Dad (& Me) Jokes (again)!!!

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we re-released this special episode. We are joined by two wonderful guests from the town of Gander in remote Newfoundland, Canada, where locals showed amazing kindness to people from all over the world, following the terrible events of 9/11. We only briefly mention the planes that crashed into the twin towers: we focus on the heart-warming humanity that followed. This true story is sweeping the world through the award-winning musical Come From Away, and we make good use of having attained the rights to the music! Even better, we spend time with local journalist Janice Goudie and animal shelter manager Bonnie Harris, who found themselves at the centre of events – and at the centre of Come From Away. Janice was reporting on events on 11 September, 2001, as 38 planes, carrying nearly 7,000 passengers, landed at the remote Canadian town of Gander. Bonnie was determined to discover if there were any animals on board – and she received quite a surprise. The population of the town almost doubled in just a couple of hours. How would the town cope? Well, the answer to that is: remarkably! Janice now works for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and we recommend this CBC cartoon strip resource, featuring Janice, as a way to educate suitably-aged children about 9/11. At the end of today's episode (after our outro theme song), there are bags of extras – including lots of outtakes, additional interview material and bonus music included with permission from the producers of Come From Away! Podcast cover art by Molly Austin All instrumental music is fromhttps://filmmusic.io and composed by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world close to nuclear war. But who saved the world? Was it US President Kennedy? Or was it a young Russian submarine office named Basil (in Russian, Basil = Vasily)? Check out maps and photos on https://www.dadandmelovehistory.com/ After the end theme music, you'll find these questions: Who were the two superpower countries on opposite sides to each other during the Cold War (1945-91)?

This episode is a bonus re-release in the run-up to ANZAC Day, this special extended episode was recorded over several years and first released in April 2019. It's a lot more serious than our usual fun-filled shows, but there's lots to learn for kids and adults! And if you know a teacher who could use this episode, please share it with them – and with any other friends. We go to an ANZAC service in Australia, where World War One is particularly remembered. Then we go to Remembrance Day in Hong Kong, which just over 75 years ago was invaded by the Japanese during World War Two. We are grateful to Lindisfarne Anglican College for allowing us to visit their ANZAC assembly, and thanks go to their special guest, Major Matina Jewell (retired) for the interview. Recurring at points throughout this episode is the sound of Lindisfarne's School Marching Band, led by Mr Dale Norton. And thank you, retired Sergeant Kelvin Fawcett. Questions for after you've listened: What does A-N-Z-A-C – ANZAC -- stand for? Why is Nov 11 an important date for remembering people from wars? What happened at Gallipoli in WWI? What is the Last Post? Which country is the Menin Gate in? What colour are poppies? Who wrote the poem 'In Flanders Fields'? Why is it important to remember people who died in wars? We have recorded a new show for editing in the near future, so watch this space. We're also working on a Dad & Me Love History book and are looking for an illustrator - do you know someone with the skills and the passion? See our webpage, and join us on: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. And share our podcast on social media and recommend it to friends – that's how we'll keep going. See you in two weeks! Podcast cover art by Molly Austin Instrumental music by Kevin MacLeod Sound effects used under RemArc Licence. Copyright 2026 © BBC

Did WWII really start in 1931 in Asia? Yes, it pretty much did - ten years before Pearl Harbor. Today, we investigate how and why the Japanese Empire attacked itself – and how that led to war with China and beyond! We are joined by expert historian, Quin Cho (Archival Researcher for https://www.pacificatrocities.org/). Quin has literally written the book on this: The Kwantung Army and the Japanese Occupation of Manchuria, available from September 2025. This is the second of three episodes in Dad & Me's series on modern Japan. Check out the photos from our research trip on https://www.dadandmelovehistory.com/ After the end theme music, you'll find these questions: When did World War II begin for the USA?

Re-released for July 4! The one where we play lots of music and explain what it means. The production company behind Hamilton the Musical gave us the full rights to use and publish their music in our pod – so you'll hear some big numbers in this episode. You'll also learn a lot about history from a hip-hop musical that treats its audience as the intelligent beings that our listeners are! There are some big plot spoilers in here – but no worse than if you simply listen to the musical's soundtrack. On Disney+, Hamilton the musical is rated PG-13, but we spare you the worst of the language here. You will hear 'd**n' and 'h*ll' amid the lyrics of the songs we include from the Hamilton musical. (Lin-Manual Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, also composed the music for Moana; the two sound rather different.) Here are some questions to see how much you understood from today's show: 1. What was James' favourite line from the musical? 2. In the song "Guns and Ships" which country was the superpower and who were they fighting against? 3. What do you think George Washington meant when his character sang "History has its eyes on me"? 4. Do you think different people can believe different versions of the same period of history? 5. Where did they make the new US capital and what is it called? 6. The Hamilton Project found that the musical has what percentage of historical accuracy? Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. Look on our webpage for images that accompany each episode. And join us on: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Have fun! Dad & Me Podcast cover art by Molly Austin Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2016. Copyright © Warner Music.