Episodes

On May 31, 1988, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech to students at Moscow State University. While standing in the heart of a Soviet Union he once described as the "Evil Empire," President Reagan spoke about his optimi...

After entering office in 1981, Ronald Reagan insisted he wanted to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. His critics scoffed at him, not believing he was sincere. In 1987, he stunned them by signing the INF Treaty with the So...

He might look like an old man on the one-dollar bill, but George Washington was once a bona fide action hero. This episode explores our first president’s legendary exploits during the French and Indian War and the American Re...

George III is known to history as the mad, tyrannical British king whose stubbornness and incompetence led to a humiliating defeat in the American Revolution. Renowned historian Andrew Roberts challenges that narrative in his...

How do you combat political misinformation in the era of fake news and hyper-partisanship? With non-partisan facts according to Sharon McMahon. In this episode we talk to Sharon McMahon, a former high school government and la...

On March 30, 1981, Secret Service agent Jerry Parr saved President Ronald Reagan's life during an assassination attempt in Washington, DC. By sheer coincidence, Jerry's wife Carolyn was working right across the street and wit...

On October 13, 1986, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the American people on his recent summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland. During the speech, he discussed how close he and Gorbachev came to sig...

When Ronald Reagan was elected president, his critics worried he would escalate the Cold War--maybe even provoke World War III. Reagan, however, was planning the exact opposite: yes, he wanted to defeat the Soviet Union but h...

When Ronald Reagan became president in 1981, he brought with him a mix of old-fashioned Midwestern values with the glitz and glamour of Golden Age Hollywood. In this episode, we interview Professor Paul Kengor about Reagan’s ...

On October 27, 1964, in a speech supporting the Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan speaks of big government, high taxation, and the "war on poverty." He addresses foreign policy issues including th...

Over the past week, the world has seen and heard about horrible things coming out of Afghanistan. Decisions that were made in the White House over the past few administrations are now being scrutinized in light of these event...

“Ronald Reagan, the actor?!” exclaimed Doc Brown in the film Back to the Future when he learned that Ronald Reagan was President of the United States in 1985. Indeed, to many, the idea of the former B-movie actor as leader of...

Every four years, someone loses the election for president of the United States. What is it like to suffer such an epic defeat? What do you do with yourself after suffering heartbreak on the world stage? In this episode, we i...

On August 8, 1974, President Nixon addressed the country to announce his resignation as President of the United States. In his address he concludes that it is evident he no longer has a strong enough political base in Congres...

In 1972, Richard Nixon was reelected as the 37th president in one of the greatest landslides in American history. Nixon had reached the pinnacle of his career yet this record breaking campaign had also planted the seeds of hi...

On February 28, 1972, President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were welcomed home by Vice President Spiro Agnew after landing at Andrews Air Force Base following the return of their historic trip to the People's Repub...

When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, he sought nothing less than to remake American foreign policy. He sought to forge a new balance of power and earn a place among history’s greatest peacemakers. He would go on to monumen...

Photography plays an indelible role in how we remember and define American presidents. Throughout history, presidents have actively participated in all aspects of photography, not only by sitting for photos but by taking and ...

On November 3, 1969, Richard Nixon delivered this address to the nation on the war in Vietnam. In this speech he assures the American people that he is taking all necessary measures to push towards peace and end the Vietnam W...

Richard Nixon entered office during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. And he had a bold agenda to remake his country’s foreign policy. For the first time, a new form of realism would dictate America’s Cold...

Sports are as American as apple pie, yet even they have become a part of the political landscape. For decades, presidents have appeared at sporting events, and championship teams and gold medal winners have been invited to vi...

On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon delivered his first inaugural address—the culmination of one of the greatest comebacks in American political history. After losing the 1960 election to John F. Kennedy and then the 1962 Cali...

Richard M. Nixon is one of the country's most vilified presidents, and yet the American people entrusted him twice as vice president and twice as president. In this episode, we cover the highs and lows of Nixon‘s pre-presiden...

He was one of the most ruthless tyrants who has ever lived. He is an icon of totalitarian oppression--and yet, he was also as human as you and me. In this episode, we interview Ronald G. Suny on his new book about the Soviet ...