This Day

It’s August 11th. On this day in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her first full day on the Supreme Court. Jody and Niki are joined by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate to discuss Ginsburg’s nomination and how she went from measured incrementalist to feminist icon. Be sure to listen to Dahlia’s special series on RBG in the Amicus podcast feed. 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 9th. On this day in 1848, former President Martin Van Buren was nominated as the presidential nominee for the breakaway Free Soil Party. The party was short-lived, but influential, and partly responsible for the Republican party’s anti-slavery stance. Jody and Niki discuss the FSP, MVB, and what conditions it takes for a viable third party to arise in American politics. 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 6th. On this day in 1930, NY Judge Joseph Force Crater disappeared after getting dinner and heading to a Broadway show. He was never seen again, and his case has been a vacuum for conspiracy theories in the years since. Jody and Niki discuss Crater’s disappearance, and what his life tells us about the Tammany Hall of corruption and graft in New York City. 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 4th. On this day in 1942, the US started an immigration program for “braceros,” agricultural workers from Mexico who came to work on farms using temporary visas. Jody and Niki discuss how the program forged ties between the US and Mexico, and what it teaches us about borders. 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 2nd. On this day in 1980, Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential general election campaign with a speech at the Neshoba County Fair in MS. During the speech he used the phrase “states rights,” which was widely seen as a racial dog whistle. Jody and Niki are joined by Kevin M Kruse of Princeton to discuss Reagan’s campaign, the significance of that kick-off speech, and the long running Southern Strategy. 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 July 30th. On this day in 1956, Congress approved a bill to adopt “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States, mandating that it appear on paper currency and elsewhere. Jody and Niki are joined by Kevin M Kruse of Princeton to discuss why the 1950s was the era in which so much religion was codified into American political and society. Kevin’s book about the subject is “One Nation Under God.” 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 July 28th. On this day in 1974, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to recommend the impeachment of Richard Nixon on counts of obstructing justice. The vote would be followed by several other counts and, a few weeks later, Nixon’s resignation. Jody and Niki are joined by Leon Neyfakh, host of FIASCO and host of the first season of Slow Burn, all about the Watergate scandal. 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 July 26th. On this day in 1969, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy pled guilty to leaving the scene of the crime following a car accident on the island of Chappaquidick. Jody and Niki are joined by Maeve Higgins of the New York Times and the podcast Mothers of Invention to discuss the legacy of the scandal, the Kennedy family’s impunity, and how Mary Jo Kopechne has been erased from the story. 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 July 23rd. On this day in 1890, Wyoming celebrated its entry into the United States. And it was doing so as a state that granted women the right to vote. Jody and Niki are joined by Maeve Higgins of the New York Times and the podcast Mothers of Invention to discuss the suffrage movement on the American frontier. 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 July 21st. On this day in 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin rode the Apollo 11 lunar module down to the moon’s surface — while their pal Michael Collins stayed behind. Jody and Niki are joined by Maeve Higgins of the New York Times and the podcast Mothers of Invention to discuss whether we have going-to-the-moon like projects anymore. 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