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  • The veto that grounded the United Nations

    The veto that grounded the United Nations
    2026/10/30
    A global organization is founded to prevent war, but a structural flaw allows powerful nations to evade accountability.

    The veto that grounded the United Nations

    This episode explores the origins of the United Nations, tracing its lineage back to the failed League of Nations and examining the persistent structural weakness that continues to challenge international cooperation.

    Person: Haile Selassie
    Date: October 24, 1945
    Location: Washington
    Event: Ratification of the United Nations Charter
    Topic: International relations

    - The League of Nations was founded on January 10, 1920, with Woodrow Wilson as its passionate architect.
    - Despite Wilson's efforts, the United Nations Senate did not ratify the League's Covenant, meaning America never joined.
    - The League's structural problem was a unanimity rule, allowing any single member state to block action.
    - In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria, and after 40 nations voted against it, Japan cast its own vote against the resolution and then withdrew from the League in 1933.
    - The United Nations, drafted in 1941, addressed the unanimity problem by granting five permanent Security Council members individual veto power.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The Black X Erased His Life to Save It

    The Black X Erased His Life to Save It
    2026/10/29
    A presidential candidate is shot and delivers a 90-minute speech with the bullet in his chest. This is the story of how he became that man.

    The Black X Erased His Life to Save It

    This episode explores the early life of Theodore Roosevelt, tracing the origins of his extraordinary resilience and physical determination. It reveals the pivotal moments and personal tragedies that shaped a man who faced adversity with an unyielding will.

    Person: Theodore Roosevelt
    Date: October 14, 1912
    Location: Manhattan
    Event: Assassination attempt
    Condition: Asthma

    - Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest before a campaign speech but proceeded to speak for ninety minutes.
    - As a child, Roosevelt suffered from severe asthma, which confined him and limited his physical activity.
    - His father encouraged him to "make the body" to complement his mind, leading to a lifelong regimen of physical conditioning.
    - A humiliating encounter with older boys during a camping trip prompted Roosevelt to take up boxing lessons.
    - On February 14, 1884, Roosevelt's wife, Alice, and his mother both died in the same house.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • The memorandum he sent to Wilson in 1916 set a Nobel arc into freefall

    The memorandum he sent to Wilson in 1916 set a Nobel arc into freefall
    2026/10/28
    A Nobel laureate dedicates forty years to building a legal framework to prevent war, only to watch it fail as nations prioritize convenience. How does one fall from such a height?

    The memorandum he sent to Wilson in 1916 set a Nobel arc into freefall

    This episode explores the life of Lord Robert Cecil, a man who dedicated decades to constructing a system for international peace. It delves into his background, his political career, and the pivotal moments that shaped his vision for a world without war.

    Person: Lord Robert Cecil
    Born: September 14, 1864
    Family Seat: Hatfield House
    Political Affiliation: Conservative (later Independent Conservative)
    Key Document: Proposals for Diminishing the Occasion of Future Wars

    - Robert Cecil was born into the British establishment, with his father, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, serving as a three-time Prime Minister.
    - He was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he became a noted debater before being called to the bar in 1887.
    - Cecil entered Parliament in 1906 as an MP for Marylebone East, often holding views that put him at odds with his own party.
    - In 1916, while the First World War was at its height, he became Minister of Blockade and authored a memorandum titled "Proposals for Diminishing the Occasion of Future Wars."
    - By May 1918, Cecil forwarded the Phillimore Committee's report, a framework for a post-war League, directly to President Woodrow Wilson without official Cabinet authorization.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    14 分
  • The long hours that built a legend also broke his body

    The long hours that built a legend also broke his body
    2026/10/27
    A jazz legend's unparalleled talent earns him a place in history, but his dedication to his craft comes at an unimaginable cost.

    The long hours that built a legend also broke his body

    This episode explores the life of Art Tatum, a prodigious pianist who overcame significant challenges to become a musical icon, and the personal sacrifices he made along the way.

    Person: Art Tatum
    Date: 1956
    Location: Hollywood Bowl
    Event: Recording 124 tracks across 14 albums
    Recognition: Grammy Hall of Fame

    - Art Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1909 with severe vision impairment due to cataracts, which worsened to near-total blindness after an assault in his early twenties.
    - He learned piano by ear, absorbing the techniques of stride pianists like James P. Johnson and Fats Waller from radio broadcasts.
    - By age 14, Tatum was playing for money in Toledo clubs and by 19, his radio program was nationally rebroadcast on the Blue Network.
    - In 1932, singer Adelaide Hall discovered Tatum and brought him to New York, where he participated in cutting contests against the inventors of stride piano.
    - A record producer, Norman Granz, recorded 124 tracks with Tatum in 1953, which were later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The six‑thousand‑four‑hundred‑dollar budget that rewired rock - and broke them

    The six‑thousand‑four‑hundred‑dollar budget that rewired rock - and broke them
    2026/10/26
    Four kids from Queens spend $6,400 to make a record that changes music forever. But the cost of their rock and roll dream is steep.

    The six‑thousand‑four‑hundred‑dollar budget that rewired rock - and broke them

    This episode explores the formation and early days of a legendary rock band, from their accidental beginnings in Forest Hills, Queens, to the release of their groundbreaking debut album. It delves into the unique sound they forged and the internal tensions that began to surface.

    Date: July 20, 1999
    Location: Virgin Megastore, New York City
    Budget: $6,400
    Album Release: April 23, 1976
    Chart Position: No. 111 on Billboard

    - Six Ramones members, including all four originals, gathered for a final autograph signing at a Virgin Megastore, unaware it was their last time together.
    - The band formed in Forest Hills, Queens, with members John Cummings, Jeff Hyman, Douglas Colvin, and Thomas Erdelyi, none of whom were related.
    - Thomas Erdelyi became the drummer by demonstrating how songs should be played, leading to his permanent role behind the kit.
    - Douglas Colvin adopted the name Dee Ramone from Paul McCartney's pseudonym, inspiring the other members to take the Ramone surname.
    - Their debut album, recorded in February 1976 with a budget of $6,400, featured fourteen songs, none longer than two and a half minutes.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The Juilliard scales that stalled Henry Mancini's momentum and career fall

    The Juilliard scales that stalled Henry Mancini's momentum and career fall
    2026/10/25
    A Juilliard student from a Pennsylvania steel town hides a cinematic dream as conservatory rules threaten his career - can he?

    The Juilliard scales that stalled Henry Mancini's momentum and career fall

    In this episode, we trace Henry Mancini’s early years from West Aliquippa to Juilliard and into military band service, focusing on the clash between his cinematic ambitions and a conservatory curriculum that confined him to scales. How did Juilliard’s rigid first-year regimen intersect with the discipline and dreams he had held since seeing The Crusades?

    Person: Henry Mancini
    Location: West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
    Date: June 14, 1994 (death)
    Institution: Juilliard (first-year piano curriculum)
    Event: Service with the Twenty-Eighth Air Force Band (Glenn Miller band)

    - At eleven, Henry decided to write music for films after hearing Rudolph G. Kopp’s score for The Crusades.
    - Quinto Mancini financed piccolo and piano lessons to give Henry stability through a teaching-focused path.
    - By twelve, Henry wrote an arrangement that reached Benny Goodman, showing early orchestration gifts.
    - Juilliard’s first-year program restricted him to piano study, offering no orchestration, arrangement, or film scoring.
    - In 1943 Henry enlisted and joined the Twenty-Eighth Air Force Band, where big-band arranging reshaped his practical skills.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分
  • The Broom, The Guitar, And The Cost of Genius

    The Broom, The Guitar, And The Cost of Genius
    2026/10/24
    A boy in 1954 carries a broom like a guitar; how do you fall from that high in the world of rock guitar?

    The Broom, The Guitar, And The Cost of Genius

    In this episode, we trace the early life and choices that shaped James Marshall Hendrix from a broom-tilting child to a prodigy whose single-minded pursuit of music set the stage for both meteoric success and devastating loss. What did those early deprivations, decisions, and losses cost him - and how did they set the terms of his rise?

    Person: James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix)
    Date: November 27, 1942 (birth); May 18, 1970 (death)
    Location: Seattle, Washington; Fort Campbell, Kentucky (Army)
    Event: School social worker requested funds for a guitar; request denied
    Status: Enlisted in U.S. Army on May 31, 1961

    - At Horace Mann Elementary in the mid-1950s teachers noted a boy who carried a broom handle like a guitar and a social worker formally petitioned for funds to buy him an instrument.
    - His father, Al Hendrix, was absent early, reunited with him in 1945, later struggled with alcohol, and refused to buy him a guitar until mid-1958.
    - In 1957 he rescued a one-string ukulele from the trash and taught himself Elvis Presley songs by ear, developing an all-or-nothing relationship with music.
    - After a series of cheap guitars-five-dollar acoustic, white Supro Ozark, then a stolen instrument replaced by a red Silvertone Danelectro-he painted “Betty Jean” on the body before leaving it behind.
    - Facing two incidents as a passenger in stolen-car cases, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age eighteen, reporting to Fort Campbell in November 1961.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The studio night he used a fake name that burned his bridges

    The studio night he used a fake name that burned his bridges
    2026/10/23
    A Black singer emerges at a motel wearing one shoe-how do you fall from that high when you built an empire in music?

    The studio night he used a fake name that burned his bridges

    In this episode, we trace the arc from a gospel prodigy to a businessman-artist and the night he crossed the sacred line into secular music. What did that studio session, a fake name, and one shoe at a motel reveal about everything he built and risked?

    Person: Sam Cooke
    Date: December 11, 1964
    Location: South Central Los Angeles motel room
    Event: recorded secular song under the name "Dale Cook"
    Period: 1950s career transition from gospel to secular music

    - Born Samuel Cook in January 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, raised in a large musical family and moved to Chicago in 1933.
    - Joined the Highway Q.C.'s as a teenager and in 1950 replaced R.H. Harris as lead singer of the Soul Stirrers.
    - Walked into a studio before 1956 using the pseudonym "Dale Cook" to record "Lovable," a secular remake of a gospel song.
    - Left the Soul Stirrers in 1956 amid fierce backlash from the gospel community for crossing into secular music.
    - By 1958 he changed his stage name to Sam Cooke, signed with Keen Records, and prepared for commercial crossover.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    15 分