November 6, 1986: A Lebanese magazine reveals the U.S. is secretly selling weapons to Iran. The scandal expands; profits were illegally funding Nicaraguan Contras. Oliver North testifies in uniform before Congress. Reagan claims ignorance. Discover how the Iran-Contra affair exposed covert operations, raised constitutional questions about executive power, and established patterns of government secrecy that persist today.

November 5, 1605: Guy Fawkes is caught beneath Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder, foiling the most ambitious terrorist plot in British history. The conspiracy failed, but 420 years later we still "Remember, remember the fifth of November." Discover how a failed Catholic terrorist became a global icon of rebellion, from bonfires to Anonymous masks.

On November 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and seized 66 Americans. What began as a protest would become a 444-day crisis that dominated American news, destroyed Jimmy Carter's presidency, and poisoned U.S.-Iran relations for generations.

Join host Richard Backus as we explore the crisis that changed American foreign policy. Discover how the CIA's 1953 coup installing the Shah created resentment that exploded 25 years later. Learn about the nightly news coverage that counted "Day 100... Day 200..." and made the crisis impossible to escape. Follow the failed Operation Eagle Claw rescue mission that left eight servicemen dead in the Iranian desert. And witness the bitter irony of the hostages' release—timed deliberately for the moment Ronald Reagan took office, denying Carter even that final victory.

From Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution to yellow ribbons tied around American trees, from diplomatic humiliation to the limits of superpower might—this is the story of 444 days that changed everything.

On November 3, 1964, Lyndon Johnson won the most lopsided presidential victory in modern American history, crushing Republican Barry Goldwater with 61% of the popular vote. It looked like the triumph of liberal governance and the death of conservative politics. However, these appearances were deceptive.

Join host Richard Backus as we explore the election that launched the Great Society, featured the infamous "Daisy ad" that revolutionized political advertising, and triggered a political realignment that continues to shape America today. Discover how Goldwater's crushing defeat in five Deep South states marked the beginning of the Republican Party's Southern strategy, how Johnson's landslide enabled Medicare and civil rights legislation but couldn't save him from Vietnam, and how a losing candidate's message can ultimately win the long-term argument.

From a little girl counting daisy petals to a nuclear explosion, from the Civil Rights Act to the conservative movement's awakening, this is the story of an election that changed everything, just not in the way anyone expected.

On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour penned a brief letter to Lord Rothschild that would alter the course of history. The Balfour Declaration, just 67 words long, expressed Britain's support for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." Written during World War I as the Ottoman Empire crumbled, this seemingly simple statement ignited hopes, conflicts, and controversies that continue to reverberate through the Middle East today. Discover how one short letter written over a century ago set in motion events that would reshape borders, create nations, and fuel debates about land, identity, and belonging that persist into the 21st century.

November 1, 1950: Two armed men approach the president's residence. Three minutes later, one officer is dead, both attackers are shot, and Harry Truman, standing at an open window, has narrowly escaped death. The forgotten attack that changed presidential security forever. New episode of The Daily History Chronicle is out now.

Daily 15-minute history podcast connecting pivotal moments from the past to today's world. Hosted by Richard Backus, publisher of University Teaching Edition.