History Happy Hour: Recent Episodes
Rick Beyer and Christopher Anderson
Crowd into the virtual bar with Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer to plumb intoxicating history topics and kibbitz over juicy tidbits. Each week, Chris and Rick invite a guest author to share cocktails and talk history. Like who? Like Andrew Roberts, Joe Balkoski, Chris Wallace, Lynne Olson, and Hampton Sides, for example. You never know who'll stop by. History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Brought to you by Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours – and our loyal Patreon patrons.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris create a daring escape line that rescues dozens of Allied servicemen. With one still in a German prison camp, the other returns to America and writes a bestselling book about it that also became a sensational movie. But there is far more to the story.
Our guest, Matthew Goodman, author of the book Paris Undercover, has dug up military records and personal testimonies that reveal, for the first time, the shocking truth behind the memoir and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences of its publication
Matthew Goodman is a New York Times-bestselling author of five books. They include The City Game: The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team and Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The American Scholar, the Harvard Review, Salon, Tablet, the Forward, Bon Appetit, and many other publications. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY.
This Week on History Happy Hour: One day in World War II. One day, around the globe. That’s what author Rona Simmons has written about in her new book No Average Day. The day she picked was October 24, 1944, when more than 2,600 Americans perished—more than on any other single day of the conflict.
Chris and Rick will talk with Rona about the vastness of World War II as seen through the events of a single day – one that was, for members of the US Armed Forces, its deadliest day.
Rona Simmons is an award-winning author of historical fiction and nonfiction. For the last several years, she has focused on untold and often overlooked stories from World War II. Her nonfiction books include Images from World War II: The Art of Jack Smith and The Other Veterans of World War II: Stories from Behind the Front Lines.is an award-winning author of historical fiction and nonfiction. For the last several years, she has focused on untold and often overlooked stories from World War II. Her nonfiction books include Images from World War II: The Art of Jack Smith and The Other Veterans of World War II: Stories from Behind the Front Lines.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Why did Axis countries go to war against America? Given America’s industrial base, what was the rationale that underpinned their decision? And when did they realize they couldn’t win?
Chris and Rick will dive into this topic with historian Harry Yeide, who drew on his experience as an intelligence analyst to write the book Betting Against America: The Axis Powers' Views of the United States.
Harry Yeide is a foreign affairs analyst who writes primarily in the field of military history. He has written a number of books, mostly about WWII tanks. He worked as a political, terrorism, and economic analyst on the Soviet Bloc, the Balkans, the Aegean, East Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and he has served in numerous assignments overseas.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The inspiring true story of Company E, 14ist Infantry, 36th Division, comprised entirely of Mexican Americans—the only such unit in the entire U.S. Army. The division landed at Salerno, Italy, in 1943, among first American soldiers to set foot in Europe. At the Rapido River, Company E would face its greatest challenge.
We’ll talk with David Gutierrez, author of Patriots from the Barrio.
Dave Gutierrez is a historian and author. His articles have appeared in publications including American Legion and War History Online. Recognized by both the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin and the National WWII Museum in New Orleans for his groundbreaking work on Company E 141st Infantry, he also specializes in genealogical research, Mexican American history, and World War II studies. Dave is a member of the National Medal of Honor Museum's Advisory Panel.
This Week on History Happy Hour: There are few names in the annals of military history that evoke such emotion, as the small Belgian town of Bastogne. The 101st Airborne are the best-known defenders of Bastogne, but they only constituted one third of the eventual force that saved the city from total annihilation.
Chris and Rick discuss the heroic defense of the city with historian Martin King, lead author of The Eagles of Bastogne.
Martin King is an award-winning British Military historian and author who’s had the honor of reintroducing many US, British and German veterans to the WWII battlefields where they fought. He has lectured at many British and US colleges, universities and military bases throughout the world. Among his numerous books are Searching for Augusta, The Forgotten Angel of Bastogne and The Tigers of Bastogne: Voices of the 10th Armored Division in Bastogne. He lives in Belgium.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In January 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end, the 29th Division readied itself to be at the point of the fourth Allied offensive in eight months. There, along the banks of the Roer River, is where volume five of Joe Balkoski’s epic series on the 29th gets under way.
Joe will join us on his sixth History Happy Hour to talk about that book, The Last Roll Call, and the many decades he has spent telling the story of the 29th.
Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the ETO during World War II. This includes a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion. He has appeared as a D-Day expert on MSNBC, and his work has been praised by Joe Scarborough, the New York Post, World War II Magazine, and others.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Tyler Perry’s new WWII movie Six Triple Eight is out on Netflix. It tells the story about the only predominantly all-black US Women's Army unit sent overseas during World War II. Their mission: raise soldiers morale by improving the disastrously backed up mail.
The movie was based on an article written by HHH Alum Kevin Hymel, and we welcome Kevin back to the show to hear about what that experience of working on the movie has been like – as well as what the movie gets right and wrong.
Kevin Hymel has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton’s Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University and Master’s Degree from Villanova University, both in History.
This Week on History Happy Hour: From his first visit in 1941 to his last one eighteen years later, Churchill made himself at home in the White House, sometimes staying for weeks at a time. These extended stays at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue changed the course of history. We will explore this story with Robert Schmuhl, author of Mr. Churchill in the White House: The Untold Story of a Prime Minister and Two Presidents.
Robert Schmuhl is a Professor Emeritus in American Studies and Journalism at the University of Notre Dame. He has been on the Notre Dame faculty since 1980. He’s the author or editor of fifteen books, including “The Glory and the Burden” about the US presidency.
This Week on History Happy Hour: No Guest – Just Us! We’re bringing back another edition of History Happy Talk!
What would you like us to talk about. The Battle of the Bulge? Recent trips you have been on? Who should have won the War for Independence? Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions/topics/suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we’ll have some questions for you as well. A free-flow, interactive, fun time on HHH. Just make sure you have your cocktail in hand – we sure will!
This Week on History Happy Hour: It is one of the most famous and controversial battles the British fought in Normandy. On June 13, British forces were ambushed at Villers Bocage by Waffen SS German Panzers, including one commanded by German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann. This kicked off a two-day battle that resulted in a major British withdrawal.
Chris and Rick dig into this story with Daniel Taylor author of Villers-Bocage: Operation Perch: The Complete Event. The debate still swirls: Was it a crushing British defeat, or a compelling recovery from an ambush that was misunderstood by an already nervous high command? And has Wittmann’s role been exaggerated, or was he really the hero the Nazis made him out to be?
Daniel Taylor is the curator of the Kent & Sharpshooters Yeomanry Museum. He has always had a deep interest in the military, in particular the Normandy Campaign of 1944, and served in the Territorial Army (Army Reserve) for a number of years. Daniel writes and researches for a number of specialist publications and Regimental Journals, as well as conducting battlefield tours for both civilian and Army groups. He lives in Kent with his wife and two sons.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The legendary ‘Red Devils’, British Airborne troops, were created at Winston Churchill’s instigation in June 1940. They started with just 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions.
British military historian Saul David returns this encore episode of History Happy Hour to talk about book Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. We’ll talk about their role in iconic operations such as Pegasus Bridge, Arnhem Bridge, and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop of World War II.
Saul David is a professor military history at the University of Buckingham, and the author of numerous history books. He was on History Happy Hour in 2020 to talk about his Okinawa book, Crucible of Hell. Other titles include The Indian Mutiny, 1857, Operation Thunderbolt, and The Force: The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII’’s Mission Impossible. He has also written three bestselling historical novels, Zulu Hart, Hart of Empire and, The Prince and the Whitechapel Murders. He has appeared in numerous documentaries in the UK.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The story of British scientists who developed cutting-edge underwater science that helped make D-Day possible.
Chris and Rick welcome Rachel Lance, author of Chamber Divers. A long-classified tale of eccentric researchers who conducted life threatening experiments on themselves to pioneer the safe use of miniature submarines and breathing apparatuses used to reconnoiter the D-Day beaches.
Dr. Rachel Lance is a biomedical engineer and blast-injury specialist who works as a scientific researcher on military diving projects. Dr. Lance spent several years as an engineer for the United States Navy, working to build specialized underwater equipment for use by navy divers, SEALs, and Marine Force Recon personnel. She is also the author of “In the Waves” and her writing has appeared in Time, Wired, Scientific American, and more. She lives in Durham, North Carolina.
This Week on History Happy Hour: One thousand years ago, Native American cities in North America rivaled urban centers around the world in size and scope. But has the surprising history of Native Americans has been obscured by historians’ intent on minimizing the role of their still thriving societies?
Chris and Rick talk about one thousand years of Native American history with Kathleen DuVal, author of Native Nations: A Millennium in North America,” a book The Wall Street Journal calls “An essential American history.”
Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of several books, including Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution, and a co-author of the latest edition of the popular history textbook Give Me Liberty!
This Week on History Happy Hour: Between 1199 and 1399, English politics was high drama. These two centuries witnessed savage political blood-letting – including civil war, deposition, the murder of kings and the ruthless execution of rebel lords.
Chris and Rick discuss did into this tumultuous period with Dr. Caroline Burt and Richard Partington, authors of Arise, England: Six Kings and the Making of the English State. How did these six Plantegenet Kings, colorful and complicated, manage the development of an English state that would become one of the leading nations in the world.
Dr Caroline Burt is a medieval historian and college lecturer at Pembroke College, Cambridge. She comes from Manchester, UK, and was in the first generation of her family to go to university. Her research focuses on the reigns of Edward I (1272-1307) and Edward II (1307-27) and on English governance during that period. Richard Partington is Senior Tutor at St. John's College, Cambridge. An Affiliated Lecturer in the Cambridge Faculty of History, he teaches medieval British politics and has written and broadcast on politics, war, law and crime in the fourteenth century, especially during the rule of Edward III (1327-77).
This Week on History Happy Hour: A close-up look at how WWII looked to combat nurse Lt. Mary Elizabeth Balster, who spent months caring for the sick and wounded just behind the front lines of General Patton’s Third Army.
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome NCR Davis, Lt. Balster’s daughter, and author of For the Boys: The War Story of a Combat Nurse in Patton’s Third Army. The true story of a richly rebellious and intense woman trying to navigate her life and nurture her sanity while nursing the wounded and dying.
Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.
Nancy Davis lives in the north Georgia mountains. Under a pseudonym, NCR, she writes about the impact of technology on culture, currency, and politics in the western world. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Master of Arts in English.
This Week on History Happy Hour: An encore episode with author and historian Joe Balkoski, our first ever five-time guest. He returns to pick up the story of the 29th Division. And of course we honored him with a special ceremony honoring Joe’s five-time guest status.
Chris and Rick talk with him about the 4th volume of his five-volume series on the 29th: Our Tortured Souls: The 29th Infantry Division in the Rhineland, November - December 1944. A riveting story of heroism and tragedy, during which thousands of 29ers became casualties in a campaign that ultimately failed to end the war.
Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the ETO during World War II. This includes a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion. He has appeared as a D-Day expert on MSNBC, and his work has been praised by Joe Scarborough, the New York Post, World War II magazine, and others.
This Week on History Happy Hour: He never became as celebrated as his fellow commanders George Patton and Omar Bradley, but General William Simpson, commander of the 9th U.S. Army in WWII, built a superb combat record. General Dwight Eisenhower called him brilliant, adding: "If Simpson ever made a mistake as an Army Commander, it never came to my attention."
To explore his WWII command record, Chris and Rick will be joined by William Stuart Nance, author of a new book about Simpson and his Chief of Staff James Moore: Commanding Professionalism: Simpson, Moore, and the Ninth US Army.
William Stuart Nance is a retired armor officer. He taught history at the United States Military Academy and the United States Command and General Staff College. He is the author of Sabers through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Author Eric Jay Dolin returns for his second HHH to talk about his book Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812―a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation, and the desperate struggle for survival.
Dolan discusses the surprising twists and turns throughout—involving greed, lying, bullying, a hostile takeover, stellar leadership, ingenuity, severe privation, endurance, banishment, and the great value of a dog.
Eric Jay Dolin is the bestselling author of 15 books, many on maritime history. He was on the show two years ago to talk about his book Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution. The book before that, A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes, was chosen by the Washington Post as one of 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2020, and by the New York Times Book Review as an "Editor's Choice." A graduate of Brown, Yale, and MIT, where he received his Ph.D. in environmental policy, Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with his family.
This Week on History Happy Hour: After its shocking defeat to the Nazis in 1940, how did France respond? In his book Resistance and Liberation: France at War, 1942-1945, historian Douglas Porch traces how Charles de Gaulle sought to forge a French army and prevent civil war.
Chris and Rick talk to Douglas about the experiences of ordinary French men and women caught up in war and defeat, the choices they made, the trials they endured, and how this has shaped France's memory of those traumatic years.
Douglas Porch is an American military historian and academic. He currently serves as a Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, and is the former Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs for the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California. He has written more than eight books and numerous other publications, mostly about French history and French colonialism.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Civil War historian Scott Hartwig has been researching the Battle of Antietam for decades. Now he has written a definitive hour-by-hour tactical history of the battle, I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign. The memory of the Battle of Antietam was so haunting that when, nine months later, Major Rufus Dawes learned another Antietam battle might be on the horizon, he wrote, "I hope not, I dread the thought of the place."
Join us as Scott takes a deep dive into the bloodiest day in American military history.
D. Scott Hartwig served in the National Park Service for 34 years as an interpretive ranger and was a supervisory historian, including 20 years at Gettysburg National Military Park. He has authored numerous articles, essays and books on Civil War subjects and has often talked about Civil War topics – including the Battles of Gettysburg and Antietam – on the History Channel and Discovery Channel. He was the author of a noted work on the latter, entitled To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign from September 3 to September 16. His recent book, I Dread the Thought of the Place, received an Honorable Mention for the American Battlefield Trust Prize for History.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Frederika Mandlebaum was a nice Jewish mother living in New York in the 1870s. She was also America’s first great organized crime boss. She planned robberies throughout the country - handpicking a cadre of the finest bank robbers, housebreakers and shoplifters to turn street crime into big business.
Chris and Rick explore the story of this entrepreneurial criminal mastermind with HHH Alum Margalit Fox, author of The Talented Mrs. Mandlebaum.
Margalit Fox originally trained as a cellist and a linguist before pursuing journalism. As a senior writer in The New York Times’s celebrated Obituary News Department, she wrote the front-page public sendoffs of some of the leading cultural figures of our age. Winner of the William Saroyan Prize for Literature and author of four previous books, she joined us on HHH in 2021 to talk about her book The Confidence Men.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Between 1941 and 1945, more than eight hundred shiploads of supplies were delivered to the Soviet Union protected by Allied naval forces. But more than 100 ships were lost in this duty. Each convoy was a battle against the elements, and the Germans - with both sides relying heavily on signals intelligence to intercept and break each other’s codes. The resulting ocean engagements involved aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and submarines…and the frightening weather of the Arctic sea.
In this encore episode, we explore this dramatic story with Bletchley Park historian David Kenyon, author of Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas.
David Kenyon is responsible for historical research in support of all public content at Bletchley Park. He also worked for a number of years as an archaeologist, and is one of the UK’s leading experts on the archaeology of the First World War. He has worked on numerous historical television and film projects, including acting as historical advisor to Warhorse in 2010. His books include Bletchley Park and D-Day and Horsemen in No Man’s Land.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Eighty years ago, The Allies liberated Paris. It was the biggest party of the century, as experienced by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Capa. But there was nothing preordained about this happy ending. Had things transpired differently, Paris might have gone down as a ghastly monument to Nazi nihilism.
We welcome back HHH alum Patrick Bishop to talk about his new book Paris 1944: Occupation, Resistance, Liberation: A Social History.
Patrick Bishop spent twenty-five years as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts around the world. He is the author of Operation Jubilee: Dieppe 1944, as well as two hugely acclaimed books about the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Fighter Boys and Bomber Boys. His other books include Wings, a history of the RAF; and Air Force Blue, which celebrated 100 years of the RAF and was a Sunday Times (UK) bestseller. This is his second time on History Happy Hour.
This Week on History Happy Hour: From 1925 to January 1941, Sigrid Schultz was The Chicago Tribune’s Berlin bureau chief. She witnessed Hitler’s rise to power and was one of the first reporters—male or female—to warn American readers of the growing dangers of Nazism. We explore her extraordinary time there with Pamela Toler, author of the new book "The Dragon From Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany."
William Shirer summed up her career this way: “No other American correspondent in Berlin knew so much of what was going on behind the scene as did Sigrid Schultz.”
Pamela D. Toler, PhD is a historian who has written ten books of popular history for children and adults, including Heroines of Mercy Street: Real Nurses of the Civil War and Women Warriors: An Unexpected History. Her work has appeared in American Scholar, Aramco World, Calliope, History Channel Magazine, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Ms., Time.com and The Washington Post.
This Week on History Happy Hour: With the Democrats convening later his month in Chicago, HHH turns to the city’s first political convention in 1860, where a team of outsiders plotted their way to a history-changing nomination for an underdog named Abraham Lincoln. Chris and Rick welcome Edward Achorn, author of The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention that Changed History.
From smoky hotel rooms to night marches by the Wide Awakes, to fiery speeches on the floor of the giant convention center called The Wigwam, discover a longshot effort carried out in a political climate just as contentious as our own today.
Edward Achorn is the author of two critically acclaimed books about Abraham Lincoln. His book, Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, was named one of the best books of 2020 by the Economist magazine. He is also the author of two classic baseball books, The Summer of Beer and Whiskey and Fifty-Nine in ’84. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and recipient of the Yankee Quill Award for lifetime achievement in journalism.
This Week on History Happy Hour: How did one small island in the western Pacific make a huge contribution to the final phase of America’s war with Japan?
The island is Tinian, and our guest is fellow Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours historian Don Farrell, author of the new book, Seabees and Superforts at War: Tinian’s Critical Role in the Ultimate Defeat of Japan. From the invasion that took the island, to the construction of the largest and busiest airport in the world, and finally, the launching of the atomic bomb, 79 years ago this week.
Don Farrell is a historian and guide for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours who has lived on Tinian for 33 years. He is the author of History of the Northern Mariana Islands and Tinian and the Bomb, among other books. Don credits his understanding of Marianas history to years of teaching on Guam and Tinian and 35 years of government service, including Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Guam Legislature, and Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the Municipality of Tinian and Aguiguan.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Today most people remember little more about John Hancock than his signature, but 250 years ago this Boston businessman was a powerful and popular patriot leader who, on multiple occasions, played a vital role in the fight for Independence.
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick dive back into the Revolution (or is it the War of Independence?) and talking to Brooke Barbier, author of King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.
Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, specifically researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. Two of Brooke's favorite things are history and beer, so in 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the author of two books about revolutionary Boston and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Boston.com. She is originally from San Diego, CA but has lived in Boston for many years.
This Week on History Happy Hour: During WWII, the legendary First Division, “The Big Red One,” fought in North Africa, Sicily, landed on Omaha Beach and drove across Europe and into Germany. It served 443 days in combat, with more than 20,000 casualties.
Chris and Rick will explore the rich history of the division with Gregory Fontenot, author of the new book, No Sacrifice Too Great: The 1st Infantry Division in World War II. The story of how the men of this division learned how to adapt, improvise and innovate on the job as they took on the Nazis on two continents.
Gregory Fontenot is a retired Colonel of the US Army. He is currently a consultant on for the Army and a working historian. He was the lead author of On Point: The US Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is also the author of The 1st Infantry Division and the US Army Transformed: Road to Victory in Desert Storm, 1970–1991, winner of the 2017 Army Historical Foundation award for Unit History, as well as Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Author Helen Fry returns to HHH for third time to talk about her book Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars. It tells the groundbreaking history of women in British intelligence, revealing their pivotal role across the first half of the twentieth century. Across both world wars, far from being a small part of covert operations, women ran spy networks and escape lines, parachuted behind enemy lines, and interrogated prisoners.
The stories of incredible women who defied convention and made history. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.
Dr. Helen Fry is an ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI). She has authored and edited over 25 books covering the social history of the Second World War, including British Intelligence and the secret war, espionage and spies, and MI9 escape and evasion. She is the foremost authority on the "secret listeners," who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII, and is the official biographer of MI6 spymaster, Colonel Thomas Joseph Kendrick. She has also extensively written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain during WWII.
Helen has appeared in a number of documentaries, including David Jason’s Secret Service (Channel 5), Spying on Hitler's Army (Channel 4), and Secrets of the Spies (Britbox).
This Week on History Happy Hour: In 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third major voyage to the Pacific. The incredible journey that followed took Cook from Australia to Alaska, and involved the first substantial European contact with the Hawaiian Islands…as well as the confrontation that led to his death.
Chris and Rick welcome Hampton Sides (making his second appearance on HHH) author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.
Hampton Sides is an award-winning editor of Outside and the author of the bestselling histories The Kingdom of Ice, Hellhound on his Trial, Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers. He lives in New Mexico with his wife, Anne, and their three sons.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Franklin Rutland was a British World War I hero at the Battle of Jutland, becoming internationally known as “Rutland of Jutland.” He became a fixture of high society in Golden Age Hollywood – and a spy for the Japanese as they built their naval power in the Pacific. Then he became a double agent – could he have prevented Pearl Harbor?
Chris and Rick welcome Ronald Drabkin, author of Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor.
Ronald Drabkin's obsession with espionage history started when he was as a child in Los Angeles, where he vaguely understood that his father had been working for the US military in counterintelligence. Later he discovered that his grandfather had also been in “the business,” and it drove a voyage of discovery into previously classified documents on three continents. He is the author of many peer-reviewed articles on Japanese espionage. His career prior to writing was at early-stage startups in the US, where he was an early adopter of Google and Facebook advertising. He currently lives in Tokyo.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In the mid 19th Century, as America careened toward Civil War, Senator Charles Sumner was the conscience of the North. He denounced slavery’s evils to all who would listen and demanded that it be wiped out of existence. More than any other person of his era, he blazed the trail on the country’s long, uneven, and ongoing journey toward realizing its full promise to become a more perfect union.
This week, Chris and Rick welcome Stephen Puleo, author of a new biography of Sumner: The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union.
Stephen Puleo is a historian, teacher, public speaker, and the author of several books, including Voyage of Mercy, Dark Tide, American Treasures, and The Caning. A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor to American History magazine, the Boston Globe, and other publications, he holds a master's degree in history and has taught at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Suffolk University. He and his wife, Kate, reside in the Boston area.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Everyone knows about the Doolittle Raid, in which 16 B25s took off from an aircraft carrier to bomb Japan early in the war. But few know the story of Plane 8, which never attacked Tokyo, but headed across Japan to the Soviet Union. Was it on some sort of secret mission that has never been revealed?
Chris and Rick look for answers with Dan Hampton, author of Vanishing Act: The Enduring Mystery Behind the Legendary Doolittle Raid.
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton flew 151 combat missions during his twenty years in the United States Air Force. Col. Hampton received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor, five Meritorious Service medals, and numerous other citations. He is the author of eight books, and A frequent guest on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC discussing foreign affairs and geopolitics.
This Week on History Happy Hour: 350,000 American women served in uniform during World War II. They found themselves in every service branch, in every combat theater. They were directly involved in some of the most important moments of the war, from the D-Day landings to the peace negotiations in Paris.
Chris and Rick explore their contribution with Lena Andrews, author of the bestseller Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win WWII.
Lena Andrews is a military analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. is a military analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. She has spent more than a decade in foreign policy, having previously worked at the RAND Corporation and the United States Institute of Peace. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, she received her Ph.D. in political science from MIT specializing in international relations and security studies. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and son.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In this encore episode, Chris and Rick are on the road in Normandy! Along with historians Matt Broggie, Erik Flint, and Hugh MacDonald-Buchanan, they are leading a trip on the Normandy Breakout – the seven weeks of fighting that result in victory in Normandy and pave the way for a push to Paris and beyond. This week, excerpts from talks on the ground by all five historians.
Hear the stories told in the spots where they happened!
Matt Broggie has been working with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours since the 70th Anniversary of D-Day in 2014. He has extensive knowledge of WWII battlefields and has been published in WWII History Magazine. He is a U.S. and World History professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee where he also teaches soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division through the university’s campus at Fort Campbell.
Erik Flint was the Director of the Lewis Army Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. A veteran of 30 years in uniform, Erik deployed twice to Iraq as a Combat Historian for the U.S. Special Operations Command History & Research Office and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve where he is a lead Command and General Staff Officer Course instructor. Hugh MacDonald-Buchanan After attended Harrow School in London, Hugh obtained his degree at University College London and worked for 23 years in the investment banking and funds management. Throughout this period, he enjoyed arranging excursions with friends and then decided to enter the short tour business full time as a free-lance practitioner. In 2006, he qualified as Blue Badge Guide of the Year and is now thrilled to have been able to convert the cultural and historical interests of a lifetime into his work!
This Week on History Happy Hour: An advance look at an exciting, brand-new book about Dwight Eisenhower set in the months leading up to the Normandy invasion. It takes a deep dive into the period when he grew from a well-liked general into one of the singular figures of American history.
Chris and Rick welcome Michel Paradis, author of The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower. Author Alex Kershaw calls the book "Gorgeously written. The only must-read book to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day."
Michel Paradis is a leading scholar and lawyer of international law and human rights. He has won high-profile cases in courts around the globe and worked for over a decade with the US Department of Defense, Military Commissions Defense Organization, where he led many of the landmark court cases to arise out of Guantanamo Bay. He is also a Lecturer at Columbia Law School, where he teaches about the military, the constitution, and the law of war. He has appeared on or written for NPR, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Lawfare, America, The Intercept, and the late Weekly Standard. He lives with his wife, daughters, and yorkie in Manhattan.
This Week on History Happy Hour: It is one of the most famous and controversial battles the British fought in Normandy. On June 13, British forces were ambushed at Villers-Bocage by Waffen SS German Panzers, including one commanded by German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann. This kicked off a two-day battle that resulted in a major British withdrawal.
Chris and Rick dig into this story with Daniel Taylor author of Villers-Bocage: Operation Perch: The Complete Account. The debate still swirls: Was it a crushing British defeat, or a compelling recovery from an ambush that was misunderstood by an already nervous high command. And has Wittmann’s role been exaggerated, or was he really the hero the Nazis made him out to be?
Daniel Taylor is the curator of the Kent & Sharpshooters Yeomanry Museum. He has always had a deep interest in the military, in particular the Normandy Campaign of 1944, and served in the Territorial Army (Army Reserve) for a number of years. Daniel writes and researches for a number of specialist publications and Regimental Journals, as well as conducting battlefield tours for both civilian and Army groups. He lives in Kent with his wife and two sons.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In July 1944, 300 men from Canada’s storied Black Watch regiment found themselves embroiled in mortal combat against elite German units in Normandy in a bloody battle for Verrières Ridge. Only a handful of Highlanders walked away unscathed.
In this encore episode, Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer explore this ferocious battle with historian David O’Keefe, author of Seven Days in Hell: Canada's Battle for Normandy and the Rise of the Black Watch Snipers.
David O'Keefe is an award-winning historian, documentarian and professor at Marianopolis College in Westmount, Quebec. He served with the Black Watch and has spent decades researching their history. He has created and collaborated on more than fifteen documentaries for the History channel and National Geographic and has appeared on CBC, CTV, Global Television and other networks. He is the bestselling author of One Day in August: The Untold Story behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe. He is also the co-creator and host of the Canadian television program War Junk. He lives in Rigaud, Quebec, with his wife and children.
This Week on History Happy Hour: As we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer look back on the Normandy landings with a 90-minute encore presentation of our 2021 D-Day Special. Rick hosted the show live from the National D-Day Memorial, and three distinguished guests joined us for a D-Day discussion.
The show begins with author Giles Milton, and a look at his riveting account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion as told through a symphony of incredible accounts from both sides. The book is Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day.”
Then we are joined by historians Joe Balkoski (Omaha Beach, Utah Beach) and Craig Symonds (Operation Neptune) for a freewheeling five-way discussion on D-Day Controversies. And we have a few surprises as well.
Giles Milton is an internationally best-selling author of narrative non-fiction. His books include D-Day: The Soldiers' Story and Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which was a Sunday Times best-seller. Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the EDO during World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion.
Craig Symonds is a distinguished naval historian who taught for more than 30 years at the US Naval Academy and has most recently been the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History US Naval War College. A former Navy officer, he is the author of many books on American naval history.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Alexander Larman, master chronicler of the House of Windsor, returns to HHH to talk with Chris and Rick about the final book in his acclaimed trilogy: Power and Glory Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty.
From Elizabeth and Philip’s Royal Wedding, to George VI’s death and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor’s treacherous activities in WWII, Larman paints a vivid portrait of the end of one sovereign’s reign and the beginning of another’s.
Alexander Larman is a British author, journalist and historian. Specializing in historical biography, he also writes regularly for The Times, The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, the New Statesman, and The Daily Telegraph. He appeared on History Happy Hour three years ago to talk about his book The Crown in Crisis.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The legendary ‘Red Devils’, British Airborne troops, were created at Winston Churchill’s instigation in June 1940. They started with just 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions.
British military historian Saul David returns to History Happy Hour to talk about his new book Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. We’ll talk about their role in iconic operations such as Pegasus Bridge, Arnhem Bridge, and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop of World War II.
Saul David is a professor military history at the University of Buckingham, and the author of numerous history books. He was on History Happy Hour in 2020 to talk about his Okinawa book, Crucible of Hell. Other titles include The Indian Mutiny, 1857, Operation Thunderbolt, and The Force: The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII’’s Mission Impossible. He has also written three bestselling historical novels, Zulu Hart, Hart of Empire and, The Prince and the Whitechapel Murders. He has appeared in numerous documentaries in the UK.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The story of what may be the single most savage episode in the long history of violence inflicted by white southerners on their Black neighbors. Author Earl Swift joins us to talk about his new book: Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery. A mass murder, the unusual trial that followed, and the national debate on race relations it sparked.
Earl Swift is the author of the New York Times bestseller Chesapeake Requiem, which was named to ten best-of-the-year lists. His other books include Across the Airless Wilds, Auto Biography, The Big Roads, and Where They Lay. A former reporter for the Virginian-Pilot and a contributor to Outside and other publications, he is a fellow of Virginia Humanities at the University of Virginia. He lives in the Blue Ridge mountains west of Charlottesville.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome back distinguished (and sometimes disruptive!) oral historian Peter Hart to talk about his new book Footsloggers: An Infantry Battalion at War, 1939-1945.
He’ll share the story of a single British infantry battalion during WWII. From North Africa to Italy and Greece, the 16th learned their military skills the hard way facing determined German opposition every step of the way.
Peter Hart is the author of numerous books on World Wars I and II. He was formerly the lead oral historian at the Imperial War Museum in London and now is the co-host, along with Gary Bain, of the hugely popular Pete and Gary’s Military History Podcast. This will be Peter’s fourth appearance on the show – putting him neck and neck with Joe Balkoski for who will get to five appearances first!
This Week on History Happy Hour: Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. But he is often dismissed or left out when commentators discuss the great leaders of the Civil War. Did he lead his troops to victory, or was he just along for the ride?
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick talk about Meade with Kent Masterson Brown, author of the recent book Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. We’ll explore Brown’s contention that Meade deserves far more credit than he usually receives for the way he handled the Army of the Potomac during and after this critical Civil War battle.
Kent Masterson Brown is the author of six Civil War history books for which he has received rave reviews and numerous national awards. He has also written, hosted, and produced eight award-winning documentary films for public and cable television. He received his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1974 and practiced law for thirty-seven years.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Recent archeological digs have uncovered the remains of two dozen soldiers who fought at the Revolutionary War battles of Camden, South Carolina, and Red Bank, New Jersey. British, American and Hessian soldiers have been unearthed nearly 250 years after the guns ceased.
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Steven Smith, an archeologists on the Camden project, as well as Wade Catts and Jen Janofsky, co-directors of the Redbank Project, to talk about the effort to recover and remember these soldiers. What stories and secrets can their remains reveal?
Steven Smith - Research professor, South Carolina Institute of Archeology and AnthropologyJames Legg - Public archeologist, South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology
Wade Catts - Principal Archeologist, South River Heritage Consulting
Jen Janofsky - Director, Red Bank Battlefield Park
This week on History Happy Hour: Bass Reeves was born into slavery and never learned to read or write. But he nevertheless became one of the most feared lawmen in the west who carried out more than 3000 arrests and killed 14 men while carrying out his mission as a deputy Federal Marshall.
Art Burton has spent years digging into his story. In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Art to talk about his book Black Gun, Silver Star: The Legend of Frontier Marshall Bass Reeves.
*Art T. Burton, is a long-time history professor, focusing on the American West. He is the author of several books including Black, Red and Deadly: Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory, 1870-1907, as well as Black Buckskin and Blue: African American Scouts and Soldiers on the Western Fronti*er.
This week on History Happy Hour: December 1942 saw the bloodiest Christmas in the history of mankind. From the islands in the Pacific to the China front, from the trenches in Russia to the battle lines in North Africa, in the skies over Europe and in the depths of the Atlantic, men were killing each other in greater numbers than ever before. It offers a glimpse of the extremes, good and bad, that World War II gave rise to.
Chris and Rick will explore this period around the globe with Peter Harmsen, author of Darkest Christmas: December 1942 and a World at War. The way the holiday was marked around the world reflects the deeper story of the human condition in extraordinary times.
*Peter Harmsen, PhD, is the author of New York Times best seller Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze and Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City, as well as a three book series, War in the East* about the war against Japan. He studied history at National Taiwan University and has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades.
This week on History Happy Hour: Author and historian Joe Balkoski becomes our first ever five-time guest, as he returns to pick up the story of the 29th Division. Things will kick off with a special ceremony honoring Joe’s five-time guest status. (A hat is involved!)
Then Chris and Rick will talk to him about the 4th volume of his five-volume series on the 29th: Our Tortured Souls: The 29th Infantry Division in the Rhineland, November - December 1944. A riveting story of heroism and tragedy, during which thousands of 29ers became casualties in a campaign that ultimately failed to end the war.
*Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the ETO during World War II. This includes a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion. He has appeared as a D-Day expert on MSNBC, and his work has been praised by Joe Scarborough, the New York Post, World War II magazine*, and others.
This week on History Happy Hour: A close-up look at how WWII looked to combat nurse Lt. Mary Elizabeth Balster, who spent months caring for the sick and wounded just behind the front lines of General Patton’s Third Army.
Chris and Rick welcome NCR Davis, Lt. Balster’s daughter, and author of For the Boys: The War Story of a Combat Nurse in Patton’s Third Army. The true story of a richly rebellious and intense woman trying to navigate her life and nurture her sanity while nursing the wounded and dying.
*Nancy Davis* lives in the north Georgia mountains. Under a pseudonym, NCR, she writes about the impact of technology on culture, currency, and politics in the western world. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in English.
This week on History Happy Hour: He was one of the twentieth century’s most colorful politicians—on the New York and national stage. He was also quintessentially American: the son of Italian immigrants, who rose in society through sheer will and chutzpah. Almost one hundred years later, America is once again grappling with issues that would have been familiar to the Little Flower, as he was affectionately known.
Chris and Rick will explore his life with Terry Golway, author of I Never Did Like Politics: How Fiorello La Guardia Became America's Mayor, and Why He Still Matters.
*Terry Golway* was a senior editor at POLITICO and the author of several works of history, including Frank and Al and Machine Made. He has been a columnist and city editor at the New York Observer, a member of the editorial board of the New York Times, and a columnist for the Irish Echo. He holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History from Rutgers University and has taught at the New School, New York University, and the College of Staten Island.
This week on History Happy Hour: He never became as celebrated as his fellow commanders George Patton and Omar Bradley, but General William Simpson, commander of the 9th U.S. Army in WWII, built a superb combat record. General Dwight Eisenhower called him brilliant, adding: "If Simpson ever made a mistake as an Army Commander, it never came to my attention."
To explore his WWII command record, Chris and Rick will be joined by William Stuart Nance, author of a new book about Simpson and his Chief of Staff James Moore: Commanding Professionalism: Simpson, Moore, and the Ninth US Army.
*William Stuart Nance is a retired armor officer. He taught history at the United States Military Academy and the United States Command and General Staff College. He is the author of Sabers through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe.*
This week on History Happy Hour: In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome back fellow Stephen Ambrose Tours historian and Patton expert Kevin Hymel to talk about the second volume of his Patton Trilogy, Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 2: August–December 1944.
We'll be covering the period starting when Patton took command of the 3rd Army. It includes his race against France, the closing of the Falaise pocket, and the successful effort to relieve Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
*Kevin Hymel has served as a Historian for the U.S. Army and Air Force. He is the author of Patton’s Photographs: War as He Saw It and has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage* magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton’s Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University and Master’s Degree from Villanova University, both in History.
This week on History Happy Hour: Our guest for this week had to take part in a hush-hush military exercise (or so she told us) so we won’t be talking to her. Instead, Chris and Rick will chat/argue/talk about history with each other – and you! What would you like us to talk about? FDR’s leadership? Our favorite WWI books? Who should have won the War for Independence? Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions/topics/suggestions.
A free-flow, interactive, fun time on HHH. Just make sure you have your cocktail in hand – we sure will!
This week on History Happy Hour: Between 1941 and 1945, more than eight hundred shiploads of supplies were delivered to the Soviet Union protected by Allied naval forces. But more than 100 ships were lost in this duty. Each convoy was a battle against the elements, and the Germans - with both sides relying heavily on signals intelligence to intercept and break each other’s codes. The resulting ocean engagements involved aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and submarines…and the frightening weather of the Arctic Ocean.
We'll explore this dramatic story with Bletchley Park historian David Kenyon, author of Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas.
David Kenyon is responsible for historical research in support of all public content at Bletchley Park. He also worked for a number of years as an archaeologist and is one of the UK’s leading experts on the archaeology of the First World War. He has worked on numerous historical television and film projects, including acting as historical advisor to Warhorse in 2010. His books include Bletchley Park and D-Day and Horsemen in No Man’s Land.
This week on History Happy Hour: Today most people remember little more about John Hancock than his signature, but 250 years ago this Boston businessman was a powerful and popular patriot leader who, on multiple occasions, played a vital role in the fight for Independence.
Chris and Rick start the new year by diving back into the Revolution (or is it the War of Independence?) and talking to Brooke Barbier, author of King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.
Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, specifically researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. Two of Brooke's favorite things are history and beer, so in 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the author of two books about revolutionary Boston and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Boston.com. She is originally from San Diego, CA and has lived in Boston for many years.
This week on History Happy Hour: It has been almost exactly 2,500 years since Athens, the birthplace of democracy, fought off the mighty Persian empire. What possible relevance does this have today?
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick talk with Stephen Kershaw, author of the new book Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy. We'll explore three epic campaigns - Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis - that Kershaw argues saved democracy, and without which the history of Europe and the West would have been radically different.
Epic Battles of Ancient Greece – and what they mean to us. Sunday at 4PM on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.
Dr. Stephen Kershaw has had a special interest in the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans ever since being introduced to Homer’s Iliad by an inspirational teacher at his primary school. He has been a Classics tutor for some thirty years, teaching at all levels from beginner to PhD. He also created Oxford University’s online courses on Greek Mythology, The Fall of Rome and The Minoans and Mycenaeans. He lectures at the Victoria and Albert Museum and, as Professor of History of Art, runs the European Studies Classical Tour for Rhodes College and the University of the South. Previous books include A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths and A Brief History of the Roman Empire. He lives in the Oxfordshire village of Deddington with his wife, the artist Lal Jones.
This week on History Happy Hour: The Ranger attack on the German gun batteries at Pointe-du-Hoc in the early morning hours of D-Day is the stuff of legend.
In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome vaunted D-Day historian Stephen Zaloga to the show to talk about his new book, Smashing Hitler’s Guns: The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944. We’ll walk through the legends, and the questions, and see what Zaloga has been able to unearth in this most recent account of the Rangers’ fateful mission.
Stephen Zaloga is an American historian, defense consultant, and author. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II. His grandfather landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and his father landed a couple of weeks later, sparking a lifelong fascination with D-Day operations. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for more than three decades.
This week on History Happy Hour: More than one million Black men and women served in World War II. Black troops served in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities during and after the war. Without their crucial contributions, the United States could not have won the war. And yet the stories of these Black veterans have long been ignored, cast aside in favor of the myth of the “Good War” fought by the “Greatest Generation.”
This week Chris and Rick welcome historian Mathew Delmont, author of the new book Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. A wide-ranging look at the African-American experience in World War II, fighting for America abroad while simultaneously fighting for their rights here at home.
Matthew F. Delmont is a Professor of History at Dartmouth College. A Guggenheim Fellow and expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he is the author of four books before this one: Black Quotidian, Why Busing Failed, Making Roots, and The Nicest Kids in Town. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and several academic journals, and on NPR. Delmont earned his BA from Harvard University and his MA and PhD from Brown University.
This week on History Happy Hour: How has how Germany's Nazi past shaped its responses to the genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda—and further, how have these foreign atrocities recast Germans’ understanding of their own horrific history.
Chris and Rick will launch a discussion on this topic with Andrew Port, author of Never Again: Germans and Genocide After the Holocaust.
Andrew I. Port is professor of history at Wayne State University in Detroit. He previously taught at Harvard and at Yale, where he earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees. He is the recipient of the DAAD Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in German and European Studies. Port’s research focuses on modern Germany, memory and comparative genocide, as well as communism and state socialism. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, two daughters, a dog, and a cat.
This week on History Happy Hour: We'll examine the most transformative year in American history -- when a battered nation would emerge from the Great Depression and reinvent itself under the skilled leadership of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But that’s only one thing that happened in a year cram-packed with fascinating characters and happenings.
Chris and Rick welcome is Scott Martelle, author of the brand-new book 1932: FDR, Hoover and the Dawn of a New America.
Scott Martelle is a former Los Angeles Times staff writer and member of the editorial board. He also is the author of six nonfiction books on such disparate subjects as the Ludlow Massacre and 1913-14 Colorado coalfield war, the history of Detroit, and William Walker, the pre-Civil War American adventurer who for a brief time made himself president of Nicaragua.
This week on History Happy Hour: No Guest – Just Us! By popular demand, Chris and Rick reserve the hour on this Sunday after Thanksgiving to just chat with each other – and you! What would you like us to talk about. FDR’s leadership? Our favorite WWI books? Who should have won the War for Independence?
Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions, topics and suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we’ll have some questions for you as well. A free-flow, interactive, fun time on HHH. Just make sure you have your cocktail in hand – we sure will!
This week on History Happy Hour: According to US Secretary of War Henry Stimson, the "most shocking single event" of World War II was not the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but rather the fall of France in the spring of 1940. In recognizing Vichy, the US not only demonstrated panic and moral ineptitude but also nearly ruined the alliance with Britain.
Chris and Rick will explore this topic with Michael Neiberg, author of When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Face of the Anglo-American Alliance.
Michael Scott Neiberg is an American historian who specializes in 20th-century military history. Neiberg serves as the inaugural Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the United States Army War College. He is also a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He is the author of more than 15 books on military history.
This week on History Happy Hour: Did submarines play a bigger role in the Battle of Midway than is generally believed? That's the argument from naval historian Mark Allen, author of Midway Submerged: American and Japanese Submarine Operations at the Battle of Midway, May–June 1942.
Chris and Rick will talk to Mark about what each side expected from their submarines, and how well these vessels fulfilled the expectations placed on them by their respective naval planners. A story that brings a whole new dimension to the discussion of the battle of Midway.
Mark W. Allen has a master's degree in military history from the American Military University. He is the former historian and volunteer coordinator for the War Memorial Park Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, home of the USS Batfish, a World War II fleet submarine. Allen is a member of several professional societies, including the Society for Military History. He and his wife currently live in Owasso, Oklahoma.
This week on History Happy Hour: From 1792-1815, Europe was consumed by the Napoleonic Wars. But their impact reverberated around the world, altering the political and military landscape on six continents.
To explore this global story, Chris and Rick welcome Alexander Mikaberidze, author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History. Why the Napoleonic Wars may have been the most important thing to have taken place between the Reformation and World War I.
Alexander Mikaberidze is a lawyer, author and historian who specializes in Napoleonic Studies. Originally from the country of Georgia, he is now a professor at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He is the author, editor, and translator of over two dozen books. His most recent book, Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace, published by Oxford University Press in 2022, won the Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award in 2023.
This week on History Happy Hour: The gripping true story of a group of American paratroopers who were dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day, only to disappear without a trace.
In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Stephen Rabe, author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy. His book brings to life the harrowing struggles and ultimate fate of these forgotten heroes – one of whom was his father. A story that involves not only Americans and Germans, but also French citizens who played a key role.
Stephen G. Rabe is a history professor emeritus at the University of Texas in Dallas. Rabe has written or edited 10 books and has published scholarly articles, numerous book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia articles on U.S. and Latin American history. His work has been honored with numerous awards. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
This week on History Happy Hour: The most remarkable journey any president’s wife has ever made. In August 1943, under a veil of secrecy, Eleanor Roosevelt began a risky five week tour to the South Pacific to experience what American GI’s were experiencing...and report back home. Her journey soon became front page news, as she visited, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Guadalcanal.
Chris and Rick welcome author Shannon McKenna Schmidt to talk about her new book, The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back.
Shannon McKenna Schmidt is an author and journalist. She has written for National Geographic Traveler, Shelf, NPR.Org and other websites and publications. She is also the co-author of Novel Destinations: A Travel Guide to Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen’s Bath to Ernest Hemingway’s Key West, and Writers Between the Covers: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads. She lives in Hoboken, NJ.
This week on History Happy Hour: The story of Anna May Wong, a Chinese American movie-star who battled racism and sexism as she emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywood’s most famous Chinese American actress.
Chris and Rick welcome Yunte Huang, author of Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History. The remarkable and sometimes tragic story of a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photos—with a touch of defiance—“Orientally yours.”
Yunte Huang grew up in a small town in China, where he began to learn English by secretly listening to Voice of America programs on a battered transistor radio. He came to the United States in 1991, and as a struggling Chinese restaurateur in the Deep South, continued to study American literature, reading William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, and Emily Dickinson on the greasy kitchen floor. After receiving his Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Yunte taught as an assistant professor of English at Harvard University from 1999 to 2003. A Guggenheim Fellow, Yunte is currently a professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
This week on History Happy Hour: Anna Rosenberg was a Hungarian immigrant who became one of FDR’s closest advisors and, according to Life Magazine, was “the most important official female in the world.” Her influence on 20th-century America, from the New Deal to the Cold War, was remarkable.
Chris and Rick explore her life with Christopher Gorham, author of The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America.
Christopher C. Gorham is a lawyer and teacher of modern American history at Westford Academy, outside Boston. He has degrees in history from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, and a law degree from Syracuse University. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post and in online journals. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Massachusetts.
This week on History Happy Hour: Chris and Rick welcome back distinguished (and sometimes disruptive!) oral historian Peter Hart to talk about his new book Footsloggers: An Infantry Battalion at War, 1939-1945.
He’ll share the story of a single British infantry battalion during WWII. From North Africa to Italy and Greece, the 16th learned their military skills the hard way facing determined German opposition every step of the way.
Peter Hart is the author of numerous books on World Wars I and II. He was formerly the lead oral historian at the Imperial War Museum in London and now is the co-host, along with Gary Bain, of the hugely popular Pete and Gary's Military History Podcast. This will be Peter’s fourth appearance on the show – putting him neck and neck with Joe Balkoski for who will get to five appearances first!
This week on History Happy Hour: A close-up look at daily life in a small Bavarian village during the years of Nazi Germany.
Chris and Rick welcome Julia Mead, co-author of the new book, A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism. An intimate portrait of German life during World War II, shining a light on how people in this picturesque village were changed by the waves of hate and horror through the rule of Hitler and beyond.
Julia Boyd is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People. Her previous books include A Dance with the Dragon: The Vanished World of Peking's Foreign Colony, The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician and Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan. As the widow of a former diplomat, she lived in Germany from 1977 to 1981. She currently resides in London.
This week on History Happy Hour:Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. But he is often dismissed or left out when commentators discuss the great leaders of the Civil War. Did he lead his troops to victory, or was he just along for the ride?
This week Chris and Rick talk about Meade with Kent Masterson Brown, author of the recent book Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. We’ll explore Brown’s contention that Meade deserves far more credit than he usually receives for the way he handled the Army of the Potomac during and after this critical Civil War battle.
Kent Masterson Brown is the author of six Civil War history books for which he has received rave reviews and numerous national awards. He has also written, hosted, and produced eight award-winning documentary films for public and cable television. He received his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1974 and practiced law for thirty-seven years.
This week on History Happy Hour: Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was the highest-paid female performer in Europe, renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she vowed to stay and fight. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy.
In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome renowned historian Damien Lewis to talk about his new book Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. Lewis has spent ten years researching the story and unearthing new details about Baker’s wartime exploits.
Damien Lewis is a number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into over forty languages worldwide. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world’s major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East, winning numerous awards.
This week on History Happy Hour:Last year we welcomed Kevin Hymel to talk about the first volume of his new Patton biography. Now we welcome him back to talk about the second volume, Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 2: August–December 1944.
We'll be covering the period starting when Patton took command of the 3rd Army. It includes his race against France, the closing of the Falaise pocket, and the successful effort to relieve Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
A deep dive into the most incredible six months of Patton’s career.
Kevin Hymel has served as a Historian for the U.S. Army and Air Force. He is the author of Patton’s Photographs: War as He Saw It and has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton’s Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University and Master’s Degree from Villanova University, both in History.
This week on History Happy Hour: It has been almost exactly 2,500 years since Athens, the birthplace of democracy, fought off the mighty Persian empire. What possible relevance does this have today?
Our guest this week is Stephen Kershaw, author of the new book Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy.A fun conversation exploring three epic campaigns - Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis - that may have saved democracy, and without which the history of Europe and the West would have been radically different.
Dr Stephen Kershaw has had a special interest in the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans ever since being introduced to Homer’s Iliad by an inspirational teacher at his primary school. He has been a Classics tutor for some thirty years, teaching at all levels from beginner to PhD. He also created Oxford University’s online courses on Greek Mythology, The Fall of Rome and The Minoans and Mycenaeans. He lectures at the Victoria and Albert Museum and, as Professor of History of Art, runs the European Studies Classical Tour for Rhodes College and the University of the South. Previous books include ABrief Guide to the Greek Myths and A Brief History of the Roman Empire. He lives in the Oxfordshire village of Deddington with his wife, the artist Lal Jones.
This week on History Happy Hour: A new book takes a sweeping look at the resistance movement that grew up in Europe against Nazi oppression. Chris and Rick welcome historian Halik Kochanski, author of Resistance: The Underground War Against Hitler, 1939-1945, to bring to life the thrilling exploits of fighters who risked everything to strike back against the tyranny of Hitler's regime.
Sir Max Hastings called the book, “the most comprehensive and best account of resistance I have read.” A tribute to the bravery and determination of those who fought for freedom in the darkest of times.
Halik Kochanski is a British historian, and the daughter of Polish parents disposed in World War II. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she has taught history at several universities and is the author of The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War. She lives in England.
This Week on History Happy Hour: During America’s War for Independence, nearly 30,000 German soldiers came to the Colonies to fight for Britain. Collectively known as Hessians, they served everywhere from Canada to Cuba and shared in every significant British triumph and defeat. What were their experiences and how did the war look to them?
Chris and Rick welcome historian Friederike Baer, who has written a groundbreaking book on the subject; Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.
Friederike Baer is an Associate Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University, Abington College. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Brown University, where she studied under famed RevWar scholar Gordon Wood. Her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America from the Revolutionary period to the late nineteenth century. Freiderike Baer's book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War was recently awarded the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Recent archeological digs have uncovered the remains of two dozen soldiers who fought at the Revolutionary War battles of Camden, South Carolina, and Red Bank, New Jersey. British, American and Hessian soldiers have been unearthed nearly 250 years after the guns ceased.
Chris and Rick welcome Steven Smith, principal investigator on the Camden project, as well as Wade Catts and Jen Janofsky, co-directors of the Redbank Project, to talk about the effort to recover and remember these soldiers. What stories and secrets can their remains reveal?
Steven Smith - Research professor, South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology Wade Catts - Principal Archeologist, South River Heritage Consulting
Jen Janofsky - Director, Red Bank Battlefield Park
This Week on History Happy Hour: Bass Reeves was born into slavery, and never learned to read or write. But he nevertheless became one of the most feared lawmen in the west who carried out more than 3000 arrests and killed 14 men while carrying out his mission as a deputy Federal Marshall. Art T. Burton has spent years digging into his story.
Chris and Rick welcome Art to talk about his book Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshall Bass Reeves.
Art T. Burton is a long-time history professor, focusing on the American West. He is the author of several books including Black, Red and Deadly: Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory, 1870-1907, as well as Black Buckskin and Blue: African American Scouts and Soldiers on the Western Frontier.
This Week on History Happy Hour: This week on History Happy Hour: Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer look back on the D-Day landings with a 90-minute encore presentation of our 2021 D-Day Special. Rick hosted the show live from the National D-Day Memorial, and three distinguished guests joined us for a D-Day discussion.
The show begins with author Giles Milton, and a look at his riveting account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion as told through a symphony of incredible accounts from both sides. The book is Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day.”
Then we are joined by historians Joe Balkoski (Omaha Beach, Utah Beach) and Craig Symonds (Operation Neptune) for a freewheeling five-way discussion on D-Day Controversies. And we have a few surprises as well.
Giles Milton is an internationally best-selling author of narrative non-fiction. His books include D-Day: The Soldiers' Story and Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which was a Sunday Times best-seller. Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the EDO during World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion.
Craig Symonds is a distinguished naval historian who taught for more than 30 years at the US Naval Academy and has most recently been the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History US Naval War College. A former Navy officer, he is the author of many books on American naval history,
This Week on History Happy Hour : More than one million Black men and women served in World War II. Black troops served in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities during and after the war. Without their crucial contributions, the United States could not have won the war. And yet the stories of these Black veterans have long been ignored, cast aside in favor of the myth of the “Good War” fought by the “Greatest Generation.” This week Chris and Rick welcome historian Mathew Delmont, author of the new book Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. A wide-ranging look at the African-American experience in World War II, fighting for America abroad while simultaneously fighting for their rights here at home. Matthew F. Delmont is a Professor of History at Dartmouth College. A Guggenheim Fellow and expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he is the author of four books before this one: Black Quotidian , Why Busing Failed , Making Roots , and The Nicest Kids in Town . His work has also appeared in The New York Times , The Atlantic , The Washington Post , and several academic journals, and on NPR. Delmont earned his BA from Harvard University and his MA and PhD from Brown University.
This Week on History Happy Hour : The Ranger attack on the German gun batteries at Pointe-du-Hoc in the early morning hours of D-Day is the stuff of legend. Chris and Rick welcome vaunted D-Day historian Steven Zaloga comes to the show to talk about his new book, Smashing Hitler's Guns: The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944. We'll walk through the legends, and the questions, and see what Zaloga has been able to unearth in this most recent account of the Rangers' fateful mission. Steve Zaloga is an American historian, defense consultant, and author. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II. His grandfather landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and his father landed on Omaha Beach a couple of weeks later, sparking a lifelong fascination with D-Day operations. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for more than three decades.
This Week on History Happy Hour : The evacuation of more than 300,000 soldiers from the Belgian port of Dunkirk in 1940 was the stuff that myths and legend are made of. But how did it look from the German perspective? Chris and Rick welcome acclaimed British historian Robert Kershaw, author of the new book Dunkirchen 1940: The German View of Dunkirk . Kershaw draws on German interviews, diaries and unit post-action reports to create a page-turning history of a battle that we thought we knew. Robert Kershaw is a historian and former commander of the 10th Battalion of Britain's Parachute Regiment. He speaks fluent German and attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He has written 12 books, including It Never Snows in September. The German view of Operation MARKET-GARDEN , and A Street in Arnhem . He has recorded for BBC radio and interviewed on numerous TV documentaries
This Week on History Happy Hour : This week's guest, historian Halik Kochanski, author of Resistance: The Underground War Against Hitler, 1939-1945 , was ill, and unable to make the program. She will be rebooked for later in the year, Chris and Rick spend the hour in an open forum answering questions from the audience.
This Week on History Happy Hour : The gripping true story of a group of American paratroopers who were dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day, only to disappear without a trace. Chris and Rick welcome Stephen Rabe, author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normand y. His book brings to life the harrowing struggles and ultimate fate of these forgotten heroes – one of whom was his father. A story that involves not only and Germans, but also French citizens who played a key role. Stephen G. Rabe is a history professor emeritus at the University of Texas in Dallas. Rabe has written or edited 10 books and has published scholarly articles, numerous book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia articles on U.S. and Latin American history. His work has been honored with numerous awards. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps
This Week on History Happy Hour : Three years ago Chris and Rick welcomed Dutch historian (and our friend) Sebastiaan Vonk to HHH to talk about a project of remembrance undertaken at the American Netherlands Cemetery in Margraten. Now that project has led to a remarkable book, Faces of Margraten , just published in English. Sebastiaan and his co-authors, Jori Videc, and Ari-Jan Van Hees, will join us to talk about the book, and their efforts to make sure that thousands of individual GIs who fought in WWII are not forgotten. Sebastiaan Vonk is the chairman of the Fields of Honor Foundation, works for the Dutch War Graves Foundation, and is a tour manager with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. Jori Videc is a history teacher and a guide at the Netherlands American Cemetery. Ari-Jan Van Hees is a Dutch veteran and a tour guide at the Netherlands American Cemetery. Ari-Jan Van Hees (on left) is a Dutch veteran and a tour guide at the Netherlands American Cemeter.
This Week on History Happy Hour : How close a shave was World War One? Could Germany have pulled it out? Historian Holger Afflerbach argues that the outcome was actually in the balance until relatively late in the war. He suggests that Germany had to make a series of critical mistakes to lose it. Chris and Rick will talk with him about his new book, On A Knife Edge: How Germany Lost World War One. A fascinating re-appraisal of WWI with one of the world's leading authorities on modern European history. Holger Afflerbach is a historian specializing in modern European history, with a particular focus on international relations, war, and conflict. He is currently a Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds in the UK. Afflerbach has published extensively on topics such as the First World War, military history, and the history of intelligence. He is the author of The Purpose of the First World War: War Aims and Military Strategies.
This Week on History Happy Hour : In 1918, Sergeant York was credited with singlehandedly capturing 132 Germans in one of the most famous actions of WWI. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and his story was featured in an Academy Award winning film starring Gary Cooper. But what about the other 16 men in his squad? Did the myth that grew up around Sgt. York deny them the recognition they deserved? Chris and Rick welcome author James P. Gregory will join us to talk about his new book: Unraveling the Myth of Sergeant York: The Other 16, a fascinating tale of myth-making, coverups, deceit, and redemption. James P. Gregory is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oklahoma. He is a prolific author publishing multiple articles and books on World War I history.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The story of German tycoons who made billions off the horrors of the Third Reich and World War II – and were never brought to justice because of political expediency. Many of the dynasties they started continue to control swaths of the world economy today, owning iconic brands such as Porsche, Volkswagen, and BMW. In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Dutch journalist David de Jong, author of Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties. A deep dive investigation into family fortunes made off of slave labor, seized Jewish businesses, and other atrocities. Sunday at 4 PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. DAVID DE JONG is a journalist who previously covered European banking and finance from Amsterdam and hidden wealth and billionaire fortunes from New York for Bloomberg News . His work has also appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek , the Wall Street Journal , and the Dutch Financial Daily . A native of the Netherlands, de Jong currently lives in Tel Aviv. He spent four years in Berlin researching and writing this book.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Hooray! We're celebrating History Happy Hour's third anniversary with a gala special. Chris and Rick bring you excerpts from just a few of our most memorable guests such as Andrew Roberts, Susan Eisenhower, Charles Person, and others. Plus – we'll reveal our top five most-watched shows, and share reflections both serious and silly on our 156 weeks of drinking and talking about history. Please join us for this HHH Anniversary Special, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. GUESTS: Andrew Roberts, Susan Eisenhower, Craig Symonds, Joe Balkoski, Giles Milton, Judy Batalion, Patrick Bishop, and Charles Person. Plus younger versions of Chris and Rick!
This Week on History Happy Hour: The remarkable patriotism of Japanese American soldiers during WWII. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans had to navigate the complexity of their country being attacked by their ancestral home, virulent racism, and the horror of internment. Despite unimaginable injustice, however, many young Japanese American men still volunteered to fight for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit (for its size and length of service) in US history. In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Daniel James Brown, author of Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II. DANIEL JAMES BROWN is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Boys in the Boat . He taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford before becoming a technical writer and editor. He now writes narrative nonfiction books full-time. He lives outside of Seattle with his wife and two daughters.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Canada's bloodiest battle of World War II. In September 1944, the Allies liberated Antwerp, Europe's largest port. But Antwerp would be of little use unless the 60-mile-long Scheldt Estuary linking it to the North Sea was also captured. In his greatest blunder of the war, Field Marshal Montgomery turned his back on the port, leaving the First Canadian Army to fight its way up the long coastal flank. They faced a grueling seven-week battle against a tenacious enemy determined to make them pay for every foot. Chris and Rick welcome Our guest is Mark Zuehlke, author of Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign: September 13 - November 6, 1944. Maps for this show can be found at: https://historyhappyhour.com/blog/history-happy-hour-episode-135-canada-s-wwii-battle-for-the-scheldt-estuary/ MARK ZUEHLKE is an award-winning author generally considered to be Canada's foremost popular military historian. His award-winning Canadian Battle Series, which traces the Canadian Army through its battles and campaigns of World War II, currently numbers thirteen titles with the latest published in 2019. Mark lives in Victoria, B.
This Week on History Happy Hour: She was a real-life Indiana Jones– an intrepid archeologist who outwitted the Gestapo in WWII, and went on to lead an extraordinary effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam. “You don't get anywhere without a fight, you know,” said Christiane Desroches Noblecort.” If I became a brawler, it was out of necessity.” Chris and Rick welcome back author Lynne Olsen to discuss her new book: Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction . Meet the woman who had the courage to stand up to Egyptian President Abdel Nasser and French president Charles de Gaulle – with a surprise assist from Jackie Kennedy! LYNNE OLSON is a New York Times bestselling author of nine books of history, many of which deal in some way with World War II. Titles include The Secret war of Madame Fourcade's Secret War , Citizens of London, Last Hope Island , and Those Angry Days . She has been a consultant for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and the United States Holocaust Memorial in Washington D.C. This is her second appearance on History Happy Hour.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Five centuries of German military history in one hour! Our guest is Peter Wilson, author of Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500. (A Daily Telegraph 2022 Book of the Year.) The military impact of Germany has been enormous, but is the belief in a special German gift for warfare true or a fallacy? We'll explore the military, technological, and political aspects of Germans on the move since 1500. PETER WILSON is Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire and The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy . He has appeared on BBC Radio and has written for Prospect , the Los Angeles Times , and the Financial Times . President of the Society for the History of War and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, his work has been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Humor helped the British soldier survive the terrible ordeal they faced in the trenches during WWI. They may have been up to their knees in mud and blood, but many were still determined to see the 'funny side', rather than surrender to utter misery. Chris and Rick welcome Peter Hart (third time!) and Gary Bain, From Pete and Gary's Military Podcast , to talk about their new book Laugh or Cry: The British Soldier on the Western Front . Glimpses of the awful truth through the dark humor of the soldiers who were there. PETER HART worked as the Oral Historian of the Imperial War Museum from 1981-2020. He has interviewed thousands of veterans, and is the author of many military history books on the First & Second World Wars. This is his third appearance on History Happy Hour. GARY BAIN joined the Junior Leaders and served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps working with the Intelligence Corps before leaving the army and rising in civilian life to be Head of Commercial at Transport for London. He is the co-host, with Peter Hart, of the popular Pete and Gary Military History Podcast .
This Week on History Happy Hour: This week on History Happy Hour: What exactly can pie tell us about American history? It's no half-baked question! Chris and Rick welcome Rossi Anastopoulo, author Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies . We'll serve up the delicious details on how pies are woven into our history, from the first Thanksgiving to the lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro North Carolina. Pies, after all, are a subject as American as...apple pie. Which, turns out, is not American in origin at all. So there's lots to learn. ROSSI ANASTOPOULO is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in TASTE, Saveur, Food52, Bon Appetit, and Eaten Magazine. She works as the blog editor for King Arthur Baking Company and is based in Los Angeles. Rossi is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In the dark days after WWI, a new movement swept over Italy. Fascism promised to build a 'New Roman Empire' and make Italy great again. Soon came violence, black shirts, and Benito Mussolini. Chris and Rick welcome John Foot, author of Blood and Power: The Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism, the disturbing story of Italian fascism from 1915 to 1945 – and the ways in which it still reverberates to this day. JOHN FOOT is a Professor of Modern Italian History at Bristol University. He has written seven books, including The Archipelago: Italy since 1945 and Calcio: A History of Italian Football . He contributes to the Guardian , Independent on Sunday , London Review of Books, and the TLS . He has appeared in a number of TV documentaries.
This Week on History Happy Hour: When it comes to WWII, a huge amount of attention is (rightly) focused on D-Day. But the following days and weeks, as Allied troops try to break-out of the Normandy Beachhead against fierce German resistance, is often given short shrift. In April, Chris and Rick will be two of the four historians conducting the Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours 2023 Masterclass , which will dive into just that story. This week they welcome fellow historians Matt Broggie, Erik Flint, and Hugh McDonald Buchanan talk about the fascinating aspects of the breakout, Normandy to Paris, and the sites we will be visiting on the trip. Sunday at 4PM on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. MATT BROGGIE has been working with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours since the 70th Anniversary of D-Day in 2014. He has extensive knowledge of WWII battlefields and has been published in WWII History Magazine. He was a U.S. and World History professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee and also taught soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division through the university's campus at Fort Campbell. Matt is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Birmingham in England. ERIK FLINT is the Director of the Lewis Army Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. A veteran of 30 years in uniform, Erik deployed twice to Iraq as a Combat Historian for the U.S. Special Operations Command History & Research Office and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve where he is a lead Command and General Staff Officer Course instructor. Hugh McDonald-Buchanan is a professional tour guide specializing in military history. A former investment banker, he has been certified as a London Blue Badge Guide.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was the highest-paid female performer in Europe, renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she vowed to stay and fight. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy. Chis and Rick welcome renowned historian Damien Lewis about his new book Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. Lewis has spent ten years researching the story and unearthing new details about Baker's wartime exploits. Agent Josephine, Sunday at 4PM ET, on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. DAMIEN LEWIS is a number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into over forty languages worldwide. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East, winning numerous awards.
This Week on History Happy Hour: A bold new look at World War II from one of Great Britain's most respected and honored historians. Chris and Rick welcome Richard Overy, author of the monumental new book Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945. He argues that we need to seek a different and broader perspective to truly understand the origins and aftermath of the costliest war in human history. The Wall Street Journal calls his book “the finest single-volume history of World War II,” while the New York Times calls it “History at its best. A fascinating new assessment of this most familiar war, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. RICHARD OVERY is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and one of Britain's most distinguished historians and an internationally renowned scholar of World War II. He is the recipient of the Hessell-Tiltman Prize, the Wolfson History Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize and is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. His many works include The Bombing War , Dictators and The Morbid Age .
This Week on History Happy Hour: A year after the Civil War, a band of Union and Confederate veterans dusted off their guns. Not to fight each other, but side by side to undertake one of the most fantastical missions in military history: to seize the British province of Canada and to hold it hostage until the independence of Ireland was secured. This motley crew of revolutionaries, including a one-armed war hero, an English spy, and a radical who staged his own funeral, launched their unlikely assault from Buffalo - with unexpected results. Chris and Rick welcome Christopher Klein to talk about his new book: When the Irish Invaded Canada. CHRISTOPHER KLEIN is the author of four books, including Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero . A frequent contributor to History.com, Christopher has also written for The Boston Globe, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Harvard Magazine , Smithsonian.com, and AmericanHeritage.com . He lives in Andover, Massachusetts.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Few outlaws in the Old West achieved such lasting and far-reaching fame as Billy the Kid. But how do you separate the man from the myth? Our guest this week has left no stone unturned in his twenty-year quest to tell the complete the flesh-and-blood human being named Henry McCarty, alias William H. Bonney. Chris and Rick welcome James B. Mills, the author of Billy the Kid, El Bandido Simpático. A rising young writer from Australia, Mills has won the praise of many veteran western historians for his groundbreaking work. JAMES B. MILLS was born in 1983 and resides in Australia. He has studied the American frontier and numerous other areas of history since childhood. He has published numerous articles for True West and Wild West magazines.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The remarkable story of WWII combat infantryman Phil Larimore, who fought at Anzio and later in France and Germany, as reconstructed by his son, Walt Larimore, co-author of At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse A lieutenant in the Third Division, Phil Larimore saw intense fighting in the most difficult conditions in the southern campaign, but it is what happened in the war's final days that makes his story special. Walt Larimore is a bestselling author who has written or co-written 40 books. He is also a nationally recognized family physician
This Week on History Happy Hour: During America's War for Independence, nearly 30,000 German soldiers came to the Colonies to fight for Britain. Collectively known as Hessians, they served everywhere from Canada to Cuba and shared in every significant British triumph and defeat. What were their experiences and how did the war look to them? Chris and Rick welcome historian Friederike Baer, who has written a groundbreaking book on the subject; Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. A different angle on the Revolution, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Friederike Baer is an Associate Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University, Abington College. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Brown University, where she studied under famed RevWar scholar Gordon Wood. Her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America from the Revolutionary period to the late nineteenth century.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Admiral Chester Nimitz won WWII in the Pacific – commanding the Pacific Fleet from a few days after Pearl Harbor until the end of the war. A quiet man capable of being both a measured diplomat and a riverboat gambler, he planned the great victories of the Pacific and transformed the devastated and dispirited U.S. Fleet into the most powerful naval force in history Chris and Rick welcome back History Happy Hour alum Craig Symonds, author of the new book, Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. HHH alum Andrew Roberts says “This is destined to be the defining life of Chester Nimitz for a long time to come." The wartime leadership of Admiral Nimitz, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Craig Symonds is a distinguished naval historian who taught for more than 30 years at the US Naval Academy and has most recently been the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History US Naval War College. A former Navy officer, he is the author of many books on American naval history, including The Battle of Midway , and Operation Neptune: The D-Day Landings and the Allied Invasion of Europe. He has won numerous awards including the Samuel Elliot Morison Award for Naval Literature. This is his third appearance on History Happy Hour.
This Week on History Happy Hour: In 1954, a Vietnamese Army shocked the world by defeating the French in an epic battle at Dien Bien Phu. How did Ho Chi Minh turn a ragtag guerrilla army into a modern seven-division fighting force capable of bringing down the formidable French Army, setting the scene for a showdown with the United States? Chris and Rick welcome Christopher Goscha, author of The Road to Dien Bien Phu: A History of the First War for Vietnam. How war and revolution came together in a victory that foreshadowed the conflict with America still to come. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Christopher Goscha is professor of international relations in the History Department at the Université du Québec à Montréal and a leading expert on the Cold War in Asia and the wars in Vietnam. He is the author of several books, including Vietnam, A New History (winner of the 2017 John K. Fairbank Prize – American Historical Association and finalist for The Cundhill History Prize), and the Historical Dictionary of the Indochina War (1945-1954). He lives in Montréal.
This Week on History Happy Hour: On D-Day, the second Ranger Battalion under Colonel James Rudder took the German Battery at Pointe Du Hoc. Following that, they took part in the bloody assault on Brest with the 29th Division. Then, in December 1944, came their biggest test: Hill 400 in the Hurtgen Forest. We'll take up that story with Bob Drury, co-author of The Last Hill: The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle that Defined WWII. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. Bob Drury , the recipient of several national journalism awards, is a three-time National Magazine Award finalist as well as a Pulitzer Prize nominee. Drury honed his investigative skills writing for all four New York City newspapers as well as a variety of national publications. His journalism career has arced from sports to crime to adventure travel to foreign correspondence. He is also the author, co-author, or editor of ten non-fiction books, including Valley Forge and Lucky 666 .
This Week on History Happy Hour: Meet an extraordinary heroine of the French Resistance: Marie-Madeline Fourcade. In 1941, this thirty-one-year-old Frenchwoman and mother of two became leader of a vast Resistance organization. No other French spy network lasted as long or supplied as much crucial intelligence to the Allies, and Fourcade herself would face a personal reckoning with the Gestapo. In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome author Lynne Olson to talk about her book The Secret War of Madam Fourcade Sunday at 4 PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Lynne Olson is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books of history, most of which deal in some way with World War II and Britain's crucial role in that conflict. Titles include Citizens of London, Last Hope Island , and Those Angry Days . Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called her "our era's foremost chronicler of World War II politics and diplomacy."
This Week on History Happy Hour: In spite of Allied promises to hunt Nazi war criminals to the ends of the earth, many high-ranking Nazis, including SS officers, ended up working for the US and its allies as spies, arms traffickers and covert operators. They were shielded from war-crimes trials or worse in return for their co-operation, and played a crucial role in the clandestine struggle between the superpowers. Chris and Rick talk to Danny Orbach, a veteran of Israeli intelligence and author The Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War. Dr. Danny Orbach is an associate professor in the History and Asian Studies Departments at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his PhD from Harvard University. His prior books include The Plots Against Hitler and Curse on this Country: The Rebellious Army of Imperial Japan. The Plots Against Hitler has been published in seven languages. Danny lives in Jerusalem.
This Week on History Happy Hour: A bold new look at World War II from one of Great Britain's most respected and honored historians. Chris and Rick welcome Richard Overy, author of the monumental new book Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945. He argues that we need to seek a different and broader perspective to truly understand the origins and aftermath of the costliest war in human history. The Wall Street Journal calls his book “the finest single-volume history of World War II,” while the New York Times calls it “History at its best.” Richard Overy is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and one of Britain's most distinguished historians and an internationally renowned scholar of World War II. He is the recipient of the Hessell-Tiltman Prize, the Wolfson History Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize and is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. His many works include The Bombing War, Dictators and The Morbid Age .
This Week on History Happy Hour: A new look at the presidency of Harry Truman. Chris and Rick welcome Jeffrey Frank, author of The Trials of Harry Truman: The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man, 1945-1953 . It is the first in-depth examination of Truman's Presidency since David McCullough's Pulitzer-winning Truman thirty years ago. Harry Truman presided over a tumultuous period marked by victory in the wars against Germany and Japan; the first use of an atomic weapon; the beginning of the Cold War and the war with Korea. He has been mythologized as the plainspoken Man from Missouri who won the day with commonsense wisdom, famously declaring that “The buck stops here.” But how does the reality stack up to the glowing image? “Frank does not so much puncture the Truman myth,” said the New York Times in a glowing review, “as let out just enough air to settle the man back to earth.” Revisiting Harry Truman, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Jeffrey Frank was a senior editor at The New Yorker , the deputy editor of The Washington Post 's Outlook section, and is the author of Ike and Dick . He has published four novels, among them the Washington Trilogy— The Columnist , Bad Publicity , and Trudy Hopedale —and is the coauthor, with Diana Crone Frank, of a new translation of Hans Christian Andersen stories, which won the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Prize. He is a contributor to The New Yorker , and has written for The New York Times , The Washington Post , The Wall Street Journal , The Guardian , Bookforum , and Vogue , among other publications.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Tank warfare on the battlefields of Europe. Chris and Rick welcome Peter Hart, author of the book Burning Steel. Peter's book tells story of a single British tank regiment, the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, that saw action from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge. Peter has done intensive oral histories with the soldiers. Their personal recollections, raw and visceral, tell the dramatic story of a tank regiment at war against the Nazis. Sir Max Hastings calls the book “A superb account of the tactics that finally brought victory on the Western Front.” What was it really like to take on the Germans from inside a Sherman tank? Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Peter Hart worked as the Oral Historian of the Imperial War Museum from 1981-2020. He has interviewed thousands of veterans and is the author of many military history books on the First & Second World Wars. He is the co-host, with Gary Bain, of the popular Pete and Gary Military History Podcast . This is his second appearance on History Happy Hour
This Week on History Happy Hour: We turn our attention to the Cold War and the dark art of espionage as we focus on the story of one of that era's most effective spies. Chris and Rick talk to Tim Tate, author of Agent Sniper: The Cold War Superagent and the Ruthless Head of the CIA. It tells of the rise and fall of Polish espionage officer Michael Goleniewski, one of the CIA's most effective spies - until it all went wrong. Our friend Helen Fry calls the book a masterpiece, saying: “Tate lifts the lid on one of the most important and complex spies of the Cold War.” Double agents, triple agents, betrayal, and revenge – Sunday at 4PM on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. Tim Tate is a multiple award-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist. Over a career spanning more than forty years, he has made more than eighty documentaries and written for most national newspapers. His films have been honored by Amnesty International, the Royal Television Society, UNESCO, the International Documentary Association, and others. The author of seventeen previous books, including Hitler's Forgotten Children and the bestselling Slave Girl , he lives in Wiltshire, England.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Chris and Rick welcome back Joe Balkoski, one of the most respected WWII historians there is, and a personal favorite of ours. Joe literally wrote the book(s) on D-Day, as well as a highly -detailed five-volume-history of the storied 29th Division. This week we'll talk about his book From Brittany to the Reich, which chronicles the war weary division's arrival on the German border as the northernmost division of the United States Army. We'll also touch on the recent controversy regarding the 29th Division blue/gray Insignia. The incredible story of the 29ers continues, this Sunday at 4 PM on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the EDO during World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion. He has appeared as a D-Day expert on MSNBC, and his work has been praised by Joe Scarborough, the New York Post, World War II Magazine , and others.
This Week on History Happy Hour: We sometimes think of World War II as "the good war." But there were some for whom no war was worth fighting. This Sunday we look at WWII through the eyes of 60,000 British conscientious objectors who refused to take up arms and whose stories have been almost entirely forgotten. This week Chris and Rick welcome Tobias Kelly, author of Battles of Conscience: British Pacifists and the Second World War . The Spectator calls it "a moving tribute to moral courage.” Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Tobias Kelly is Professor of Political and Legal Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh where his research focuses on the cultural history of war, violence and human rights. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics and has held visiting positions at New York University and the University of Oxford. He lives in in Edinburgh with his family.p> div>
This Week on History Happy Hour: A fascinating close-up look at Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, the two most legendary and consequential American Indian leaders. They triumphed at the Battle of Little Bighorn and led Sioux resistance in the fierce final chapter of the "Indian Wars." Our guest is Mark Lee Gardner, author of The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation. The Wall Street Journal calls it “fast paced highly absorbing," and we hope our interview will be as well. This is our last live interview before going on hiatus in August. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. Mark Lee Gardner is the author of Rough Riders , To Hell on a Fast Horse and Shot All to Hell , which received multiple awards, including a Spur Award from Western Writers of America. An authority on the American West, Gardner has appeared on PBS's American Experience , as well as on the History Channel, AMC, the Travel Channel, and on NPR. He has written for National Geographic History , American Heritage , the Los Angeles Times , True West , and American Cowboy . He holds an MA in American Studies from the University of Wyoming and lives with his family at the foot of Pikes Peak.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The forgotten story of American privateers during the Revolution - daring freelance captains whose high-seas adventures proved essential to winning the war. Nearly 2000 privateering ships set sail - capturing an astonishing 1800 British vessels. Chris and Rick welcome Eric Jay Dolin, author of the new book Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution. From 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war, a rag-tag fleet that made a difference, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Eric Jay Dolin is the bestselling author of 14 books, many on maritime history. His previous book, A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes , was chosen by the Washington Post as one of 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2020, and by the New York Times Book Review as an "Editor's Choice." He is also the author of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America , and Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates . A graduate of Brown, Yale, and MIT, where he received his Ph.D. in environmental policy, Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with his family.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Lord Charles Cornwallis is best known as the British commander forced to surrender his army to George Washington at Yorktown, a shocking loss that led Britain to negotiate an end to the American Revolution. Far from being disgraced by his defeat, however, Cornwallis went on spend the next 25 years as a successful soldier and statesman, ruling India and Ireland and leaving his mark on both. Chris and Rick welcome Richard Middleton, author of Cornwallis: Soldier and Statesman in a Revolutionary World . The legacy of Cornwallis, Sunday at 4 PM on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. Richard Middleton is an independent scholar living in the UK. He was formerly an Associate Professor of American history at Queen's University Belfast and a Fellow of the Institute of Early American History and Culture in Williamsburg, VA. He is the author of The Bells of Victory, Colonial America, Pontiac's War , and The War of American Independence .
This Week on History Happy Hour: During WWII, a top-secret facility 15 miles from the White House conducted intelligence and espionage operations kept secret for more than 50 years. The facility at Fort Hunt was known only by its codename: PO Box 1142. Here, fifteen German generals and thousands of other high value Nazi prisoners were bugged and questioned by American interrogators, many of whom were themselves German born Jews. Chris and Rick welcome Robert K. Sutton, author of Nazis on the Potomac: The Top-Secret Intelligence Operation that Helped Win World War II . An extraordinary story saved from the dustbin of history, Sunday at 4 PM on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Robert K. Sutton recently retired as Chief Historian of the National Park Service, which culminated a 33-year career in the service. On his first day in this position, he met with the team interviewing the veterans who served at Fort Hunt during World War II. He encouraged the group in their efforts and was able to subsidize travel to complete the interviews. Sutton has written a number of books, including Stark Mad Abolitionist: Lawrence Kansas and the Battle over Slavery in the Civil War .
This Week on History Happy Hour: Rick and Chris talk to the former Supreme Commander of NATO…about books! Admiral James Stavridis shares his love of the sea and some of the sources of that affection in a new book, The Sailor's Bookshelf. He looks at fifty books that illustrate the history, importance, lore, and lifestyle of the oceans and of those who "go down to the sea in ships." He also throws in a few of his own sea stories. What are some of your favorite books about the sea, fiction or non-fiction? Join us Sunday at 4 PM ET to talk about them on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) is a retired four-star officer who led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as Supreme Allied Commander with responsibility for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, counter-piracy, and cyber security. He served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command, with responsibility for all military operations in Latin America from 2006-9. Admiral Stavridis earned a PhD in international relations and is Dean Emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has published ten books and hundreds of articles in leading journals around the world.
This Week on History Happy Hour: A pivotal WWII conflict hardly anyone knows about. In August 1939, as Hitler prepared to launch his panzers against Poland, the Soviet Union launched a major offensive against the Japanese Army. It was headed by General Georgy Zhukov, who later became the Society Union's premiere WWII commander. The obscure battle of Khalkhin Gol was the climax of an undeclared border war that was to change the course of WWII. Chris and Rick welcome military history David Murphy for his fourth appearance on History Happy Hour. The little-known battle of Khalkhin Gol – Sunday at 4 PM ET, on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. DR. DAVID MURPHY is a lecturer in military history and strategic studies at Maynooth University in Ireland. A graduate of University College, Dublin and Trinity College, Dublin, he has also lectured abroad at various institutions including the West Point Military Academy and the US Command and Staff College. He has also been a visiting fellow at Oxford. He has published widely and his publications include The Finish Soviet Winter War, 1939-1940, Breaking Point of the French Army: The Nivelle Offensive of 1917 and Lawrence of Arabia. Murphy is working on a book about the battle of Khalkhin Gol. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The incredible story of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced the bloodiest of consequences. In the 1860s, Napoleon III of France made his grand power play in the Americas, persuading a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico, while the United States was distracted by its own civil war. Nothing went according to plan. Chris and Rick welcome Edward Shawcross, author of The Last Emperor of Mexico. The forgotten story of naïve would-be reformers caught up in international power politics that ultimately doomed them. Maximilian and Carlota, Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. EDWARD SHAWCROSS: After graduating from the University of Oxford, Edward Shawcross lived and worked in France, then South Korea and finally Colombia before returning to London where he completed a PhD at UCL. His research specialized on French imperialism in Latin America.
This Week on History Happy Hour: The Battle of Midway, eighty years ago next month, marked a turning point in the Pacific war. In the space of just five minutes, American dive bombers inflicted cataclysmic damage on a much larger Japanese Fleet. The seemingly improbable victory is sometimes referred to as a miracle. But it was much more than luck – years of effort led to the moment of victor. Chris and Rick welcome HHH Alumnus Brendan Simms and his co-author Steven McGregor, to talk about their new book The Silver Waterfall: How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway. Discover how a culture of innovation, contributions by immigrants and a vital intelligence coup helped win the day at Midway. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.. BRENDAN SIMMS is a professor in the history of international relations and a fellow at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of many books, and appeared on History Happy Hour in December to talk about the book Hitler's American Gamble. He lives in Cambridge, UK. STEVEN MCGREGOR deployed to the Sunni Triangle of Death as an Infantry Officer in the 101st Airborne Division. There he earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Purple Heart. After his military service, he moved to England and completed post-graduate studies in History. This is his first book.
This Week on History Happy Hour: Travel back in time to ancient Sparta, a tiny Greek village that somehow transformed itself into an awesome military superpower. What was it about the Spartans' unique society that so fascinated and frightened their contemporaries 2500 years ago, and continues to resonate today? Chris and Rick welcome Philip Matyszak, author of Sparta: Rise of a Warrior Nation. To a surprising degree, the Spartans live up to their images as nearly invincible warriors. But their laser-like focus on military prowess came with a dark side of terror and abuse. The real story of ancient Sparta, and a close-up look at the real men and women behind the myth. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.. PHILIP 'MATY' MATYSZAK holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John's College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Maty has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. He splits his time between writing in his home in Canada's Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education.
This Week on History Happy Hour : Britain's King Edward VI famously gave up the throne for the woman he loved, a Baltimore divorcee. But what came next was anything but a fairy tale. In fact, it is a story that involves Nazis, murder, treachery and betrayal. Chris and Rick welcome Andrew Lownie, author of Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor. Drawing on newly released archives, Lownie explores the fascinating story of a glittering couple obsessed with their own celebrity who repeatedly court disgrace and disrepute. The Windsors and their scandalous exile, Sunday at 4 PM On History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Andrew Lownie is the author of Stalin's Englishman (St Martin's Press) and The Mountbattens (Pegasus Books) and is a reviewer for The Wall Street Journal. He was educated at Asheville School, North Carolina, and the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, where he took his doctorate. He was part of the six-man team who set up the Spy Museum in Washington, DC, and he sits on the Advisory Committee of Biographers International Organization.
This Week on History Happy Hour : The story of German tycoons who made billions off the horrors of the Third Reich and World War II – and were never brought to justice because of political expediency. Many of the dynasties they started continue to control swaths of the world economy today, owning iconic brands such as Porsche, Volkswagen, and BMW. Chris and Rick welcome Dutch journalist David De Jong, author of Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties. A deep dive investigation into family fortunes made off of slave labor, seized Jewish businesses, and other atrocities. The Wall Street Journal calls the book “A provocative group portrait of five industrialists who expanded their fortunes by colluding with Hitler and . . . walked away with minimal punishment and barely a dent in their bottom lines.” David de Jong is a journalist who previously covered European banking and finance from Amsterdam and hidden wealth and billionaire fortunes from New York for Bloomberg News . His work has also appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek , the Wall Street Journal , and the Dutch Financial Daily . A native of the Netherlands, de Jong currently lives in Tel Aviv. He spent four years in Berlin researching and writing this book.
This week on History Happy Hour : Benjamin Franklin may be the most brilliant and innovative of our founding fathers. During his long life he invented bifocals, captured lightning with a kite, and so much more. Yet his most surprising innovation may have taken shape on his deathbed. Franklin made an incredible parting gift to the working-class people of Boston and Philadelphia—a deathbed wager that captures the Founder's American Dream and his lessons for our current, conflicted age. Chris and Rick welcome Michael Meyer, author of Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet: The Favorite Founder's Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife, and Blueprint for American Prosperity . A story that starts with Franklin's death, and continues until today. Michael Meyer is the author of three critically acclaimed books, as well as articles in the New York Times and other outlets. He is a professor of English and the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches nonfiction writing.
Something different this week on HHH. Chris and Rick have spent the week traveling the D-Day beaches with fellow Stephen Ambrose Tour historians and a small group of guests. On several evenings there were extended conversations about D- Day issues and questions that arose from our travels. This week's show contains excerpts from those conversations. It's a deep dive into some esoteric D-Day questions from Bayeux, France, with observations from Chris and Rick as well as fellow historian/guides Hugh Buchanan and Matt Broggie. Hugh McDonald is a professional tour guide specializing in military history. A former investment banker, he has been certified as a London Blue Badge Guide. Matt Broggie has been working with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours since the 70th Anniversary of D-Day in 2014. . He is a U.S. and World History professor at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, TN, where he also teaches soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division through the university's campus at Fort Campbell.
This week on History Happy Hour: After the outbreak of World War I, German sabotage agents set out to destroy neutral America's war-making abilities by unleashing a campaign of terror and destruction. A network of saboteurs and spies, scientists and diplomats worked furiously to wage a secret war on the American homeland long before the United States ever entered the war. This campaign culminated in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history: the Black Tom explosion in 1916 across the harbor from New York City, which destroyed a staggering half a billion dollars of munitions (in today's money.) This Sunday, Chris and Rick welcome Michael Digby, author of Burn, Bomb and Destroy: The German Sabotage Campaign in American 1914-1917. Learn how Americans were fighting the Germans “over here” long before they headed “over there.” Michael Digby is a former US Army soldier and retired Detective/Bomb Disposal Officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He has written two non-fiction books about bombings in Los Angeles and conducts training courses throughout the world on matters related to IEDs and bombs.
The ongoing war in Ukraine is the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, and brings to mind many striking parallels with the events of 1939-1945: Germany's invasion of Poland, the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland, the strategic importance of Ukraine itself and the desperate plight of refugees. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been compared to Stalin and Hitler, while Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's stirring words have brought comparisons to Winston Churchill. This week on History Happy Hour, Chris and Rick welcome three distinguished historians (and HHH Alums) to discuss what insights WWII can offer us about the current day situation in Ukraine. Where are the comparisons strongest, and where do they fall short? Our guests are Ketih Lowe, author of The Fear and the Freedom , Sean McMeekin, author of Stalin's War, and David Murphy, author of The Winter War. Keith Lowe is the award-winning author of Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II , and the critically acclaimed history Inferno: The Fiery Devastation of Hamburg, 1943 . His 2017 book about the long-term, global, psychological effects of the Second World War, The Fear and the Freedom , was described by the Wall Street Journal as “one of the best, most useful books on World War II to have emerged in the past decade.” He is widely recognized as an authority on the Second World War. He lives in North London with his wife and two kids. Dr. Sean McMeekin is a professor of history at Bard College. He received a PhD at University of California, Berkeley and was a post-doc at Yale.He has authored eight books, along with scholarly articles which have appeared in journals such as Contemporary European History , Common Knowledge , Current History , Historically Speaking , The World Today , and Communisme . His books include Stalin's W ar, The Russian Revolution, July 1914, and The Ottoman Endgame. McMeekin lives in Clermont, New York Dr. David Murphy is a lecturer in military history and strategic studies at Maynooth University in Ireland. A graduate of University College, Dublin and Trinity College, Dublin, he has also lectured abroad at various institutions including the West Point Military Academy and the US Command and Staff College. He has also been a visiting fellow at Oxford. He has published widely and his books include The Winter War (2021), Breaking Point of the French army: the Nivelle Offensive of 1917 (2015) and Lawrence of Arabia (2011). He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
From 1914-1918, soldiers from all over the world found themselves in this remote part of the Western Front, battling to control this forbidding piece of French woodland. French, Germans, Italians, Austrians and, eventually Americans all came to know the horrors of fighting in the Meuse Argonne. It was here, in 1918, that America launched its final offensive of the Great War. Battles that saw Charles Whittlesey and his 'Lost Battalion' hold out against insurmountable odds and Sergeant Alvin York, the Tennessee backwoodsman and pacifist, writes himself into American military history. Join host-historians Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer in welcoming Richard Merry to talk about his new book, The Great War in the Argonne Forest, and this epic four-year campaign that brought the First World War to an end. Richard Merry has had a life-long interest in the First World War. His particular interest in the Argonne was sparked when he was given a shoebox of correspondence and photos from his Great-uncle Bob, who served there. He now owns a 450-year-old house in the forest, which was used by all the protagonists as a resting place. He spends the summer there acting as a voluntary battlefield tour guide. During the winter he lives in London and is a regular contributor to specialist military magazines. Writing about the Argonne campaigns has led to a number of speaking engagements, including the National Army Museum in London.
This week on History Happy Hour: It's been called “London's House of Spies,” and suffice it to say, that for much of the twentieth century, St. Ermin's hotel was at the epicenter of British intelligence efforts through two world wars and the subsequent Cold War. Used by various intelligence agencies during World War II, the top floor became the home of the Secret Intelligence Service's Section D, while one floor below, the Statistical Research Department-the precursor to the Special Operations Executive-got its start. Later, at the height of the Cold War, traitors from the infamous Cambridge Five could be found at the hotel's Caxton Bar sharing secrets with their Russian handlers. Even today, it is believed by many, agents of the world's security services make their way to the hotel to enjoy its luxury surroundings and quiet corners. Join Rick and Chris this week as we discuss the fascinating history of this luxury hotel with Stephen Duffy, the hotel's present-day head of security and a keen student of St. Ermin's incredible espionage history.
Ubique (Everywhere), the motto of the Royal Artillery Regiment, is an apt description of the World War II service of the South Nottingham Hussars. A part-time cavalry unit before the war, upon mobilization in 1939 the “South Notts” traded their chargers for guns and served with distinction from Tobruk across North Africa to Sicily and then all the way across Europe and into Germany; in the process becoming what Major Gordon Corrigan called, “A British Band of Brothers.” Join Rick and Chris this week as we discuss At Close Range: Life and Death in an Artillery Regiment, 1939-1945 , historian Peter Harts book about the regiment, based on more than 350 hours of oral histories. Peter Hart worked as the Oral Historian of the Imperial War Museum from 1981-2020. He has interviewed thousands of veterans, and is the author of many military history books on the First & Second World Wars. He is the co-host, with Gary Bain, of the popular Pete and Gary Military History Podcast.
Robert E. Lee is acclaimed by many as one of the greatest generals America has produced, yet his fame was achieved while commanding an army in open rebellion against the United States. Admired for his integrity, he fought to defend his home state and the South's "peculiar" institution of slavery. Born into a bankrupt and disgraced family he went on to join the highest strata of Virginia's planter class all while pursuing a brilliant career in the United States Army. A career that ended in resignation and, ultimately, surrender. Stoical in defeat, Lee was also passionate in performance of what he saw as his duty and zealous in protecting his legacy and helping create the "Lost Cause" myth. So who was the real Lee? Join host-historians Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer as we attempt to unravel some of the contradictions of Robert E. Lee's remarkable life with renowned Civil War scholar Allen Guelzo as he joins us to talk about his new book, Robert E. Lee: A Life . This Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Allen Guelzo is the Senior Research Scholar in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University and Director of the James Madison Program's Initiative in Politics and Statesmanship. He is a leading historian of the Civil War, has written over 17 books on the topic, and has received many awards for his work, including most recently the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation's Bradley Prize, 2018. Dr. Guelzo has also frequently acted as Narrator with major musical ensembles, including the US Marine Band, “The President's own”.
This week on History Happy Hour: General George S. Patton. The debate still rages: Was he a brilliant combat commander or the most over-rated general of the war? A legendary leader or a legend in his own mind? Whatever you think of Patton, there is no getting around the fact that he is one of most-chronicled figures of World War II. Historian Kevin Hymel is weighing in with a book that seeks to add a new dimension to Patton's story by looking at the general through the eyes of the soldiers who fought with him. Host-historians Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer welcome Kevin to talk about "Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 1." Find out what is left to discover about the general known as “Old Blood and Guts.” This Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, the spot where history is always on tap. Kevin Hymel has served as a Historian for the U.S. Army and Air Force. He is the author of Patton's Photographs: War as He Saw It and has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton's Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor's Degree from LaSalle University and Master's Degree from Villanova University, both in History.