in 1862, the Internal Revenue Act went into effect. Jody and Niki discuss how the act codified many of the systems and precepts of our tax code — including the idea that the rich should be taxed at a higher rate than the poor; and that certain “vice” items should be subject to a sales tax. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s August 30th. On this day in 1979, newspapers around the country reported on an encounter President Jimmy Carter had earlier that summer with a rabbit while fishing. Jody and Niki are joined by Sam Sanders of NPR’s “It’s Been A Minute” to discuss how the Carter vs. Rabbit narrative spiraled out of control and turned into a genuine scandal. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s August 27th. On this day in 2014, President Barack Obama gave a press conference about Ukraine and ISIS and foreign policy — but much of the political chatter was about his choice of tan suit. Jody and Niki are joined by Sam Sanders of NPR’s “It’s Been A Minute” to discuss the “scandal” and what it how it represented a shifting moment in political coverage. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s August 25th. On this day in 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed papers that ratified the 19th amendment, which stated that the right to vote would not be denied “on account of sex.” Jody and Niki are joined by Kellie Carter Jackson of Wellesley to talk about the passage of the amendment, the intersectional nature of the suffrage movement, and why it wasn’t another 45 years until all women were really free to vote. Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices