News and Commentary Radio Broadcasts from This Week in History: 1930s to 1970s

There are currently 536 recordings in this collection.

Below are news, interview, commentary, and event broadcasts from the week of July 19 to July 25. Dates change at midnight Eastern Time.

Broadcasts From Today's Date:
July 19

That Was the Year - 1897

Broadcast Date: July 19, 1937

"That Was the Year" is a fascinating radio show that dramatizes the major historical events between the years 1896 and 1934. The show was produced from the viewpoint of the show's creators in 1937, adding unique interest to modern listeners. Every episode ends with a performance of a popular song from that year. Just over 1-minute of choral music at the beginning has been removed. It was there for stations to add local commercials.
Length: 13:30
Program Producer: Transcription Company of America, recorded at KHJ in LA

Broadcasts from the Next 6 Days:
July 20 to July 25

A Tribute to Marconi

Broadcast Date: July 20, 1937
Speaker(s): Charles Benford (narrator)

WOR and the Mutual Broadcasting system created this tribute to the man who first transmitted a radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean. Guglielmo Marconi was born in 1874 and died the morning of this broadcast. He was an Italian inventor and electrical engineer known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, the development of Marconi's law, and a radio telegraph system.
Length: 14:19
Program Producer: WOR Radio / Mutual Broadcasting System

Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Broadcast Date: July 20, 1969

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon's surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours 31 minutes on the lunar surface at a site they named Tranquility Base before lifting off to rejoin Columbia in lunar orbit.
Length: 20:44
Program Producer: CBS Radio News

President Nixon's Phone Call to the Apollo 11 Astronauts

Broadcast Date: July 20, 1969
Speaker(s): Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin

On July 20, 1969, President Richard Nixon made what he termed "the most historic telephone call ever made" from the White House Oval Office to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. The call, lasting just over a minute, lauded their accomplishment, stating, "Because of what you have done the heavens have become a part of man's world".
Length: 2:34
Program Producer: NASA

The Poison Pen Murders

Broadcast Date: July 20, 1949
Series: The Big Story
Speaker(s): Bob Sloane (host)

The Big Story is the dramatized account of how a newspaper reporter solved a crime, exposed a corrupt political administration, smashed a racket, or performed some other notable public service. Today's story is from reporter Tom Mercer of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Length: 24:44
Program Producer: NBC

The Unsolved Murder of Joseph P Bohanak

Broadcast Date: July 20, 1950
Series: Somebody Knows

News meets drama - In the summer of 1950, "Somebody Knows" presented, in dramatic documentary style, the facts of real unsolved homicide cases. Listeners were offered a reward of $5,000 for clues that led to an arrest and conviction. These programs were created by James L. Saphier and written by Sidney Marshall. They were directed and narrated by radio legend Jack Johnstone.
Length: 29:42
Program Producer: CBS Radio Network

A Star for Paradise: Statehood for Hawaii

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1946
Series: The National Hour
Speaker(s): Robert St. John (host)

NBC ran "The National Hour" on Sunday afternoons at 4pm from November 1945 to September 1946. Each program dealt with a different subject or issue facing America as the nation moved forward after the end of World War II.
Length: 29:22
Program Producer: NBC Radio Network

Hemingway Dead in Idaho

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1961
Speaker(s): Harry Reasoner (anchor)

Writer Ernest Hemingway has killed himself in Idaho. Harry Reasoner provides an odd account.
Length: 1:29
Program Producer: CBS Radio News

Post-war Price Controls

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1946
Series: ABC Commentary with Orson Welles
Speaker(s): Don Hollenbeck (in place of Orson Welles)

Length: 14:23
Program Producer: ABC Radio Network

The Lottery Racket

Broadcast Date: July 21, 1948
Series: The Big Story
Speaker(s): Bob Sloane (host)

The Big Story is the dramatized account of how a newspaper reporter solved a crime, exposed a corrupt political administration, smashed a racket, or performed some other notable public service. Tonight's reporter is Keeler McCartney of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper.
Length: 29:06
Program Producer: NBC