The Y in History

Analyzing events in history to understand why they happened. The factors that led to various events at different times in history. The show picks certain eras like post-World War II and tries to connect events that happened across the globe around that time.

Episode 106: 1914 - the Panama Canal 04/26/2025

Episode 106: 1914 - the Panama Canal After taking over from the French, the US oversaw the successful opening of the Panama Canal on August 15, 1914. 3 Chief Engineers - Wallace, Stevens and Goethals overcame several odds, both engineering and manpower related, during their respective tenures, to see the Canal through to completion. Equally commendable was the contribution of Chief Sanitation Officer, William Gorgas in defeating the scourge of Yellow Fever and Malaria, within the Canal Zone. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/36184140

Episode 105: 2023 - the Israel Gaza War 04/12/2025

Episode 105: 2023 - the Israel Gaza War Post the Oct 7 attack by Hamas, Israel declared war in Gaza. Initially, the civilian population was asked to migrate South, but subsequently, Southern Gaza was attacked as well, leading to a human catastrophe. Towards late 2024, several Hamas and Hezbollah leaders were assassinated, but peace continues to evade the region, with both sides hardening their stance. But, there is a glimmer of hope. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35955055

Episode 104: 2023 - the HAMAS Oct 7 Attack 03/29/2025

Episode 104: 2023 - the HAMAS Oct 7 Attack On October 7, 2023, HAMAS surprised Israel by infiltrating into Israeli territory after breaching its defenses along its border with Gaza. Who were the masterminds and who were the financiers? And how did HAMAS manage to keep Israel in the dark about this operation? Tune in for some eye-opening revelations. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35803030

Episode 103: Espionage - the Moles 03/15/2025

Episode 103: Espionage - the Moles During and after WWII, the Cambridge Five spy for the KGB while working within the British government. CIA's billion dollar spy volunteers to be a mole to exact revenge on Soviet Russia. The Head of German Military Intelligence during WWII tries to sabotage Hitler's plans as he gets disillusioned with Hitler's leadership. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35650005

Episode 102: 1948 - the Marshall Plan 03/01/2025

Episode 102: 1948 - the Marshall Plan On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, aka the Marshall Plan. Named after Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe, the Plan contributed $13.3 billion in aid to 16 European nations between 1948 and 1951. The successful design, planning and execution of the Plan has been a role model for several development plans across the globe. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35454255

Episode 101: US Democracy and Oligarchy 02/15/2025

Episode 101: US Democracy and Oligarchy In 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case that corporations (and, by extension, unions and other groups) may make unlimited expenditures on messages encouraging votes for or against specific candidates, so long as they're not coordinated with candidates or parties. This gave birth to Super PACs and a foray of oligarchs in the US democratic process. The first group of oligarchs though, influenced US democracy in the late 19th Century during the gilded era. With the Tech oligarchs at the helm in 2025, lot more is at stake than just election influence. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35252165

Episode 100: Nuclear disaster - near misses 02/01/2025

Episode 100: Nuclear disaster - near misses Several times during the Cold War, the World came dangerously close to a nuclear disaster. In 1961 and 1968, B52 Bombers carrying nuclear bombs met with accidents nearly leading to a nuclear catastrophe. In 1983, one Soviet Lt. Col. single handedly saved the world from WWIII when he categorized an alarm about 5 missiles being launched at the Soviet Union, a false alarm. NATO conducted a WWIII simulation in 1983, which the Soviets assumed, was cover for an actual nuclear strike from the West. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/35018440

Episode 99: US Healthcare - a history 01/18/2025

Episode 99: US Healthcare - a history From a global perspective, there are four main models of health care, each of which takes a different approach both legislatively and in practical terms of how it affects a populace’s ability to obtain health care coverage and services. In 1929, Blue Cross established the first employer-sponsored health coverage in Dallas as a partnership between the Baylor University hospital and its patients. One of the largest health care acts in American history, commonly referred to as the Medicare and Medicaid Act, was approved by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July 1965. After intense debate, lawmakers passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or Obamacare, which was signed into law on Mar. 23, 2010. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/34887900

Episode 98: US Presidential Elections (1936 - 1996) 01/04/2025

Episode 98: US Presidential Elections (1936 - 1996) 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/34713845

Episode 97: Bizarre Events from History 12/07/2024

Episode 97: Bizarre Events from 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/34099236

Episode 96: US Presidential Elections (1872 - 1932) 11/23/2024

Episode 96: US Presidential Elections (1872 - 1932) 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/33853727

Episode 95: US Presidential Elections (1789 - 1868) 11/09/2024

Episode 95: US Presidential Elections (1789 - 1868) 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/33609492

Episode 94: Vietnam War - the battles, bombings, accords and conclusion 10/26/2024

Episode 94: Vietnam War - the battles, bombings, accords and conclusion 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/33412902

Episode 93: Vietnam War - the origins and early days 10/12/2024

Episode 93: Vietnam War - the origins and early days 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/33236527

Episode 92: Covert Ops - Hitler, CIA and Civil War 09/28/2024

Episode 92: Covert Ops - Hitler, CIA and Civil War 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/33060557

Episode 91: the history of Cinema 09/14/2024

Episode 91: the history of Cinema 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/32849527

Episode 90: the physics of Dictatorships 08/31/2024

Episode 90: the physics of Dictatorships 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/32624552

Episode 89: Singapore - the Economic miracle 08/17/2024

Episode 89: Singapore - the Economic miracle 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/32420062

Episode 88: 1975 - Emergency in India 08/03/2024

Episode 88: 1975 - Emergency in India In 1975, the Allahabad High Court finds Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices during the 1971 election and rules that she needs to step down as Prime Minister. This triggers a series of events that culminate in the imposition of Emergency in India - a period when all civil liberties of common citizens, are taken away by the government. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/32192762

Episode 87: Explorers and Cosmonauts 07/20/2024

Episode 87: Explorers and Cosmonauts Norway's Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in Dec, 1911. Tenzing and Hillary became the first to scale Mt. Everest in May of 1953. Yuri Gagarin had the world spellbound as he became the first human in Space in April 1961. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/31993777

Episode 86: Great Political Upsets 07/06/2024

Episode 86: Great Political Upsets After leading the United Kingdom during WWII, Churchill loses his re-election bid. Harry Truman surprises polls to defeat Republican Thomas Dewey in 1948. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is ousted in a very democratic way in the Soviet Union, in 1964. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/31819842

Episode 85: A history of Medicine 06/22/2024

Episode 85: A history of Medicine Modern medicine owes a lot of its development to the Ancient civilizations of Greece, India and China. Modern medicine took off after the Industrial Revolution because of faster spread of disease and infection within large industrial communities. The medical professionals were able to understand bacterial diseases way before they understood viruses. But the electron microscope took medical research to the next level. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/31642742

Episode 84: The Children of Dictators 06/08/2024

Episode 84: The Children of Dictators Stalin micromanaged his daughter and she ended up defecting to the US. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. though won the Presidential Office his dictatorial father held, via a democratic election. Mao's children mostly died young. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/31461867

Episode 83: A history of Tibet 05/25/2024

Episode 83: A history of Tibet Tibetan Empire reached its zenith under Songtsen Gampo's descendant Tri Song Detsuen in 755 AD who expanded Tibet politically and economically and promoted Buddhism to bring the nation together. However, about a century after him, the empire collapsed and Tibet entered its traditional "dark age." The Mongols conquered Tibet in 1244 but let the local Buddhist leaders manage the administrative affairs and Tibet gradually eased into a Theocracy as the Dalai Lama was acknowledged as the Spiritual Head. In 1950, China, looking for a buffer zone between itself and India, invaded Tibet. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/31257557

Episode 82: Corporate Cheating - Boeing, VW and Wells Fargo 05/11/2024

Episode 82: Corporate Cheating - Boeing, VW and Wells Fargo Boeing hid information regarding the MCAS software from its 737-Max flying manual to short circuit the certification. Boeing's cheating cost 346 lives across 2 plane crashes. Volkswagen had a cheat device software in its diesel cars to circumvent the NOX level requirememts in the US and the EU. Wells Fargo opened millions of bank accounts without customer consent. Is there a pattern across these three cheating scandals? /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/30946953

Episode 81: Putin and Xi - the powerful Authoritarians 04/27/2024

Episode 81: Putin and Xi - the powerful Authoritarians Putin was a working class outsider who rose through the ranks to the Country's top job. Once at the top, Putin consolidated his position by eiminating opposition and giving Russia a strategic economic advantage. Xi was a Princeling who ended up on the wrong side during Mao's time. But Xi believed in Mao and came back, aspiring to be Mao 2.0 /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/30744088

Episode 80: Cricket - 1950s through 1980s 04/13/2024

Episode 80: Cricket - 1950s through 1980s The West Indies emerge as a force in Cricket as Frank Worrell leads the team to Australia in 1960. South Africa is banned from International Cricket in 1970 due to apartheid. Kerry Packer becomes a major disruptor in International Cricket as he signs up top players for World Series of Cricket. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/30534453

Episode 79: Cricket - early times to 1950s 03/30/2024

Episode 79: Cricket - early times to 1950s Cricket 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. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/30330738

Episode 78: 20th Century Political Assassinations 03/16/2024

Episode 78: 20th Century Political Assassinations JFK is assassinated as his convoy drives through Dallas, bringing the US and the rest of the world to a stunned standstill. Egypt's Anwar Sadat is assassinated while inspecting a parade. But Congo's Patrice Lumumba is made to disappear in the most barbaric manner. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/30162943

Episode 77: Silicon Valley 03/02/2024

Episode 77: Silicon Valley Railway tycoon Leland Stanford lived in Santa Clara Valley and founded Stanford University in 1891. Another prominent Stanford University figure, Frederick Terman. invested heavily in businesses that would base themselves in the area and employ talented young people. One such business was the original start-up, an electrical company started in a garage by Stanford alumni William Hewlett and David Packard, Hewlett-Packard. The beginning of Silicon Valley as an epicenter of innovation began in 1955 with the arrival of the Shockley Semiconductors Laboratory. Another revolutionary point was reached in 1968 when Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore left Fairchild Semiconductor to form Intel. /episode/index/show/yinhistory/id/29965228

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