History That Doesn't Suck

Prof. Greg Jackson

  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    199: Building the Anglo-American Alliance: The US Enters the European Theater

    “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, the boys are on their way to the UK, but it’s their next destination that’s really hotly debated. 

    U.S. Chief of Staff George C. Marshall advocates for a direct assault on France in 1942, (a plan supported by a desperate Stalin), but Churchill and co. favor a Mediterranean approach, coming up through the “soft underbelly” of Europe and avoiding turning the English Channel into “a river of blood.” And yet, whatever the high command decides, newly trained American troops will soon arrive in Ireland under the command of Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower, an organizationally brilliant and formerly frustrated desk jockey, now commander of all U.S. forces in Europe. 
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    16 February 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    198: The Pacific Tide Turns at Coral Sea & Midway

    “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 from the hard-fought Battle of the Coral Sea, the U.S. Navy limps forward with damaged carriers, exhausted pilots, and an untested commander named Chester Nimitz. Across the ocean, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku sets an intricate trap meant to lure America’s carriers into annihilation near a tiny atoll called Midway.

    What follows is not a clash of battleships, but a duel fought primarily in the air—where minutes matter, mistakes are fatal, and pilots will dive straight into fire with no idea if they’re already too late.

    By the morning of June 4, 1942, both sides believe victory is within reach. Only one is right.

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    2 February 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    197: The Doolittle Raid & the Bataan Death March (Spring 1942)

    “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 Commonwealth’s islands fall one by one, General Douglas MacArthur is forced to beat a hasty retreat. He evacuates to Australia and pledges to return; but what of the American and Filipino forces cornered on a small peninsula on Luzon? Well, they’re not called the “Battling Bastards of Bataan” for nothing. But there’s only so much they can do without outside support. Many thousands of POWs will be murdered or massacred in the post-surrender Bataan Death March of April 1942. 

    Amid these defeats and the ensuing crisis of morale, Washington concludes a successful counterattack on the Japanese home islands just might be the psychological win that America needs. Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle will lead an air attack… on Tokyo itself. 

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    19 January 2026, 6:07 pm
  • 59 minutes 50 seconds
    196: An Epilogue to Pearl Harbor with Steve Twomey

    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 Professor Lindsey Cormack, an associate professor of political science at Stevens Institute of Technology, and Steve Twomey, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack. 

    Also, Prof. Jackson officially announces his new book, Been There Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome. In the book, Prof. Jackson proves that while today’s political climate may be dark, these aren’t as unprecedented times as we may think. Now available for pre-order. Or get a complimentary signed advance copy during the ultimate book launch party May 18–22, 2026 aboard a Celebrity Cruise to Key West and The Bahamas with Prof. Jackson and other fellow history travelers!

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    5 January 2026, 7:00 am
  • 37 minutes 25 seconds
    195: Holiday Special IX: Chanukah in Warsaw & Christmas in Washington, D.C.

    “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. 

    Meanwhile, Christmas in the U.S. comes just as the country is shifting into gear for war with Japan and Germany. President Roosevelt projects confidence and hope at the annual White House Christmas tree lighting, and he’s even brought along a special guest… (a much better orator than Santa). 

    Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and happy holidays to all. 

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    22 December 2025, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    194: Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

    “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.” And it means war.

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    7 December 2025, 5:55 pm
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    193: The Empire of the Rising Sun: Military Imperialism in Japan (1853–1941)

    “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 to the military, and embraces the power of both industrialization and imperialism. A modernized Japan quickly expands, conquering Korea, and taking on bigger neighbors like China, and even Russia. And after the Great War, when the military decides to go deeper into China … all that’s needed is an “incident” to justify that. 

    But as the empire grows and atrocities like the “Rape of Nanjing” shock the world, Japan’s alliances with European fascist powers cause the US to become wary of their former favored-nation-status trading partner. And when Uncle Sam halts the sale of industrially necessary supplies like oil, Japan’s leaders feel backed into a corner. What will a proud, military-led nation do when it is cornered?

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    24 November 2025, 12:02 pm
  • 57 minutes 46 seconds
    192: A Conversation with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein: The American Revolution and WWII

    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 since the birth of Christ.” We’ll let you judge that claim for yourself as you listen to Dr. Jackson and our two guests discuss the war and its major players, their production process, maps, and much more. 


    Ken and Sarah also discuss The War which they worked on together delving into “the greatest cataclysm in human history,” to quote Ken—World War II. If America was “born” after the Revolutionary War, it came of age during the Second World War. Don’t fret, we’ll get back to covering that war very soon. Next up: Japan. 


    The American Revolution, a six-part, 12-hour documentary series, will premiere on Sunday, November 16 and air each night through Friday, November 21st. 

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    10 November 2025, 7:00 am
  • 7 minutes 19 seconds
    Bonus: Eleanor Roosevelt "Over Our Coffee Cups"

    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 stories just like this one. Click here to start a free seven day trial. Cancel anytime.

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    3 November 2025, 5:00 am
  • 41 minutes 50 seconds
    191: Halloween Special V: “The War of the Worlds” on the Radio

    “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 CBS radio plays, but unfortunately, the contemporary American setting, the shockingly realistic news bulletins, and the harrowing eyewitness accounts all added up to produce a panic among out-of-the-loop listeners. 

    Invasion, fictional or otherwise, was at the fore of many minds as Germany broke treaties and demanded more land—the Allies ceded the Sudetenland just one month prior to the broadcast. The stories of a mass hysteria that gripped the nation have been exaggerated, but have no fear: we’ll take you through the radio play and the aftermath so you can decide whether or not you believe it.

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    20 October 2025, 6:30 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    190: An Epilogue to US Pre-WW2 Turn from Isolationism to Interventionism and the Influential Americans in London Who Brokered the FDR-Churchill Bromance

    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 Americans who influenced the decisions of President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill—Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant. Olson emphasizes how these individuals navigated the complexities of diplomacy and public opinion, often against a backdrop of American isolationism and British skepticism, ultimately building a strong relationship that was essential for the war effort. 

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    13 October 2025, 4:09 pm
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