HTDS is a bi-weekly podcast, delivering a legit, seriously researched, hard-hitting survey of American history through entertaining stories. To keep up with History That Doesn’t Suck news, check us out htdspodcast.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram: @historythatdoesntsuck. Become a premium member to support our work, receive ad-free episodes and bonus episodes.Pre-order Prof. Jackson's new book Been There Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome
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The Declaration of Independence at 250
Jul 02, 2026
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, as read by Professor Greg Jackson and fellow citizens: Lindsey Cormack co-host of Government That Doesn’t Suck, Ben Sawyer and Bob…
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America250 Episode 8 Rerelease: Declaring Independence, the Rise of Alexander Hamilton, & the Fall of New York
Jun 22, 2026
In celebration of America’s 250th, we’d like to officially invite you to enjoy this special episode telling the tale of that audacious, terrifying, and formative step taken by the Second Continental…
Bonus: Prof. Greg Jackson interview on The Road to Now with Dr. Ben Sawyer
Jun 15, 2026
Professor Greg Jackson is interviewed by Professor Ben Sawyer on The Road to Now podcast to discuss Jackson’s new book, Been There, Done That: What Our History Shows What We Can Overcome. As we…
207: Japanese Internment: Removal, Relocation, & Reckoning
Jun 08, 2026
"What I vividly recall is after getting to Tanforan and walking into this horse stable, and Mom… putting down her suitcase and just crying.”This is the story of Japanese American incarceration.In…
206: American Propaganda: Cap’s Debut, Frank Capra’s War Docs, and Casablanca
May 22, 2026
“Will young, freewheeling American boys take the iron discipline of wartime? … In my judgment the answer is Yes! ... if the answers they get are worth fighting and dying for.”
This is the story of…
Introducing Family Lore
May 17, 2026
Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive…
205: Total War on the Home Front: Victory Gardens, Volunteering, and the Double V
May 11, 2026
“I suggest that while we keep defense and victory in the forefront, that we don't lose sight of our fight for true democracy at home.”
This is the story of life on the American home front.
While…
Bonus: “Messy Tales,” an Excerpt from the Prof’s book, Been There, Done That
May 04, 2026
Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, Prof. Jackson’s new book publishing June 16th, takes us on a chronological journey—from the very start of the republic in 1789…
204: The Holocaust: Anne Frank, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, & Auschwitz
Apr 27, 2026
“Everybody’s dead. Don’t ask me about anybody. Everybody’s dead.”
This is the story of the Final Solution.
From Anne Frank’s annex to countless ghettos, Jews who have thus far avoided the…
203: The Holocaust: Killing Squads, Ghettos, & Gas Chambers
Apr 13, 2026
“The procedure is a pretty barbaric one and not to be described here more definitively. Not much will remain of the Jews.” —Joseph Goebbels
This is the story of how the Holocaust becomes…
202: Holocaust Prologue with US Holocaust Memorial Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield
Mar 30, 2026
After turning our attention back to Europe in the last few episodes, it’s time to finally examine the Holocaust. Back in episode 185, we covered a broad history of antisemitism in Europe and the…
201: A Soft Underbelly: The Allied Invasion of Sicily & the Fall of Il Duce
Mar 16, 2026
"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.”
This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky.
On the heels of the decisive Allied…
200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch
Mar 02, 2026
“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.”
This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa.
Long under the colonial thumb…
199: Building the Anglo-American Alliance: The US Enters the European Theater
Feb 16, 2026
“When do we get a whack at those Germans?”
This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the…
198: The Pacific Tide Turns at Coral Sea & Midway
Feb 02, 2026
“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!”
This is the story of a battle that…
197: The Doolittle Raid & the Bataan Death March (Spring 1942)
Jan 19, 2026
“We had been promised relief but none was coming, and all of us in Bataan shared a sense of betrayal.”
This is the story of the United State’s earliest—and most disastrous—days of war in the…
196: An Epilogue to Pearl Harbor with Steve Twomey
Jan 05, 2026
With the December 1941 surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, our story has officially come to the United States’ entry into the Second World War. Professor Jackson told that…
195: Holiday Special IX: Chanukah in Warsaw & Christmas in Washington, D.C.
Dec 22, 2025
“This year very few Hanukkah candles were lit.” / “This is a strange Christmas Eve.”
This is the story of 1941’s wartime holiday season.
It’s difficult to conjure up a more miserable picture than…
194: Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941
Dec 07, 2025
“Man your battle stations! This is no sh*t!”
This is the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
It’s 7:55 on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. 183 Japanese aircraft descend on the United…
193: The Empire of the Rising Sun: Military Imperialism in Japan (1853–1941)
Nov 24, 2025
“To be perfectly frank, the ways you and I look at the Chinese are fundamentally different. You seem to think of them as human, but I see them as pigs.”
This is the origin story of the Empire of the…
192: A Conversation with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein: The American Revolution and WWII
Nov 10, 2025
Professor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his co-producer Sarah Botstein to discuss their newest film series, The American Revolution plus a conversation…
Bonus: Eleanor Roosevelt "Over Our Coffee Cups"
Nov 02, 2025
Today Professor Jackson tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Over Our Coffee Cups” weekly radio show. Starting in the fall of 1941, the First Lady took to the airwaves with this cafe-style program…
191: Halloween Special V: “The War of the Worlds” on the Radio
Oct 20, 2025
“No more defenses. Our army is wiped out—artillery, air force, everything wiped out.”
This is the story of the invasion of New Jersey.
“The War of the Worlds” is a 1938 radio adaptation of an 1897…
190: Epilogue to US Pre-WWII Isolationism to Interventionism with Lynne Olson
Oct 13, 2025
Professor Jackson takes a step back to review themes from episodes 187 through 189 (War in Europe and America’s Response), specifically the slow turn from isolationism to aid via Lend-Lease, and…
189: World War II in Europe & the American Response (1941): Production & Preparation
Oct 06, 2025
"At long last, Mr. President.”—Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
This is the story of the second year of WWII and the United States’ response.
As the war enters its second full year, things are…
The Unlikely Union: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Sep 29, 2025
Professor Greg Jackson shares a personal message about our politically divided times and announces more tour dates for his live show: The Unlikely Union.
This show is not recorded for the podcast…
188: World War II in Europe & The American Response (1939–40): Isolationism vs. Arsenal of Democracy
Sep 22, 2025
“I have said not once but many times that I have seen war and that I hate war. … I hope the United States will keep out of this war. I believe that it will.”
This is the story of the first year of…
187: From the Rhineland to Poland (1935–1939): Annexation, Appeasement, & the Start of World War II
Sep 08, 2025
“A great war can hardly be avoided any longer.”
This is the story of Nazi Germany’s aggressive territorial expansion and the start of WWII.
The Treaty of Versailles has long been a thorn in Adolf…
186: From Czardom to Stalinism: Building the USSR & the Ascent of Joseph Stalin
Aug 25, 2025
“Comrade Stalin, now that he is general secretary, has concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of exercising this power with sufficient…
185: The Early Holocaust: From the “Jewish Question” to Kristallnacht
Aug 11, 2025
“Being a Jew is not a crime, I am not a dog.”
This is the story of the start of the Holocaust.
Serving as the scapegoat for everything from a disappearing child to the Black Plague, European Jews…
