452: The Double V

July 19, 2026July 12, 2026 Mark Podcast

US political cartoon from the period, addressing the reluctance of some employers to hire African Americans, despite the war emergency.

The “total war” effort required to fight in the Second World War underscored the irrationality of American policies toward its Black citizens.

The new opportunities the war opened, in both the military and in civilian employment, provided African Americans with greater political power.

Listen now:

Transcript.

Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Way Down Yonder in New Orleans”
Composed in 1922 by Henry Creamer and J. Turner Layton. Public domain.
Performed by The Dixieland Jazz Ensemble of the US Coast Guard 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, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

451: Wonder Weapon

July 12, 2026 Mark Podcast

Test launch of an A4 (V-2) rocket at Peenemünde.

Germany had been a leader in rocket research since the Twenties, with the German military providing much of the support.

Development of rockets as weapons of war shifted into high gear in 1942. In comparison with the respective sizes of their economies, Germany invested as heavily in rockets as the US did in the atomic bomb.

Listen now:

Transcript.

Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

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

Closing War Theme

450: The Gadget

July 5, 2026 Mark Podcast

A collection of bomb casings designed and built to house a “Thin Man” atom bomb are delivered to Los Alamos for testing.

By 1944, the Manhattan Project had developed facilities to produce uranium and plutonium suitable for use in an atomic bomb. What remained was for the experts at Los Alamos to figure out how to design an build a bomb that could fit on a bomber, deliver the bomb to the target, and explode when it was supposed to.

When it came to light that the plutonium reactor was producing the isotope Pu-240 in addition to Pu-239, it seemed a plutonium bomb was no longer feasible. Or was it?