This week on History Happy Hour: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson were two African-American giants whose lives would forever be altered by the Cold War, and would explosively intersect before its most notorious weapon, the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is a complex story that tallies the sometime fearsome cost of standing against racism.

Our guest is Howard Bryant, author of the dual biography Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America.

Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Rickey, and The Last Hero, a biography of Hank Aaron. He has been the sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition since 2006. He is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, an Emmy Award winner, and is twice the winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. He lives in Western Massachusetts.

This week on History Happy Hour: It sits on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago: The U-505. The June day in 1944 that this German submarine was captured was the first time the U.S. Navy boarded and captured an enemy vessel since the War of 1812. It was carried out in swashbuckling style by a top-secret Navy task force.

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick discuss its dramatic high sea heist with Alexander Rose, author of Phantom Fleet.

Alexander Rose is a journalist and author of numerous history books including Empires of the Sky, The Lion and the Fox, and Washington Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring. The latter was adapted into the AMC drama series, Turn: Washington Spies, for which he served as writer/producer. He has a doctorate from Cambridge, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Born in the United States, raised in Australia and educated in Britain, Alexander currently resides in New York.

This week on History Happy Hour: During WWI, The White Lady network helped Britain by acting as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.

We will talk with HHH Alum Helen Fry to chart the history of these pivotal intelligence networks from her latest book, The White Lady.

Dr Helen Fry has written over 20 books on the Second World War with particular reference to British intelligence and espionage. She has also written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain in WWII. Her acclaimed book The Walls Have Ears became a bestseller and was the Daily Mail’s Top Books of the Year on War. She has appeared in numerous TV documentaries. She is a passionate advocate and official ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI). This is her fourth appearance on History Happy Hour.

This week on History Happy Hour: Forty years after the publication of Eugene Sledge’s memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, his son Henry has written The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed.

We’ll talk with Henry Sledge about his conversations with his father that form the basis of this book, as well as his reflections on his father’s war.

Henry Sledge is the son of renowned author Eugene Sledge, who wrote With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and China Marine. While growing up, he witnessed his father’s memoir take form and come to life. Henry has worked as a consultant for Valor Studios and has been published in Valor and Naval History Magazine. His most recent article was the cover story for the Autumn 2022 issue of World War II magazine. He has co-hosted numerous WWII podcasts and has appeared as a guest on numerous other talk shows and documentaries. He holds a BA from Auburn University and has over twenty years of experience in the heavy equipment industry.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Thomas Paine was a man whose words helped launch a revolution. In January 1776 he wrote Common Sense, which helped inspire the Continental Congress to declare Independence. In late November that same year, while serving in George Washington’s army during the Colonies’ most desperate hour, he picked up his pen again. “These are the times that try men’s souls” he began, and his words lit a fire in the men who would soon win a critical victory at the Battle of Trenton.

To dive into the story of this resourceful writer who played such a critical role in the American Revolution, Chris and Rick talk to HHH alum Jack Kelly, author of Thomas Paine’s War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time.

Jack Kelly is an award-winning historian and author. He has been on History Happy Hour twice, to talk about his books Valcour: The 1776 Campaign that Saved the Cause of Liberty and God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America's Most Hated Man. He is also the author of Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence, which received the DAR History Medal. He has appeared on NPR, PBS, and the History Channel, and has written for national publications including the Wall Street Journal. He lives and works in Hudson Valley, New York.

This Week on History Happy Hour: In his new book The Greatest Force, author Marcus Gibson argues that RAF Bomber Command was the No.1 factor in Germany’s defeat. Rather than being too costly in terms of crew lives and civilian casualties, he argues that the impact of bombing fully justified the effort put into it.

Chris and Rick explore this challenging topic with him.

Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap.

Marcus Gibson has written for The Financial Times, The European and Daily Telegraph newspapers as well as BBC R4 News. In 1984 he contributed to the Dictionary of the British Heritage published by Cambridge University Press. He is also the author Bootstrapping Your Business, published in 2016. He lives in London

This Week on History Happy Hour: In March, HHH audience member Doug McCord visited a local museum in Nelson, New Zealand, where he was deeply moved by an art installation. Created by local artist Sue Heydon, it explored her father’s journey as a WWII prisoner of war. Captured during the 1941 Greek campaign, George Heydon spent more than four years in POW camps.

We will talk to Sue about her exhibition, which honors the human spirit and a daughter’s mission to bring her father’s painful history to light.

Sue Heydon has always been an artist. She says getting an arts degree in 2015 changed her art practice. “I became fascinated by the researching aspect required for conceptual art. I started to write research documentation to support the work and add another element. The book supporting George’s War at 622 pages war is the biggest so far.” The work is her attempt to find her father, a remote figure who died when she was 10 because of his experiences as a WWII POW. She lives in New Zealand.

This Week on History Happy Hour: She led a gang of horse thieves. She participated in stickups and robberies across Texas and Oklahoma. She was romantically involved with two of the west’s most feared outlaws. Many considered this extraordinary woman the most dangerous female in the west.

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick will explore her fascinating story with Dane Hucklebridge, author of a new bio on Belle Starr, Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West.

Dane Huckelbridge was born in the Midwest and went to Princeton. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The New Republic and elsewhere. His debut novel Castle of Water was published in 2017, and his book No Beast so Fierce was published by HarperCollins in 2019. He currently lives in Paris, France, although he goes back to New York whenever he can.