America: The Story of the USA

Unit 731 was a secret biological warfare and human‑experimentation program run by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. Its experiments - vivisection, deliberate infection with plague, anthrax and other pathogens, frostbite and pressure tests, and field releases of disease - killed thousands, and left a legacy of trauma across East Asia. After the war, many perpetrators avoided prosecution when U.S. authorities granted immunity in exchange for research data, a decision that raises urgent questions about ethics, power, and how states value scientific knowledge over justice. So in this episode, I’m asking… what is Unit 731, and why did the US cover it up? . Special Guest: Jenny Chan, the founder of Pacific Atrocities Education - https://pacificatrocities.org - an organization dedicated to documenting and teaching about wartime atrocities in the Asia‑Pacific, including Unit 731. She curates resources, produces educational materials, and works with survivors’ families and scholars to keep this history visible. . Highlights: 02:44 - The Origins of Unit 731 07:23 - The Experiments 10:49 - The Victims 17:12 - The Discovery of Unit 731 24:00 - Why Cover It Up? 28:28 - The Test is Classified 34:47 - The Ethics of Covering Up 40:42 - Institutional Trust . For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠ . Contact us: [email protected] Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brands & advertises: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask. Today: and the first of our Presidents series, is all about George Washington - his election, presidency, key achievements and legacy. . Contact us: [email protected] Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, UEA's Emma Long joins Liam to break down a packed slate of US political drama and historic scientific achievement. They explore Donald Trump’s controversial executive order to create a national voter list, the constitutional backlash from states, and the wider political strategy behind tightening mail‑in voting rules. They then unpack Trump’s underwhelming national address amid the escalating Iran conflict, rising global oil prices, and growing fears about America’s commitment to NATO. Plus, they turn to NASA’s Artemis II mission, which has just launched four astronauts on a historic journey around the moon. What will it mean, and what's the point? . Stories Mentioned: Trump’s national voter list: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-nationwide-voter-list-executive-order-legal-challenges-11765880  The latest in Iran: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c36r5p1l7w3t  NASA Artemis II website: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/  White House ballroom stalls: https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-construction-halted-9cafc70569a3a05fcbaa6cafddbeace4 . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/americathestoryoftheusa Get in touch: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carved into the granite spine of the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore is one of the most recognisable images in American culture - four presidential faces staring out across South Dakota, invoked endlessly as a symbol of patriotism, democracy and national pride. But behind the postcard image lies a far more tangled story: a monument born from economic desperation, shaped by political ambition, sculpted by a man with deep ties to the Ku Klux Klan, and built on land the United States illegally seized from the Lakota Sioux. In this episode, we trace the mountain’s transformation from a state tourism scheme into a federally funded memorial, explore the complicated legacy of its sculptor Gutzon Borglum, and examine how the monument’s meaning has shifted across a century of American history. From the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie to the rise of automobile tourism, from the politics of Calvin Coolidge to the unfinished Hall of Records, Mount Rushmore is a story of artistry, myth‑making, erasure and unresolved trauma. So in this episode, we're asking… what is Mount Rushmore? . Special Guest: Matthew Davis is an acclaimed author and journalist whose work explores the intersections of history, culture and contested landscapes. His latest book, A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore, offers the most comprehensive narrative history of the memorial to date. . Highlights: 02:13 - The Origin Story 06:58 - Politics and Money 14:33 - Gutzon Borglum 25:37 - Mount Rushmore's Construction 30:05 - How Many Deaths? 38:33 - Native Impact 46:56 - Preservation of the site . For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠ . Contact us: [email protected] Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brands & advertises: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask. This week, All 50 US States, including their abbreviations and capital cities. It’s the most boring party trick in the world, but super handy for revision! . Contact us: [email protected] Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices