Ohio V. The World

Season 9, Episode 6: "Ohio v. the Semiquincentennial". Happy 250th birthday America! This bonus episode for the U.S.'s semiquincentennial features an exclusive interview with the Executive Director of Ohio 250 and friend of the pod, Todd Kleismit. Todd has been running Ohio's 250th operation since 2022 and we talk about the road to get here to the actual day July 4, 2026. Over a couple Columbus Brewing Company Ohio 250 IPA's, Alex and Todd chat about Ohio's Revolutionary War connections, telling Ohio's under told stories and his travels all over Ohio the last 4 years. Todd also sits down for a "lightning round" of questions on Ohio history and some of his favorite Ohioans. Events for Ohio 250 will continue through the end of the year. Go to https://america250-ohio.org for events and programming in your area of the state and tons of great resources to learn more about the Buckeye State's impact on America of the last quarter millennium. Thanks to Todd for all his hard work to bring so many exciting events and initiatives to continue to tell Ohio's stories. Enjoy the rest of the summer and we'll be back at the end of the summer for the 2nd half of Season 9 of Ohio v. the World! Contact Alex and the show at [email protected]. You can email us show ideas or to buy an Ohio v. the World t-shirt.  Or find us on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts ⁠http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com⁠. You can also listen to all of our 100+ episodes at  https://ohiovtheworldpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alex heads to the North Coast for Episode 5: "Ohio v. the Great Lakes" to tell the story of the most infamous sinking in Great Lakes history, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago. 29 sailors lost their lives and the causes for the sinking are still not fully known. The majority of the famous ship's crew were from the Buckeye State. A ship that was known as "the Toledo Express" is forever linked to Ohio. Alex is joined by New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon to discuss his critically-acclaimed new book Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. John breaks down just how dangerous and competitive Great Lakes shipping is when it comes to the iron and steel industry. His excellent book, released on the 50th anniversary of the sinking, details the stories of the 29 crew members and the amazing history of the Great Lakes itself. His tenacious research and amazing writing on the Fitz and the possible causes of the tragedy make Gales of November the definitive book on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. It's impossible to talk about the Mighty Fitz and not also tell the story of Gordon Lightfoot's classic 1976 folk song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." John breaks it all down for us on Episode 5. Buy the book at any book store in America or click here www.johnubacon.com We travel to Toledo, Ohio to talk with Chris Gillcrist, the Director Emeritus of the National Museum of the Great Lakes about "the Toledo Express, " the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Chris and the NMGL have been at the forefront of telling the story of the Fitz for decades. Chris joins the show to chat about ship, the possible reasons for the sinking, the great city of Toledo and its many connections to the Fitzgerald. We also discuss Chris and the NMGL's 2015 documentary: A Good Ship and Crew Well Seasoned. Visit the museum Chris helped build here www.nmgl.org. Contact Alex and the show at [email protected]. You can email us to buy an Ohio v. the World t-shirt.  Or find us on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 4: "Ohio v. Mexico". With America's military ramping up operations in the Western Hemisphere, Alex takes a look at America's last war on the southern border, the Punitive Expedition of 1916 in Mexico. The US invaded Mexico following the raid of Columbus, NM and the killing of 18 Americans by Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa. This conflict lasted nearly an entire year and would end in a diplomatic fiasco that helped push America and President Woodrow Wilson into World War I. So many Ohioans were involved in this military adventure from the brand new Secretary of War Newton Baker, to Commander of the Southern Theatre, Gen. Frederick Funston, one of the most famous African American soldiers in Colonel Charles Young, even the son of an Ohio President was involved in this war, or sorry, expedition. We look at the circumstances surrounding the Mexican Revolution and how the chaotic situation on our Southern border led to an American invasion in March of 1916. We look at how Villa went from an ally to Public Enemy #1. We're joined by John Sherman, author and professor of history at Wright State University in Dayton, OH to discuss Pancho Villa, the revoultion and the Punitive Expedition that resulted in boots on the ground in Mexico. John takes us through the political upheaval in Mexico, to Villa's attacks on America and the forceful, if unsuccessful, invasion that was waged to capture Pancho Villa. Check our John's new book Mexico: A Concise Illustrated History (2026), https://www.amazon.com/Mexico-Illustrated-John-W-Sherman/dp/B0FBR8LXC4 Bruce Carlson, historian and host of the podcast My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, rejoins the show to discuss the events in Mexico that lead to a full scale American invasion 110 years ago. Bruce expertly leads us through the Mexican Revolution, the difficult mission that was the Punitive Expedition and the Zimmerman Telegram. A controversial diplomatic situation that in part contributed to America's declaration of war against Germany and the Central Powers in April 1917. Forever changing the United States from an isolationist regional power to a global superpower in a few short months. Contact Alex and the show at [email protected]. You can email us to buy an Ohio v. the World t-shirt.  Or find us on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 3: "Ohio v. Radio" (the Original Fake News). Alex looks at early radio as the new mass media force it was in the first half of the 20th century. We travel to Cincinnati, the home of Powell Crosley, Jr. the "Henry Ford of Radio" and learn about the outsized role of Ohio in the rise of radio. The cultural power of radio is discussed and how the public's trust in this new media was destroyed by Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast in 1938 that cause nationwide panic. Our guests include historian Bruce Carlson to discuss early radio and the regulation of the airwaves in the 1920s and 30s. Bruce is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his excellent political history podcast My History Can Beat Up Your Politics. You can listen to MHCBUYP anywhere you get your podcasts or click here and Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-history-can-beat-up-your-politics/id169078375 Katherine Gould, Curator of History Objects and Fine Art at the Cincinnati Museum Center, joins the show to discuss why Cincinnati was The Silicon Valley of Early Radio. We delve into the career and innovation of Powell Crosley, Jr. and his Crosely Broadcasting Company. In 1925 became the world's leading producer of radio broadcasting equipment, we also discuss Crosely's WLW radio station and how it became "The Nation's Station." Visit Katherine and the incomparable Cincinnati Museum Center at www.cincymuseum.org. We're joined again by one of our favorite authors William Hazelgrove to discuss his new book Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrorized America. We talk about the fearful state of world affairs and radio's honored position as the main source of news was used to trick listeners into thinking an alien invasion was in the process of destroying America. This unbelievable story of fake news and widespread panic changed radio forever. William's incredible book Dead Air and all of his books can be purchased here or on Amazon. www.williamhazelgrove.com Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 9, Ep. 2: "Ohio v. Invasion" : When the US Almost Lost Cincinnati. In September 1862, the US Civil War was raging and the Confederates were winning victory after victory. Today, Alex talks about the overlooked story of the Defense of Cincinnati as the Rebels moved in to take the Queen City of the West in the fall of 1862. It was an incredibly close run thing. We talk about Cincinnati, the 6th largest city in the US in 1862, and how average Ohioans stepped up to defend the city from an invading Confederate Army. Our guests include Peter Bronson, author of the book The Man Who Saved Cincinnati (2023). Peter's amazing book is one of our favorite books on Ohio history. Peter takes us through the fall of Kentucky to the Confederate Army and the heroes that emerged to save Cincinnati from invasion and destruction. From the subject of his book General Lew Wallace to the ragged militia of "Squirrel Hunters" and including the first African American brigade in the Civil War, the Black Brigade of Cincinnati. All joined forces to prepare Cincinnati for invasion. An invasion they narrowly avoid. Buy The Man Who Saved Cincinnati on Audible or here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Saved-Cincinnati-History/dp/B0CLZ71DP9 Our second guest, Jason French of the Crawford-Behringer Museum in Covington, KY shares the story of the Defense of Cincinnati and Kentucky's precarious position as a border state in the Civil War. Jason talks about the little reported assassination attempt in Cincinnati on President-Elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861. A story we were completely unaware of until reading Peter's book. Check out the Behringer-Crawford Museum, the leading museum on the history of Northern Kentucky here: https://www.bcmuseum.org/ Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ohio v. the World podcast is back! It’s the Season 9 premiere “Ohio v. Veterans. Alex is back to discuss what happens when the US Army is used against its own citizens as it was during the Bonus Army Riot of July 1932 in Washington, DC. We travel back to the Great Depression to bring you this forgotten story from American history that rocked the nation at the time. Tens of thousands of World War I veterans descended on the Capitol to lobby for the early release of the war service bonus but were met with violence from the US Army that left 3 Americans dead on July 28, 1932.  We’re joined by Paul Dickson, co-author of the definitive book on this event, The Bonus Army: An American Epic. A fantastic book on the Bonus Army movement and its tragic end. Buy your copy of Paul’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Bonus-Army-American-Epic/dp/0802777384 Our second guest, Bruce Carlson rejoins the show to discuss the Great Depression and the country’s angry response to the Bonus Army Riot. Bruce is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his excellent political history podcast My History Can Beat Up Your Politics. You can listen to MHCBUYP anywhere you get your podcasts or click here and Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-history-can-beat-up-your-politics/id169078375 Our Ohio connection is General Perry Miles, born in Westerville, Ohio was the general in charge of the US Army’s disproportionate response on that fateful July day to the tens of thousands of veterans and their families camped out near Capitol Hill. We’ll also discuss the questionable actions of 3 of America’s most famous military figures that were there with General Miles. We learn about the ignominious actions of Douglas McArthur, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton in the Bonus Army incident.  Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 11: "Ohio v. Crime" (Part 2): the FBI Strikes Back. Alex concludes Season 8 with a bang, literally. The bullets are flying as the J. Edgar Hoover's FBI is shooting to kill public enemies one by one. We pick up the story in the summer of 1934 as John Dillinger, Public Enemy #1 is shot down in Chicago by the famous FBI agent Melvin Purvis and the tide begins to turn against the gangsters in the FBI's War On Crime.Alex is joined again by author John Oller, himself a graduate of The Ohio State University, to discuss his new excellent book Gangster Hunters. So many of the important event of this era taking place in the Buckeye State. Oller shares the forgotten stories of Public Enemy #1 Alvin Karpis and two FBI agents at the center of bringing down Karpis and Bonnie & Clyde. Buy Gangster Hunters here. https://www.amazon.com/Gangster-Hunters-Vanquished-Americas-Deadliest/dp/0593471369We're also joined by Paula Schleis, long time Ohio journalist and host of the popular podcast Ohio Mysteries. Paula shares the story of another Public Enemy #1, Pretty Boy Floyd and how so much of his infamous life of crime would take place in Ohio. Paula takes us through the Floyd's death at the hands of Melvin Purvis and Ohio law enforcement officers. Paula's great show Ohio Mysteries is also on the Evergreen Podcast Network, listen to her 600+ episodes here or anywhere you get your podcasts. https://ohiomysteries.com/Thanks so much for listening in 2024! We'll be back in 2025 for Season 9 of Ohio v. the World. Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Email or message us to buy an Ohio v. the World t-shirt for $20 free shipping. Happy holidays, Ohioans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 11: "Ohio v. Crime" (Part One): The Rise of the Gangsters. In Part 1 of the Season 8 finale, Alex goes to back to the 1930s and the War on Crime. At the height of the Depression, a new breed of violent criminal roams the country. Armed with Tommy Guns and fast getaway cars, criminals like John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, etc. shoot and rob their way across the Midwest and Ohio, in particular. Alex is joined by author John Oller, himself a graduate of The Ohio State University, to discuss his new excellent book Gangster Hunters, out today. Buy Gangster Hunters here. https://www.amazon.com/Gangster-Hunters-Vanquished-Americas-Deadliest/dp/0593471369John takes us through the birth of the FBI and its hard-charging Director, J. Edgar Hoover. But the sleepy Bureau faces the threat of a violent crime wave the likes of which the nation had never scene. With tragic events like the Kansas City Massacre, Dillinger's numerous escapes and the blunder of Melvin Purvis and his agents at Little Bohemia, it appears that the criminals have the upper hand over the G-Men.We're also joined by Paula Schleis, long time Ohio journalist and host of the popular podcast Ohio Mysteries. Paula shares the stories of Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger as both got their start in bank robbing in the Buckeye State. From rum running along the Ohio River to their first robberies taking place in Ohio, Floyd and Dillinger would become two of the most infamous criminals in US history. Paula's great show Ohio Mysteries is also on the Evergreen Podcast Network, listen to her 600+ episodes here or anywhere you get your podcasts. https://ohiomysteries.com/We will be back next Tuesday with Part 2 of the Season 8 finale, thank you so much for listening this year and Go Bucks!Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts www.evergreenpodcasts.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Election Day and we're back with another presidential episode "Ohio v. the 25th Amendment." We look at two major presidential health emergencies that were covered up prior to the 25th Amendment and the history of presidential infirmity. First is the story of Woodrow Wilson's massive stroke in the fall of 1919 and how the 1st lady, Edith Wilson, became the first female president. And we look at a secret presidential surgery at sea for Grover Cleveland's cancer.Alex is joined by author William Hazelgrove to discuss his book Madam President (2016) about Edith Wilson, our 1st woman president. We analyze their quick courtship and Wilson reaching the heights of global popularity following WWI. The political battle at home over the League of Nations leads Wilson to a cross-country whistle stop tour that ends in a massive stroke. We cover the little-known history surrounding Edith Wilson taking over the executive branch in her husband's absence and the lengths she went to coverup the extent of his illness.Our second story covers Grover Cleveland's emergency surgery at sea for cancer during his second term. Author Annette Dunlap rejoins the program to discuss Cleveland's health scare and the celebrity status of his wife Frances Folsom Cleveland. Link below to Dunlap's Frances Cleveland biography Frank: America's Youngest First Lady (2009). Friend of the pod, Bruce Carlson discusses how Grover Cleveland became the only two, non-consecutive term President in US history (at the time of this recording). Check out Bruce's excellent political history podcast My History Can Beat Up Your Politics (link below).City of Buffalo Historian, Lindsey Lauren Visser rejoins the show to outline the coverup of Cleveland's cancer and the surgery to remove it aboard the Oneida, a yacht in the summer of 1893. Lindsey shares the dangers of the surgery and how the intricate coverup comes unraveled. But Cleveland's teams efforts to discredit the journalist EJ Edwards who broke the story led to the writer's career being ruined.Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts www.evergreenpodcasts.com.See you on 11/26/24 for Ohio v. the World's Season 8 finale. Go Vote!Historian Lindsey Lauren Visser homepage: https://lindseylaurenvisser.com/Listen to My History Can Beat Up Your Politics here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-history-can-beat-up-your-politics/id169078375Buy Madam President by William Hazelgrove here https://www.amazon.com/Madam-President-Secret-Presidency-Wilson/dp/162157475XBuy Frank by Annette Dunlap here https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Cleveland-Americas-Youngest-Excelsior-ebook/dp/B007QWEEXE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Four American Presidents have been assassinated in office. Two of them are among the most infamous moments in US history, the Lincoln and JFK assassinations. The "other" two assassinated Presidents were both from the Buckeye State: William McKinley and James Garfield. Unfortunately, the events of this campaign season have brought presidential assassinations back into the news. Alex looks at the extraordinary events surrounding James Garfield's killing in 1881 and McKinley's assassination 20 years later in 1901. We talk with 6 different leading experts on both presidents in new interviews and re-edited interviews from our original McKinley and Garfield episodes from 2020.We visit with the city historian for Buffalo, NY, Lindsey Lauren Visser, about the death of our 25th president, Canton, Ohio's own William McKinley. McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo by a deranged anarchist, Leon Czolgosz. Czolgosz's journey to political murder begins as a factory worker in Cleveland, Ohio who is radicalized following the Panic of 1893 to an ardent anarchist, a popular subculture at the turn of the century. We also revisit conversations with Anthony Greco, the Director of Exhibits at the Buffalo History Museum and the host of the excellent Buffalo History Museum Podcast. Link below for that show and give a listen to their 3 part episode on the McKinley assassination. We also talk to University of Akron history professor Kevin Kern and excellent biographer Robert Merry buy his book President McKinley: Architect of the American Century with link below.The "other" assassination is the killing of Mentor, Ohio's James A. Garfield the 20th President of the United States. Garfield was shot by a mentally ill office seeker at a DC train station in the Summer of 1881. His shooting by Charles Guiteau is just the start of the story as Garfield lives for 80 days after the shooting. His terrible and negligent medical care was the cause of his slow, painful death. We replay our great interview with our favorite current historian, Candice Millard, and her excellent 2012 book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (2012). Buy this book! Link below as well. We also talked to the former Site Manager of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Todd Arrington. Also, check out Todd's book The Last Lincoln Republican: The Presidential Election of 1880 on President Garfield's unlikely election victory.Contact Alex and the show at [email protected] or on the podcasts' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts www.evergreenpodcasts.com.Historian Lindsey Lauren Visser homepage: https://lindseylaurenvisser.com/Listen to the Buffalo History Museum Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-buffalo-history-museum-podcast/id1532344009Buy Robert Merry's President McKinley: Architect of the American Century here: https://www.amazon.com/President-McKinley-Architect-American-Century/dp/1451625448Buy Candice Millar's award-winning book Destiny of the Republic HERE! https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Republic-Madness-Medicine-President/dp/0385526261/Check out Todd Arrington's 2020 book The Last Lincoln Republic. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Lincoln-Republican-Presidential-Elections-ebook/dp/B08P3WBWD8/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.