Teaching Evolution [Some Sunday Context]

Teaching Evolution [Some Sunday Context]

Author: Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia August 23, 2026 Duration: 17:25
This past week we did a two-parter on the Scopes "monkey trial" in 1925 -- today we bring you an episode from the archives about the repeal of the Butler Act in 1967, and the way that evolution worked its way into curriculums across the country. 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

This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Podcast Episodes
2008 Crash: The Bailout (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:37
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Scopes Monkey Trial: Darrow v Bryan (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:11
Our conversation about the so-called "Monkey Trial" continues with a showdown between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Jody, Niki, and Kellie then discuss how the verdict in the trial didn't capture the impact…
Scopes Monkey Trial: Evolution in Schools (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:22
For the thirtieth installment of "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we go to 1925 and a small courthouse in the town of Dayton, Tennessee, and a trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. Jody, Niki, and Kellie…
JFK's Fallout Shelters [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:28
This past week we did a two-parter on the race to the moon, whichs started under JFK, and started as part of a growing arms race with Russia. Today, for our Sunday Context episode, a conversation we had in 2020 that help…
Moon Landing: It Was Not Faked (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:54
We continue our conversation about the moon landing with a play-by-play of how Apollo 11 made its way to the surface; a conspiracy-by-conspiracy debunking of the popular "it was fake" myths; and a look at the role that s…
Moon Landing: One Giant Leap (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:03
For the twenty-ninth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1969 and the United States victory in the race to the moon. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss John F Kennedy's speech setting the goal of reaching…
Eleanor Roosevelt'sTuskegee Plane Ride [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:18
This past week we did a two-parter on the desegregation of the military. For today's "Sunday Context" episode, we revisit an episode we dd about the time First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took an airplane ride in a small plan…
Military Integration: Pressure On Truman (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:04
Our conversation about military integration continues with a look at Harry Truman and the civil-rights battle within the Democratic party. After a contentious 1948 convention, Truman starts to embrace desegregation, star…
Military Integration: Double V (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:59
For the twenty-eighth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1948 and the moment that Harry Truman issued an executive order to — finally, formally — desegregate the armed forces. We talk about the long h…