The Preamble

The Suckers and Celebrities of the NYC Speakeasy Scene

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, it’s a battle between the lawman and the barkeep; we’re going to explore the New York jazz and speake...

A Physician, a Rabbi, and a Bootlegger Walk into a Pharmacy

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By 1920, America was officially a dry country. In theory. In practice, the law came with enough loopholes that opportunists found plenty of ways to ma...

The Whiskey-Guzzling Womanizer in the White House

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the country went dry at the start of 1920, Americans were ready for a new leader. A stand-up guy, they thought, someone who reflects our morals–a...

If Mabel Had Worn Trousers

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re going to meet the most powerful woman in America during the Prohibition era. Mabel Walker Willebrandt was the Assistant Attorney Genera...

How to Train Kids in the Practice of Temperance

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in our series about Prohibition, we learn more about the crusade to turn America into a dry nation. It may surprise you to learn that it wasn’...

Carrying a Nation into Prohibition

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode in our new series, From Hatchets to Hoods: The Mayhem of a Dry America! We’re going to begin our series a number of yea...

The First Lady of World War II with Shannon McKenna Schmidt

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the show, Shannon McKenna Schmidt joins Sharon to talk about the trifecta of listener-favorite subjects: an American First Lady, World War II...

An American Love Story with Ilyon Woo

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Ilyon Woo, author of the new book, Master Slave Husband Wife, a love story be...

What's Our Problem? with Tim Urban

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, co-founder of the website Wait But Why? joins Sharon to talk about a few big ideas, like censorship, the...

The Nazi Conspiracy with Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, authors Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch sit down with Sharon to discuss their New York Times bestselling book, The Nazi Conspiracy....

Shipwrecked: Diving with a Purpose with Dr. Sean Kinglsey

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes Marine Archeologist Dr. Sean Kinglsey. Learn about how marine archeology is carried out, ...

Life in Five Senses with Gretchen Rubin

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, bestselling author Gretchen Rubin joins Sharon to talk about her newest book, Life in Five Senses. Gretch...

An Immense World with Ed Yong

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sharon welcomes guest Ed Yong to Here’s Where It Gets Interesting. Ed’s newest book, An Immense World, How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms ...

Dinner with the President with Alex Prud'homme

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon sits down with author Alex Prud'homme about his book, Dinner with the President, all about White H...

A Fever in the Heartland with Timothy Egan

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Timothy Egan, a Pulitzer Prize—winning reporter, lifelong journalist, and the author ...

Secrets of the Civil War: The Rocky Road of Reconstruction

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After four years of fighting, the Union had persevered in bringing the seceded states back into the fold. But the newly reunited country had a great d...

Secrets of the Civil War: The Necessity of Innovation

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this series, we have covered all sorts of innovations that arose out of the conflict, from deviled ham spread and spy balloons to surgical advancem...

Secrets of the Civil War: Battlefield Angels and Amputations

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Approximately 620 thousand soldiers died in the Civil War, and some historians believe that number might be closer to 750 thousand. But believe it or ...

Secrets of the Civil War: North Toward Freedom

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in our series, Secrets of the Civil War, we’ll meet some of the key players in the Abolition Movement–a persuader, an agitator, and a conduc...

Secrets of the Civil War: The War Within a War

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’re going to touch on a war you probably didn’t know happened. During the seemingly all-consuming C...

Secrets of the Civil War: A Tale of Two Roberts

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode in our series, Secrets of the Civil War, we’re going to hear about two men–both named Robert and hailed as heroes, who had co...

Secrets of the Civil War: Survival Off the Battlefields

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, let’s talk about what life was like during the Civil War for people who weren’t on the battlefield. What did they get up and do every day? ...

Secrets of the Civil War: Propaganda in Tune

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the Civil War, the Union used a whole slew of propaganda to win over Northerners: pamphlets, posters, poetry, clothing, cartoons… and music. ...

Secrets of the Civil War: A War Won on Food

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that Hot Pockets, astronaut food, and maple bacon donuts all have their origins in the Battle Between the States? It’s true! During the...

Secrets of the Civil War: Intel from the Inside

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in our new series, we are going to discuss the Union, and it might surprise you to learn that spies and spy balloons, classified documents, and ...

Secrets of the Civil War: From Camels to Confederacy

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode in our series, Secrets of the Civil War, we talk about Jefferson Davis, the man who became the president of the states that tried...

Secrets of the Civil War: A Fractured America

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode in our series, Secrets of the Civil War. This won’t be a history of the Civil War like you’re expecting. The Union an...

Viewing Earth from Space with Ellen Ochoa

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To round out the week on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman who went to space. Ellen flew...

The Tragedies and Legacy of the Royal Romanovs with Helen Rappaport

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, writer and historian Helen Rappaport joins Sharon to talk about a topic our listeners are ...

The Extraordinary Life of The Sergeant with Dean Calbreath

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes journalist and author Dean Calbreath, who has spent nearly twenty years researching the l...

Pursuing the Truth in History Education with Jasmine Holmes

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we welcome guest Jasmine Holmes. Jasmine is an educator and an author and she sits down with Sharon to ta...

Everything You Want to Know About the Federal Reserve with Jeanna Smialek

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes New York Times Federal Reserve reporter Jeanna Smialek. Let’s face it, the Federal Rese...

Edith Wilson: the Seat of Untold Power with Rebecca Boggs Roberts

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Rebecca Boggs Roberts joins Sharon on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting to talk about her upcoming book, Untold Power. Long time listeners ...

An Assassin in Utopia with Susan Wels

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joining Sharon on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting is Susan Wels, whose new true crime book, An Assassin in Utopia, proves that real life really is ...

I Saw Death Coming by Kidada Williams

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes guest Dr. Kidada Williams, author of the book, I Saw Death Coming. Dr. Wil...

Building the Support Network for Sex Trafficking Survivors with Kat Wehunt

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with fellow Jefferson Award Recipient, Kat Wehunt. Kat is a leading voice in bringing awaren...

How Women Won WWII: A New Era Unfolds

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Before we wrap up our series on how Women Won World War II, we need to talk about what happened next. It was the question on everyone’s mind in the ...

How Women Won WWII: With a Flash and a Rumble

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For 3 years, scientists in secret cities around the U.S. had been in a race against time to complete the world’s first atomic weapon. And in July of...

How Women Won WWII: Caught by the Enemy

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, in our documentary series, How Women Won WWII, we learn about WWII's most decorated spy: a woman whose spirit and determination in the face of ...

How Women Won WWII: The Confidante, Anna Rosenberg

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode, we hear from author Christopher Gorham, whose new book, The Confidante, is the first-ever biography written about one of the Unite...

How Women Won WWII: AABBA and the Art of Codebreaking

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here's Where It Gets Interesting, let's break some secret wartime codes. Shakespeare and Al Capone. What could possibly be a link between the...

How Women Won WWII: Sabotage and a Jewish Spymaster

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in our series, we return to the art of espionage. During World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill understood that boots on the ground were...

How Women Won WWII: The Booming Work of Women Scientists

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a previous episode of our series, we had a conversation about the combined efforts of the Allied science community to beat Germany in the race to u...

How Women Won WWII: British Wrens at War

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in our series, How Women Won WWII, let’s head to Great Britain and learn about a military organization that recruited women into the war effor...

How Women Won WWII: By the Glow of Radium

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here's Where It Gets Interesting, we talk about how the United States successfully produced and detonated the first atomic bomb. That success...

How Women Won WWII: A Starlette Spies for France

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, let’s talk about a person–a larger than life woman–who utilized her fame and charm to secretly gather intel for the Allies d...

How Women Won WWII: The Women of the Secret Cities

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, on How Women Won WWII, we talk about The Manhattan Project. The top-secret program ran for three war-filled years and employed over 120 thousan...

How Women Won WWII: Rosie the Riveter Was Just the Beginning

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our new series, How Women Won World War II. Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore the incredibly varied and complex roles women stepped ...

Don’t Underestimate the Power of the State with Melissa Walker

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, Sharon talks about the importance of state legislatures with Melissa Walker, an expert from The States Project. Melissa, and The...

The High Stakes of Haaland v. Brackeen with Rebecca Nagle

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with award-winning journalist Rebecca Nagle. Sharon and Rebecca talk about an important cas...

The Humanity Archive with Jermaine Fowler

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks to author and public library advocate, Jermaine Fowler. Jermaine and Sharon t...

How to Human with Carlos Whittaker

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, host Sharon McMahon welcomes back her friend, Carlos Whittaker, to Here’s Where It Gets Interesting. Sharon and Carlos talk about his new boo...

Accidental Czar with Andrew Weiss and Brian Brown

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode, Sharon chats with the duo, author Andrew Weiss and illustrator Brian Brown, who are behind the new graphic novel, Accidental Czar,...

Comedy for the Curious with Adam Conover

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we hear from comedian Adam Conover. Sharon and Adam talk about the intersection of educati...

Preserving Presidential Legacies with Mark Lawrence

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon and guest Mark Atwood Lawrence talk about Presidential Libraries. Mark is the director of the Lynd...

The Revolutionary Samuel Adams with Stacy Schiff

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Pulitzer Prize winning author Stacy Schiff about her masterful bestselle...

Declassifying America’s Best Kept Secrets with with Matthew Connelly

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Professor Matthew Connelly gives us an overview of America’s history with classified information. What ...

Dinners With Ruth with Nina Totenberg

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon sits down with legendary NPR Legal Affairs correspondent, Nina Totenberg. Nina wrote a b...

Finding the Man Within the Myth with Alexis Coe

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with presidential historian Alexis Coe, who talks about her goal as a histor...

Memorable Moments of White House Holidays

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s special holiday episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’ll learn about how a few of our presidential families have influenced...

The War for the West

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we move Westward. While the politics in Washington D.C. were shaping events throughout the rest of the na...

The Nomadic Life of Army Wife Margaret Taylor

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, we’re going to move from political power player Sarah Polk to our next first lady: a total frontierswoman who was more comfort...

Frederick Douglass: The Powerhouse Abolitionist

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’re going to talk about a person who, by the mid-1800s, was shaping some of the biggest social reform...

The Wealthy & Powerful Sarah Polk

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, you’ll learn five reasons why Sarah Polk is unique in the constellation of America’s F...

Women Vs. Whiskey: The Rise of the American Temperance Movement

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that, in the late 1800s, Americans were drinking three times the amount of alcohol we consume today? On this episode of Here's Where It G...

Two White House Weddings and a Funeral

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to today's episode of Here's Where It Gets Interesting where we'll talk about a president who had three women perform the official duties of t...

Deaths in the White House

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, let’s take a brief look at the history of some past presidential deaths–how they happened a...

First Lady of the Month, Anna Harrison

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’re going to talk about another First Lady who follows the pattern: married to the president, but nev...

Petticoats and Kitchen Cabinets: A Capital City Shake-Up

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here's Where It Gets Interesting, we discuss someone whose defiance of social and moral convention irrevocably shaped the nation’...

Cookies, Corsets, and a Legacy of Learning from Hannah Van Buren

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here's Where It Gets Interesting, we’ll continue to talk about some key players of the Jacksonian Era - and, before we get to this infamous...

Andrew Jackson and the Cheese That Pleased a Nation

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here's Where It Gets Interesting, we're going to dive in and take a look at some of the actions and eccentricities of the Andrew Jackson pres...

The Catastrophic Marriage Scandal of Rachel Jackson

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’re going to talk about a First Lady who never got the opportunity to step foot inside the ...

The Thanksgiving Episode: From Early Advent to Cranberry Crisis

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we take a look at some of the more unusual November holiday W...

The Networking Strategy of Louisa Adams

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we return to the White House to talk about one of a much-requested topic: our nation’s First ...

How the Future Shapes Our National History with Heather Cox Richardson

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon interviews one of our most-requested guests. Listeners regularly write in and ask t...

Live Life in Crescendo with Cynthia Covey Haller

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with author Cynthia Covey Haller. Cynthia shares the mantra that her late father,...

Conservation in a Panda Costume with Ami Vitale

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, National Geographic wildlife photographer Ami Vitale sits down with Sharon to talk about her adventures a...

Brush Up on Your Boundaries with Melissa Urban

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with Whole30 CEO Melissa Urban. But Melissa isn’t here to talk only about food....

Persuaders as Meaning Makers with Anand Giridharadas

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joining Sharon on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting today is author Anand Giridharadas. Anand’s new book, The Persuaders, documents how people pers...

BONUS Episode! Re:Thinking with Adam Grant: If Teachers Took Over the Government with Sharon McMahon

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Adam Grant's Re:Thinking Podcast interview with Sharon about how we can rethink the qualifications for elected office, who decides to run, a...

The History of Our Fears and Obsessions with Kate Summerscale

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joining Sharon on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting today is author Kate Summerscale. She recently wrote The Book of Phobias & Manias, which highligh...

A Man of Iron with Troy Senik

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon shares a conversation with former presidential speechwriter Troy Senik. Troy is now the ...

All That Is Wicked with Kate Dawson

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, author and podcast host Kate Dawson returns! Kate’s new book, All That Is Wicked transpo...

An Independent Influencer in a Two-Party System with Evan McMullin

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with US Senate candidate Evan McMullin from Utah, who is running as an indep...

Resilience: Your Questions Answered

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We asked you to write or call in with your lingering questions about Japanese incarceration, so today, on Resilience, Sharon answers your questions. J...

Resilience: An Interview with George Takei Pt. 2

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Here's Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon continues her conversation with actor George Takei about his childhood experiences with forced remov...

Resilience: An Interview with George Takei Pt. 1

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode of Here's Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with actor George Takei about his childhood experiences with forced removal and ...

Resilience: Redress and Reparation

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode marks the conclusion of our series, Resilience: The Wartime Incarceration of Japanese Americans. During the postwar era, a new generat...

Resilience: The Fear of What Comes Next

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, on Resilience, we explore what happened when Japanese Americans were told they were free citizens once again. Given only a train ticket and twe...

Resilience: All the Way to the Supreme Court

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Resilience, we will hear more from Professor Lorraine Bannai about Executive Order 9066, Japanese American resistance, and how...

Resilience: The Spirit of Resistance

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Resilience: The Wartime Incarceration of Japanese Americans, we are continuing our exploration of camp life. Through it all, many i...

Resilience: The Long Days of Camp Life

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Resilience, we continue our exploration of the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans. By the fall of 1942, the military had moved most ...

Resilience: Only What You Can Carry

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Resilience: The Wartime Incarceration of Japanese Americans, Sharon talks about the military’s limitations on “enemy alien...

Resilience: The Forced Removal of 120 Thousand Japanese Americans

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, General John DeWitt issued over a hundred exclusion orders in quick succession, and demanded th...

Resilience: A Country at War

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode in our series, Resilience, we talk about what happened immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the death of over 2,4...

Resilience: Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on our series, Resilience, we are going to hear more from author Craig Nelson, who shares insights on what exactly happened during the bombing o...

Resilience: The Movement of Japan in the East

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode in our series, Resilience: The Wartime Incarceration of Japanese Americans, we’re going to take a step back from the American W...

Resilience: The Patriotic Lives of the Issei and Nisei

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we continue our exploration of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Let’s learn about what life was like for the Japan...

Resilience: Asian Immigration and the American West Coast

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode in our new series, Resilience. For the next few weeks, we are going to explore a part of American history that we tend to...

How to Learn Science from a 15-Ton Jello Pool with Mark Rober

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Here’s Where It Gets Interesting! To kick off our new show name, Sharon sits down with one of the most interesting people she knows: Mark...