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Family Lore

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All families tell stories about themselves. Those stories are passed down, and like an intergenerational game of telephone, the details sometimes change from fact to fiction. But have you ever wondered how much of the lore is actually true? 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 to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Whether it’s a grandfather who flew before the Wright Brothers, a great-aunt who invented the margarita, or a great-uncle who killed a Texas ranching scion, each story offers an intimate glimpse into the familial fables that captivate us. Family Lore is an Audacy original podcast. For more compelling stories of American history, listen to Cement City and Hope, Through History (with Jon Meacham and The HISTORY® Channel), available in this feed.
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All families tell stories about themselves. Those stories are passed down, and like an intergenerational game of telephone, the details sometimes change from fact to fiction. But have you ever wondered how much of the lore is actually true? 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 to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Whether it’s a grandfather who flew before the Wright Brothers, a great-aunt who invented the margarita, or a great-uncle who killed a Texas ranching scion, each story offers an intimate glimpse into the familial fables that captivate us. Family Lore is an Audacy original podcast. For more compelling stories of American history, listen to Cement City and Hope, Through History (with Jon Meacham and The HISTORY® Channel), available in this feed.
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Episodes

Published 2026-07-15

Natural History

29 min
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A Bronx woman with a difficult upbringing decides to figure out where she came from. Her journey leads her to a grandfather whose work is admired by millions.
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A Bronx woman with a difficult upbringing decides to figure out where she came from. Her journey leads her to a grandfather whose work is admired by millions.
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Published 2026-07-08

Alina In Exile

39 min
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Alina Fernandez was a small child when the Cuban Revolution spilled onto the streets of Havana. The Revolution's leader, Fidel Castro, would appear on television, giving speeches that would often run for hours. Then, when the speeches were over and the television was turned off, Fidel Castro would appear in her living room.
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Alina Fernandez was a small child when the Cuban Revolution spilled onto the streets of Havana. The Revolution's leader, Fidel Castro, would appear on television, giving speeches that would often run for hours. Then, when the speeches were over and the television was turned off, Fidel Castro would appear in her living room.
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Published 2026-07-01

The King's Life Guard

36 min
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A man who grew up with little to no information about his family history encounters a 380-year-old tale about war and royalty. And with the help of a British researcher, new information is discovered.
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A man who grew up with little to no information about his family history encounters a 380-year-old tale about war and royalty. And with the help of a British researcher, new information is discovered.
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Published 2026-06-24

Remaking The World

30 min
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David Belden was born into the upper echelons of Moral Re-Armament, a spiritual movement that hoped to save the world. It wasn't until later in his life that David realized he was in a cult.
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David Belden was born into the upper echelons of Moral Re-Armament, a spiritual movement that hoped to save the world. It wasn't until later in his life that David realized he was in a cult.
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Published 2026-06-17

Father Figure

36 min
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Acclaimed magazine writer Tom Junod investigates the history of his father, his family, and himself.  In the process of writing his memoir - In The Days Of My Youth I Was Told What It Means To Be A Man - he discovers an explanatory secret.  
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Acclaimed magazine writer Tom Junod investigates the history of his father, his family, and himself.  In the process of writing his memoir - In The Days Of My Youth I Was Told What It Means To Be A Man - he discovers an explanatory secret.  
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Published 2026-06-10

Ann, The Witch

38 min
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A family discovers an ancestor who was convicted at the Salem Witch Trials. And they take umbrage with the fact that she was never pardoned.
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A family discovers an ancestor who was convicted at the Salem Witch Trials. And they take umbrage with the fact that she was never pardoned.
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Published 2026-06-03

The Pirate Connection

32 min
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While connecting the dots between her family and the infamous New Orleans pirates, Jean and Pierre Laffite, a self-taught genealogist discovers a family secret.  The founder of the Laffite Society has his own secret connection to the pirates. 
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While connecting the dots between her family and the infamous New Orleans pirates, Jean and Pierre Laffite, a self-taught genealogist discovers a family secret.  The founder of the Laffite Society has his own secret connection to the pirates. 
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Published 2026-05-27

Portrait of a Lady

35 min
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The granddaughter of a prolific Jewish art collector who fled Europe during World War II embarks on a quest to recover the looted art.
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The granddaughter of a prolific Jewish art collector who fled Europe during World War II embarks on a quest to recover the looted art.
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Published 2026-05-20

Chasing Diamonds

31 min
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A Dutch retiree never knew what his father experienced in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.  But when he finds his father's journal, he discovers some unfinished business.
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A Dutch retiree never knew what his father experienced in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.  But when he finds his father's journal, he discovers some unfinished business.
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Published 2026-05-13

The Power of Family Stories

35 min
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Author Bruce Feiler discusses the fascinating links between family stories and the elusive concept of happiness.
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Author Bruce Feiler discusses the fascinating links between family stories and the elusive concept of happiness.
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Published 2026-05-06

The Real Rosie

36 min
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During World War II, posters featuring a brash and beautiful woman inspired others to take up factory jobs and support America's war effort. "Rosie The Riveter" would become a symbol of American gumption. But was Rosie a real person?
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During World War II, posters featuring a brash and beautiful woman inspired others to take up factory jobs and support America's war effort. "Rosie The Riveter" would become a symbol of American gumption. But was Rosie a real person?
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Published 2026-04-29

A Texas Feud

45 min
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A love triangle between ranching families in the Texas Panhandle has fatal consequences.  Over a 100 years later, the killer's great-niece revives the story.
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A love triangle between ranching families in the Texas Panhandle has fatal consequences.  Over a 100 years later, the killer's great-niece revives the story.
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Published 2026-04-15

If Mosquito Hawks Can Fly

40 min
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A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever.
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A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever.
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Published 2026-04-08

The Unsinkable Margarita Sames

28 min
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The margarita is arguably the most famous cocktail in the world. But have you ever stopped to wonder who was the first to make it?
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The margarita is arguably the most famous cocktail in the world. But have you ever stopped to wonder who was the first to make it?
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Published 2026-04-07

Introducing Family Lore

2 min
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All families tell stories about themselves. Those stories are passed down, and like an intergenerational game of telephone, the details sometimes change from fact to fiction. But have you ever wondered how much of the lore is actually true? Welcome to Season 1 of Family Lore, a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates the tales we hear at home.
More description
All families tell stories about themselves. Those stories are passed down, and like an intergenerational game of telephone, the details sometimes change from fact to fiction. But have you ever wondered how much of the lore is actually true? Welcome to Season 1 of Family Lore, a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates the tales we hear at home.
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Jeanne Marie and Erin are closing in on a year in Donora. At Twinkle Bright Night they face existential questions: Will the new mayor save council? Is the community college going to come? What’s gonna happen to this town, anyway? But first things first: will Jeanne Marie and Erin ever leave?
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Jeanne Marie and Erin are closing in on a year in Donora. At Twinkle Bright Night they face existential questions: Will the new mayor save council? Is the community college going to come? What’s gonna happen to this town, anyway? But first things first: will Jeanne Marie and Erin ever leave?
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Published 2024-11-06

Cement City: Episode 9 | No Indictments

60 min
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It’s the general election! Yancey vs. Ed! The future of Donora is on the line, and ballot tampering and election denialism are in the air.
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It’s the general election! Yancey vs. Ed! The future of Donora is on the line, and ballot tampering and election denialism are in the air.
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Other towns have apples. Or pumpkin festivals. Donora has smog. Mayor Piglet sees this as an opportunity, and Donora is totally transformed — if only for a day.
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Other towns have apples. Or pumpkin festivals. Donora has smog. Mayor Piglet sees this as an opportunity, and Donora is totally transformed — if only for a day.
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Donora to the rescue!... of itself. Jeanne Marie and Erin discover the intricacies of Donora self-provided, self-maintained, totally improvised safety net.
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Donora to the rescue!... of itself. Jeanne Marie and Erin discover the intricacies of Donora self-provided, self-maintained, totally improvised safety net.
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There’s trouble everywhere. Jeanne Marie and Erin realize what the town has always known: This town isn’t on anyone’s radar. No one is coming in to help.
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There’s trouble everywhere. Jeanne Marie and Erin realize what the town has always known: This town isn’t on anyone’s radar. No one is coming in to help.
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It’s Election Day. A ragtag group of rookies is promising change and looking for a clean sweep. Jeanne Marie sees a potential hero and falls hard.
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It’s Election Day. A ragtag group of rookies is promising change and looking for a clean sweep. Jeanne Marie sees a potential hero and falls hard.
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Donora has no banks, no gas stations, no schools. Jeanne Marie and Erin discover the one thing that could bring the town back to life.
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Donora has no banks, no gas stations, no schools. Jeanne Marie and Erin discover the one thing that could bring the town back to life.
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Published 2024-09-18

Cement City: Episode 1 | I’ll Die Here

46 min
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Jeanne Marie and Erin wander off the highway into Donora, Pa, a dying town with a dark secret. They decide to buy a house. A solid concrete house. In a neighborhood called Cement City.
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Jeanne Marie and Erin wander off the highway into Donora, Pa, a dying town with a dark secret. They decide to buy a house. A solid concrete house. In a neighborhood called Cement City.
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Two journalists stumble into a dying rust belt town with a Smog Museum and a mayor named Piglet… and not a whole lot else. They have one burning question: What’s it like to live here? In a town left for dead. But it’s not dead. Donora, PA will not go down without a fight.
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Two journalists stumble into a dying rust belt town with a Smog Museum and a mayor named Piglet… and not a whole lot else. They have one burning question: What’s it like to live here? In a town left for dead. But it’s not dead. Donora, PA will not go down without a fight.
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A violent attack on peaceful marchers in Selma, Alabama fuels the fires of progress, leading to a monumental victory for voting rights.

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A violent attack on peaceful marchers in Selma, Alabama fuels the fires of progress, leading to a monumental victory for voting rights.

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As World War erupts in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson follows public opinion and stays out of the international conflict. But when a merchant ship carrying American passengers is attacked by a German U-boat, the United States begins to emerge from isolation and establishes itself as a source of possibility in the world. 

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As World War erupts in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson follows public opinion and stays out of the international conflict. But when a merchant ship carrying American passengers is attacked by a German U-boat, the United States begins to emerge from isolation and establishes itself as a source of possibility in the world. 

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In the midst of a devastating humanitarian crisis, President George W. Bush announces a bold, international plan to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS. 

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In the midst of a devastating humanitarian crisis, President George W. Bush announces a bold, international plan to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS. 

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Abraham Lincoln arrives in Gettysburg to consecrate a battlefield, and to commit America to fulfilling its original promise that all men are created equal.

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Abraham Lincoln arrives in Gettysburg to consecrate a battlefield, and to commit America to fulfilling its original promise that all men are created equal.

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At the onset of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt contends with a fierce and at times virulent isolationsist movement in America while Winston Churchill pleads with President Roosevelt to join the fight against Axis forces.

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At the onset of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt contends with a fierce and at times virulent isolationsist movement in America while Winston Churchill pleads with President Roosevelt to join the fight against Axis forces.

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Welcome back to a new season of the C13Originals critically acclaimed Hope, Through History documentary limited series. Narrated and written by Pulitzer Prize Winning and Best Selling Historian, Jon Meacham, Season Two explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, how this nation dealt with the impact of these moments, and how we came through these moments a more unified nation. Season Two, presented by C13Originals, in association with The HISTORY® Channel, will guide you through the Battle of Gettysburg and its impact on the future of the country, the relationship between FDR and Churchill and America’s slow walk to war, the plan for AIDS relief, the sinking of the Lusitania and events impact on the future of America, and Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act. As Winston Churchill once remarked, “The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope”—the hope that human ingenuity, reason, and character can combine to save us from the abyss and keep us on a path, in another phrase of Churchill’s, to broad, sun-lit uplands. Welcome to Season Two.

 

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Welcome back to a new season of the C13Originals critically acclaimed Hope, Through History documentary limited series. Narrated and written by Pulitzer Prize Winning and Best Selling Historian, Jon Meacham, Season Two explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, how this nation dealt with the impact of these moments, and how we came through these moments a more unified nation. Season Two, presented by C13Originals, in association with The HISTORY® Channel, will guide you through the Battle of Gettysburg and its impact on the future of the country, the relationship between FDR and Churchill and America’s slow walk to war, the plan for AIDS relief, the sinking of the Lusitania and events impact on the future of America, and Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act. As Winston Churchill once remarked, “The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope”—the hope that human ingenuity, reason, and character can combine to save us from the abyss and keep us on a path, in another phrase of Churchill’s, to broad, sun-lit uplands. Welcome to Season Two.

 

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In 1917, as President Woodrow Wilson prepared the nation for World War, an even deadlier crisis was hiding in plain sight. An influenza virus flourished on European battlefields and rapidly spread among civilians, paralyzing the globe with illness and fear. The 1918 flu pandemic serves as a poignant reminder that science, cooperation, transparency and leadership can help clear a path to recovery. 

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In 1917, as President Woodrow Wilson prepared the nation for World War, an even deadlier crisis was hiding in plain sight. An influenza virus flourished on European battlefields and rapidly spread among civilians, paralyzing the globe with illness and fear. The 1918 flu pandemic serves as a poignant reminder that science, cooperation, transparency and leadership can help clear a path to recovery. 

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It is known as the most dangerous moment in human history. In late October of 1962, American spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases with nuclear capabilities on the island of Cuba. Normalcy was put on indefinite pause as millions of Americans grappled with terrifying idea that at any moment, without warning, their communities and loved ones could be decimated by an atomic bomb. While military leaders and hardliners clamored for aggressive action, it was the patience and poise of a president that saved the world from mass destruction.

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It is known as the most dangerous moment in human history. In late October of 1962, American spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases with nuclear capabilities on the island of Cuba. Normalcy was put on indefinite pause as millions of Americans grappled with terrifying idea that at any moment, without warning, their communities and loved ones could be decimated by an atomic bomb. While military leaders and hardliners clamored for aggressive action, it was the patience and poise of a president that saved the world from mass destruction.

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From the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, the nation lived in fear of the polio virus. Often handicapping or paralyzing its victims, sometimes resulting in death, the disease was made all the more frightening by the fact that it preyed on young children. Generations of Americans were affected by this incurable illness until a brilliant young medical researcher, empowered by the coordinated efforts of public and private institutions, developed a miraculous vaccine. The expert knowledge and first-hand experiences of Walter Isaacson, David Oshinsky and Geoff Ward, assist Jon Meacham in telling a story which begins with debilitating fear and ends with everlasting hope.  

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From the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, the nation lived in fear of the polio virus. Often handicapping or paralyzing its victims, sometimes resulting in death, the disease was made all the more frightening by the fact that it preyed on young children. Generations of Americans were affected by this incurable illness until a brilliant young medical researcher, empowered by the coordinated efforts of public and private institutions, developed a miraculous vaccine. The expert knowledge and first-hand experiences of Walter Isaacson, David Oshinsky and Geoff Ward, assist Jon Meacham in telling a story which begins with debilitating fear and ends with everlasting hope.  

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In May of 1940, Great Britain was in the crosshairs of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi war machine. As nations on mainland Europe fell prey to fascism, Winston Churchill seized the moment in dramatic fashion, ultimately winning a permanent place in the pantheon of heroic leaders who have single-handedly shifted the course of history. Churchill believed that “the only safe way” forward “was to convince Hitler that he couldn’t beat us.” And the only safe way to do that was to fight on. Accompanied by award-winning authors Erik Larson, Evan Thomas and Andrew Roberts, Jon Meacham revives one of the most consequential days of World War II, and creates a portrait of a man who used courage, candor and cooperation to protect the future of democracy. 

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In May of 1940, Great Britain was in the crosshairs of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi war machine. As nations on mainland Europe fell prey to fascism, Winston Churchill seized the moment in dramatic fashion, ultimately winning a permanent place in the pantheon of heroic leaders who have single-handedly shifted the course of history. Churchill believed that “the only safe way” forward “was to convince Hitler that he couldn’t beat us.” And the only safe way to do that was to fight on. Accompanied by award-winning authors Erik Larson, Evan Thomas and Andrew Roberts, Jon Meacham revives one of the most consequential days of World War II, and creates a portrait of a man who used courage, candor and cooperation to protect the future of democracy. 

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Following a decade of roaring prosperity in America, something invincible was proving vulnerable. The Great Depression was ravaging the economy and destroying lives, creating a dire need for bold, honest leadership. With the help of Pulitzer Prize-winners Doris Kearns Goodwin and David M. Kennedy, along with Allida Black, the Director of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Jon Meacham delivers a vivid and intimate look at a President who countered depression with action, and who conquered fear with hope. 

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Following a decade of roaring prosperity in America, something invincible was proving vulnerable. The Great Depression was ravaging the economy and destroying lives, creating a dire need for bold, honest leadership. With the help of Pulitzer Prize-winners Doris Kearns Goodwin and David M. Kennedy, along with Allida Black, the Director of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Jon Meacham delivers a vivid and intimate look at a President who countered depression with action, and who conquered fear with hope. 

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Published 2020-04-09

Trailer: Hope, Through History

3 min
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Welcome to Hope, Through History with Jon Meacham. This limited series explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, and how this nation dealt with these moments, the impact of these moments and how we came through these moments a unified nation. Season One takes a look at critical moments around the 1918 Flu Pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Welcome to Hope, Through History with Jon Meacham. This limited series explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, and how this nation dealt with these moments, the impact of these moments and how we came through these moments a unified nation. Season One takes a look at critical moments around the 1918 Flu Pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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