History That Doesn't Suck

History That Doesn't Suck

HTDS is a bi-weekly podcast, delivering a legit, seriously researched, hard-hitting survey of American history through entertaining stories. To keep up with History That Doesn’t Suck news, check us out htdspodcast.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram: @Historythatdoesntsuck; on Twitter/X: @HTDSpod. Become a premium member to support our work, receive ad-free episodes and bonus episodes.

Episodes

America 250: The Boston Campaign 1775-76: A Leadership Discussion with Gen. William Rapp

April 21, 2025 • 63 mins
This is a conversation to kick off the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Retired U.S. Army Major General and history buff, Bill Rapp, drops some knowledge on how the colonies weren't exactly gung-ho for a full-blown revolution before April 1775. Turns out, they were mostly ticked off and feeling rebellious in response to intolerable British policies. But a tense situation and an itchy trigger finger set it off. The epi...
Mark as Played

177: An Epilogue to the New Deal and CCC Deep Dive with Neil Maher

April 7, 2025 • 54 mins
A discussion of the recent HTDS narrative episodes on FDR and the New Deal. Think of it as a book club for additional insights into these latest chapters of the HTDS chronological story of America. Professor Greg Jackson is joined by Professor Lindsey Cormack to discuss the government's response to the Great Depression and the legacy of the New Deal. They explore the causes of the Depression, the government's initial missteps, and...
Mark as Played

176: FDR v. “The Nine Old Men” (The New Deal pt. 3): Court Packing and Closing the New Deal

March 24, 2025 • 71 mins
“No matter how great and good a man may be, executive aggrandizement is not safe for democracy.” This is the story of Franklin’s second term and his battle with the Supreme Court.  It’s no secret that SCOTUS hasn’t really been ruling in the New Deal’s favor. But with such an overwhelming victory at the polls, Franklin feels confident that he can circumvent that by upping the number of judges from nine to fifteen and appointing pe...
Mark as Played

175: The Dirty Thirties (The New Deal pt. 2): Dust, Doubts, and the “Second” New Deal

March 10, 2025 • 71 mins
“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet.” This is the story of FDR’s first term after facing down the initial emergency.  100 days down, about 1,300 more to go—for this term at least. After the whirlwind of new bills and “alphabet agencies” (AAA, CCC, etc.), the nation is adjusting to and examining FDR’s New Deal. As they do, the NIRA is upsetting both ends of the spectrum: company owners do...
Mark as Played

174: The First “First Hundred Days:” FDR Kicks Off the New Deal

February 24, 2025 • 67 mins
“[We] had forgotten to be Republicans or Democrats. We were just a bunch of men trying to save the banking system.” This is the story of FDR’s first 100 days in office.  In early 1933, banks foreclose on thousands upon thousands of homes and farms every month. The banks have little choice–they too are failing! Meanwhile, unemployment is hovering near 25%. It’s a catastrophe. Capitalism itself and the American way of life appears ...
Mark as Played

173: From Hyde Park to the White House: The Early Life and Election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

February 10, 2025 • 71 mins
“First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s journey to the White House. Even as a young boy, Franklin admires his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt and wants to follow in his footsteps. He seems to have a knack for it too. He a...
Mark as Played

172: Breadlines, Bank Failures, & the Bonus Army: Hoover & the Early Great Depression

December 16, 2024 • 66 mins
"Too much praise cannot be given to the President for the prompt and resolute and skillful way in which he has set about reassuring the country after the financial collapse.”  This is the story of Herbert Hoover’s facing the early years of the Great Depression. Just after the stock market crash of 1929, people aren’t expecting the worst. Most, including the experts, believe that this little downturn will blow over with time, just...
Mark as Played

171: Christmas Special VIII: Festivities in the Jazz Age

December 2, 2024 • 34 mins
“There is a million dollars here for the asking!” This is the story of Christmas in the 1920s.  Yeah, the whole decade—why not? One hundred years ago, people were just beginning (or reviving) traditions that are entrenched in our holiday celebrations today. Charitable giving at Christmas is ever present, and the winter of 1920 features the Great Humanitarian Herbert Hoover’s efforts to feed children in Europe with his “Invisible ...
Mark as Played

170: The Crash of 1929 & Meeting President Herbert Hoover

November 18, 2024 • 66 mins
“A wise man never sells out at the first sign of trouble. That’s for the pikers.” This is the story of the 1929 Wall Street Crash.  On October 24, or “Black Thursday,” stock prices plunge unexpectedly. Early the next week, whatever was left of the bottom falls out on “Black Tuesday.” The New York Stock Exchange has crashed. The Roaring 20s are over. But what exactly is a stock market? How does the American financial system work i...
Mark as Played

169: An Epilogue to the 1920s: Youth culture, The Great Gatsby, and more with Professor Sarah Churchwell

November 4, 2024 • 44 mins
Our last few episodes have reveled in stories of the popularization of movies, music and sports during the Roaring 1920s. In this epilogue episode, Professor Jackson steps out of storytelling mode and into classroom mode (that doesn’t suck).  To help us better understand the lasting cultural impact of this period, he’s invited Dr. Sarah Churchwell who has written extensively about 1920s American culture, including her acclaimed boo...
Mark as Played

168: Halloween Special IV: Nosferatu and Silent Horror

October 21, 2024 • 40 mins
“His Lordship from Transylvania would like to purchase a nice house in our small town . . . it will take a bit of effort . . . a bit of sweat and perhaps . . . a bit of blood . . .” This is the story of the Great Death in Wisborg in 1838.  Nosferatu is a 1922 classic horror film, one of the first ever made. It sort of recalls Bram Stoker’s Dracula—enough to build a copyright lawsuit—but, fortunately for us, Nosferatu weathered th...
Mark as Played

167: The Golden Age of Sports: Horse Racing, Boxing, Basketball, Football, & Jim Thorpe

October 7, 2024 • 59 mins
“We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.” This is the story of America’s varied athletic endeavors (besides baseball). Though each sport could provide enough material for an entire episode, it would probably run us into overtime, and the 1920s are drawing to a close. As Black Thursday approaches, it’s time for some last-minute fun and games.  The 1920s is the Golden Age of Sports—fans can...
Mark as Played

166: A Conversation on Negro Leagues Baseball History with Bob Kendrick

September 30, 2024 • 52 mins
As a follow up to episode 165 America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, we’re proud to share an interview with Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. Founded in 1990, the NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its profound impact on the social advancement of America. It’s the perfect time to share more about ...
Mark as Played

165: America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, the Negro Leagues, and the Great Bambino

September 23, 2024 • 62 mins
"As I hit the ball, every muscle in my system, every sense I had, told me that I had never hit a better one . . . I didn't have to look. But I did. That ball . . . hit . . . exactly the spot I had pointed to." This is the story of the most American sport: baseball.  Americans have been playing ball for a good long while now—even General Washington enjoyed an occasional game of catch—but baseball as we know it only emerged around th...
Mark as Played

164: Harlem Renaissance: The Great Migration, Jazz, and the Flowering of Black Culture

September 9, 2024 • 64 mins
“Harlem is the queen of the black belts, drawing Aframericans together in a vast humming hive . . . from the different states, from the islands of the Caribbean, and from Africa . . . It is the Negro capital of the world.”  This is the story of the Harlem Renaissance.  In the early twentieth century, many Black families and individuals down South are finding that the only way out is up—to the North. Driven by Jim Crow discriminatio...
Mark as Played

163: The Show (Boat) Must Go On: Broadway and the American Musical

August 26, 2024 • 61 mins
“Miller, Lyles, and I were standing near the exit door . . . Blake stuck out there in front, leading the orchestra—his bald head would get the brunt of the tomatoes and rotten eggs.” This is the story of American musical theater and the dawn of modern Broadway.  Popular entertainment is evolving fast in the early twentieth century. Minstrel shows just aren’t drawing the same numbers anymore (for good reason), and burlesque and vari...
Mark as Played

162: The Birth of the Movies: From Silent Cinema to the Rise of Hollywood & the First “Talkie”

August 12, 2024 • 64 mins
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothing yet!” This is the story of the silver screen.  In the late nineteenth century, technology is advancing rapidly. Eadweard Muybridge’s trip-wire camera work, made famous by a “motion study” of a galloping horse, is giving way to smoother and longer projections. Some see these short films simply as a curiosity, an “invention without a future” as early filmmaker Louis Lumière famo...
Mark as Played

161: An Epilogue Toast to Prohibition’s End with Author Daniel Okrent

July 29, 2024 • 39 mins
Cheers to Professor Jackson’s post Prohibition conversation with distinguished author Daniel Okrent! Dan is the the author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, winner of the American Historical Association’s prize for the year’s best book of American History when it was published in 2011. Last Call was a go-to book in the HTDS bibliography for episodes 157-160 as we researched and selected the stories to tell in these fo...
Mark as Played

160: Al Capone & the End of Prohibition

July 15, 2024 • 65 mins
“Only Capone kills like that.” This is the story of the rise and fall of Al Capone, and the last gasps of Prohibition.  No other gangster compares to Scarface. He’s remained prominent in the American consciousness for 100 years due to his overt violence and lavish lifestyle, funded by *ahem* unsavory business practices. He brazenly orders murders like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, but he also doesn’t hesitate to get his own h...
Mark as Played

159: Scofflaws, Moonshiners, Bootleggers, and Crime Lords

July 1, 2024 • 61 mins
“Don’t ask me nothin’! You hear me? Don’t ask! And don’t bring anybody in here for me to identify. I won’t identify them even if I know they did it!” This is the story of the nation’s up-and-coming criminal underground.  By 1920, with few exceptions, producing, buying, and selling alcohol is outlawed, but that doesn’t stop enterprising Americans. Many feel perfectly comfortable flouting the law and continuing to drink at their le...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Decisions, Decisions

    Decisions, Decisions

    Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    All The Smoke

    All The Smoke

    ALL THE SMOKE pairs two of the most outspoken and controversial players of their time. Known as fiery, intense competitors during their on-court careers, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson are now two of the most widely respected voices by today’s crop of NBA stars. Serving as mentors to numerous players throughout the league and with their hands firmly on the pulse of the game, they have first-hand insight into the minds, lives and pressing issues facing today’s players. Barnes and Jackson, who have played alongside two generations of All-Stars, will dish on the latest news and drama from on and off the court without boundaries.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.