History That Doesn't Suck

<p>“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade.”</p><p>This is the story of the preparations for D-Day.&nbsp;</p><p>In November, 1943 the “Big Three”–that is, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin–meet in person for the first time to discuss launching an Operation “Overlord,” a cross-channel invasion of Nazi-held France. With the leaders’ go-ahead, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) l

<p>“‘What is that?' I asked. The Englishman answered calmly: 'It was my best enemy.’”</p><p>This is the story of the little books that went to war, and the Frenchman whose ghosts we'll read by their light.</p><p>In 1943, a consortium of American publishers began slipping pocket-sized paperbacks into the hands of GIs bound overseas: the Armed Services Editions. More than 120 million of these ASEs were printed by the war’s end, and they turned up everywhere: foxholes, troopships, field hospitals,

<p>Following the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle disasters, the government had to rethink space exploration. In 2006, NASA launched the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, allocating $500 million to encourage American entrepreneurs to develop cost-effective cargo and crew transport for the ISS. Today, private enterprises like SpaceX, Starlink, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab are ubiquitous. Yet none of this progress would be possible without substantial government assistance.</

<p>"Wing Ding, you're either crazy as hell or you've got balls."</p><p>This is the story of the European Theater in 1943.</p><p>As Allied bombers learn the brutal cost of daylight precision raids over Ploesti and Schweinfurt, Allied armies fight their way onto the Italian mainland at Salerno, and the citizens of Naples rise to liberate themselves. Meanwhile, the U-boat is finally beaten back in the Atlantic, American Lend-Lease reaches a bleeding Soviet Union, and the tide turns in the East. And

<p>“What even is the Virginia Plan but democracy checked by democracy, or pork with a little change of the sauce?”&nbsp;<br><br>This is the story of 55 men from 12 of the 13 sovereign states gathered at the Pennsylvania State House during the miserably hot Philadelphian summer of 1787. They are here to discuss the failing Articles of Confederation. Foreign debts are past due. Rebellions are rising. The states are fighting. Can they fix all of this? Or will the disagreeing, arguing, threatening,

<p>Professor Greg Jackson and co-host Riley Neubauer are joined by returning guest Captain Mac Caldwell, a Marine veteran, to dive deeper into the Pacific Theater of early World War II. The conversation reaps key wartime conferences, unpacks the strategic tensions between MacArthur and Nimitz, analyzes the evolution of amphibious warfare, and extolls the legacy of Carlon’s Marine Raiders. The episode also highlights the unique unity and sacrifice of Americans during WWII and answers listener que

<p>“If we ever lose Saipan, repeated air attacks on Tokyo will follow. No matter what it takes, we have to hold there.”</p><p>As Operation Cartwheel neutralizes Japanese forces on Rabaul, American and British leaders meet with “Forgotten Allies” in Cairo—namely China’s nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek and his diplomat wife Soong Mei-ling. The relentless pressure on Japan continues as heroes like “Merrill’s Marauders" hack through Burma’s jungles, securing vital supply lines and isolating the J

<p>“The ultimate defeat of Japan [will] be accomplished by blockade, bombing, and assault.”</p><p>This is the story of American island hopping—or should we say leapfrogging?—through Pacific waters.&nbsp;</p><p>By 1943, the Japanese are settled in for the long haul, no matter what it may cost. America sees some successes like new skip bombing techniques at the Battle of the Bismarck sea, but a change of strategy is needed for real gains. American leaders General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Will