The History of the Twentieth Century

Mark Painter

A chronicle of the history of the twentieth century, including art, music, popular culture, science, religion, and, of course, politics and war.

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457 episodes
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Episodes457

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Apr 30, 2017 · 50 min
073 For Serbia We Shall Do Everything
In 1914, with victory against the Turks secured, Serb nationalist extremists look north toward Austria.
Apr 23, 2017 · 45 min
072 England Is No Longer an Island
The airplane means that the English Channel may no longer be all the defense Britain needs. Women's suffrage and Irish Home Rule remain contentious issues in British politics.
Apr 9, 2017 · 37 min
071 Like a Sinking Ship
Just weeks after the First Balkan War ended, the Second Balkan War broke out over the spoils. When it was over, Serbia was Russia's only remaining diplomatic asset in the Balkans, and was spoiling for a fight with Austria.
Apr 2, 2017 · 40 min
070 The Schlemiel of Europe
As the small Balkan states redraw the map of their region, Austria-Hungary is largely a spectator, tied up in her own scandals.
Mar 26, 2017 · 38 min
069 Some Damned Silly Thing
The small Balkan states have been coming together in alliance. Originally defensive, the allies came to a secret agreement to attack the Ottoman Empire together, while it was preoccupied by the war with Italy.
Mar 12, 2017 · 41 min
068 The New Freedom
After the difficult 1912 US Presidential election, Woodrow Wilson takes office, but the women's suffrage movement upstages him with a huge demonstration the day before.
Mar 5, 2017 · 41 min
067 Twilight of the Belle Époque
Alfred Binet invents IQ testing, Picasso cheers up, the Mona Lisa is stolen, and Jim Thorpe wins two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics.
Feb 26, 2017 · 44 min
066 An Immense Box of Sand
Italy has been angling to secure Libya as a colonial possession for some time now. But war fever broke out in 1911, partly because of the Agadir crisis, prompting Italy to declare war on the Ottoman Empire over control of the province.
Feb 19, 2017 · 38 min
065 The Panther Leap
The year 1910 was relatively quiet in Europe, except in the turbulent Ottoman Empire. But 1911 saw another crisis in Morocco, and renewed tensions.
Feb 5, 2017 · 55 min
064 A Night to Remember
One of the greatest, and certainly the most famous, of disasters at sea occurred the night of April 14, 1912, when the passenger liner Titanic sank, taking with her about 2/3 of those aboard.
Jan 29, 2017 · 49 min
063 Like a Bull Moose
1912 saw a Presidential election campaign unlike anything Americans had known before or since. It was America's only true three-way race, with the added drama of a grudge match between two men who had recently been friends and allies.
Jan 23, 2017 · 43 min
062 To Strive, To Seek, To Find, and Not To Yield
Following Scott's acclaimed Discovery Expedition, he and Ernest Shackleton plan competing expeditions to the South Pole, along with a surprise appearance by Roald Amundsen.
Jan 15, 2017 · 41 min
061 Terra Australis
The early twentieth century saw the exploration of the remotest land on Earth: Antarctica.
Jan 8, 2017 · 46 min
060 Very Unkind of Those Canadians
William Howard Taft and Wilfrid Laurier negotiate a US-Canada free trade agreement, but it blows up when the Canadians get the idea that it is a step toward US annexation. The Standard Oil Company is broken up, US Senator "Fighting Bob" La Follette moves to challenge Taft for the 1912 Republican nomination, and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" takes the US and Europe by storm.
Dec 23, 2016 · 42 min
059 Ultima Thule
Explorers came to the far north first, in search of a route to the Far East, and later in search of the North Pole itself. The question of who got there first is surprisingly complicated.
Dec 18, 2016 · 46 min
058 The Republic of China
After years of unrest, an accidental revolution breaks out on October 10, 1911, that will end the Empire and establish a Republic. Japan annexes Korea.
Dec 11, 2016 · 41 min
057 In My Merry Oldsmobile
Self-propelled vehicles that can carry passengers on roads are not exactly new; people have been experimenting with them since the late 18th century. But in the early years of the twentieth century, the automobile finally becomes a practical mode of transportation.
Dec 4, 2016 · 36 min
056 The Heavens Themselves Blaze Forth
The year 1910 saw a fierce debate in the UK, including two general elections, over the role of the House of Lords in a modern, democratic state. The British King Edward VII passed away in the middle of the crisis, moving some Tories to blame his death on the Prime Minister.
Nov 20, 2016 · 39 min
055 So Far From God
Mexico began the century under the rule of the now elderly Porfirio Diaz. But Diaz was not able to keep up with changing times, and the fall of his rule is the opening chapter of the Mexican Revolution.
Nov 13, 2016 · 44 min
054 A Martian Odyssey
The early years of the century saw two important comets and the biggest meteorite strike on the Earth in recorded history. There was also a lot of attention paid to the planet Mars, amid speculation that Mars might be home to life. Maybe even intelligent life.

The History of the Twentieth Century

073 For Serbia We Shall Do Everything

072 England Is No Longer an Island

071 Like a Sinking Ship

070 The Schlemiel of Europe

069 Some Damned Silly Thing

068 The New Freedom

067 Twilight of the Belle Époque

066 An Immense Box of Sand

065 The Panther Leap

064 A Night to Remember

063 Like a Bull Moose

062 To Strive, To Seek, To Find, and Not To Yield

061 Terra Australis

060 Very Unkind of Those Canadians

059 Ultima Thule

058 The Republic of China

057 In My Merry Oldsmobile

056 The Heavens Themselves Blaze Forth

055 So Far From God

054 A Martian Odyssey