We Didn't Start the Fire: The History Podcast: Recent Episodes
Crowd Network
This brand new pop culture history podcast is nothing like anything you've heard before, and it's everything you need to understand the modern world. Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce, an American pop culture buff and a British music lover, have taken the smash-hit song by Billy Joel and turned it into a podcast. Billy lists 120 people, places, and things in 'We Didn't Start The Fire', and Katie and Tom will do an episode on every single one to create the most fascinating, random and original history of the post-war world. Over the next two and a half years, we're going to learn about politics, rock 'n' roll, sport, space, television, the Cold War, guided along the way by historians, eyewitnesses, and mega-fans. Billy started it. We're going to finish it. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @spreadthatfire, email us at fire@crowdnetwork.co.uk, and go to spreadthatfire.com to buy merch.
The time has finally come... we’ve made it to the end of the song. This episode description is being written on a tearstained laptop as we speak. But we PROMISE we’re going out with a very fizzy bang. The cola wars was a tense battle between soda giants Coca Cola and Pepsi, as they tried to be crowned the hippest, Americanest, tastiest cola. But it’s also the epitoment of American capitalism and the power of brands. So who won the war? What the hell was New Coke? And who wins in the battle of Madonna v George Michael? Plus there’s a cola taste test and a whole lotta reminiscing. Thanks for joining us listeners, we hope you enjoy ❤️🔥 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the penultimate episode, and Billy’s taken us back to China to talk about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, and the massacre that followed. In classic To this day, discussion of the events are strictly censored in China but in this episode we’ll explore it all. What happened to the protestors? Do we know who Tank Man was? What role did rock n roll play? And what’s the state of resistance and counter-culture in today’s China? We’re talking all that and more with modern China expert, Jess Wasserstrom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pope Paul VI was in charge of the Catholic Church in a tumultuous time. Communists are locking up Catholic priests, the Vietnam War is raging on, and free love is in full swing. Does he modernise and change with the time? Or does he batten the hatches and stick to the status quo? How does he react to birth control? And how does Billy Joel come to have a Beatlemania-esque experience with this pope? Professor of History and Catholic Christianity, James Felak is here to walk us through the life of the paper-pushing pope! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Liston vs Patterson is a boxing match to remember. It's an easy win for Liston and his 14 inch fists and he's extraordinary to watch. So why are the crowd so upset when it's over? It's because they think it's a fix, that the mob's somehow involves. Because everyone hates Sonny Liston. With his mob ties and bad attitude, he's wrong kind of African American. The NAACP even warn against the fight because they're worried that increasing Liston's profile will only worsen how society viewed African Americans. So, it's a boxing match to remember, but it's also a snapshot of 1965 American society. There's so much to talk about, from how the fight unfolded and the rest of their careers, to their future fights against Muhammad Ali and Liston's tragic end. So, this week we're joined by boxing journalist and co-host of the George Groves Boxing Club podcast, Declan Taylor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In 1962, the US is scrambling to catch up with the USSR in the Space Race and it's finally time for an American to orbit the Earth. John Glenn is the perfectly stoic character for the job, and what follows is an action packed journey into outer space, full of close calls and national propaganda. But what's it really like to be an astronaut? What's the NASA campus like? What happened to him afterwards? And how did he end of back in space at 77? Host of 13 Minutes to the Moon and ex-NASA employee, Dr Kevin Fong, joins us to talk through it all. A huge thank you to listener Mark Kelsall for convincing Kevin to come on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In 1962, a riot broke out in the University of Mississippi after African American student, James Meredith is enrolled. It essentially becomes the last stand of the Civil War, with people turning up with old Civil War muskets to defend the favoured institution of Southern elites. It would help transform the kinds of opportunities available to black people in the South, but how were they able to avoid de-segregation for 8 years about Brown v Board of Education? And how did James Meredith end up campaigning for KKK klansman, David Duke? Charles K Ross, professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Mississippi is here to talk us through it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
YEAH YEAH YEAH, we’ve been waiting 88 episode for this and it’s finally here!! In the 60s, The Beatles’ rise to fame would change the landscape of pop music and fandom forever. People were so excited to watch them, they’d urinate and scream so loud you’d struggle to hear the music. No one had ever seen fan culture or heard music like it. So it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely ecstatic to chat to Mark Lewisohn, arguably the world’s LEADING authority on the Beatles! So ecstatic that we’ve made a two part episode, so make sure you listen to that once you’re done with this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We told you we'd be back for more baby! We couldn't condense all of the Fab Four's urine filled success to one episode, so welcome to Part 2 of our bumper chat with the world's leading Beatles expert, Mark Lewisohn. In this part we're chatting US takeover, song writing style, John-Paul-George-Ringo friendships, and lots more. This is the second part of our conversation, so make sure you've listened to the Part I before feasting on this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the greatest film of all time… Or is it? Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 EPIC historical drama based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It’s a tale full of familiar faces like Omar Sharif, David Lean and Peter O’Toole, and it impacted generations of film making. But how accurate is it? And how does it measure up to modern eyes? Our friend and film critic Helen O’Hara is back to talk us through it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In 1961, an attack is launched on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in an attempt to weaken Castro’s Revolution. But, the attack is a huge failure and it's shrouded in scandal and conspiracy. We have SO many questions - was the CIA actually behind it all? How did it all go so wrong? How did it lead to an escalation of the Cold War? Luckily Dr Stephen Wilkinson is back to help us sort through the weeds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What would you do if you fell in love, but borders stopped you from being together? For some couples in East Berlin, the only options were to break up, end up in jail, be killed...or escape. In this episode we meet a mustachioed young East German, the American woman he falls in love with, and the stranger who helps them orchestrate an escape. It's a story full of heart, bravery, and far too many close calls. It's like something out of a spy movie, and we're so honoured they joined us to talk us through this daring escape, why they planned it, and how it all played out. If you'd like to watch a short documentary about the escape, head to againstthewallmovie.com. And a huge thank you to our listener, Kurt, for suggesting these guests! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tom and Katie aren't quite sure what to think about Dylan. To be honest, they kind of prefer Dylan covers... He's a weird guy. But he's an icon of Billy's era. He's known as the Shakespeare of his generation. And his turn to electric guitar has people calling him Judas, so clearly he's influential. So today, we're joined by co-host of the podcast, 'Is it Rolling Bob? Talking Dylan' and Bob Dylan superfan, Kerry Shale, to see if he can convert Tom and Katie into Dylan fanatics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 1960s is supposed to be sci-fi’s golden age. But when we look back at some of the era's books, it turns out some of them are a little strange. Stranger in a Strange Land might seem like an interesting premise, but really it’s just a 14 year old’s very confusing wet dream… But how does a book like this inspire Charles Manson's cult? What’s its connection to scientology? And did the book invent the waterbed?! Dr Cara Rodway is back to chat all these strange things and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this special second part of our Eichmann episodes, we speak to a Holocaust survivor about the horrors that Eichmann caused. Ruth Barnett was just 4 years old when she escaped Germany for England via the Kindertransport, because of her father's Jewish identity. She grew up between foster homes, in a strange country where she didn't know the language, as a person of no nationality. But despite it all, she still finds good and hope in the world. This week, we had the privilege of meeting Ruth and talking to her about her incredible life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adolf Eichmann was a Nazi bureaucrat. But the fact he's just a paper pusher,"doing his job", doesn't absolve him from his gruesome involvement in organising and enacting the Holocaust. And despite escaping the consequences by hiding under various false identities, he was finally captured by Mossad agents in Buenos Aires in 1960, leading to a televised trial which cemented the Holocaust in public consciousness. But how did it all happen? What exactly was his role? And how did he justify it to himself? This week, we're joined by Steven Luckert, Senior Program Curator in the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. This is Part I of our Eichmann episodes, and next week we'll be joined by Holocaust survivor Ruth Barnett for Part II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ernest Hemingway was a radical Nobel prize winning writer who lived at the centre of Paris’ glamorous Lost Generation. But, he's troubled by mental illness, and his image as the über macho male may be ruining his legacy. Is he an extraordinary writer being lost in the clichés? It’s time for us to look delve deeper into his life. And luckily Hemingway expert, Dr Linda Patterson Miller is here to talk us through it all!
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Recorded live at the DS podcast festival in Ostend, Belgium, in early April, Katie and Tom were very lucky to be joined by policy adviser Reine Nkiambote and renowned Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck for a very special episode of We Didn't Start The Fire. Surrounded by statues of King Leopold III and staying in hotels built by blood money from that time, they're asking: what was life like for the Congolese under Belgium's brutal colonialist rule; and has Belgium reconciled itself with the more gruesome sides of its past? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the groundbreaking 1960 movie that’s essentially a cheapie slasher film… of COURSE it’s time for us to chat about Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic Psycho. It’s become both a meme and a cult staple, but how did they film that shower scene? Why is it black and white? What happened to Anthony Perkins? And why were all those remakes made? Cara Rodway is back to chat all things Psycho! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ernest Evans aka Chubby Checker is the King of the Twist! It’s the teenie bopper hit that ushered in an instructional dance music CRAZE. It’s infectious, but was it actually any good? Who even was Chubby? And how did he end up making a psychedelic rock flop called Stoned in the Bathroom? Philadelphia music historian, Jack McCarthy is here to chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
FINALLY! IT'S KENNEDY! It’s 1960 and JFK has been elected president, having beaten Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. He becomes the youngest and first Catholic president in US history, and would come to face many critics and juicy rumours over the next fews. But how does he rise so quickly? Did the mob have anything to do with it? What kind of person is he? And how about all those relationships - Jackie, Marilyn, Khrushchev? For a huge figure, we have a huge guest - Pulitzer Prize winning author and JFK biographer, Fredrik Logevall, is here to chat us through it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Music is often the most fondly remembered part of the 20th century, but what we don't always remember is the surreptitious dealings that were going on behind the scenes... The truth is, the mob were a huge part of some of the era's biggest stars, and the music we know and love might be known and loved thanks to corruption. To explain the eras biggest radio controversy and the mob figures behind it all, we're chatting to Richard Carlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We think you’ll love this. dot com: The Hacking is a documentary series diving into the world of Russian ransomware. In this brave new world, nothing is too small, or big, to be digitalised…including acts of war. Russian ransomware attacks almost doubled last year. At this very moment, cybercriminals are crippling schools, supermarkets, dentists, kindergartens, hospitals, oil pipelines - all in the name of money. Katie Puckrik wants to know who, and why
New episode are released every Tuesday - just search for ‘dot com: The Hacking’ in your favourite podcast app. But if you can’t wait until then, you can listen to the rest of the series by subscribing to the Crowd Stories channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Billy's back to teaching us about Korea! This time, we've hit the '60s so it's all about the American-backed improvised authoritarian who became the first president of the Republic of Korea, after their forced split from their neighbours to the north - it's Syngman Rhee! But how did he end up as president of the ROK (rock!🤘)? How did he slip into authoritarianism? And how did student protests lead to revolution and Rhee's resignation? Korea expert, Owen Miller, is here to walk us through it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We think you're going to love this. The Retrospectors is an on-this-day history podcast with new 10 minute episodes out every weekday. They've covered everything from the paper dresses that started the fast fashion industry, to the story behind the first photo of the Loch Ness Monster. It's history, but not as you know it...
For more, just search 'The Retrospectors - Today in History' in your favourite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After the American U-2 spyplane is shot down over the Soviet Union, its pilot Francis Gary Powers becomes a controversial international figure overnight. Had he been turned? Was he involved in planning the attack? Or… did the Soviets just have more advanced weapons than the Americans had expected? Francis Gary Powers Jr. has dedicated his career to reinstating his father’s name, and today he joins us to tell the story of his father and the U-2 spyplane.
If you'd like to contact Gary, you can find him at GaryPowers.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With losses of $2 billion, it's no surprise Ford's Edsel became a meme for corporate failure. So why did they design such an ugly (and shockingly lipsy) spaceship of a car? How did the Vasty Stroke and Mongoose Civique become name options for it? What in the world was Fordlandia? And how did Ford cause a hamburger revolt? Science journalist Kit Chapman is here to tell all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Castro’s the kind of guy who likes to think he’s not like other dictators. He’s the rock ’n’ roll revolutionary with a solid brand, a penchant for the ladies, and a peculiar interest in bovine insemination… But how does he rise to power? Where does the revolutionary spirit come from? How does the US react? And what happens to those who oppose him? This week, we’re joined by Cuba expert Dr Stephen Wilkinson to find out all this, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s 1958 and America is rife with fads. Everyone’s looking to make a quick buck with the next big thing, and Wham-O’s struck gold with the hula hoop. But the hula hoop has a long, and sometimes sordid history. At the heart of America’s love affair with the hula hoop is the often-forgotten pop-culture ICON Joan Anderson, who first introduced the hoop to Wham-O, only to be written out of history. Co-director of the documentary ‘Hula Girl’, Amy Hill, is here to tell Joan’s tale.
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It’s time for Tommy ‘The Talker’ Fordyce and Katie ‘Dimples’ Puckrik to chat Mafia. What were the mob up to in Billy’s days? How did it all start?
And how was the mob involved with the plots to kill Castro and JFK? Our knowledge of the mafia is based purely on the Godfather and Mad Magazine, so thank goodness Jeff Nadu from The Sitdown podcast is here to chat with us. Thinking of skipping this one? FORGET ABOUT IT!
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They’re the heroes of space travel who had to suffer unimaginable terror for the sake of us humans. Today we’re talking about the ICONIC space monkeys of the late 1950s. But why use primates? Why did the Russians use dogs? Were there any alternatives? And what happened to these brave space pioneers? Astronomy journalist Dr Stuart Clark is here to chat about all this and more!
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It's the queer-coded biblical epic that rivals the Fast and the Furious in its action sequences and Avengers Endgame for its sheer enormity...it's Ben Hur time baby! But WHY oh why is it 4 whole hours long? Why is Jesus so coy? How did they record those chariot scenes? And how was it so successful? Luckily for us, film critic Helen O'Hara is back!
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He's the king of nerd chic and the inventor of the power trio. He changes the way bands play and pop music wouldn't be the same without him. But without Elvis' swagger and Little Richard's flamboyance... what's Buddy's special sauce? And how does it all come crashing down so soon? We're stumped by Buddy's meteoric rise, but luckily music professor and Lubbock resident, Christopher Smith is here to help!
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We think you’re going to love this. ‘Where’s my Jetpack?’ explores the promises made to us by films and TV when we were kids. Flying cars, hoverboards, holidays on the moon. What happened to these space age dreams? It’s a valid question. And Sarah Cruddas and Luke Moore are here to answer it!
This episode, they ask: Where's My Moon Base? To hear the full series, search for ‘Where’s My Jetpack?’ in your favourite podcast app, or hit the link below.
http://smarturl.it/wheresmyjetpack
We're taking a break from toasting our lobes around the fire this week, but fear not! Here's another show we think you'll love - Death of a Rock Star. It's all about the lives and deaths of the world's most famous musicians, and this episode is all about Buddy Holly. We've got a scintillating episode about the man himself coming up next week, so tune into this episode of Death of a Rock Star and prime those ears!
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It's been called the most scandalous medical cover up of the 20th century. A pill that was given to pregnant women in the 60s as a treatment for morning sickness was soon found to have had disastrous side effects. If the babies didn't die in the womb, they were born with life-changing deformities and disabilities; and they're still fighting for recognition and compensation 60 years on. Katie and Tom are joined in the studio by Thalidomider Mikey Argy from the UK, and Thalidomide survivor C. Jean Grover in the US.
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What's the difference between a serial and a spree killer? Was Charles Starkweather a psychopath, and did he commit homicide? What even is a psychopath? Set against the life and death of Charles Starkweather, a teenager who took the lives of 11 people in 1957-58, Katie and Tom put all these questions and more to the incomparable David Wilson, ex-prison governor and one of the UK's most well-renowned criminologists, who's come face-to-face with some of the world's most heinous murderers.
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It's here. The fifth and final chapter in Billy's accolade to his favourite sport. Why did New York's two biggest baseball teams up sticks and leave their hometown, their communities, their diehard fans, and head west? The momentous move in 1958 was a reflection of a wider cultural shift that was going on in the US at this time, says this week's guest Josh Chetwynd, who's back for a final time.
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"The General." "The Great Asparagus." "A man with the most oversized personality." Charles de Gaulle was President of France from 1959-69, and his near-mythological status had been building up for decades before then. His debut appearance in Billy's song is because of his critical involvement in the May 1958 Crisis, which saw Algerian Nationalists rise up and, after nearly 130 years of French colonisation, fight for freedom. Dr Arthur Asseraf is an expert in modern France and North Africa, and grew up in France well aware of the near-mythological status that de Gaulle still adopts today.
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In May 1958, Lebanon erupted into crisis. Political and religious tensions had got too much, and people took to the streets to vent their frustration and anger. Desperate for help, President Chamoun turns to the US for help - marking the first of many American interventions in the Middle East. Our guest today is the Lebanese historian and daughter of Lebanese immigrants who escaped during the latter 1975-90 Civil War, Chloé Kattar.
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We've finally scrambled our way to the end of 1957 in Billy's smash hit, and with it we're off to Thailand in WWII. David Lean's war epic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - and film critic Helen O'Hara joins Katie and Tom to battle it out whether this still stands.
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Communist China's first-ever Premier Zhou Enlai was Chairman Mao's right-hand man, and he was loved across the nation. Big smile, eye contact, questions about your family. When he died in 1976 there was a huge outpouring of grief; but that was quickly stifled by the Chinese Communist Party and Mao's ultimate power remained intact. We Didn't Start The Fire-favourite Professor Yangwen Zheng joins Katie and Tom, having made an astounding debut in the Red China episode a year ago, to help them understand why.
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This is an episode from our friends at History Daily that we think you'll like. It's the story of the 21st of December 1968, when the first ever human spaceflight reached the moon. If you like this episode, go and check out their fantastic back catalogue, because on History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon - History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world, one day at a time.
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Book your tickets now to come see us at the DS Podcast Festival Friday 1st April in Ostend, Belgium: https://www.universe.com/users/de-standaard-4NZ5BV, and buy your Damp Cloth Utopia merch at spreadthatfire.com. The 4th October 1957 was a big day. The space race had been won. The Soviet Union had just launched the first ever orbiting satellite into space, and so ushered in a new age of space exploration, intelligence and communications. Dan Kendall from the National Space Centre joins Katie and Tom to explain how.
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Subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel for bonus, ad-free versions of the show and visit us at spreadthatfire.com for the finest damp cloth utopia, rock 'em sock 'em merch the world has ever seen. You might have heard of the seminal 1957 novel 'On The Road'. You might have seen that classic quote 'The only ones for me are the mad ones' tattooed on someone's forearm. Well, today, you're going to find out what it all means, who Jack Kerouac was, and what he meant when he asserted that all life is suffering.
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We have some exciting news nuggets for you Fire lovers: firstly, we're doing our first live show! We're travelling to Belgium in a few weeks' time to take part in the Ostend Podcast Festival on Friday 1st April, alongside podcast legends like S-Town's Brian Reed. We'd love our fans from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France to join us - book your tickets now: https://podcastfestival.standaard.be/. Secondly drum roll you can now subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel to join our Friday club - ad-free access to your favourite history pod three days early. And finally, today's episode. Yes, this is Billy's fourth accolade to his favourite sport, and yes, we've got author, commentator, ex-player and baseball legend Josh Chetwynd back on the show to guide us through it. Mickey Mantle was a hero of the 50s and 60s whose life was glitz and madness, competition and medals. His Wikipedia page is a list of world records, first-times and gold medals. But he had vices that nobody talked about, and they'd soon make his glittering career came spiralling down.
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Boris Pasternak's magnum opus, Doctor Zhivago, came out in Italy in 1957 but was banned in his home country of Russia until the 80s! In the meantime, it caused quite the stir with characters you just might have heard of, like Stalin and the CIA. Who knew the CIA had an interest in book publishing?! To learn more about Pasternak, his multiple Olga mistresses, and his relationship with Tolstoy we're chatting to Slavic literature specialist and Pasternak superfan, Ani Kokobobo.
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This is an episode from our friends at History Daily that we think you'll like. It's the story of the 21st of February 1965, when prominent civil rights activist, Malcolm X, was assassinated in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom. If you like this episode, go and check out their fantastic back catalogue, because on History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time.
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On the morning of the 25th September, 1957, nine African-American teenagers climbed the steps into Little Rock Central High School, faced by a teaming mass of hostility and hatred. They were hit, shouted at, spat on, and tripped up. Only one of them would eventually graduate from the school; the rest would be driven out by daily aggressions and racial abuse. The experience of the Little Rock Nine would become one of the pivotal moments in the modern Civil Rights Movement and we're very lucky to have ex-student, pastor, local historian and acquaintance of the nine students on today's episode, Ryan Davis. Subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel for ad-free versions of this show.
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Four words that bring together Nasser, Eisenhower, Khrushchev and British Prime Minister Anthony Eden for what might be Billy's most difficult lyric to sing. But, what was the Suez crisis all about? And what did it mean for Egypt, Britain, France, Israel, the US and more? Tarek Osman is back on the show to tell us.
It’s 1956 and Peyton Place is “the extraordinary new novel that lifts the lid off a small New England town”. It includes incest, abortion, adultery and murder and inspired a film and a soap opera. It might be one of the darkest and most intense books we’ve ever heard of and Dr Cara Rodway really wanted to chat about it, so she’s back for a record breaking fourth Fire appearance.
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On April 18th 1956 Hollywood star Grace Kelly married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, becoming Princess Grace. But did this fairytale have a happy ending? And how did Alfred Hitchcock’s ingenue become royalty in the first place? To find out Tom and Katie are joined by TV Historian, and Professor of Public Engagement with History at the University of Reading, Kate Williams.
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From 1953 until 1964 Nikita Khrushchev served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Is there more to this man than just shouting with a shoe in his hand? You bet. Joining Tom and Katie to discuss all things Soviet, is returning expert Dr Natalya Chernyshova.
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On the 1st of December 1955, a seamstress called Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. We're still talking about it, and her, and the fight she represented, 70 years later; and Chris Wilson from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC is here to tell us why.
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The streets of 1956 Budapest were aflame with revolution and promise of change. The Hungarian people had had enough of the brutal Soviet regime, and they wanted out. Eastern Europe expert and host of his own wonderful history podcast Eric Halsey returns to the studio for a second time, to talk Katie and Tom through Molotov Cocktails and tank warfare, and to ask the question if flames on the streets of Europe are threatening to spark once more.
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"The essence of sensuality and bodily pleasure." The wonderful Caroline O'Donaghue is back after her Catcher in the Rye debut, and she pretty much sums up Brigitte Bardot in that one sentence. The sweetheart of the 50s and 60s blew minds left, right and centre, and Katie and Tom are digging into why. It's not all glamour and love, though. Brigitte's later life takes a more sinister turn, leaving questions about the price of fame and obsession.
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It's 1955 and the start of a new era. The war is long gone, and the world's moving on. Walt Disney has built the first of what will become a global empire of parks, where, for the first time ever, kids become adults and adults become kids. In this episode, Disney scholar Dr Amy Davis is back for a second time to guide Tom and Katie through a world of imagination, joy and timelessness, and to understand who Walt Disney really was.
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Part II. We've finally reached the King, blues idol, and father of rock 'n roll: Elvis. Elvis historian and author of 'Elvis: Destined to Die Young' Sally Hoedel has spent a lifetime busting the myths that have sprung up about one of the most iconic figures of all time. In a two-parter, Katie and Tom are about to hear the truth behind the glam, the girls, and the gluttony - and it's an extraordinary tale.
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We've finally reached the King, blues idol, and father of rock 'n roll: Elvis. Elvis historian and author of 'Elvis: Destined to Die Young' Sally Hoedel has spent a lifetime busting the myths that have sprung up about one of the most iconic figures of all time. In a two-parter, Katie and Tom are about to hear the truth behind the glam, the girls, and the gluttony - and it's an extraordinary tale.
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The charming legend of a 'boy who never grew up,' or a gruesome not-safe-for-kids tale of 'fairy orgies and Lord of the Flies-style violence'? Peter Pan's not just a happy clappy story about a boy in a green cap who can fly, it turns out. Katie and Tom are joined by Peter Pan Director from Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, Sarah Wolf, to tell them everything she knows about JM Barrie, the Lost Boys, and why a children's hospital has a Peter Pan Director...
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Davy was a real man born in the late 1700s, but in the 1950s he became a glossy star when Walt Disney brought his life and legend onto America's TV screens. Renowned Disney scholar Dr Amy Davis joins Katie and Tom to introduce them to the King of the Wild Frontier, and the question we're all asking is: can you grin a bear to death..?
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And it's a baseball hat-trick! In 1955, young Billy took to the streets to scream and shout as the Brooklyn Dodgers finally beat the Yankees in the World Series. But who were the Dodgers, and why was this win such a huge deal? Sports nut, ex-player and journalist Josh Chetwynd joins Tom and Katie for the third baseball episode, to take them back to 1950s Brooklyn.
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In late September 1955, a Porsche Spyder was speeding along Route 466 when it crashed into a small Ford head on. The driver of the Porsche was dead by the time he reached the hospital. He was 24. Who was James Dean, and how did he get to this point? His love of acting, his raw emotion, his tight-lipped father, and the memory of his mother. Our guest this week is Jake Lambert, a comedian, but more importantly a huge James Dean fan, and he's here to show that when it comes to Jimmy, there are two sides to every story.
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'What! Einstein?', you say? 'Yuk, physics', you moan? Trust us. This one's a banger. Brain box eccentric and best-selling author David Bodanis is in the studio with Tom and Katie, and he's blowing their brains apart with his best E=MC2 facts and most enthralling Albert crazy-hair Einstein stories. You'll come away with dinner-conversation-worthy nuggets on quantum entanglement, the speed of light, and the atomic bomb. We weren't expecting it either.
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You know the tune. You know the beat. That song. It just makes you want to get up and twist. And it clearly made Billy twist, because he's making us do a whole episode about it. Music journalist and author Peter Doggett joins Katie and Tom to dive into the early world of rock 'n roll, and the complex, tragic character of Bill Haley and his Comets.
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It's here. The big one. We can't believe it either. Katie and Tom are quivering with excitement as they sit down opposite the guy who started this whole thing. The world's best history teacher. The one who's led them on this rollercoaster of Cold War chaos. Because of him, they've learnt about Korea, Nixon, plastic, Marilyn, bombs, musicals. So we want to know: Why Studebaker, Billy? Why all that baseball? Where's Muhammed Ali? What's with the tune? These are the questions we've been asking for the past nine months. And they're finally going to be answered. That's right. It's Billy Joel.
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The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was supposed to be France's decisive end to Vietnam's war for independence, the First Indochina War. But instead, it effectively marks the end of European Empire. But how does it go so wrong for France? How are nuclear weapons involved? And why were the same mistakes repeated by the Americans? Historian and podcaster, Dan Snow, is here to help us find out...
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Welcome to damp cloth utopia! Plastic is coming to save us all and you can even go canoeing without wetting your suit! But what the heck is Dacron? Why is it a miracle fabric? And how is it shaping the fashion disasters of the late 20th century? The expert of all things American, Dr Cara Rodway, is back for a record third time to help us figure it all out.
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Have you ever heard of the rock star of conducting? It's Arturo Toscanini of course! This naughty little maestro had a 68 year long career, a slew of spicy love letters, and a near-death mistress experience. So join us and spicy-letter-uncoverer Harvey Sachs as we make our way through Toscanini's life!
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Evita! Evita! Evita! Juan Perón was the President of Argentina and founder of the influential Peronist movement. But would he have been anything without his charismatic wife Evita? A surprisingly fun mix of politics and musicals is ahead of us this week on Fire… So join us and historian Natalia Milanesio to learn more!
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Roy Cohn is the notorious closeted mummy's boy responsible for the Red and Lavender Scares AND potentially the Trump presidency. But why did he use his powers for evil? What was his secret life? And how did he create a president from the grave? To talk us through the walking contradiction that is Roy, we’ve got director of the documentary ‘Where’s my Roy Cohn’, Matt Tyrnauer.
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The whole Communist Bloc? What are you doing to us Billy?!? Thank goodness we’ve got host of the Bulgarian History Podcast, Eric Halsey, to guide us through it all! So what was life like in a Soviet satellite state? How is Bulgaria’s Communist history still impacting the country today? And why were the Bulgarians so darn keen to suck up to Stalin?
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Roy Campanella had a huge role in breaking the colour bar in American baseball, but you might not know him because his career was cut short by segregation and a horrific car accident. Join us and friend of the show, Josh Chetwynd, as Billy forces us to descend further into being a fully-fledged baseball podcast...
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There's a heck of a lot of famous Rockefellers, but only one has gone from family black sheep to gossip column party animal to transforming US politics forever. That's right, this week we're talking about Winthrop Rockefeller with Southern politics expert, Angie Maxwell!
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If you’ve ever watched Romeo and Juliet or The Apprentice, you’ll know the iconic music of Prokofiev! This week, we chat about the Russian composer who lived through World War I, II, the Russian Revolution and the Great Purge AND kept making music through it all, with pianist Alexander Karpeyev.
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He’s all work no play… except for the occasional Western movie. This week we’re nattering about Egyptian revolutionary Nasser, with author and broadcaster, Tarek Osman! So, would the revolution have happened without Nasser? What inspired his political career? And what’s his legacy?
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Who's Malenkov, you're probably asking? He might only have been top dog of the USSR for 9 days after Stalin die, but Georgy's pretty interesting. The wonderful storyteller Dr Natalya Chernyshova joins Katie and Tom to talk about the days that followed Stalin's death. Natalya's currently working on a project funded by the British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship.
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What was it like to live under Stalin’s Soviet Union? And how does this period still impact people today? This week, we’re speaking to Alex Halberstadt, the grandson of Stalin’s last bodyguard, about this despotic, charismatic and tyrannical leader.
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He’s a material boy living in a material world - this week we’re chatting philosopher George Santayana with Dr Matthew Flamm! Are philosophers just mansplainers in ivory towers? What is the meaning of life according to ol’ George? And most importantly, what is the Fire philosophy?
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This man was glitz, show, and absolute musical talent. He influenced Elvis, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga. We all know his name, but who was Liberace? Music journalist Jo Kendall helps Tom and Katie dig into the life of the man who was loved by millions but who, behind the chunky rings, charm, applause and piano trills, had a secret that he took with him to the grave.
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When hero to American Italians Rocky Marciano hangs up his gloves in 1955, he's undefeated world heavyweight champion. Voice of British boxing Steve Bunce is back to tell Tom and Katie about Rocky's biggest and best fights, and why he was such a key figure of the 20th century.
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It's 1953 and Britain and the Commonwealth are still recovering from the war, when the King dies. Princess Elizabeth finds herself thrust onto the throne at the age of 27, and so a new era began. Katie and Tom are joined once again by the wonderful historian Margaret MacMillan to talk coronation chicken, surprise guests, and that ruby-encrusted dress.
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What's actually behind the manufacture of a vaccine? And why was the polio vaccine such a huge deal? In a fascinating first for We Didn't Start The Fire, Billy is plunging us into the depths of medical marvels, mysteries and conspiracy theories. Vaccine expert Dr Gareth Millward joins Tom and Katie this week, and has a weird story to tell about monkeys.
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Why is Eisenhower, an army officer who in 1953 became the 34th man to enter the White House, still one of the most highly-regarded presidents? Dr Rivers Gambrell is back again to help Tom and Katie piece together the full picture of Ike. From his Jehovah's Witness childhood, his failed career as a sportsman and his involvement in documenting the Holocaust, to his marriage with Mamie - and, horrifyingly, his secret war on the White House squirrels.
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JD Salinger created the dismissive, arrogant, spiralling out of control Holden Caulfield in 1951, and with it he changed the face of fiction forever. The book's impact is fascinating and huge: presidents talk about Holden, teenagers want to be him, teachers ban the book from classrooms, serial killers use it as their 'manifesto'. Here to help Katie and Tom understand the Catcher cult is novelist and podcaster Caroline O'Donaghue, and boy has she got some goddamn interesting points to make.
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This jaunty look at 1800s Thailand is the final musical that Billy thought worth mentioning in his Cold War breakdown. But does The King and I deserve spot 20 in Billy's song, or is it just a handy rhyme for next week's Catcher in the Rye? Back again is musical superfan Dr Cara Rodway from the British Library and, in a shocking We Didn't Start The Fire first, our guest isn't convinced.
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You know him from The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Guys and Dolls. You know his dreamboat smile. But what about Brando's fight for civil rights and his support of Native Americans? Probably the most memorable actor of the 20th century, Marlon Brando's influence stretched far beyond the screen; and here to explore how is broadcasting icon Jonathan Ross for a very special episode of We Didn't Start The Fire.
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How did a tiny village in the Korean mountains come to symbolise the north and south split? The answer lies in the year 1953, when a piece of paper was signed to end what became known as The Forgotten War. But Colin Thackery, Korean War veteran and oldest ever winner of Britain's Got Talent, remembers it well. Memories of gunfire, bodies, starving children, American soldiers playing the piano, frostbite. It's a remarkable story.
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How do Muhammed Ali, Marciano and Sonny Liston stand up against Sugar Ray "sweet as sugar" Robinson? Legend of the boxing world Steve Bunce opens the lid on Sugar Ray's world, and gives Katie and Tom a glimpse of Harlem in the 1940s and 50s, the life led and the fights fought by possibly the greatest boxer of all time.
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The hydrogen bomb. A nuclear threat bigger and badder than any atomic bomb that came before it. How close did the USA and Soviet Union come to global annihilation during the Cold War? Very. And renowned historian and wonderful storyteller Margaret MacMillan is here to tell us why.
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In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were sentenced to death by electrocution and died side-by-side: Julius after one shot of electricity, Ethel after three. They left behind two small children. Their crime? Conspiracy to spy for the Soviet Union. UCL's Dr Josh Hollands joins Katie and Tom again to explain why their case shook the world, pulling in the likes of Frida Kahlo, Einstein, Jean Paul Sartre, and Barack Obama.
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From the makers of We Didn't Start The Fire, this is Death of a Film Star.
If you'd like to hear more, search for 'Death of a Film Star' in your favourite podcast platform, or click here: https://podfollow.com/1562008537.
WARNING: this episode contains references to suicide.
It’s not true to say there’s never been anyone like Marilyn Monroe. There’s always been movie stars. There’s been blonde ones. Ones with bodies that half the world wants to stare at and the other half want to ban. But no-one’s done it like her, and no-one’s paying quite such a price.
Norma Jean is surely the most iconic figure of the 20th century. She was painted by men, photographed, directed and loved by men. She was also resented, abused, and put in a strait jacket. Author and Marilyn megafan since the age of 7 Shar Daws talks with Tom and Katie about the truth behind the blonde: strong, smart, and vastly underestimated.
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The second of four episodes on Korea. Author of award-winning 'White Crysanthemum' and captivating storyteller Mary Lynn Bracht takes Katie and Tom to a deeply sinister side of Korea's history: comfort women. An estimated 50-200,000 women and young girls fell foul of the Japanese occupation during WWII: sold as sex slaves, they were brutalised and mutilated. This began a scar in the country's psyche that was torn wide open when in 1950 some westerners drew a line on a map - and so North and South Korea were born. This episode contains content that may be upsetting.
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The world's most elusive country, Billy's 12th lyric, and the first of four on Korea. Dr Sojin Lim from The University of Central Lancashire takes Katie and Tom back to the 1950s to find out why this tiny Asian peninsular was split in two and how North Korea became North Korea. It's a story of escape, state-sanctioned haircuts, coercion, and global powers gently flexing their muscles, a fire bubbling within.
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"The babysitter." Television is Billy's eleventh lyric, and the BFI's TV expert Dick Fiddy takes Tom and Katie back to the 1950s when it began to take hold. The impact of TV through the 20th century and into today is fascinating and unexpected, from advertising and snooker to presidential elections and the moon landing.
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Studebaker: a central cog in 20th century America's booming automobile industry, or just a punchy rhyme? There's something romantic about the story of this small company from South Bend Indiana that was a symbol of innovation and uniqueness for many, but whose struggle to keep up with the Big Three led to collapse in the 1960s. Editor of the Studebaker Owners Club UK Greg Diffen gives Tom and Katie an insight into a community of Studebaker connoisseurs who still roar through the countryside in their Avantis, hoping to keep that small scrap of history alive.
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"A mystery wrapped in an enigma." Episode nine is the first of three that will follow Nixon's rise from his poor Quaker roots in rural California, to the White House and Watergate. The fantastic Dr Rivers Gambrell brings alive Nixon's early career for Tom and Katie: his dream of being a sports star never far from his mind, the path that led Nixon to his 1968 win is one of rejection, awkwardness and fervent political cunning.
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Billy's eighth lyric invites Katie, Tom and UCL's Josh Hollands into the world of the Red Scare, the crippling anticommunist conspiracy that shrouded America in the '40s and '50s. Thousands of teachers, artists, army officials, and gay people were blacklisted or forced to leave the country. And at the heart of it all lies Senator Joseph McCarthy.
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Katie and Tom's romp through the 20th century meets baseball, and there's a darkness behind one of the greatest players of all time. From TV advert appearances and Simon and Garfunkel songs, to an obsessive and abusive marriage with Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio's private and public don't quite match up. They're joined by baseball player and author Josh Chetwynd.
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Sixth lyric, sixth topic. Katie and Tom are joined by historian of the popular press Dr Chris Shoop-Worrall, and together they delve into the dark world of the man who made gossip a currency: widely-loved and intensely-disliked columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell.
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We're five lyrics in, and Katie and Tom are getting musical. Literally, if you make it to the end. Dr Cara Rodway (Chair of the British Association for American Studies by day, musical nerd by night) gives a pretty convincing case for why the soundtrack has spent more weeks at UK number 1 than any other song. Even one of Billy's.
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Deaf in one ear, shy, bisexual, sensitive - are these the reasons Johnnie Ray isn't worshipped as the Father of Rock and Roll? Katie, Tom and author Cathi Unsworth delve into the world of the man who gave way to Elvis, the Beatles, Morrissey. It's a journey which will take them from a small farm in Oregon to African-American clubs in Detroit, and finally to hidden corners in smokey clubs where London's 1950s subcultures could be found. Cathi's latest book Bad Penny Blues is out now: http://www.cathiunsworth.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/cathiunsworthwriter.
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It's episode 3 and Billy's transported us back to post-1949 Communist China. Katie and Tom talk to Prof. Yangwen Zheng about her childhood under the regime, and she's got a fascinating story to tell. It's one of stolen pencil cases, the class enemy, disappearing family members, widespread famine, murder - and the man at the heart of it all, Mao Zedong.
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Second episode, second lyric. Katie and Tom are joined by Hollywood historian Tamar Jeffers-McDonald to talk about the actress, singer and animal activist Doris Day; and Tamar's out to bust some myths. Innocent virgin, happy life, apple pie smile? This is the story of a wildly misunderstood woman - one that involves abuse, serial killers, betrayal, and gruesome truths about the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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True to Billy Joel's words, we kick off with Harry Truman. Katie and Tom talk to UCL historian Dr Nick Witham about the man who oversaw the fascinating period after WWII. Hiroshima, NATO, Korea, the Berlin airlift - has any US president ever had to make so many big decisions?
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A modern history podcast inspired by the lyrics of Billy Joel. Billy didn’t just write an unforgettable smash-hit with ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, he also created the most fascinating, random and original history of the post-war world. Each episode, a new lyric and a fresh subject, all presented by Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce. It's politics, rock 'n' roll, sport, space, television, the Cold War, explored and explained by historians, eyewitnesses, and mega-fans. Billy started it. We're going to finish it. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @spreadthatfire, or share your thoughts and stories with us fire@crowdnetwork.co.uk.
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