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 on Facebook and Instagram: @Historythatdoesntsuck; on Twitter: @HTDSpod; or online at htdspodcast.com. Support the podcast at patreon.com/historythatdoesntsuck.
148: Tales of Christmas from World War I (A Truce, Plum Pudding, and Love)
“The circumstances under which we are spending this particular Christmas are unusual.”This is the story of the Christmases of World War I.Germans and British troops, singing carols together. French and German troops, kicking, playing sports and exchanging treats. It may not last, but for a brief moment–for Christmas of 1914–these opposing armies refuse the orders of their superiors as they temporarily “beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks.”In the years ahead, the United States’ forces have their own …
147: Peacemaking in Paris: The Treaty of Versailles
“A Peace which cannot be defended in the name of justice before the whole world would continually call forth fresh resistance”This is the story of peacemaking in 1919–a fraught peacemaking.With the Armistice signed, some 30 nations (led by the major Allied Powers) are gathering in Paris, France, to deliberate on the terms they’ll give to Germany. But the conference is beset with conflicting views. Not only do these various nations and other unofficial representatives have conflicting views, but the three …
146: The Armistice of November 11, 1918
“The German delegation has come to receive the proposals of the Allied Powers looking to an armistice.”This is the story of guns falling silent across war-ravaged fronts–the story of the Great War’s armistice between Germany and the Allied Powers.Sailors are mutinying. Soldiers are breaking. A revolution–possibly a Bolshevist revolution–is knocking on the Second Reich’s door. German leaders are coming to accept a painful reality: they can’t carry on this war. They look to the merciful words of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 …
145: Halloween Special 2023: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
“If I can but reach that bridge,” thought Ichabod, “I am safe.”This is the story of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his ride home after an evening spent trying to woo Katrina Van Tassel at a party hosted by her father at their idyllic farm in rural New York. It’s a terrifying ride–perhaps as deadly as Ichabod’s pursuer is headless. For this third HTDS Halloween special, we “rewind” to one of the oldest ghost stories in American lore: Washington Irving’s “The …
144: A Conversation with Ken Burns - Storytelling and the American Buffalo
Professor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns about his latest film The American Buffalo which has a two-part premiere in the US on PBS beginning Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Some refer to Ken Burns as a historian, but he would be quick to tell you that he considers himself a storyteller.His latest documentary The American Buffalo is a sort of biography of the American bison, or the buffalo as they are more commonly known. The fact …
Introducing: History Daily
Today, we have a special off-week treat: an episode of History Daily! Hosted by Lindsay Graham (podcaster not Senator), History Daily brings you a tale from the past, on its anniversary, daily. Listen to History Daily on Spotify, Apple, or where you get your podcasts! https://www.historydaily.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
143: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.2) – Breaking the Kriemhilde Line
“All right, General. We’ll take it, or my name will head the list.”This is the story of Meuse-Argonne and the Americans’ continued struggles to take the Kriemhilde Line. Tennessean Alvin York hates war, yet he finds himself an unlikely hero when his youthful days of hunting turn him into a prisoner-taking sharpshooter as the US First Army presses forward against the Germans.But this isn’t a battle just for the First Army anymore. A stressed-out, breaking, Black Jack Pershing finally decides …
142: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.1) – “The Lost Battalion”
“Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.”This is the story of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive’s beginnings.“Tout le monde à la bataille.” So says Ferdinand Foch as the Allies hit the Germans from several pressure points at once. For the Americans, that means fighting between the thick woods of the Argonne Forest and the deep waters of the Meuse River. The region is heavily guarded and a “natural fortress.” The attack will have a …
141: Wartime Interlude
Time to review! Greg and Kelsi talk through the main takeaways of the American story in World War I to date, from causes to new inventions and social changes. We get a little behind the scenes on episodes, a few stories that didn’t make in, and set the stage for the last battle of the Great War.___3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our weekly newsletter, The Revolution Become part of …
Introducing: Real Survival Stories from Noiser
A picturesque paragliding flight becomes a terrifying nightmare when a massive storm rolls in. Sucked into the clouds, Ewa Wiśnierska is pelted by hailstones the size of oranges. With lightning crackling all around her, she is sent hurtling upwards - still clinging to her parachute. Soon, she’ll be higher than Everest and nearing the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet. Covered in ice, approaching the edge of the breathable atmosphere… how on earth does she make it down in one …