Rad History

In Part Three of The End of the Cold War, we move to the front lines—East Germany in 1989—where the system begins to crack in real time. Through the story of the Berlin Wall and the people who lived in its shadow, we trace how mass emigration, grassroots protest, and Gorbachev’s hands-off policy collided to create a revolutionary moment. From the tense streets of Leipzig to the quiet realization that the regime could no longer enforce its will, this is the turning point—the moment fear breaks, and history accelerates toward the Wall’s collapse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part Two of The End of the Cold War, the pace accelerates as reform collides with reality. From Reagan and Gorbachev’s historic summits to the near-breakthrough at Reykjavik, détente begins to reshape the superpower rivalry. But inside the Soviet Union, perestroika and glasnost unleash forces no one can control—economic chaos, political upheaval, and rising nationalism. As Eastern Europe begins to slip from Moscow’s grasp and movements like Solidarity shatter communist authority, the old order starts to crumble in real time. The Cold War isn’t just ending—it’s unraveling. And the consequences will be irreversible.Books I read for this series:Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok (2021)The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte (2015)Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer (2023)The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union by Serhii Plokhy (2014/2015) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part One of The End of the Cold War, we begin inside a Soviet Union already in decline. From Brezhnev’s stagnation to the brief rules of Andropov and Chernenko, this episode traces how corruption, economic decay, gerontocracy, and Cold War pressure left the USSR brittle by the mid-1980s. Then enters Mikhail Gorbachev: young, energetic, idealistic, and convinced socialism could still be saved. This is the story of the crumbling inheritance he received in 1985—and the deep contradictions that made reform both necessary and potentially catastrophic. The seeds of the Soviet collapse were already planted. Books I read for this series:Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok (2021)The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte (2015)Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer (2023)The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union by Serhii Plokhy (2014/2015) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sad saga of the breakup of The Smiths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of The Smiths through their artistic apex. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part one of our 3-part episode on The Smiths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The making and legacy of the classic NES game Duck Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our tribute to Rob Reiner's career, by telling the behind the scenes making of: A Few Good Men. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remembering Rob Reiner by telling the behind the scenes story of the making of the classic 80s movie Stand By Me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The nirvana of your youth. Why was Toys R Us the best? How (weirdly) did it create the template for late 20th century "big box" retail? Why did it die? Why is it kind of back? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You'll shoot yer eye out, kid! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the decline and fall of the hair metal empire. But you can never kill hair metal. It can only get stronger. So, the death and resurrection... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The height of Hair Metal! Bon Jovi! Poison! Guns N' Roses! Did Hair Metal have its appetite for (self) destruction baked in from the moment it conquered the world? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the sound, and the look, that makes you instantly think: 1980s. It’s power ballads all the way down, because today we’re starting our look back at Hair Metal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1983 invasion of the tiny Caribbean nation of Grenada was the first major combat operation for the US military after the end of the Vietnam war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the 80s turning into the 90s, one sound of young America was Grunge. The other was New Jack Swing. Did New Jack Swing help inspire Pharrell, Bruno Mars, and... KPop? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second half of Phil Hartman's career. Leaving SNL. NewsRadio. The tragic murder-suicide that ended his life. And what might have been... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might know him from... but did you know he had a flourishing career before comedy designing 70's album covers? Did you know that he co-wrote the movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure? How did he become "the glue" at Saturday Night Live, but also, the guy everyone wanted to write for on The Simpsons? This is the first part of the Phil Hartman story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did the 1980s look like the 1980s? Nickelodeon, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Miami Vice, Saved By The Bell? I'll tell you why: The Memphis Group was a short-lived but highly influential Italian design and architecture collective, founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1980. They radically challenged the era's prevailing minimalism and functionalism by creating postmodern furniture and objects with bold colors, geometric shapes, and playful, clashing patterns. THIS IS why the 1980s looked the way it did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's one of the biggest, unsolved mass-murder/serial killings of the 1980s. It changed how every product you buy appears in a store. It changed how crisis management happens. The 1982 Tylenol murders/poisonings is one of the craziest/most tragic stories of the 1980s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.