American History

Christmas in Wartime – Part II

In Part II of the Christmas in Wartime podcast, Mark reviews some of the happenings that American and Allied soldiers experienced during WWII. There are a few items from the home front and some from where the fighting occurred, as well as a few segments from POWs. First, a mention that I forgot to include…

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Christmas in Wartime – Part I

War brings few joyous moments. Over the years, Christmas time has provided a few glimmers of warmth. From a surprise victory for George Washington, to mules masquerading as reindeer in the Civil War, to a flare-lit soccer game between Brits and Germans in WWI, Mark shares some wartime Christmas memories.

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Autumn Events in History: From the American Revolution to WWII

On this week’s podcast, I take a look at some historical events that happened in autumn from the American Revolution to the Civil War, World War I and World War II. I discuss the 1918 Meuse-Argonne offensive by the America Expeditionary Forces and the French army. Launched against the Germans on the Western Front, this…

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Lewis & Clark Expedition

September 25, 2020 marks 214 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark finished their Corps of Discovery Expedition. In honor of one the greatest scientific expeditions ever, Mark revisits his conversation with Lewis and Clark historian Hal Stearns. Recorded at Fort Clatsop, the expedition’s winter camp on the Pacific Coast of Oregon, they provide a…

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Women in History

In a retrospective of Women’s History month, Mark takes a look at notable women starting with Medieval times and jumping to the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War and WWII. He features a range of heroines from Joan of Arc, who at age 17 led a French army in the Hundred Years…

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Vince Dooley: The South Carolina Liberty Trail

Some historians believe that the American Revolution was won in the South. Mark has a conversation with Vince Dooley about the Liberty Trail, the American Battlefield Trust’s path of preservation and interpretation of historical Revolutionary War sites in South Carolina. Besides being a legendary football coach at the University of Georgia, Vince Dooley is an…

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The Soviet Naval Challenge in the Cold War with John Lindstedt

Mark speaks with John Lindstedt, who was a junior officer serving aboard a nuclear submarine in the Cold War years. They discuss the qualifications and training involved, the constant readiness, and the differences between U.S. and Soviet vessels. They also highlight the ever-present threat of the Soviet Navy in the Mediterranean aided by the treachery…

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WWII Pilot Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa: Naval Hero

WWII pilot, Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa, became a naval hero fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. Author, Ted Edwards, joins Mark to discuss his biography of Swede, Seven at Santa Cruz. The fighter pilot ace dive-bombed and helped sink the first aircraft carrier lost by Japan. The next day, he took off from USS Yorktown and out-flew and out-gunned three…

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Abraham Lincoln: Youth to Civil War

President Abraham Lincoln fell victim to an assassin’s bullet on Good Friday, 14 April 1865 and died the next morning. Mark and Professor Gerald J. Prokopowicz discuss Lincoln from his youth and early career to the presidency and Civil War. They delve into some of the popular questions readers ask about the sixteenth president and…

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March Events: French and Indian to Civil Wars

Mark covers some key historical events that took place in March, the month that comes in “like a lion” and goes out “like a lamb.” We see that this may depend upon where and when. George Washington in 1777, may have felt threatened by the British lion. Or the British soldiers in the French and…

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