Skip to content
PodcastsHistoryThis Day (An America 250 History Show)

This Day (An America 250 History Show)

Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia
This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Latest episode

952 episodes

  • This Day (An America 250 History Show)

    Eleanor Roosevelt'sTuskegee Plane Ride [Some Sunday Context]

    08/09/2026 | 14 mins.
    This past week we did a two-parter on the desegregation of the military. For today's "Sunday Context" episode, we revisit an episode we dd about the time First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took an airplane ride in a small plane piloted by Charles “Chief” Anderson, a Black pilot and member of the Tuskegee airmen.
    Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the photo caused a sensation, and controversy — and helped bolster the case for Black pilots to serve in WWII.
    Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.
    This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
    Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
    If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com
    Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod
    Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
  • This Day (An America 250 History Show)

    Military Integration: Pressure On Truman (Part Two)

    08/06/2026 | 40 mins.
    Our conversation about military integration continues with a look at Harry Truman and the civil-rights battle within the Democratic party. After a contentious 1948 convention, Truman starts to embrace desegregation, starting witht the military. Then we discuss how the culture of the armed forces began to slowly change.
    Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.
    This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
    Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
    If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com
    Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod
    Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
  • This Day (An America 250 History Show)

    Military Integration: Double V (Part One)

    08/04/2026 | 43 mins.
    For the twenty-eighth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1948 and the moment that Harry Truman issued an executive order to — finally, formally — desegregate the armed forces. We talk about the long history of Black Americans in the armed services, and how the “double V” campaign of WWII put pressure on segregation. We also discuss how the military has served as a vehicle for growth for many Black families, including Kellie’s.
    Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.
    This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
    Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
    If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com
    Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod
    Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
  • This Day (An America 250 History Show)

    The Capitol Cornerstone Conspiracy (Revolutionary Rerun)

    07/30/2026 | 21 mins.
    As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!
    It's September 17th. This day in 1793, President Washington visits a site where construction is beginning on what would be the Capitol.
    Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how the ceremony around the laying of the cornerstone was shot through with Masonic symbolism and pageantry --- and some of the many conspiracy theories that surround the cornerstone.
    Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.
    This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
    Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
    If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com
    Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod
    Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
  • This Day (An America 250 History Show)

    The "Coup" Against Washington (Revolutionary Rerun)

    07/28/2026 | 15 mins.
    As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!
    It’s March 14th. This day in 1783, George Washington gave an address to his troops camped in Newburgh, NY, that averted a possible coup attempt.
    Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why Washington’s troops were upset in the last year of the war, whether the “coup” plot was legit, and how much to believe the story that it was the sheer power of Washington’s words that averted catastrophe.
    Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.
    This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
    Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
    If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com
    Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod
    Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
More History podcasts
About This Day (An America 250 History Show)
To mark our 250th birthday, “This Day” presents "50 Weeks That Shaped America," a series of deep dives into the stories that brought us to this moment. "This Day" takes you beyond the head-spinning headlines of today and into the unexpected historical moments that have shaped American politics and culture. Hosted by Jody Avirgan (538), and historians Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt), and Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley), each episode explores a moment from that day in U.S. political history to uncover its lasting impact. On Sunday episodes, Jody, Niki and Kellie react to current news with their usual mix of humor, analysis, and historical perspective.New episodes released Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Lots more on our Instagram page, YouTube, and newsletter. Find it all at thisdaypod.com.This Day is a proud member of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX.
Podcast website

Listen to This Day (An America 250 History Show), History That Doesn't Suck and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features