Latest Episodes
May 20th: Prisoners Arrive At Aushwitz
May 20, 2022
- 04:38
On May 20, 1940, the first prisoners arrive at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi death camp.
May 19th: MLK's Letter From A Birmingham Jail
May 19, 2022
- 04:39
On May 19, 1963, The New York Post Magazine publishes excerpts of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
May 18th: Abraham Lincoln Is Nominated
May 18, 2022
- 04:33
On May 18, 1860, Abraham Lincoln is nominated for president by the Republican Party in Chicago
About The Show
C13Originals and Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Jon Meacham, co-creators of the 2021 Webby Award-winning Best Podcast Series It Was Said and the acclaimed podcast Hope, Through History, join together again for a brand-new series that will guide listeners through critical moments in our history. Every Monday through Friday, Meacham travels back to impactful events that occurred on that date in history—the birth of a visionary filmmaker, the debut of an iconic athlete, the discovery of a lifesaving cure, a triumphant legal victory. You’ll learn how that event shaped politics, art, culture, sports and science, and why it’s still relevant today.
More Episodes
May 20th: Prisoners Arrive At Aushwitz
May 20, 2022
- 04:38
On May 20, 1940, the first prisoners arrive at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi death camp.
May 19th: MLK's Letter From A Birmingham Jail
May 19, 2022
- 04:39
On May 19, 1963, The New York Post Magazine publishes excerpts of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
May 18th: Abraham Lincoln Is Nominated
May 18, 2022
- 04:33
On May 18, 1860, Abraham Lincoln is nominated for president by the Republican Party in Chicago
May 17th: Brown v. Board of Education
May 17, 2022
- 04:24
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Board of Education
May 16th: President Andrew Johnson Faces Removal
May 16, 2022
- 05:12
On May 16, 1868, Andrew Johnson survives removal from office by a single vote.
May 13th: Pope John Paul II Is Shot
May 13, 2022
- 03:54
On May 13, 1981, in the Vatican City, Pope John Paul II was shot by a would-be assassin.
May 12th: The USSR Lifts Its Blockade Of Berlin
May 12, 2022
- 04:30
On May 12, 1949, The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
May 11th: Ellis Island Becomes A National Monument
May 11, 2022
- 05:07
On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island becomes part of the Statue of Liberty national monument.
May 10th: Nelson Mandela Becomes President
May 10, 2022
- 04:49
On May 10, 1994, in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is sworn in as president of South Africa.
May 9th: The Abolitionsist John Brown Is Born
May 9, 2022
- 05:16
On May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut… the abolitionist John Brown is born.
May 6th: The Hindenburg Explodes
May 6, 2022
- 04:33
On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg exploded as it prepared to make mooring at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people.
May 5th: The First American In Space
May 5, 2022
- 04:43
On May 5th 1961, Navy Commander Alan Shepard, Jr., became the first American to travel in space.
May 4th: The First Freedom Ride
May 4, 2022
- 06:03
On May 4, 1961, the first Freedom Ride leaves Washington, D.C., for the segregated South.
May 3rd: Margaret Thatcher Is Elected
May 3, 2022
- 05:23
On May 3, 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister of Great Britain.
May 2nd: Osama Bin Laden Is Killed
May 2, 2022
- 05:16
On May 2, 2011, in Pakistan, U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden.
April 29th: Aretha Franklin Releases Respect
April 29, 2022
- 05:48
On April 29, 1967, Aretha Franklin released “Respect.”
April 28th: Harper Lee Is Born
April 28, 2022
- 05:57
On April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, the writer Harper Lee was born.
April 27th: One World Trade Center
April 27, 2022
- 05:10
On April 27, 2006, in downtown Manhattan, Construction on One World Trade Center began.
April 26th: Fenway's First Homerun
April 26, 2022
- 05:09
On April 26, 1912, in Boston, Massachusetts, the first home run at Fenway Park was hit.
April 25th: The United Negro College Fund Is Incorporated
April 25, 2022
- 06:40
On April 25th, 1944, The United Negro College Fund was incorporated.
April 22nd: Richard Nixon Dies
April 22, 2022
- 05:50
April 22st, 1994. The day Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, dies.
April 21st: Queen Elizabeth Is Born
April 21, 2022
- 05:06
April 21st, 1926. The day the future Queen Elizabeth II is born.
April 20th: Macbeth Premiers
April 20, 2022
- 04:37
April 20th, 1611. The day William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is staged at the Globe.
April 19th: The Oklahoma City Bombing
April 19, 2022
- 05:55
April 19th, 1995. The day domestic terrorists attacked America in Oklahoma City.
April 18th: Paul Revere's Ride
April 18, 2022
- 05:55
April 18th, 1775. The day Paul Revere galloped into history to warn American revolutionaries that the British were coming.
April 15th: Jackie Robinson Joins The Majors
April 15, 2022
- 06:36
On April 15th, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
April 14th: The Titanic Sinks
April 14, 2022
- 06:07
On April 14th, 1912, in the North Atlantic Ocean, the mighty ship Titanic sank.
April 13th: Thomas Jefferson Is Born
April 13, 2022
- 06:55
On April 13th, 1743, in Albermale County, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was born.
April 12th: The Polio Vaccine Is Approved
April 12, 2022
- 05:53
On April 12th, 1955, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Dr. Jonas Salk’s vaccine for polio was approved.
April 11th: LBJ Signs The Civil Rights Bill
April 11, 2022
- 07:07
On April 11th, 1968, at the White House, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
April 8th: The 13th Amendment Is Passed
April 8, 2022
- 07:14
On April 8th, 1864, in Washington, DC, the United States Senate passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
April 7th: Francis Ford Coppola Is Born
April 7, 2022
- 04:46
On April 7th, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan, the film director Francis Ford Coppola was born.
April 6th: The Battle of Shiloh Begins
April 6, 2022
- 04:37
On April 6th, 1862, in Hardin County, Tennessee, The Battle of Shiloh began.
April 5th: Churchill Resigns
April 5, 2022
- 05:55
On April 5th, 1955, in London, England, Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
April 4th: NATO Is Formed
April 4, 2022
- 06:08
On April 4th, 1949, In Washington, DC, the United States signed a treaty that led to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Welcome to Reflections of History, with Jon Meacham
March 31, 2022
- 01:25
Welcome to Reflections of History. From the creators of the 2021 Webby Award-Winning Best Podcast Series, It Was Said, and Hope Through...
To Bend The Arc
May 26, 2021
- 27:26
Progress isn’t inevitable. Justice is forever elusive. Liberty is always fragile. What will it take for America to find its better...
One Nation, Under God?
May 19, 2021
- 20:22
The religious right becomes a force in American politics. Guided by a belief that Christianity belongs at the center of public life,...
Dashed Hopes
May 12, 2021
- 30:33
Republican presidents in second half of the 20th century were not strangers to extreme rhetoric and hardline statements, but in practice...
First Blood
May 5, 2021
- 26:31
From the Yalta Conference to the centrist Dwight Eisenhower administration, members of the far-right feel a sense of betrayal as the...
Rendezvous With Destiny
April 28, 2021
- 27:02
LBJ announces his vision for a "Great Society" in an America predominately defined by two competing visions, both rooted in a shared...
Welcome to Fate of Fact
April 16, 2021
- 03:51
Welcome to a new audio documentary, Fate of Fact, a presentation of Shining City Audio, a C13Originals and Jon Meacham studio....