Unknown History with Giles Milton

Coming soon on the Unknown History podcast: the story of Abraham Lincoln's work reshaping the United States Constitution.

After 323 days of the Berlin Blockade, a weather system nearly brought the city to its knees. However, the strength of the Germans, tenacity of the Americans (and a little bit of luck), resulted in victory.

The Berlin Airlift of 1948 saved the city from starvation...but just barely. Unknown History delves into the astonishing ingenuity of American military alongside the hard work of German citizens that kept the city from collapse. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytips https://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

The Berlin Airlift saved the city from starvation during the Russian blockade of 1948. But supplying over two million people for over a year via airplane was a Herculean feat that almost didn't happen. Unknown History delves deeper into the American solution. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytips https://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

When the Soviets cut off all supply routes to western Berlin in 1948, they didn't anticipate the ingenuity and tactical planning skills of Army Brigadier General Frank Howley. Could the Berlin Airlift really keep the entire city alive during the siege? Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytips https://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

The Soviets' siege of Berlin did not begin with a bang, but rather a series of smaller infractions, starting with stopping trains to check passengers' papers to cutting off routes for trucks that delivered milk. Giles Milton dives into another moment of Unknown History. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytips https://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

Western allies in post-war Berlin had never encountered the likes of General Alexander Kotikov, a staunch communist with a velvet touch. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytips https://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

Winston Churchill's seminal 1946 speech in Westminster College gave not only a name to growing Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe, it also foresaw the future of the Iron Curtain. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the Unknown History podcast. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

The opening shots of an ensuing power struggle were fired in the Allied Kommandatura, the four-power body established to run Berlin convened in July 1945. But mistrust and manipulation among the key players threatened the outcome over the most pressing issues: food, looting, shootings, and the arrest of Nazis. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/the-great-berlin-power-strugglehttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

When Frank Howley first arrived in Berlin in July 1945, he had no idea that the Russians had spent the last ten years training a small but dedicated group of German revolutionary communists. Their role was to wrest control of all the key institutions in Berlin, setting the stage for a violent struggle between East and West. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/russias-secret-revolutionarieshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

Within four months of arriving in Berlin, U.S. soldiers had sent home eleven million dollars from black-market trading. It was exciting, profitable, and extremely dangerous. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/sleeping-with-the-enemyhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

Nine weeks after the Red Army captured Berlin, American colonel Frank "Howlin' Mad" Howley and his troops stormed in to take the ruined city. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/americans-arrive-berlinhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

By 10:40 p.m. on Monday, April 30, 1945, the Soviet flag was flying over the Reichstag, sending a powerful message that the Soviets, and they alone, had captured Berlin. If the Americans and British were going to enter the city, it would be on terms set by Joseph Stalin. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/berlin-turns-redhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

An unlikely bond forged between a brash American colonel and a British brigadier played a vital role in a devious game of cat and mouse against Joseph Stalin during World War II. Read the transcript. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows. Subscribe to the QDT newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/the-colonel-who-went-to-warhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/quickdirtytipshttps://twitter.com/quickdirtytips

On the new season of Unknown History, Giles Milton tells the tales of post-war Europe and the brave men who kept the west from tumbling into chaos - but also sowed the seeds of the Cold War. Tune in weekly on Thursdays starting the 15th of July for the whole thrilling story.