Cutting Class

Joe and Jess return to the Heroes of WWII series to tell the story of John Basilone. John was a WWII marine who served in both Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. He would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions and go down as an American Hero of WWII. He’s also the subject of … 57- John “Badass”iloneRead More »

We’ve all been a part embarrassing childhood plays of the first Thanksgiving. But what really happened? Do we even know? Jess and Joe dive into some basics on where Thanksgiving came from and some fun facts. Did you Know Jefferson refused to celebrate Thanksgiving? Did you know FDR had the holiday moved for two years? … 56- A Little Thanksgiving HistoryRead More »

It’s time for Operation Vittles! Russia has Western Berlin behind a blockade and it’s up to the Allied Powers to save the day! Here’s our ode to American awesomeness! Can you imagine feeding half of a major world city purely by airpower? Now imagine that airpower is under threat of enemy fighter shooting them down. … 55- The Berlin AirliftRead More »

No this isn’t a wicked new band of Joe’s. Today we discuss Helena Blavatsky, a Russian woman of the 19th century who traveled the world and started the bizarre Theosophy movement. The rabbit hole goes deep with these guys so we just barely scratch the surface of this topic. If you listen closely, you might … 54- Blavatsky and the TheosophistsRead More »

This is an unscripted and unplanned episode but we wanted to take a second and talk with you, the listeners, about how the show has gone over the last year. We hope you enjoy this candid discussion of how our podcasting expectations and reality lined up. We also discuss some favorite episodes and reflect on … 53- A Review of our 1st YearRead More »

As a special treat, or perhaps a trick, this show is releasing Monday! Joe’s got the lowdown on some History of Halloween for you guys to get in the spirit of things. (See what I did there?) This is also our 52nd episode! That’s a whole year! We’ll be giving you double episode this week … 52- A Halloweeny HistoryRead More »

Warning! This episode was cursed! We’ll spare you details but we had all kinds of problems with this episode. It’s finally working but this one has an odd transition later in the episode so just bear with us!  Otherwise, we hope you enjoy this show! The Pacific Ocean is home to a vast array of … 51- Cargo Cults!Read More »

If you haven’t heard of the fantastic Bonus Army then you have to check out this episode! This story holds a star-studded cast of American characters. It’s a story of honor, horror, and holdouts. It’s 1932 and the Great Depression has struck. A horde of WWI veterans will descend on Washington to demand pay they … 50- The Bonus Army CatastropheRead More »

Revenge is a dish best served in heaping portions. Olga of Kiev who is sainted by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches will wreak bloody havoc on those who wronged her in the past. This is a “must-hear” story of shocking payback! Sources 1 2 3 4

Imagine a time the US was importing Mexican workers by the thousands to do simple labor jobs. No, it’s not a Trump dystonian nightmare! It’s the Bracero Program! Learn about this bizarre standard from US history Jess and Joe never actually teach their students! America has a long history of relying on it’s southern neighbor … 48- USA: “Mexicans Wanted!”Read More »

The Panama Canal is a darker story than you may know. Think about it for a second… How did the United States gain land in the middle of Central America? It’s a story that is more complicated than you may think. It will require taking the land, threatening Columbia, and also a side coup d’etat … 47- The Bloodstained CanalRead More »

A TUESDAY episode? Who could have predicted that? This show is special! This is our “live show” rehearsal! So if you caught us at the East Tennessee Historical Fair you may want to pass. Honestly, I think we did even better in person! But here you go! A fun story from our part of the … 46- The Hillbilly ProphetRead More »

No more playing around. America will claim her “just reward” for “helping” the Cubans. This conflict, however, will prove to be an expensive, costly headache for the US. It may even be a foreshadowing for another costly headache of a war that will drag on in Eastern Asia later that century. It turns out invading … 45- The American Filipino WarRead More »

“Here I come to save the daaaay!” Mighty Mouse’s motto is a perfect backdrop for America’s intervention into the Cuban independance movement. In the second story of American Imperialism we look as the US seizes control of Cuba in their efforts to “help.” If you’ve never heard this story of America’s treatment of their neighbor … 44- The Spanish American WarRead More »

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind right? Well apparently not for Hammurabi and his impressive set of codes. Jess and Joe dive into one of mankind’s oldest records of law. We dig into the history of the codes, where they came from and how we have them today. Then we have … 43- Hammurabi’s Code of FunRead More »

The stage is set for the first American overthrow of a foreign government. Join us to the exciting, insulting, frustrating, and even shocking conclusion to this strange tale. Today we’ll see how those carefully laid plans pan out.  As a bonus, you’ll finally learn about “ol’ Twinbeard” himself on our cover art!   Sources – … 42- The Heist of Hawaii Part 2Read More »

How did Hawaii become a state? How did the United States gain control over islands 2,000 miles away? Well the story isn’t pretty! Learn about how some devious businessmen force America’s hand to conquer these friendly people. Jess and Joe begin a new long running series on American Imperialism with this first story. Don’t worry … 41- The Heist of Hawaii Part 1Read More »

John Quincy Adams approved the funding but Congress did not! Today Joe and Jess dive into the weird world of the Hollow Earth Theory! What’s in there? Dinosaurs? Angels? Nazi scientists? Flying Saucers? A monorail? The answer, of course, is all of the above! If you loved Flat Earth then this is even better! You … 40- The Hollow Earth PeopleRead More »

A crocodile in the White House? A corrupt bargain? A throw down with Andrew Jackson? What all went on with the oft-forgotten but interesting life of our 6th president and his four short years in office. Not only that! But he’s the son of a president and their two presidencies are weirdly similar. Check it … 39- John Quincy AdamsRead More »

Ozzy’s Madness knows no bounds! What better way to be hardcore than to encourage your own adoring fans to kill themselves? Sound far fetched? Well it certainly didn’t in 1985! Learn about how Ozzy was accused of being a cult-like leader whose music pushed young people to take their own lives. Sources – The first … 38- Ozzy Osbourne Wants You DeadRead More »