The US Boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and Puerto Rican Boxers Went Anyway

The US Boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, an...

Up next

CLASSIC: How Robert "The Fastest Knife In The West End" Liston Conducted A Surgery With A 300% Mortality Rate

In this week's Classic episode: It's no secret that hospitals can be intimidating, scary places -- but the medical operations of the modern day can't hold a candle to the grisly procedures of the 1800s. Back then, even some of the best surgeons still had about a one in ten chance ...  Show more

The Bizarre Parable of New Coke, Chapter One: Sweeter, Stranger, Strange

Heads-up! We are extremely biased on this one. Back in the 1980s, Coca-Cola was terrified of losing the Great Soda War to Pepsi. In the depths of desperation, they futzed with the golden goose — the secret formula for one of the most popular sodas on the planet. In the first spic ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

The Fight for the First U.S. Olympics | Passing the Torch | 4
American History Tellers

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics were marred by controversy and poorly organized events like the marathon. But at least they took place as scheduled. In 1916, after the outbreak of World War I, they were canceled entirely. A century later, in 2020, the Olympics faced another kind o ...

  Show more

Heather L. Dichter, "Bidding for the 1968 Olympic Games: International Sport's Cold War Battle with NATO" (U Massachusetts Press, 2021)
New Books in German Studies

Today we are joined by Heather Dichter, Associate Professor of Sports History and Sports Management at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. She is also the author of Bidding for the 68 Olympic Games: International Sport’s Cold War Bat ...  Show more

Apolo Ohno & Lisa Leslie: How to Be An Olympian
Why Am I Telling You This? with Bill Clinton

At their best, the Olympics symbolize our world’s potential for cooperation, honoring the common humanity that unites us across old divisions of gender, race, and geographical borders. With the 2022 Winter Olympics having drawn to a close, President Clinton sits down with two ico ...  Show more

The Fight for the First U.S. Olympics | Let the Games Begin | 2
American History Tellers

In 1904, St. Louis was thrust into the national spotlight, as it played host to both the World’s Fair and America’s first Olympic Games. After a bitter fight over which American city would host, Olympic founder Pierre De Coubertin had disavowed the St. Louis games entirely, pa ...

  Show more