Operation Midnight Climax

Roald Dahl is a beloved children’s author. Turns out, he was also a British spy during WWII! So how does one transition from seducing prominent Americans’ wives to writing Matilda?
Well, we’re glad you asked! We called up the creator of a new docu-series called The Secret World of Roald Dahl to get all the dirt on this famous children’s author.
Aaron Tracy, Creator of The Secret World of Roald Dahl
Listen to Bob Crawford's American History Hotline wherever you get your podcasts.
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In the winter of 1980, the world turned its eyes to Lake Placid, New York, host of the Winter Olympics. But behind the pageantry, another structure loomed in the Adirondack woods. Built to house 1,800 athletes, the Olympic Village looked less like a dormitory than a detention center — because that’s exactly what it was designed to become.
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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
For School of Humans, Producers are Emilia Brock and Edeliz Perez. Executive Producer is Virginia Prescott.
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Could a new president ever be carved into Mount Rushmore? It depends on who you ask. We call up historian Matthew Davis (author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore) to learn about the history of the monument and what its future might hold.
It’s a story with a lot of surprising twists and turns, from the hills of Georgia to the sacred mountains of South Dakota. How does Mount Rushmore reflect America’s battles over who and what America chooses to celebrate?
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why Mount Rushmore was carved, and who originally inspired the project
The forgotten faces and ideas that never made it onto the mountain
How Indigenous history and land rights shape Rushmore’s legacy
Whether a future president could legally (or physically) be added
GUEST: Matthew Davis, author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore
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Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. That's a well known piece of history. But who integrated the NFL?
Well, it's an amazing story with lots of binge drinking, miraculous comebacks and hot dog eating. Seriously.
Just in time for the Super Bowl, we're calling up David Fleming, author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History. He explains how one of the worst teams in NFL history shaped the game we know today.

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Elizabeth Swaney fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an Olympian, defying all odds. But it wasn’t supernatural athletic ability that got her there. And by the time she made it to the 2018 Winter Olympics, a lot of people were rooting against her. Here's the incredible story of a woman who made it to the Games by understanding those odds better than anyone else.
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