45. Secret codes in World War II: what did it take to break them?
Release Date: 05/30/2021
60: Why is the Statue of Liberty so important?
Dad and Me Love History
A beacon of hope, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States and to a new life. The statue overlooks New York harbour, close to Ellis Island immigration centre: if the USA is a land of immigrants, Ellis Island is where those immigrants landed. Built by France for the USA, there was some debate about which city the statue should be placed in. Then there was how to pay for a pedestal large enough to hold Liberty. We are grateful to Suzanne Mannion, Director of Public Affairs at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, for arranging our visit,...
info_outline
59: The secret missions that made D-Day possible
Dad and Me Love History
We investigate the special operations that occurred ahead of the D-Day landings of over 130,000 Allied troops on the Nazi-controlled beaches of northern France We look at the role of special troops who parachuted into Nazi-occupied France ahead of the D-Day beach landings. With help from a very special expert guest, we focus on a mission for US Army Rangers at a headland near the beaches, called Pointe du Hoc. After the end theme music you’ll find these questions, followed by the outtakes: Which Allied countries took part in the D-Day landings? What was this operation...
info_outline
58: A History of Women’s Football
Dad and Me Love History
The history of the women’s game – from China to Britain, the US, Australia and Europe. Released with our recordings from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, we bring you not only the history but the vibes too – all sprinkled with plenty of dad jokes from James! At the end of today’s episode (after our outro theme song), you’ll hear some World Cup extras, a bonus dad joke from James, and an outtake or two. For a broader angle on football today – from powerchair to amputee – and how we try to make a positive difference, take a look at my webpage and socials for Our website, where...
info_outline
57. Why is the capital of the USA in Washington? And who was America’s greatest President?
Dad and Me Love History
Today’s episode comes from Washington DC, where we investigate why the capital was positioned there. And then, for our big question, we debate who wins the title of greatest US President ever! We are delighted to be joined by special guest Patrick Lau, who works for the US government in Washington, has a Masters’ degree in political science and is a history buff! He is also a former high school student whom Dad taught a long, long time ago! At the end of today’s episode (after our outro theme song), you’ll hear the questions (see below) and then bags of outtakes! Here are some...
info_outline
56: Extraordinary people in World War II: how did they cope with the challenges they faced?
Dad and Me Love History
Today’s episode comes from the Imperial War Museum, London, where we investigate: Odette, the spy; Roy and Bob’s great escape at sea; Daisy’s story of imprisonment in Hong Kong. We are delighted to be joined by co-host Benji – and we are amazed by how he happens to find his own family history in the museum. At the end of today’s episode (after our outro theme song), you’ll hear the questions (see below) and then the outtakes. Here are some questions to test your listening skills: Which museum were we in? Who was the relative whose name Kim and Benji found embroidered (sewn) on...
info_outline
55: The little town that welcomed the world: A ‘COME FROM AWAY’ SPECIAL!
Dad and Me Love History
We are joined by two wonderful guests from the town of Gander in remote Newfoundland, Canada, where locals showed amazing kindness to people from all over the world, following the terrible events of 9/11. We only briefly mention the planes that crashed into the twin towers: we focus on the heart-warming humanity that followed. This true story is sweeping the world through the award-winning musical Come From Away, and we make good use of having attained the rights to the music! Even better, we spend time with local journalist Janice Goudie and animal shelter manager Bonnie Harris, who found...
info_outline
54. Why was Elizabeth II never supposed to be Queen
Dad and Me Love History
Our special guest tells us all about why King George VI was called ‘Bertie’ and why his daughter should never have become Queen! THIS EPISODE IS PARTICULARLY RECOMMENDED AS SUITABLE FOR OUR YOUNGER LISTENERS! In this royally mad episode – which features a record number of majestic jokes – we are joined by a very special guest. Children’s author Susan Webb, who wrote ‘Bertie: The Best Stuttering King’, reveals what you should know about Princess Elizabeth (the current British queen) and why she expected to never be queen. You can find out more about Susan and her writing at This...
info_outline
53: How can you save history?
Dad and Me Love History
Listen and learn from a 16-year-old master historian – and hear some incredible interviews! Today we are joined by a very special high school kid: historian Jaxon Hekkenberg. Jaxon is doing remarkable things, teaching us all how we can save history. You’ll hear clips from just a few of the incredible interviews Jaxon has carried out. There are no graphic descriptions – just listen out for incredible stories from veterans from BOTH SIDES of World War II. At the end of today’s episode there are bags of extras (after our outro theme song) – including an insight into the Hekkenberg...
info_outline
52. Why were ordinary families kept prisoner in World War II?
Dad and Me Love History
Dad and Me investigate ‘internment’ in America, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and beyond. Internment was when ordinary men, women and children were imprisoned because they – or their parents – were born in an enemy country, and the country they lived in thought they might secretly help the other side. Listen out for our best ‘prison’ jokes! And don’t forget after the end theme song, we’ve got more of the good stuff, including questions and out-takes – and more jokes! Read industry reviews of Dad’s World War II novels, A Chance Kill and The Slightest Chance, at . Available as...
info_outline
51. The Best Dad (and Me) Jokes Ever!
Dad and Me Love History
Dad & Me Love History presents a New Year Special Episode, where we go back through the archives and play you highlights from our original recordings of Dad (& Me) jokes, from Ancient Romans to African Moors to the invention of cars! This includes some previously unpublished material. Read industry reviews of Dad’s World War II novels, A Chance Kill and The Slightest Chance, at . Available as e-books, as well as in paperback. Dad’s first wartime novel, A Chance Kill, is a love-story/thriller based on real events in Poland, Paris, London and Prague. The Slightest Chance follows the...
info_outlineToday, we’re looking at how the Allied side – that includes the US, UK and Australia – broke the enemy’s secret codes during World War II. We see how Alan Turing and General MacArthur were central to wartime code-breaking, on different sides of the world. We are joined by a special guest, author David Dufty, who wrote ‘The Code Breakers of Central Bureau’ and ‘Radio Girl’. And we have Dad’s best Dad jokes about spies!
Here are some questions to see how well you understood today’s episode:
- What’s Morse code?
- Name of the man who invented the computer that code breakers used at Bletchley Park, in England.
- What was the biggest achievement of the British code breakers during World War II?
- What was the name of the American general who set-up the Central Bureau code breakers in Australia?
- What subject do you need to study hard at school if you’re going to be a code breaker?
- What did the Central Bureau code breakers achieve in World War II?
Read industry reviews of Dad’s World War II novels, A Chance Kill and The Slightest Chance, at paulletters.com. Available on Kindle, as well as in paperback. Dad’s first wartime novel, A Chance Kill, is a love-story/thriller based on real events in Poland, Paris, London and Prague. The Slightest Chance follows the remarkable true story of the only escape from Japanese imprisonment by a Western woman during World War II.
Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. And share our podcast on social media and recommend it to friends – that's how we'll keep going.
We’ll be back on the first Monday of next month!
Podcast cover art by Molly Austin
All instrumental music is from https://filmmusic.io and composed by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Sound effects used under RemArc Licence. Copyright 2021 © BBC