Let's Start a Coup!
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What would you do if a secret cabal of the nation’s most powerful people asked you to overthrow the President? Weirdly enough – it’s not a hypothetical. It almost happened to FDR in the 1930s, were it not for a very intense, very problematic Marine named Major General Smedley Butler.
Join Ben Bowlin, Alex French, and a cast of historical characters brought to life by Joe Kinosian for a darkly comedic – and terrifying – retelling of one of the weirdest forgotten schemes in American history.
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Top 10 Let's Start a Coup! Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Let's Start a Coup! episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Let's Start a Coup! for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Let's Start a Coup! episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Let's Start a Coup! Ep 1 – A Basket Full of Fascists
Let's Start a Coup!
02/27/23 • 40 min
Nowadays, most people can agree that fascism is, well, a bad thing. But back in the 1930s, life absolutely sucked for most Americans, and fascism still had a sort of new car smell. Wall Street bankers were convinced they could take their country back from the clutches of ‘class traitors’ like Roosevelt, sink the New Deal and put the United States on a better – meaning more profitable – path.
They had the money. They had an army. Now all they needed was a leader.
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Operation Lunar Eclipse
Let's Start a Coup!
02/07/24 • 46 min
When a teenage astronomy fan is gifted a piece of the moon by NASA, he’s inadvertently pulled into the seedy underground moonrock trade. But don’t worry. With help from H. Ross Perot, NASA secret agents are on the case.
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Very Special Episodes is a new podcast where we tell one incredible story every week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie!” Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Produced, Edited and Sound Designed by Josh Fisher
Additional Editing by John Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Story Editing by Marisa Brown
Research and Fact-Checking by Marisa Brown, Austin Thompson, and Jake Rossen
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Spider-Man's Surreal Adventures on Broadway
Let's Start a Coup!
03/13/24 • 64 min
In 2011, after many delays, one of the most anticipated musicals in theater history finally opened on Broadway. The show was Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The powerhouse creative team included a MacArthur Genius and Bono. But its downfall would be long and treacherous. Here's the story of what went wrong — and why we're still pushing for a revival.
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Very Special Episodes is a new podcast with a simple premise: we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Joe Kinosian
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Emily Marinoff
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editors are Josh Fisher and Marisa Brown
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Joe Kinosian
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
If you're enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platforms.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace
Let's Start a Coup!
05/15/24 • 60 min
Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy was a French countess with a dubious claim to nobility and one brilliant idea: she was going to steal a diamond necklace from Louis XVI. After weaseling her way into court, Jeanne impersonates Marie Antoinette in a series of letters, starts a tabloid scandal, and inadvertently lights the fuse of the French Revolution.
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On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Research, Writing, and Interviews for today’s episode provided by Wonder Media Network
Produced by Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Marisa Brown
Editing and Sound Design by Emily Marinoff
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Voice Actors: Coco-Margeaux Rodale and Tom Antonellis
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
Special thanks to Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, and Lauren Williams.
Thanks for listening! You don't owe us any favors. But if you enjoy the show and want to do us one anyway, could you head over to your favorite podcast platform(s) and leave us a rating?
Now you can email the show: [email protected].
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Seed Wars: History's Deadliest Botany Rivalry
Let's Start a Coup!
03/20/24 • 59 min
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event. The greatest botany rivalry in history! It's Vavilov vs. Lysenko for the fate of the Soviet Union.
In the 1920s and '30s, Nikolai Vavilov was a big deal. He was studying seed genetics and learning how to prevent famines. Everyone wanted to work with him. Including a young kid named Trofim Lysenko.
Lysenko studied with Vavilov. They were friends. But years later, Lysenko turned on his mentor, and turned against science. This became a problem, because Lysenko was good buddies with Stalin. The feud would bring the Soviet Union to its knees. And it would force Vavilov to make a fateful choice: one between the truth ... or his life.
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Very Special Episodes is a new podcast with a simple premise: we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editor is Josh Fisher
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Lucas Reilly
Voice Actors: Tom Antonellis, Zaron Burnett, Josh Fisher, and Chris Childs
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
Hear Also...
Noble Blood: Catherine the Great and Her Husband the Mediocre
Noble Blood: The Ice Queen
Ridiculous Crime: Dope Floats: The Uncrashable Gary Betzner
And here's Peter Pringle's excellent book on Vavilov mentioned in the episode. Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platforms.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Shot: A Buzzer-Beater That Saved Lives
Let's Start a Coup!
05/22/24 • 44 min
Mykal Riley’s name isn’t mentioned alongside the likes of Steph Curry or Larry Bird. But neither of those guys can say they hit a three-pointer that literally saved thousands of lives.
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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach us at [email protected].
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep 2 – A Man Most Méchant
Let's Start a Coup!
03/06/23 • 40 min
While history books and Hollywood like their stories in simple black and white, real life is much more complicated. So, what made Major General Butler the ideal candidate to lead a coup? In this week’s episode – against Smedley’s wishes – Ben and Alex dive into the Major General’s dark backstory to explore why the bankers believed he was the man they were looking for.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Famous Dumpster Fires in History: The 1904 Olympic Marathon
Let's Start a Coup!
06/12/24 • 40 min
The 1904 St. Louis Olympics featured the strangest sporting event in history. During the marathon, runners paused for naps, got chased by dogs, went apple picking, and doped with rat poison — all while being unwitting participants in a cruel scientific experiment.
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Thanks for listening! Our next episode comes out Wednesday, June 26th.
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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design: Emily Marinoff
Mixing and Mastering: Baheed Frazier
Story Editor: Marisa Brown
Research and Fact-Checking: Austin Thompson and Lucas Reilly
Medal-Worthy Voice-Acting: Karl Keadle and Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer: Jason English
Want to email the show? Go for it. You can reach us at [email protected].
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing Sweet Daddy Grace
Let's Start a Coup!
07/20/23 • 3 min
Hi, Let's Start a Coup! fans! Learn more about Bishop Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace who was once the richest Black man in America! Six decades after his death, his descendants grapple with his life and legacy. Listen now on Sweet Daddy Grace.
About Remus: Sweet Daddy Grace: A personal deep dive into the life of Bishop Charles Manuel ‘Sweet Daddy’ Grace, an ambitious and gifted African immigrant and one of the 20th century’s most fascinating and overlooked figures. With hundreds of churches across the country and a congregation said to be upwards of three million, he was thought to be one of the richest Black men in America—but was he an anointed genius or a blasphemous opportunist? Marcy DePina lifts the veil on Sweet Daddy’s triumphs, scandals, and fascinating eccentricities—all the while trying to understand her own unique bond with him.
Listen to Sweet Daddy Grace now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Pledge: Who Really Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?
Let's Start a Coup!
02/22/24 • 46 min
In today's Episode, Dana, Zaron and Jason tackle a 130-year-old mystery. Although American schoolchildren still recite The Pledge every morning in nearly every classroom, we still aren't sure who actually wrote it. And all these years later, the long-accepted story is showing some cracks.
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Very Special Episodes is a new podcast where we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editor is Aaron Edwards
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Dave Roos
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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FAQ
How many episodes does Let's Start a Coup! have?
Let's Start a Coup! currently has 27 episodes available.
What topics does Let's Start a Coup! cover?
The podcast is about True Crime, History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Let's Start a Coup!?
The episode title 'Let's Start a Coup! Ep 1 – A Basket Full of Fascists' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Let's Start a Coup!?
The average episode length on Let's Start a Coup! is 28 minutes.
How often are episodes of Let's Start a Coup! released?
Episodes of Let's Start a Coup! are typically released every 13 days, 15 hours.
When was the first episode of Let's Start a Coup!?
The first episode of Let's Start a Coup! was released on Feb 22, 2023.
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