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Every episode
History That Doesn't Suck
30 episodes
210: The Pacific War 1944: From the Cairo Conference to the Marianas Turkey Shoot
Aug 10, 2026 · 59 min
“If we ever lose Saipan, repeated air attacks on Tokyo will follow. No matter what it takes, we have to hold there.” 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 Japanese.…
209: The Pacific War 1943: Operation Cartwheel, Tarawa, & Eleanor Roosevelt's Pacific Tour
Jul 27, 2026 · 57 min
“The ultimate defeat of Japan [will] be accomplished by blockade, bombing, and assault.” This is the story of American island hopping—or should we say leapfrogging?—through Pacific waters. 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 William "Bull" Hals…
208: The Pacific War, 1942–43: Guadalcanal, the Aleutians, and Operation Vengeance
Jul 13, 2026 · 59 min
“Guadalcanal is not the name of an island. It is the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army.” This is the story of America's first major offensive in the Pacific since Midway. Amid hard fighting among the frozen peaks of Attu at the tail end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the Americans are gaining ground. But the cost is steep. Carrying out banzai charges, Japanese soldiers are prepared to fight to the last man. This is the case in the Solomon Islands as well, where US Marines—or "Uncle Sam's…
Introducing: Government That Doesn't Suck! with Professors Greg Jackson and Lindsey Cormack
Jul 6, 2026 · 48 min
Episode 1: We The Founders (The Constitution) | Introducing Government That Doesn’t Suck Follow GTDS on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. What if the Constitution isn't a dusty relic, but a living document built to be argued over, amended, and improved by every generation? In this debut episode, hosts Greg Jackson (creator of History That Doesn't Suck) and Professor Lindsay Cormack (author of Been There, Done That and How to Raise a Citizen) introduce their new podcast wit…
The Declaration of Independence at 250
Jul 2, 2026 · 11 min
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, as read by Professor Greg Jackson and fellow citizens: Lindsey Cormack co-host of Government That Doesn’t Suck, Ben Sawyer and Bob Crawford of The Road to Now, Colleen Shogan of In Pursuit, Lindsay Graham host of History Daily. Watch Prof. Jackson's PBS special here: The Unlikely Union: A Storytelling Symphony of America or visit htdspodcast.com/pbs.
America250 Episode 8 Rerelease: Declaring Independence, the Rise of Alexander Hamilton, & the Fall of New York
Jun 22, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
In celebration of America’s 250th, we’d like to officially invite you to enjoy this special episode telling the tale of that audacious, terrifying, and formative step taken by the Second Continental Congress to declare Independence in the summer of 1776. Fought over bitterly on July 1st, voted on affirmatively on the 2nd, with the exact wording finalized on the 4th—I mean, how could we not resurface episode #8’s account of this story for this week? If you’re new here, you may not have list…
Bonus: Prof. Greg Jackson interview on The Road to Now with Dr. Ben Sawyer
Jun 15, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
Professor Greg Jackson is interviewed by Professor Ben Sawyer on The Road to Now podcast to discuss Jackson’s new book, Been There, Done That: What Our History Shows What We Can Overcome. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, the conversation centers on the resilience of the American experiment. Rather than viewing the current political climate with despondency, Jackson argues that American history provides a proven blueprint for endurance. The conversation was recorded live…
207: Japanese Internment: Removal, Relocation, & Reckoning
Jun 8, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
"What I vividly recall is after getting to Tanforan and walking into this horse stable, and Mom… putting down her suitcase and just crying.” This is the story of Japanese American incarceration. In February 1942, shortly after the United States enters the war, FDR signs Executive Order 9066, beginning the forced removal of Japanese Americans from their West Coast homes and lives. Some 120,000 civilians—many of them American citizens, none of them charged with a crime—are sent to camps across the…
206: American Propaganda: Cap’s Debut, Frank Capra’s War Docs, and Casablanca
May 22, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
“Will young, freewheeling American boys take the iron discipline of wartime? … In my judgment the answer is Yes! ... if the answers they get are worth fighting and dying for.” This is the story of propaganda on the home front. The word “propaganda” has some messy connotations, but it’s fundamentally about pushing a narrative, which can be good or evil. Leaders on all sides of the war thought about how to spur the populace to join in the war effort, and in America, it fell to entertainers and art…
205: Total War on the Home Front: Victory Gardens, Volunteering, and the Double V
May 11, 2026 · 59 min
“I suggest that while we keep defense and victory in the forefront, that we don't lose sight of our fight for true democracy at home.” This is the story of life on the American home front. While millions of brave men and women are sacrificing life and limb “over there,” those left behind are making sacrifices of their own—heeding the call to grow gardens in their backyards or on community lots, combing their homes for spare scrap metal and rubber, rationing so there’s enough to go ‘round, and bu…
Bonus: “Messy Tales,” an Excerpt from the Prof’s book, Been There, Done That
May 4, 2026 · 35 min
Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, Prof. Jackson’s new book publishing June 16th, takes us on a chronological journey—from the very start of the republic in 1789, through the end of the nineteenth century—while telling stories not heard in the podcast, tales that engage such topics as political violence, fake news, and contested elections. Pre-order a copy HERE or come see him on ON TOUR.
204: The Holocaust: Anne Frank, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, & Auschwitz
Apr 27, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
“Everybody’s dead. Don’t ask me about anybody. Everybody’s dead.” This is the story of the Final Solution. From Anne Frank’s annex to countless ghettos, Jews who have thus far avoided the concentration camps are increasingly being funneled there. Jewish leaders like Chaim Rumkowski face impossible dilemmas—who should be sent to the camps? On the other hand, some Warsaw Ghetto inhabitants choose to fight back, their last ditch efforts to resist and escape living on in the words of only a few surv…
203: The Holocaust: Killing Squads, Ghettos, & Gas Chambers
Apr 13, 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
“The procedure is a pretty barbaric one and not to be described here more definitively. Not much will remain of the Jews.” —Joseph Goebbels This is the story of how the Holocaust becomes industrialized. In January 1942, Nazi leaders discuss what will become the “Final Solution”: their plan to murder millions. As more and more Jews are stripped of everything and forced into ghettos, and terrified parents bid a tearful (and often final) farewell to their children, German leaders decide how to deal…
202: Holocaust Prologue with US Holocaust Memorial Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield
Mar 30, 2026 · 44 min
After turning our attention back to Europe in the last few episodes, it’s time to finally examine the Holocaust. Back in episode 185, we covered a broad history of antisemitism in Europe and the violent results of the first few years of Hitler’s reign in Germany, going all the way to the nationwide November pogrom (also known as Kristallnacht). But before we go any further, we present this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield. Sara has worked wi…
201: A Soft Underbelly: The Allied Invasion of Sicily & the Fall of Il Duce
Mar 16, 2026 · 55 min
"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.” This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky. On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini surely know they’ll be aiming for Sicily next, right? Actually, pre-Husky Allied intelligence victories have the Germans and Italians barking up the wrong tree (shoring up the wrong island defenses), all thanks to one Maj…
200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch
Mar 2, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.” This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa. Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa becomes the sandy stage for months of ugly tank battles featuring characters like the Desert Rats (Britain’s 7th Armoured Division), and the Desert Fox (Field Marshall Erwin Rommel). By the time American reinforcements a…
199: Building the Anglo-American Alliance: The US Enters the European Theater
Feb 16, 2026 · 59 min
“When do we get a whack at those Germans?” This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the action in Europe, but first, they have to cross the embattled Atlantic—easier said than done with German U-boats on the prowl, sinking both military and merchant vessels in what they call an “American turkey shoot.” After stubborn U.S. Navy Admiral Ernest King finally adopts a workable convoy system, th…
198: The Pacific Tide Turns at Coral Sea & Midway
Feb 2, 2026 · 59 min
“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!” This is the story of a battle that changed how wars are fought at sea—and of the thin margin between disaster and destiny. In the spring of 1942, Japanese forces surge across the Pacific, confident their next move will finish what Pearl Harbor began. But beneath the surface, American codebreakers are listening, watching, and waiting. Fresh…
197: The Doolittle Raid & the Bataan Death March (Spring 1942)
Jan 19, 2026 · 1 hr
“We had been promised relief but none was coming, and all of us in Bataan shared a sense of betrayal.” This is the story of the United State’s earliest—and most disastrous—days of war in the Pacific. Almost immediately following Pearl Harbor, America and the Axis powers exchange rapid-fire war declarations. While embattled Britain breathes a sign of relief to have the US officially in the war, the Japanese Empire’s sun is rising on the Pacific fast—and at great cost to the Philippines. As the Co…
196: An Epilogue to Pearl Harbor with Steve Twomey
Jan 5, 2026 · 56 min
With the December 1941 surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, our story has officially come to the United States’ entry into the Second World War. Professor Jackson told that story in episode 194, and in 193 we covered the long buildup to the war with Japan; yet, the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of those moments of history where the depths of inquiry and knowledge to be gained is almost endless. There is still more to learn. To that end, Prof. Greg Jackson welcomes Profess…
195: Holiday Special IX: Chanukah in Warsaw & Christmas in Washington, D.C.
Dec 22, 2025 · 34 min
“This year very few Hanukkah candles were lit.” / “This is a strange Christmas Eve.” This is the story of 1941’s wartime holiday season. It’s difficult to conjure up a more miserable picture than the Warsaw Ghetto, but Jewish residents are doing their best to stay close to their faith in spite of the dismal circumstances. In a sermon that draws parallels between this hungry, fearful group and the Maccabees of old, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira will bring a little light to these dark times. Mean…
194: Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941
Dec 7, 2025 · 59 min
“Man your battle stations! This is no sh*t!” This is the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s 7:55 on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. 183 Japanese aircraft descend on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sailors awaken to a nightmare as “Battleship Row” becomes a graveyard, hundreds of US planes are destroyed without ever leaving the ground, and the cries of thousands of dying, wounded, and terrified Americans rend the air. It is a day that will “live in infamy.”…
193: The Empire of the Rising Sun: Military Imperialism in Japan (1853–1941)
Nov 24, 2025 · 60 min
“To be perfectly frank, the ways you and I look at the Chinese are fundamentally different. You seem to think of them as human, but I see them as pigs.” This is the origin story of the Empire of the Rising Sun. After an uninvited visit from one Commodore Matthew Perry and his four black ships, Japan opens its doors to the wider world, ending seven centuries of isolation. Picking up the best and the worst from the West, a new ruling class implements changes in everything from government structure…
192: A Conversation with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein: The American Revolution and WWII
Nov 10, 2025 · 54 min
Professor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his co-producer Sarah Botstein to discuss their newest film series, The American Revolution plus a conversation about their 2007 WWII series, The War. Ken and Sarah’s latest endeavor about the American War for Independence has been in production for nearly a decade, and the release comes on the cusp of America’s 250th anniversary. According to Ken, the American Revolution is “the most important historical event s…
Bonus: Eleanor Roosevelt "Over Our Coffee Cups"
Nov 3, 2025 · 6 min
Today Professor Jackson tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Over Our Coffee Cups” weekly radio show. Starting in the fall of 1941, the First Lady took to the airwaves with this cafe-style program to provide information and comfort as the nation began mobilizing for war. This short story is an example of the extras you can get as an HTDS premium member. HTDS will always be widely available, supported by ads. However, our membership program offers ad-free episodes delivered early, plus extra s…
191: Halloween Special V: “The War of the Worlds” on the Radio
Oct 20, 2025 · 39 min
“No more defenses. Our army is wiped out—artillery, air force, everything wiped out.” This is the story of the invasion of New Jersey. “The War of the Worlds” is a 1938 radio adaptation of an 1897 science fiction novel by H.G. Wells that details an alien invasion of Earth, a seminal work that popularized the term “Martian” and the theme of “first contact” in sci-fi. 23-year-old Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre team were tasked with zhuzhing up the classic novel for their series of one-hour C…
190: Epilogue to US Pre-WWII Isolationism to Interventionism with Lynne Olson
Oct 13, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Professor Jackson takes a step back to review themes from episodes 187 through 189 (War in Europe and America’s Response), specifically the slow turn from isolationism to aid via Lend-Lease, and eventually to preparing for war. Prof. Jackson’s guests are Professor Lindsey Cormack, an associate professor of political science at Stevens Institute of Technology, and historian Lynne Olson, author of several books on WW2 including Citizens of London which chronicles the pivotal role played by three A…
189: World War II in Europe & the American Response (1941): Production & Preparation
Oct 6, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
"At long last, Mr. President.”—Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill This is the story of the second year of WWII and the United States’ response. As the war enters its second full year, things are looking dire for Britain: Germany has forced France into submission, the Blitz is in full swing, and the cash-strapped nation is running out of money to pay for US aid. Lend-Lease, or H.R. 1776, is the proposed solution; it’ll allow Franklin to transfer munitions to “any country whose defense the Presi…
The Unlikely Union: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Sep 29, 2025 · 10 min
Professor Greg Jackson shares a personal message about our politically divided times and announces more tour dates for his live show: The Unlikely Union. This show is not recorded for the podcast. Go to HTDSpodcast.com/live-shows for more information and dates. Prof. Jackson’s national tour has already been to half of the 50 states, so-called red and blue states, big cities and small towns. What he’s encountered is everyday people, regardless of their political stripe coming together to share in…
188: World War II in Europe & The American Response (1939–40): Isolationism vs. Arsenal of Democracy
Sep 22, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
“I have said not once but many times that I have seen war and that I hate war. … I hope the United States will keep out of this war. I believe that it will.” This is the story of the first year of WWII in the European theater and the United States’ response. Since the days of President George Washington, the United States has largely held to George Washington’s and Thomas Jefferson’s counsel to avoid “interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe,” and to have “entangling alliances wi…
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