Eyewitness History

Right out of high school Nick Sanza entered the U.S. Army 2nd and 15th Infantry, 3rd Division working in teletype and in decoding/crypto. He served during the Cold War in the Berlin Border Patrol in Wildflecken at the East and West German border and three other tours of duty. Nick’s family had four generations in the U.S. Army: His grandfather rode with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War; his father is the last driver for General George Patton from the beaches of Normandy to the outskirts of Berlin during World War II; and his son was a sniper in Special Forces during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict and gave his life for his country. During Vietnam, he was what was known as a “Tunnel Rat” which we go into in a great amount of detail. After serving Vietnam, Nick decided to try his hand in Hollywood. Nick Sanza is known in the entertainment industry as “Napa Nick”. He started in the film and television industry with the television series Falcon Crest (CBS) as a second unit production manager, location scout and script development. During his time with Falcon Crest from 1982 to 1989 he also was a stuntman and stunt coordinator for Francis Coppola Productions, Paramount Studios, Castle Rock Production (Rob Reiner), NBC, CBS, Universal Television Productions and Dick Wolf Productions. When Falcon Crest went off the air, Nick became a production manager, location manager and stuntman for over 60 national commercials and “Movie of the Week” for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and Universal Studio Television Productions. In 1992 Barbara Walters, working for ABC, hired Nick as a production manager and location manager to set up a television special for ABC’s 20/20 spotlighting Julia Roberts who was filming in the Napa Valley in a feature film called “Dying Young”. Two months after this special was aired, Nick was hired as a producer and investigative journalist for ABC’s Good Morning America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The roots of the Second World War in Europe lie within the First World War. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles formally ended the war between Germany and the western Allies, but the geopolitical situation it created was far from stable. Ten years later, the Great Depression made things even worse. In this episode preview from Key Battles of American History (the first in the World War II in Europe series), James and cohost Sean McIver discuss the unsettled state of Europe between 1918 and 1930 and the gradual fracturing of the uneasy peace that it enjoyed.To continue listening to Key Battles of American History, check out the links below!Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3nCfZZySpotify: https://spoti.fi/3nIwO5cDiscover more episodes of Key Battles of American History:Mexico and Texas (1836-1844): https://apple.co/3mbDEjd / https://spoti.fi/3U6ASIJZachary Taylor’s War (1845-1846): https://apple.co/3nNvNJf / https://spoti.fi/3U71E3CWinfield Scott’s War (1847): https://apple.co/3zwZ25v / https://spoti.fi/3GdgqjBIntroduction to Key Battles of World War II in Europe: https://apple.co/3GfVAA5 / https://spoti.fi/3zwGEK3See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nelson Johnson is an author and former judge, lawyer and historian, best known for his 2002 New York Times bestseller, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. His book served as the basis for the popular and Emmy Award-winning HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. In the early 1980s Nelson represented the Atlantic City Planning Board during the approval of many of the casino properties which exist today. That experience captured Nelson’s interest in Atlantic City’s past and motivated him to write his best-selling book, Boardwalk Empire which inspired the HBO series of the same name. The sequel The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City was published in 2010. His third book Battleground New Jersey: Vanderbilt, Hague and Their Fight for Justice was released by Rutgers University Press in November of 2014. During the past 15 years, Nelson has made 200(+) presentations on his books before a wide range of audiences. He has recently completed his fourth book Darrow’s Nightmare which vividly brings to life the worst two years in the life of the legendary lawyer, Clarence Darrow. Nelson believes that Darrow’s Nightmare will warrant treatment on either the “big or little screen.” Nelson’s writings as a historian are products of his insatiable curiosity and passion for the written word. Find out more about him here: https://nelsonjohnsonauthor.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul G. Gill, Jr., M.D. is a fifth-generation South Bostonian. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York, and attended the University of Notre Dame and the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He practiced emergency medicine for thirty-five years and was a freelance medical writer for many of those years. His articles appeared in many outdoor magazines, and his books, The Ragged Mountain Press Guide to Wilderness Medicine & First Aid and The Onboard Medical Handbook were published by McGraw-Hill. He retired from medical practice in 2013, and now spends his time building boats and furniture, sailing, and hiking in the United States and Europe with his wife, Mary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frank Spotnitz is an television screenwriter and executive producer, best known for his work on The X-Files and The Man in the High Castle. Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Productions, a London- and Paris-based production company, which specializes in international television series, including drama, comedy and documentaries. Spotnitz's career includes creating, writing and producing series with networks, cable, streaming and other broadcast platforms around the world. Under the Big Light banner, Spotnitz has produced: Amazon's Emmy-winning The Man in the High Castle; Medici: Masters of Florence, and two seasons of Medici: The Magnificent (RAI, Netflix, SFR Play); The Indian Detective (Netflix, CTV); Ransom (CBS, Global, TF1, RTL); season three of Crossing Lines (Tandem Productions / StudioCanal); and season two of Transporter: The Series (TNT, M6, HBO Canada). Most recently, Spotnitz co-created and executive-produced Leonardo, which is currently in production in Italy. More can be found out about Frank at: https://frankspotnitz.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Curry is an podcaster, announcer, Internet entrepreneur and media personality, known for his stint as a VJ on MTV and being one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer Web sites. Also known for co-hosting the No Agenda show, in the 2000s, he first became involved in podcasting, and has been called the 'Podfather' because of his efforts.Check him out here: https://www.noagendashow.net/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris "Wally" Feresten is a cue card handler and supervisor known for his work on Saturday Night Live. He also does cue cards for Late Night with Seth Meyers and his private business, Cue Cards by Wally. Feresten began working at Saturday Night Live after his brother, who worked at SNL as a receptionist at the time, informed him there was a vacancy in the cue card department. His first appearance on camera was in 1991 during a monologue featuring Steve Martin. Feresten had his first spoken lines on the show in 1993 during an Alec Baldwin monologue. Since 2014, Feresten has also been a cue card handler for Late Night with Seth Meyers. His increasing frequency of spoken lines and his popularity with the audience has caused guest John Oliver to joke that Feresten is staging "a slow-motion coup". In 2020, Feresten began Cue Cards by Wally, a private business wherein he creates personalized cue cards, mostly for SNL fans. He started the business while SNL was doing remote-recorded episodes and, thus, his cue cards were not needed.Click here for the highlight of Wally presenting his cue cards to Josh:https://youtu.be/14RJpye2OawSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is a political scientist, professor at New York University, and senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.He specializes in international relations, foreign policy, and nation building. He is one of the originators of selectorate theory, and was also the director of New York University's Alexander Hamilton Center for Political Economy from 2006 to 2016.Bueno de Mesquita is discussed in an August 16, 2009 Sunday New York Times Magazine article entitled "Can Game Theory Predict When Iran Will Get the Bomb?" In December 2008 he was also the subject of a History Channel two-hour special entitled "The Next Nostradamus" and has been featured on the 2021 Netflix series How to Become a Tyrant.He is the author of many books, including The Dictator's Handbook, co-authored with Alastair Smith, and the book The Invention of Power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Wolfram joined the US Navy in 1967 and graduated from Underwater Demolition Training in Coronado, California in May 1968. As a Navy frogman, he was twice deployed to the war in Vietnam, where he received a Purple Heart from a leg wound inflicted during battle with the Viet Cong. John assisted in the Apollo 10 astronaut and space recovery and was the first frogman in the water to rescue Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins after their historical moon landing. John is the author of Splashdown, The Rescue of a Navy Frogman first published in 2008. He is now involved in missions work around the world, with special interest in the country of Vietnam. In 2018 he raised funds to build a Memorial Bible College in central Vietnam to honor five fallen SEAL teammates and three home town friends. Find out more about John here:https://www.johnwolfram.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do Italian unification, Pinocchio and pizza have in common? In this episode preview from History of the Papacy, host Steve Guerra dives in!The Risorgimento was a period of political and social upheaval in Italy that lasted from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century. The movement aimed to unite the various states and regions of Italy into one unified nation. Pinocchio, the beloved children's story written by Carlo Collodi, can be seen as a metaphor for Italian unification through the character's journey from a wooden puppet to a real boy. And last but not least, let's talk about pizza. Italy's most famous export, pizza, is a symbol of the country's rich cultural heritage and culinary traditions. Whether you're a fan of traditional Margherita or a more unconventional topping, there's a pizza for everyone. To continue listening to History of the Papacy, check out:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3L4IzN9 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ZtqsEd Parthenon: https://www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-the-papacy-podcastDiscover more episodes of History of the Papacy:How a New Generation of Leaders Tried to Modernize Italy Despite Crushing Poverty and Stone Age Level Development: https://apple.co/3SHyuYg / https://spoti.fi/3Y5FPliKarl Marx vs The Papacy: https://apple.co/41MtqG6 / https://spoti.fi/41DhlCMFinishing The Risorgimento: Italy Tries to Create an Empire and Fails: https://apple.co/3EPAyaS / https://spoti.fi/3EJ9hXCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.