WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Oct. 18-24: Alaska, elephant warfare, and tater tots

Episode Date: October 18, 2026

Join Ava and Alessia at the explore the history of Alaska, Hannibal's use of elephants in battle, and more.

Welcome to This Week in History with Ava and Alessia, your one-stop shop for all things history. Welcome to This Week in History. I'm Ava. And I'm Alessia. Each week we chat about two events from American World, Military, and Pop Culture History. Then we'll play guest that year, the game where we take turns trying to stump each other with absolutely random historical dates. But first, let's talk about what happened in American history this week. Ava, what's your first event? On October 22nd, 1969, Seymour Hirsch, a journalist from New York City, receives a tip about the Maillai massacre in the Vietnam War.

So the massacre occurred during a search and destroy operation in Vietnam in March of 1968 and became one of the most well-known cover-ups from the Vietnam War. The event involved multiple companies in the 11th Brigade of the Americal Division, but most of the atrocities were at the hands of Sea Company. And the event was originally reported two days later as a decisive American victory over the Viet Cong and was completely dismissed. But none of that was actually true. That was in that report. What really happened was that 500 civilians were brutally killed at the hands of American soldiers. So on that day, March 16, 1968, a young warrant officer named Hugh Thompson witnessed the massacre while he was flying air surveillance and he tried to report the event to higher ups. But his reports were swept under the rug before they could get high enough to do any good.

Fast forward, a whole calendar year, so we're in 1969, and a young man named Ron Reed and Howard decided to write about the massacre to 30 government officials in D.C. He had not witnessed the massacre himself but had heard stories from other soldiers and felt that something had to be done since he hadn't seen or heard anything about it since the event occurred. Of the 30 letters that he sent, only two representatives gave the letter any thought, which is crazy to me. He sent 30 letters that were super detailed with references to witnesses of the event, and no one cared. That's crazy. If a letter showed up on my desk saying that a bunch of innocent civilians were killed, that would be my new number one priority.

Yeah. Like I spent all last semester researching the cover-up of this massacre. And what a bunch of interviews suggested was that since all the letters go through secretaries and interns, they just saw it was a photocop-cocopied letter. He wrote one original and then made 30 photocopies of it and sent it to people. They saw what it was and they're like, oh, it's probably nothing important if they couldn't even send an original letter. Oh, wow. Yeah, which is, I'm glad that it got to two people at least, but still. After a lot of work that these two representatives did, the story eventually made its way to General Westmerlin's office, and Westmerlin ordered an official investigation, which began in April 1969, over an entire year after the event had occurred.

But in October of 1969, New York City journalist Seymour Hearst received a tip about the massacre and began researching it immediately. He spent an insane amount of time interviewing witnesses and trying to collect information about the event, since most of the official government documents weren't declassified until the 90s. All he had to work with were eyewitness accounts and the few documents that were available for public use, like those articles that were published a couple days after that had none of the correct information. But Hirsch is the most acclaimed writer on the massacre, and he even won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism for his book on the subject. I read it twice. It's really good. Good for him. Yeah, he's super cool. He chased something that a lot of people, yeah, they just

wouldn't look at it because it was so touchy. The government did not want anything written about it. Yeah. And the thing he was given as a tip was this like one paragraph article at the very end of a newspaper that was talking about how Lieutenant Callie, the guy who was leading C company, was getting court-martialed, and it was super vague. And that was the tip. And someone told him that it was about the My Lai Massacre. He was like, hmm, okay, I should look into that. Yeah. Well, you know what they say? The cover up is always worse than the crime. True. Alessia, what do you have for American history? I have something definitely more upbeat. Good. Thank you.

I have October 18th, 1867, and this is when the United States formally took possession of Alaska from the Russian Empire after they purchased it for $7.2 million. Dang. Like Alaska, Alaska is the biggest state, right? Yeah. And $7.2 million. You can't even buy a house for that in some places. Yeah. I think houses in Southern California are more expensive than Alaska. Quite possibly. But this day is now celebrated as Alaska Day in Alaska. And I still, I just, the thing that shocks me more than anything is how good of a deal this was. Yeah, that's crazy.

I heard it's really pretty, but I've never been. I've heard it's beautiful, but there's no sunshine most of the year. Only sometimes. Yeah. Let's move into world history now. Eva, what do you have? So our podcast is called This Week in History, and the event I'm talking about will be historical, but it actually hasn't happened yet. I'm sorry, what?

Yeah, it hasn't happened yet. On October 19th of 2026, so later this week, the Canadian province of Alberta will hold a vote that ask residents whether they would like to remain a part of Canada or secede. So news, but also. What? Yeah. It will be a super historical moment, and it's already gotten a bunch of, like, intrigue and stuff. And I started hearing about this, like, a couple months ago, but I didn't know they were, like, legit, serious about it, but I did a ton of research on it.

This vote is not saying that Alberta will or will not secede. It's just kind of, like, gleaning interest in the idea for now. Right. But according to Albuquerque. Alberta's referendum website, which is what they're titling this vote. The last question on the ballot asks, and I'm quoting this, should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution

to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada, which in other words is asking people whether they want to start the legal process of having a vote to decide on secession. So there are a couple steps away, but... Yeah, crazy. But the website also has a ton of other information as to why they're having the vote. And most of the reasoning is based in a desire for more localized control on issues like immigration, federalization. Yesterday, from when we're recording this episode, the BBC published a video article or something. It was a video version of an article that was joking that this possible secession could,

be the Canadian equivalent of Brexit. Oh. I worry about the Brexit effect here, right? I mean, be careful what you wish for. So, could this vote be Canada's Brexit moment? We'll explain it all. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. I thought that was crazy. Mm-hmm. Because I don't know if Alberta's deceding would be them leaving their, like, agreement with the UK. I don't know. I'm not sure either. But that's really interesting. We'll have to keep an eye on that. I have no clue. But yeah, coming soon to this week in history because it's happening soon. Alessia, what do you have for world history? I have October 24th, 1929, when Black Thursday strikes the New York Stock Exchange signaling

the beginning of the devastating 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression. This is the event that kicks everything off and destroys the economy around the world. The Great Depression kicked off in 1929 and would last all the way to World War II, when the spending in that war really helps pull the U.S. out of the Depression. Thousands and thousands of Americans and people around the world lost their job. It's the end of what is known as the Roaring 20s when the economy was doing well, life was good, people had never been wealthier, and then it all comes crashing down. Yeah, going from jazz age to no one can afford to go listen to music.

Yeah, it's pretty tragic. of people move west during this time to look for jobs. The government even steps in to try and remedy the situation by creating the Works Progress Administration and other entities of the government, but nothing can really bring the economy back at that point. It just, it was just a time of complete struggle for a lot of people, and they had to make use of whatever they had. But that's the Great Depression and the event that started at all. If you're just tuning in, this is this week in history with Ava and Alessia on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. So let's head to military history now.

Eva, what do you have? On October 19th of 202, BC, we haven't done BC in a while, so I wanted to throw it back. Yeah, it's been a hot minute. But on that day, Scipio Afrikanus defeated Hannibal Barca at the Battle of Zama. That place doesn't exist anymore, so I don't really know how to say it. Where is it now? It is currently in Tunisia in North Africa. But Scipio was the leader of the Romans, and Hannibal was the commander of the Carthaginians.

And before I get into it, yes, this is Hannibal, the guy famous for using elephants as cavalry. But keep in mind, Hannibal's 80 elephants were not very well trained in terms of cavalry training that was normal for the time. Usually horses had to be trained to perform certain actions under circumstances of war like loud noises and people running at them with sharp things. Right. But these elephants were not very well trained, and that's just a good piece of logistical information to keep in the back of your head. But when the Romans and the Carthaginians lined up for battle, Hannibal planned to just run the elephants at the Romans because having 80 elephants run at you is legitimately terrifying. Yeah, that sounds horrific. Yeah.

I would run away. As would I. But Scipio knew that this was going to happen, and he also knew that the elephants weren't very well trained because he's just cool like that. Did he have spies? I don't know a definitive answer to that, but I would assume probably. But Scipio decided to arrange his forces into smaller, more easily maneuverable groups called mannipoles with wide spaces in between each group. So when the elephants charged, the groups all got together and put their shields up. So they were like little walls with alleyways in between them.

And the elephants just ran through the empty space. But some of the elephants were so frightened by the noise and people with sharp things that they just turned around and started trampling their own team. The elephants were scared of the people? Yeah. Oh my gosh. I mean, it's like a horse. If you run up at a horse and start screaming at it and it's not trained, it's going to freak out. Have you seen those clips of baby elephants that see like a mouse for the first time and they're terrified?

No, but that sounds really cute. It's hilarious, cute and sad at the same time. But so they were scared and started trampling their own team. And the ones that didn't get scared just ran through the alleyways in between the mannipals. And most of the Romans were completely unimpeded. And there were a ton of other really cool tactical things that Scipio did and that Hannibal did not. But for the sake of time, Scipio won, like majorly won. Hannibal's plan really backfired.

Majorly. It could not have gone worse for him. Just a lesson to learn about war. If you're going to do something, make sure the things that you use are trained and maybe think about what your opponent knows about you. Yeah. But, you know, can be the breaking point. Yeah. As well as elephants.

Yeah. Elephants can also be the breaking point. Alessia, what do you have for military history? I have October 18th, 1942. So we're jumping way, way, way, way, way. So far ahead. And this is when Adolf Hitler issues the infamous commando order mandating the immediate execution without trial of all captured allied commandos. Commandos are different than spies.

That's the first thing we have to establish here. Okay, because I didn't know that. Yes, very different because they're actually a military unit. They would have their own uniforms and their job was basically sneak into behind enemy territory and gather information and then go back. or carry out operations, blow up this railroad, destroy this boat, something like that, and then they would go back. They're not civilian, they're not civilian spies, which civilian spies have never been projected. This sounds terrible, but they could be executed and all governments did that in most cases. But commandos are actually military forces and according to the Geneva Convention

should not be just executed without trial. They are prisoners of war. But Hitler decides he is no longer following the Geneva Convention, although I don't know that he ever really was. I don't think he was. And he gives the order that they can be killed in order to limit the amount of commandos. The allies are sending into France and other places. Despite this, he's not really, he can't really limit espionage or commandos because they keep coming and eventually and they're very successful. They have a lot of success during the Second World War, and Hitler ultimately loses anyways. So when Allied commandos were captured by police or German soldiers on the ground, they were to be handed over to the SS, who would then take over the execution part.

Sometimes they would be thrown in prison camps before, but often they would just be executed on the spot. Sorry, I turned it sad again. No, it's fine. We should change the mood again, though. Let's go happy. What do you have for pop culture? Okay, so I purposefully chose this one because I felt like you would love it. Oh, okay.

On October 21st, 1958, the phrase Tater Taut became a registered trademark of Orida, the potato company. You were right. I absolutely love this. I could eat an entire bag of Tater Tots in one sitting. They might be my favorite potato item ever invented. And so I might start celebrating October 21st as a holiday. I think you totally should. Tater Taut Day.

Let us hope and pray that the dining hall has Tater Tots on October 21st. They better. I'm going to submit something in writing. They do have a common box. But for the history part of this, Orida invented Tater Tots in 1953 to make use of leftover French fries shavings, which is so cool to me because they were being resourceful. but they created another form of potato that is by some people more loved than French fries. All right. America's favorite brand of frozen potatoes because they taste good.

Facts. They are better. When done right. If you have a bad tater tot, it can be really gross. Because it just turns into like a greasy center and it's just not good. So, Eva, why are they called tater tots? That's a great question that I don't really know the answer to. I think it was one of those.

like 1950s things, if I had to guess where they wanted to have like a cute, kitsy little name. So they used alliteration and tot is just a cute word and tater is potato. Oh yeah. I just looked it up and it says you're so close. Yeah, you're right. Tater is common slang for potato and tott means small child or toddler, which describes the way that they, the potato, that the little snack looks.

Because they look like little mini potatoes. I never read that much into it and I absolutely love it. it. Yeah, it's great. I love them more now. But the funny thing about this to me is that if you buy any other brand of Tater Taut, that company isn't legally allowed to use the phrase Tater Taut. That's why at Aldi, they're called Potato Puffs. Yes. And so it's always something like a potato puff or a potato nugget or a potato barrel. But Tott is just the best word for them, which I personally find it hilarious that they made it illegal for other people to use the name Tater Taut. My mind has been blown.

I did not realize there was so much lore but behind these. There's always so much lore behind trademarked food. That is so true. I think there's a whole TV show about it. That I would watch that. But tangentially related to tater tots. Orida did a marketing collab with a guy who played Napoleon Dynamite, and they made a commercial about how much he loved tater tots.

And they made him like a custom pair of tater tot. protecting pants because in the movie because in the movie he has this little side zip pocket in his cargo like sweatpants and he puts tater tots in there and this guy in his class is like Napoleon give me your tots and Napoleon's like no dude get your own and then in class he's like eating his tater tots but then the the guy like they get crushed at some point but yeah it's a it was just hilarious to me I love that I think I need to invent a little purse that's That's like, it's sealed. A tater tot purse.

Yeah, and I can just stuff it with tater tots and have a snack during class. That would be awesome. I think my professors would hate you. Or they would ask for a tater tot. That's true. Okay, yeah, some of them would totally ask for one. Alessia, what do you have for pop culture history? I have October 18, 1896, when the first major newspaper comic strip, the Yellow Kid,

is first published in the New York Journal, first ever newspaper comic strip. That's so cool. I didn't know they started that early as like a dignified strip of comic. Yeah. And they've become part of so many people's childhood. I remember reading the comics as a kid with my grandpa. And now we even have them in the Collegian. And now it's time for everyone's favorite game. Guess that year. Let's see if I can have any sort of redemption because I think I'm losing still again. I can do this. I don't... It's one-zero, right? No, I think it's one-one. You definitely...

I gave you that easy-ball question about William the Conquer. Yes, so we're one-one. Okay, so I'm... I have been slightly redeemed. On October 21st of what year was the Battle of Trafalgar? In what world did you think I would get that? It was military history. I have no idea. But you read about someone involved in this battle in class the other day. I did?

You did. Who? Napoleon. Oh, okay. I just gave you a massive hint. Yeah, I needed that. I did not know when that battle happened. So, thank you for that.

Let's go 18-06. 05. Dang it. You're really close. That was a good guess, though. I did help you get to a century, though. You did. I needed that really badly.

And a decade, TBH. You know, I didn't really know that that was the decade, but thank you. You're welcome. I tried. Alas. I appreciated it. On October 18th of White Year was the British Broadcasting Corporation, aka the BBC, founded. Was it 1921? It was not, but you're so close. It's 1922. Oh my gosh. Because I think that was a guess that year that I gave you like a year ago. Really? I don't remember that at all. I'm pretty sure, or at least I stumbled across it.

Yeah. But I knew it was in the early 20s. You were close. We're both a year off. Yeah. It's the theme today. Yeah. Okay. Also on October 18th, but a different year. What year did the hit musical Mamma Mia open in New York City? October 18th of what year? Mama Mia, that's fairly new, right? 1995. 2001. Oh, that's newer than I thought. Yeah. Oh, well. All right. Last question. Let's see if either of us can get a point today. In what year, on October 21st, was the catastrophic coal-based landslide in Aberphane Whale? Oh my gosh. We talked about this last year.

We did. We did. You should get this. Oh my gosh. I know what period of Elizabeth's reign it was in. Oh my gosh. We had a long conversation about this last year. We did.

I know it's between 1950 and 1968. Yeah, it is. That's a big gap, though. I know 12 years. I got a narrow down to one. I'm going to go 58. No, sorry. 166.

We're still tied at 1-1. Yep. And we're on episode 5. five. We're on episode five. But thanks for tuning into this week in history with Ava and Alessia, the show where we talk about all things history. See you next week on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.