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Franklin's French Fantasies w/ Mike Duncan (Revolutionary Rerun)

Franklin's French Fantasies w/ Mike Duncan (Revolutionary Rerun)

Author: Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia July 19, 2026 Duration: 32:26
This Day (An America 250 History Show)
History
As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon! It’s October 4th. In 1776, Benjamin Franklin is headed to France as the Continental Congress’s first diplomat, looking to secure support for the American independence movement. Jody and Kellie are joined by Mike Duncan, history podcaster behind series such as “Revolutions” and “The Fall of Rome.” They discuss Franklin’s diplomatic goal, his taste for the Parisian nightlife — and why the values of the Founding Fathers continue to be contested and politicized. Check out Mike’s book “Hero of Two Worlds.” Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now. This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

Hosted by Jody Avirgan alongside historians Nicole Hemmer and Kellie Carter Jackson, This Day is a historical podcast from Radiotopia that steps back from the relentless news cycle to find context in the past. The series "50 Weeks That Shaped America" serves as its core, offering a rich, narrative-driven examination of pivotal moments that have fundamentally influenced the nation's political landscape and cultural identity. This isn't a dry recitation of dates but a deep, engaging exploration of the stories and decisions that collectively brought us to the present. Each episode functions as a carefully researched journey, unpacking the complexities and unintended consequences of historical events you might think you know, revealing the surprising threads that connect them to contemporary life. By focusing on these formative weeks, the podcast provides a unique and clarifying lens, arguing that to understand today's headlines, you often need to listen to the echoes of yesterday. The conversations between Avirgan, Hemmer, and Jackson are insightful and accessible, blending scholarly depth with compelling storytelling. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a new set of tools for thinking about America, its ongoing struggles, and its evolving character, all through the meticulous and thoughtful work of its hosts.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

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This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Podcast Episodes
After Watergate: The Backslide (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:02
In part two of our conversation about the long shadow of Watergate, we discuss the ways in which Nixon tried to rehabilitate his image -- and how many of the reforms of the Watergate era were tested and exploited in the…
After Watergate: Reforming Government (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:24
For the twenty-third installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1974. Of course we had to do an episode on Watergate as part of this series, but in this week’s two-parter we try to paint a picture of what cam…
A Nation Of Readers: Isabel Wilkerson + Tara Westover [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:36
Isabel Wilkerson, author of "Caste" and "The Warmth of Other Suns" and Tara Westover, author of "Educated," on the power of books and history to expand our horizons. For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books h…
Mariel Boatlift: The Anti-Immigrant Playbook (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:05
We continue our look at the 1980 Cuban migrant crisis by discussing how it became a political nightmare for Jimmy Carter -- not to mention a young Bill Clinton -- and how it set the template for anti-immigrant rhetoric i…
Mariel Boatlift: Cuba In Crisis (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:11
For the twenty-second installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to Miami, Florida in the spring and summer of 1980. With the Cuban economy in crisis and many Cubans trying to flee the country, Fidel Castro decl…
Reckoning With Racial Violence [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:07
This past week, we talked about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921. For today's "Sunday Context" episode we jump a couple generations ahead to the summer of 1967, when president Johnson convened the “Kerner Commission” to look i…
Tulsa Massacre: Erasure (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:17
We continue our conversation about the 1921 race riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a depiction of the descruction over two days, and how just as quickly the story of Tulsa got covered up. Join our America250 newsletter commun…
Tulsa Massacre: Life On Black Wall Street (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:51
For the twenty-first installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, and trace two days of violence and terror by the White residents of the city on the community living in "Black Wall Str…
Memorial Day: Remembering Vietnam [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:34
For this week's "Sunday Context" episode we bring you an episode from the archives about the fight to create a Vietnam War memorial, and how we remember in the Forever War era. Originally aired in 2021. Join our America2…

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