LANE: Welcome back to Touring History, the podcast where we pretend we're qualified to talk about the past because we own calendars and Wikipedia accounts. I'm Lane—
DAVE: And I'm Dave, and before we dive into today's cavalcade of historical chaos, we need to talk about donuts. Specifically, Randy's Donuts.
LANE: Oh, here we go. Dave's hungry again.
DAVE: Lane, I'm always hungry, but this is different. Randy's Donuts has been a Los Angeles institution since 1952—that's over 70 years of perfectly glazed happiness. And you know what I love about Randy's? They've got that giant donut sign that's basically become a landmark. You can't miss it.
LANE: It's true. I drove past it once and honestly thought I was having some sort of sugar-induced hallucination. But no, it's just Randy's being gloriously extra about donuts.
DAVE: Exactly! And speaking of being extra, they've got everything from classic glazed to filled donuts, croissant donuts, even donut holes for when you want the experience but can't commit to the full circle. Check them out at randysdonuts.com, because life's too short for mediocre pastries.
LANE: Alright, and speaking of things that are sweet... today is June 18th, which means we're diving into a date that's seen everything from Napoleon getting absolutely wrecked at Waterloo to NASA launching America's first woman into space.
DAVE: Plus we've got birthdays, military evacuations, and—oh God—the Titan submersible disaster.
LANE: Yeah, we'll handle that one with the appropriate gravity. But first, let's talk about who was born on this day, because honestly, it's kind of a murderer's row of talent.
DAVE: So Paul McCartney turns 83 today. Eighty-three, Lane. The man who wrote "Yesterday" is now in his eighties.
LANE: That's deeply unsettling. You know what's weird though? Paul McCartney was born the same day as Carol Kane, who's turning 73. And I cannot think of two people who seem like they inhabit more different universes.
DAVE: Carol Kane! Princess Bride, Taxi, that voice that sounds like she's perpetually surprised by everything. I love that woman.
LANE: Right? And then we've got Isabella Rossellini turning 73—daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, which is basically Hollywood royalty meeting Italian cinema royalty. That's some serious genetic lottery winning right there.
DAVE: You know who else was born today? Blake Shelton. He's 49.
LANE: Blake Shelton and Paul McCartney share a birthday. I need a minute to process that. One revolutionized popular music forever, and the other... well, Blake seems nice.
DAVE: Hey, don't sleep on Blake! The man's been on The Voice forever. He's got staying power.
LANE: Fair point. And rounding out our birthday crew is Antonio Gates, who's 45. NFL Hall of Famer, played for the Chargers his entire career, which honestly feels quaint in today's sports landscape where players change teams like they're changing socks.
DAVE: Gates was unstoppable. Basketball player turned tight end, which is such a weird career pivot when you think about it. Like, "Well, I'm good at catching balls while people try to murder me, so... football?"
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Colonial Philadelphia street scene with British redcoat soldiers marching with heavy packs and supplies, looking tired and dejected. Show them loading wagons and preparing to leave the city while American colonists watch from doorways and windows. Include period-accurate architecture and clothing. Style: Historical documentary footage with slight sepia tone.]
LANE: Alright, let's jump into our historical timeline, and we're starting in 1778 when British troops evacuated Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War.
DAVE: Now this is interesting because Philadelphia was supposed to be this strategic prize, right? The British occupied it for like nine months, and then they just... left.
LANE: Well, it wasn't quite that simple. The French had just entered the war on the American side, and suddenly the British had to worry about their supply lines getting cut off. Plus, they were getting pressure to focus on the Southern colonies.
DAVE: But here's what I love about this—the British spent all this time and energy taking Philadelphia, which was the American capital at the time, and it basically did nothing for them. The Continental Congress just packed up and moved to York, Pennsylvania.
LANE: It's like conquering someone's house and then realizing they've just moved in with their parents. "Well, this is awkward."
DAVE: Exactly! And you know what makes this even better? The British evacuation was such a mess that they had to march their troops across New Jersey in the middle of summer, carrying all their supplies, while being harassed by American forces the entire time.
LANE: That sounds absolutely miserable. Nothing says "strategic withdrawal" like trudging through New Jersey in July while people shoot at you.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Interior of early 1800s U.S. Congress with men in period dress (tailcoats, breeches) engaged in heated debate. Show someone dramatically raising their hand to vote, with papers scattered on desks. Cut to a quill pen signing an official declaration document. Style: Dramatic historical reenactment with warm candlelit atmosphere.]
DAVE: Speaking of wars Americans aren't entirely sure we won, June 18th, 1812, is when Congress declared the War of 1812.
LANE: The War of 1812—also known as "That War We Learned About for Like Two Weeks in High School and Mostly Remember Because of the Star-Spangled Banner."
DAVE: Right? But here's the thing that blows my mind about the War of 1812—it was declared on June 18th, but news traveled so slowly back then that if the British had known about American grievances just a few days earlier, the war might never have happened.
LANE: Wait, really?
DAVE: Yeah! The British were actually in the process of repealing some of the trade restrictions that were pissing off the Americans, but the news hadn't reached America yet. So we declared war over problems that were already being solved.
LANE: That is the most 1812 thing I've ever heard. "Sorry, we started a war, but we just got your text that you were going to fix the thing we were mad about."
DAVE: And then the war lasted until 1815, accomplished basically nothing except giving us a few good songs and burning down each other's capital cities, and everyone just agreed to pretend it never happened.
LANE: Although we did get Andrew Jackson out of it, for better or worse. Mostly worse, but still.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Epic battlefield scene showing Napoleon on horseback in his iconic blue uniform and bicorne hat, overlooking masses of soldiers in formation. Show cavalry charges, cannon smoke, and the chaos of battle across rolling Belgian countryside. Include British redcoats and Prussian forces converging. End with Napoleon looking defeated as soldiers retreat. Style: Cinematic war epic with dramatic lighting and sweeping camera movements.]
LANE: But speaking of 1815, we need to talk about what might be the most famous June 18th in European history—the Battle of Waterloo.
DAVE: Napoleon's final curtain call. And what a way to go out.
LANE: You know what gets me about Waterloo? Napoleon had been exiled to Elba, escaped, retook France in what they call the "Hundred Days," and then immediately decided to pick a fight with literally everyone in Europe at once.
DAVE: Classic Napoleon move, honestly. The man could not help himself. It's like he saw retirement and thought, "No thank you, I'd rather risk everything on one more military campaign."
LANE: And the battle itself was just brutal. Something like 65,000 casualties in a single day. Wellington later called it "the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life."
DAVE: That's what I love about Wellington's quote there—the understated British-ness of it. Like, "Oh, this? Just nearly lost to the greatest military mind in European history. Bit close, that."
LANE: And poor Napoleon gets shipped off to St. Helena, which is basically the middle of nowhere in the South Atlantic. The man went from ruling most of Europe to being stuck on a tiny island with nothing to do but write his memoirs and complain about the weather.
DAVE: You know what's wild? Waterloo is in Belgium, which means Napoleon's empire ended in a country that didn't even exist yet. Belgium wouldn't become independent until 1830.
LANE: That's such a good point! He lost at a place that was technically still part of the Netherlands. Geography is weird.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Winston Churchill in the House of Commons, standing at the dispatch box with papers in hand, delivering his speech with characteristic intensity. Show MPs listening intently in the packed chamber. Cut to close-up of Churchill's determined face, then to exterior shots of wartime London with barrage balloons in the sky. Include period radio equipment and families gathered around radios listening. Style: Wartime documentary with black and white film grain effect.]
DAVE: Jumping ahead to 1940, we have Winston Churchill delivering one of the most famous speeches in history—"This was their finest hour."
LANE: This was just after the fall of France, right? Britain is basically standing alone against Nazi Germany, and Churchill gets up in Parliament and delivers this masterpiece of wartime rhetoric.
DAVE: The timing is everything here. France had just surrendered, the British had barely evacuated from Dunkirk, and Hitler's looking across the Channel thinking this is going to be easy. And Churchill gets up and basically says, "Come at us."
LANE: But here's what I love about that speech—it's not just bravado. Churchill acknowledges how dire the situation is. He talks about how the Battle of Britain is about to begin, and then he says that if they can stand up to Hitler, "all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands."
DAVE: "Broad, sunlit uplands." Who talks like that? It's so beautifully old-fashioned and poetic, but also incredibly powerful.
LANE: And you know what? He was right. That speech was delivered exactly when Britain needed to hear it, and it basically set the tone for the entire war. No surrender, no compromise, just pure defiance.
DAVE: It's also worth noting that this wasn't just a radio speech—this was delivered to Parliament first, and then re-recorded for radio later. So all those famous recordings we hear aren't actually from the live delivery.
LANE: Really? I had no idea!
DAVE: Yeah, Churchill would deliver the speech to Parliament, and then go to the BBC studios later to record it for broadcast. Which honestly makes sense—you don't want to risk technical difficulties when you're trying to rally a nation.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: 1960s golf course scene showing Arnold Palmer in classic golf attire (slacks, polo shirt) making an aggressive swing. Show the ball flying toward the pin, crowds of spectators cheering, and Palmer walking confidently down the fairway with his distinctive swagger. Include vintage golf equipment, scoreboard, and enthusiastic "Arnie's Army" fans. End with Palmer holding the trophy with a big grin. Style: Vintage sports footage with slight film grain and warm color tones.]
LANE: Alright, shifting gears completely, June 18th, 1960, Arnold Palmer wins the U.S. Open with a final round 65, which was a course record.
DAVE: Arnie's Army in full effect! You know, I'm not much of a golf person, but Palmer was just one of those athletes who transcended the sport.
LANE: That final round at Cherry Hills is the stuff of legend. Palmer started the day seven shots behind, and basically just decided to attack every single pin. It was completely insane and completely brilliant.
DAVE: What I love about Palmer is that he made golf... fun? Like, before Palmer, golf was this very buttoned-up, country club sport, and he comes along with this aggressive style and this regular-guy personality.
LANE: Right! He's charging up fairways, going for impossible shots, and just making golf exciting to watch. Plus, the man had charisma for days.
DAVE: And that iced tea and lemonade drink! The Arnold Palmer! That might be his most lasting legacy.
LANE: You know what's funny? I drink Arnold Palmers all the time, and I honestly forgot they were named after a real person. That's how iconic he became—his name just became synonymous with the drink.
DAVE: That's true immortality right there. Not just being remembered, but having people casually order your legacy at restaurants across America.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Formal diplomatic ceremony showing Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev in suits sitting at an ornate table signing documents, surrounded by officials and photographers. Show close-up of hands signing the treaty, flashing cameras, and handshakes. Include Soviet and American flags, formal diplomatic setting. Cut to archival footage of nuclear missiles and silos to represent what the treaty was trying to control. Style: Official diplomatic documentary footage with period-accurate 1970s color palette.]
LANE: 1979 brings us the signing of the SALT II Treaty between Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev, which was this big nuclear arms limitation deal.
DAVE: SALT II—Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, round two. And you know what? The Cold War produced some absolutely mind-bending acronyms.
LANE: The whole thing was this elaborate dance between superpowers trying to figure out how to not accidentally end the world while still maintaining the ability to end the world.
DAVE: Right? "Let's agree to only have enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilization ten times over instead of fifty times over. You know, for safety."
LANE: What's interesting is that SALT II was signed but never ratified by the U.S. Senate because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. So it was this huge diplomatic achievement that basically got shelved immediately.
DAVE: Classic Cold War move. Spend years negotiating a treaty, sign it with great fanfare, and then ignore it because something else happened. It's like international relations run by people with severe ADHD.
LANE: But both sides kind of informally followed the treaty limits anyway, which is peak Cold War logic. "We're not officially bound by this agreement, but we'll honor it anyway because mutual annihilation is bad for business."
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Space Shuttle Challenger on the launch pad with dramatic rocket launch sequence showing liftoff with massive flames and smoke. Cut to Sally Ride in her blue NASA flight suit and helmet, smiling confidently before the mission. Show the shuttle in orbit with Earth visible through windows, and astronauts floating in zero gravity inside the shuttle cabin. Include NASA mission control with excited technicians. Style: Authentic 1980s NASA footage with vibrant colors and inspiring music undertones.]
DAVE: 1983 gives us Sally Ride becoming the first American woman in space, which was huge.
LANE: Sally Ride was a badass. Physicist, astronaut, and she had to put up with the most ridiculous questions from the media.
DAVE: Oh God, the questions were absurd. "Will you cry if something goes wrong? Do you plan to have children after this? How will you manage your hair in zero gravity?"
LANE: Meanwhile, she's got a PhD in physics from Stanford and she's flying on the Space Shuttle Challenger. Like, maybe ask her about the mission instead of her reproductive plans?
DAVE: What I love is that NASA's PR machine went into overdrive for this mission. They knew it was historic, and they milked every second of media coverage. Which was smart—space programs need public support.
LANE: And Ride handled it all with such grace. She just focused on the science and the mission, and let her competence speak for itself.
DAVE: You know what's wild? It took until 1983 for America to send a woman to space. The Soviet Union had already done it in 1963 with Valentina Tereshkova.
LANE: Twenty years! That's embarrassing. Although to be fair, the Soviets sent Tereshkova up basically as a propaganda stunt and then didn't send another woman to space for almost twenty years either.
DAVE: Fair point. At least when NASA finally did it, they integrated women into the astronaut corps properly. Better late than never, I guess.
LANE: Alright folks, we need to take a quick break here, and honestly, all this talk about historical achievements is making me hungry.
DAVE: You know what goes great with pondering the sweep of human history? Donuts. Specifically, Randy's Donuts.
LANE: I was at Randy's last week, Dave, and I got one of their apple fritters, which is basically the size of a dinner plate. It's gloriously excessive.
DAVE: That's what I'm talking about! Randy's doesn't mess around. They've been perfecting their craft since 1952, and it shows. Whether you want a classic glazed donut that'll make you question every other donut you've ever had, or you want to go wild with one of their specialty donuts, they've got you covered.
LANE: And can we talk about their location? That giant donut sign is basically a Los Angeles landmark at this point. It's been in movies, TV shows, music videos—it's iconic.
DAVE: Plus, they're open 24 hours, which means you can satisfy your donut craving whether you're getting up early or staying up late. That's the kind of commitment to donuts that I respect.
LANE: Head over to randysdonuts.com to check out their full menu and locations. Trust us, your taste buds will thank you.
DAVE: And now back to our regularly scheduled historical chaos.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Respectful aerial view of the Grand Canyon's magnificent landscape with its red rock formations and vast canyons. Show a small aircraft and helicopter flying separately over the canyon (not colliding). Include emergency response vehicles and rescue teams in a somber, documentary style to represent the aftermath and response. Focus on the natural beauty of the canyon while maintaining appropriate gravity. Style: Respectful documentary footage with muted colors and serious tone.]
LANE: Alright, this next one is somber. June 18th, 1986, saw a tragic mid-air collision over the Grand Canyon that killed 25 people.
DAVE: This was a collision between a small private plane and a sightseeing helicopter, and it led to major changes in aviation safety regulations.
LANE: What made this particularly tragic was that it was completely avoidable. The Grand Canyon is this massive airspace, but there weren't adequate traffic control systems in place for the amount of tourist flights happening there.
DAVE: The aftermath led to much stricter regulations about air tours over national parks. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to force necessary changes.
LANE: It's a reminder that even in places of incredible natural beauty, safety has to be the top priority. The Grand Canyon is magnificent, but it demands respect.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Supreme Court building exterior with its iconic columns and steps. Cut to interior courtroom scene showing justices in black robes at the bench, lawyers presenting arguments, and a diverse group of potential jurors sitting in a jury box. Show scales of justice symbol and legal documents. Include gavel striking and American flag. Style: Formal legal documentary with authoritative lighting and classical composition.]
DAVE: Moving to legal history, 1992 brings us Georgia v. McCollum, where the Supreme Court ruled that defense attorneys can't exclude jurors based on race.
LANE: This was actually a really important civil rights decision that doesn't get talked about enough.
DAVE: Right, because everyone knows about Batson v. Kentucky from 1986, which said prosecutors can't exclude jurors based on race. But McCollum closed the loophole by saying defense attorneys can't do it either.
LANE: It's one of those cases where the principle is simple—discrimination in jury selection is wrong, period—but the legal reasoning gets complex because you're balancing different constitutional rights.
DAVE: What I find interesting is that this was a unanimous decision. In 1992, you could still get the Supreme Court to agree unanimously that racial discrimination is bad. Simpler times.
LANE: The case itself involved a Black defendant who was challenging the prosecution's decision to strike white jurors, but then the defense wanted to strike Black jurors. It's a fascinating legal pretzel.
DAVE: And ultimately, the Court said that jury selection has to be fair to everyone—defendants, prosecutors, and the excluded jurors themselves. It's about the integrity of the entire system.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: President Trump at a podium with American flags announcing the Space Force directive. Show Pentagon building exterior, then transition to space scenes with satellites orbiting Earth, space stations, and futuristic military spacecraft. Include the Space Force logo and personnel in space-themed uniforms. Cut to mission control rooms with high-tech displays showing orbital mechanics. Style: Modern news footage combined with sci-fi inspired space visuals.]
LANE: 2018 brings us President Trump directing the Pentagon to establish the Space Force, which honestly still sounds like something from a science fiction movie.
DAVE: I mean, the name alone sounds like it was focus-grouped by people who grew up watching Star Wars.
LANE: But here's the thing—the concept isn't actually that crazy. Military operations in space are a real concern, and having a dedicated service branch to handle it makes some sense.
DAVE: Right, it's not like we're training storm troopers to fight aliens. It's more about protecting satellites, monitoring space debris, and making sure other countries can't mess with our GPS systems.
LANE: Although the rollout was classic Trump—lots of dramatic announcements and very little explanation of what the Space Force would actually do that the Air Force wasn't already doing.
DAVE: The branding was... something. Remember the logo controversy? Everyone said it looked too much like the Star Trek Starfleet logo.
LANE: To be fair, how many ways can you design a logo that says "space" without it looking like science fiction? It's a narrow design space, no pun intended.
DAVE: And now we have Space Force personnel called "Guardians," which honestly sounds cooler than "Space Force officers" or whatever the alternative would have been.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Supreme Court building with protesters holding DACA signs and American flags on the steps. Show diverse group of young adults (DACA recipients) looking hopeful, some holding graduation caps or diplomas. Include Chief Justice Roberts in judicial robes, legal documents being reviewed, and news reporters covering the decision. Cut to families embracing after hearing the news. Style: Contemporary news documentary with vibrant colors and emotional human interest focus.]
LANE: June 18th, 2020, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA protections in a 5-4 decision.
DAVE: This was Chief Justice Roberts joining the liberal justices to basically say, "You can't just end a program like this without proper procedure."
LANE: What's interesting is that the Court didn't rule on whether DACA itself was legal or illegal—they ruled on the process of trying to end it.
DAVE: Right, it was essentially a procedural decision. The Court said, "Look, if you want to end this program, you need to follow the proper administrative procedures and consider all the consequences."
LANE: DACA affects hundreds of thousands of people who were brought to the U.S. as children and have built their entire lives here. The human stakes couldn't be higher.
DAVE: And the legal complexity is mind-bending. You've got constitutional law, immigration law, administrative law, and just basic human compassion all tangled up together.
LANE: It's one of those cases where the law meets real people's lives, and the consequences of legal technicalities can be devastating for actual families.
DAVE: The whole thing highlights how broken our immigration system is when we're arguing in court about the legal status of people who've been here since they were kids and know no other country.
[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Deep ocean scene showing the Titanic wreck on the ocean floor surrounded by darkness and marine snow. Show a submersible (not the actual Titan) descending through deep blue water with lights illuminating the depths. Include Coast Guard ships on the surface conducting search operations, and solemn news coverage. Focus on the mysterious and dangerous nature of the deep ocean environment. Style: Respectful documentary with deep blue tones and appropriately somber atmosphere.]
LANE: And finally, we have to address June 18th, 2023, when the Titan submersible imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck, killing all five people aboard.
DAVE: This was such a tragic and preventable disaster. The whole story just gets worse the more you learn about it.
LANE: What made it so heartbreaking was the international rescue effort. Coast Guard ships, research vessels, and aircraft from multiple countries searching desperately, not knowing that the submersible had already been destroyed.
DAVE: The implosion happened so quickly that the passengers wouldn't have suffered, which is some small comfort. But the whole operation was plagued with safety concerns that experts had been raising for years.
LANE: It's a reminder that the deep ocean is one of the most hostile environments on Earth. The pressure at Titanic's depth is crushing—literally. There's no room for error.
DAVE: And it highlighted the dangers of adventure tourism in extreme environments. When you're charging people hundreds of thousands of dollars to visit the Titanic, the safety standards have to be absolutely bulletproof.
LANE: The irony of people dying while visiting the site of another maritime disaster wasn't lost on anyone. It was tragic on multiple levels.
DAVE: So there you have it—June 18th throughout history. From Napoleon's downfall to Sally Ride's triumph, from Churchill's defiance to a modern tragedy in the deep ocean.
LANE: It's amazing how one date can contain so much human experience. Victories, defeats, progress, setbacks, and everything in between.
DAVE: And somehow Paul McCartney's birthday fits right in there with all of it. The man's been making music longer than some countries have existed.
LANE: Speaking of existing, we exist because of listeners like you. If you enjoyed today's journey through June 18th, please subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you get your podcasts.
DAVE: And if you want to support us in a more delicious way, check out Randy's Donuts at randysdonuts.com. Because history is better with donuts.
LANE: We'll be back next time with another date, another collection of stories, and probably another tangent about food.
DAVE: Until then, I'm Dave—
LANE: And I'm Lane, reminding you that history is happening right now, and someday someone's going to do a podcast about today.
DAVE: That's either inspiring or terrifying.
LANE: Why not both?
[END OF EPISODE]
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