Very Special Episodes31 Joulu 2025

JFK's Forgotten Summer [Best of 2025]

Eighty years ago, a young John F. Kennedy took a summer job as a journalist for Hearst newspapers, filing dispatches in the final days of World War II. Even the most seasoned JFK scholars often overlook this chapter, missing the influence those months had on the future president.

"JFK's Forgotten Summer," which we originally published in June, was our top performing episode of 2025. Tragically, it took on more significance earlier this month with the death of Rob Reiner.

Rob — who, with Soledad O'Brien, hosted Who Killed JFK?, one of the most successful podcasts of 2023 — kindly shared with us his knowledge and passion about the Kennedy family and appears in this episode. He was under no obligation to do this. He just wanted to help. It was an honor to work with him. We still cannot believe he and Michele are gone.

Listen to Who Killed JFK? from Rob Reiner and Soledad O'Brien wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out Fred Logevall's excellent book: JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century.

And thanks to our JFK voice actor, Tom Antonellis, for nailing another role.

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Joe Pompeo
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Research and Fact-Checking by Joe Pompeo and Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Nicolas Cage, Y2K, and History's Most Unlikely Art Heist

After a party at Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air mansion, one of the rarest comic books on Earth disappeared. Action Comics #1 — the comic that introduced Superman — is worth millions of dollars. With almost n...

6 Elo 49min

North by North Korea [Re-Release]

When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring esca...

29 Heinä 1h 7min

Spies and Dolls [Re-Release]

Velvalee Dickinson ran a doll shop on Madison Avenue that catered to wealthy collectors. But in one of the strangest espionage cases of World War II, Dickinson's clients had no idea she was using corr...

22 Heinä 49min

The Dog Who Saved the 1966 World Cup [from Ridiculous Crime]

Hello, Very Special listeners! Today we're dipping into the archives of Zaron's other podcast, Ridiculous Crime, to share a tale of dog excellence from World Cup history. In 1966, England hosted the ...

15 Heinä 1h 9min

Chaotic Philanthropy: Saint Joan of the Golden Arches

Thanks to her McDonald’s fortune, Joan Kroc was one of the world’s wealthiest people. And she was determined to die nearly broke. * Special thanks to our guests Lisa Napoli, Dick Starmann, and Stephan...

1 Heinä 46min

How a Dog Talks: The Surprising Redemption of Comic Sans

Comic Sans is a punchline. A design crime. Cultural shorthand for bad taste. But the notorious font's legacy isn't one of failure. Because Comic Sans succeeded in ways its critics never saw coming. * ...

24 Kesä 36min

Searching for Soshern: The Forbidden Star Trek Fanfiction

In 1968, a woman wrote a romantic story about Kirk and Spock, passed it quietly among friends, and hoped it would never see the light of day. Before vanishing entirely, The Ring of Soshern had become ...

17 Kesä 50min

The White Death

In the winter of 1939, Finland faced overwhelming odds. The Soviet Union was invading with hundreds of thousands of troops. Standing in their way was an unlikely defender: a shy farmer and expert mark...

10 Kesä 45min