Episode 98: US Presidential Elections (1936 - 1996)
The Y in History
FDR led the US and the World out of the Great Depression, and success in WWII. Harry Truman followed suit but the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution formally set term limits on US Presidency. The JFK-Nixon election of 1960 was very close and Nixon refused to contest the results to keep America's image on the global front, intact. LBJ saw the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which led to the South leaning Republican. After a scandalous 2nd Presidential term for Nixon, Jimmy Carter took office on a platform of love and trust.
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Episode 97: Bizarre Events from History
The Y in History
From the Dancing Plague of 1518 to the Korea Axe Tree Incident 1976, several bizarre events from history are reviewed in this episode. It includes the soldier who returned after 30 years and an animal species who emerged victorious in a fight with humans.
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Episode 96: US Presidential Elections (1872 - 1932)
The Y in History
From the start of the Civil War to the election of 1928, the Republicans held a stranglehold on the US Presidency barring four Presidential terms from Democrats Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson. However, with the onset of the Great Depression at the time of the election of 1932, the entire political landscape underwent a massive change.
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Episode 95: US Presidential Elections (1789 - 1868)
The Y in History
The first US Presidential Elections were held in 1789 and George Washington was elected President. John Adams polled the 2nd highest electoral votes and became Washington's VP. A tie in the Election of 1800 brought in the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, which established separate votes for the President and the VP from the election of 1804. The Slavery debate dominated politics through most of the second half of the 19th Century, triggering the American Civil War as Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th US President.
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Episode 94: Vietnam War - the battles, bombings, accords and conclusion
The Y in History
Post 1956, several battles are fought between North and South Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964 gives US President LBJ authority to increase US involvement in the Vietnam War. This is followed by targeted bombings under Operation Rolling Thunder by the US and counter offensives by the Viet Cong like the Tet Offensive. Agent Orange and Napalm droppings lead to a massive ecocide with severe after effects on the human population. Paris Accords of 1973 call for a ceasefire and North Vietnam triggers one last offensive towards reunification.
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Episode 93: Vietnam War - the origins and early days
The Y in History
Japan occupies Vietnam temporarily, after defeating the French during WWII. After WWII, the French come back and Vietnam gets divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh becomes the leader in the North. The French support ex-Emperor Bao Dai in the South, but the US supports his Premier Ngo Dinh Diem. The conflict starts when the US refuses to hold elections in 1956 per the Geneva Accords of 1954.
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Episode 92: Covert Ops - Hitler, CIA and Civil War
The Y in History
The July 20 plot was intended to assassinate Hitler and invoke Operation Valkyrie in Germany, post the assassination. LBJ and Nixon got the CIA to snoop on US students under Operation CHAOS. The Union soldiers initiated the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War, to cut off the Confederacy's supply routes.
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Episode 91: the history of Cinema
The Y in History
In 1891 the Edison Company successfully demonstrated a prototype of the Kinetoscope, which enabled one person at a time to view moving pictures. The first to present projected moving pictures to a paying audience were the Lumière brothers in December 1895 in Paris, France. The first feature-length movie incorporating synchronized dialogue was The Jazz Singer in 1927. A 20-year stretch, from 1927 to 1948, is considered the Golden Age in the history of Hollywood.
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Episode 90: the physics of Dictatorships
The Y in History
Dictatorships can be classified into Military, Hybrid, Dynastic Civilian and the Democratically elected dictatorships. Dictators aspire to stay in power for a long time and do so by instilling fear in their citizens. And once they've achieved this, some prefer to build a cult following. But under certain circumstances Dictatorships can be toppled and replaced by Democracy.
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Episode 89: Singapore - the Economic miracle
The Y in History
The British arrived in Singapore in January 1819 when Sir Stamford Raffles landed on the island, establishing it as a trading post for the British East India Company. Singapore declared independence from Britain in 1963 and became part of Malaysia. Due to political and cultural differences, Singapore separated from Malaysia and became independent in 1965. And that was the start of the economic miracle that saw its GDP multiply from $1 billion in 1960 to approximately $300 billion in 2014.
info_outlineCricket was spread by England through its Colonies. But it needed stars like WG Grace to make it popular enough to become a spectator sport. The England-Australia rivalry led to the Ashes Trophy and containing Aussie star, Don Bradman, led to the infamous Bodyline series between the two sides.