330: Amazing Stories


A typical pulp magazine cover of the period. Note the emphases on action, excitement, and on women (and the man) not wearing much for clothes.

For much of the twentieth century, until television, pulp fiction was a major form of entertainment, offered in pulp magazines that usually bore garish covers, like the one above, to attract attention on the newsstand.

Most pulp fiction magazines focused on a single genre of story, such as Westerns or adventure or detective stories. Science fiction as we know it today was born and nurtured in the pulp magazines.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity” from The Planets
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

329: Dawn of a New Day


Period poster promoting the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

New York City hosted a memorable World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940.

Unlike previous world’s fairs and exhibitions, this one would celebrate not what was or what is, but what is to come. It’s eye was firmly fixed on the future, as indicated by the theme, “Dawn of a New Day.”

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Sonata in d
Composed by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). Public domain.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

328: The Battle of Britain


German bomber over London’s East End, September 1940.

Winston Churchill wouldn’t budge, so Adolf Hitler ordered an air attack on Britain. Initially, the goal was to defeat the RAF and claim air supremacy over England, as a prelude to invasion.

The Luftwaffe found it was unable to defeat the RAF, so it switched to bombing factories which, given the poor accuracy inherent in dropping bombs from miles in the sky, was effectively attacking civilian homes.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Parsifal
Composed in 1882 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by Shelley Katz. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

327: Radio Detection and Ranging


One of the British “Chain Home” radar bases. The tall towers to the left supported the transmitting antennas (which were strung horizontally between the towers.) The shorter towers to the right support the receiving antennas.

In the 1930s, it was widely believed that interception of enemy bombers before they reached their targets was practically impossible. As Stanley Baldwin said “The bomber will always get through.”

But the British development of what we now call radar (the American term) completely changed the calculus. Enemy bombers could be detected while they were still hundreds of miles away, which might give barely enough time to stop them.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Goldberg Variations
Composed in 1741 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Public domain.
Performed by Shelley Katz. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

326: War in the Air


A German Me-109 fighter in flight in 1940.

The World War I fighter plane was typically a bi-plane with wings made of wood and cloth, fixed landing gear, and an open cockpit.

What a difference twenty years made! By World War II, changes driven by more powerful engines led to all-metal monoplanes, closed cockpits, and retractable landing gear.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Terzetto
Composed in 1925 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by Steve’s Bedroom Band, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license.Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

325: After the Fall


Adolf Hitler, during his brief visit to Paris in 1940.

The end of the war came as a relief to most French people. In Britain, Charles de Gaulle called for the French to fight on.

French colonial administrations had to decide which French leadership to follow, while the British seized or attacked what they could of the French Navy.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Fantaisie romantique sur deux mélodies suisses
Composed in 1837 by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Christoph Zbinden, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license.Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

Tour Survey

Interested in a History of the Twentieth Century tour? Take our survey! Let us know that you’re interested, and give us suggestions on what kind of tour you’d like to be a part of.

The survey ends June 5, so make sure to fill out the form before then. The survey is only for the purpose of gauging interest, and filling out a survey form will not commit you to anything.

UPDATE: The survey has been extended to June 12.

UPDATE 2: The survey is over. Thanks to everyone who participated. It appears likely there will be a trip, and it will be to Belgium, but we’re still working out the details. I’ll let you all know after everything is decided.

324: Plan Red


Refugees in France, fleeing the advancing German Army.

After the evacuation was completed and Dunkirk surrendered, the German military proceeded with Plan Red, the second and final stage of the offensive.

After Paris fell, some in the French Cabinet were ready to seek surrender terms.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Reverie.
Composed in 1890 by Claude Debussy. Public domain.
Performed by Simone Renzi, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

323: Operation Dynamo


British soldiers throng the deck of a Royal Navy destroyer after escaping from Dunkirk.

The German armored thrust through the Ardennes had surrounded and isolated hundreds of thousands of French, British, and Belgian soldiers, and soldiers from other Allied nations.

The Royal Navy began a last-ditch attempt to evacuate as many as possible from the French port of Dunkirk.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Mars, the Bringer of War” from The Planets.
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

322: Plan Yellow


The center of Rotterdam following the German bombing attack in 1940.

After months of delays, Adolf Hitler finally got the Western offensive he’d been pushing for since the fall of 1939.

Key to the plan (Plan Yellow) was a secret German armored spearhead through the Ardennes that would pierce the French line at an unexpected place. It was a gamble, but it paid off.

  • Listen now:



Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla” from Das Rheingold.
Composed in 1869 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.