Ohio V. The World

Ep. 5: "Pete Rose v. the World" (PART TWO). Alex examines the fall of baseball's all-time hits leader, Cincinnati's own Pete Rose. This two-part episode follows his rise from obscurity on the Queen City's West Side to 20th Century sports icon and his spectacular fall that leads to his banishment from baseball for gambling.

Part Two covers Rose and the Big Red Machine's second championship in 1976 and his chase of Ty Cobb's all-time hits record in 1985 when he returns to Cincinnati as the Player/Manager of the Reds. We're rejoined by New York Times bestselling author Keith O'Brien to discuss his excellent new book Charlie Hustle: the Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball (2024). Keith walks us through Pete's lifelong addiction to gambling and how it leads to his shocking banishment from baseball in 1989 and even to a short prison sentence. We also discuss how the nationwide legalization of sports gambling could negatively impact the integrity of major American sports.

Chris Eckes, Director of Operations/Chief Curator of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, rejoins the show to talk about the Big Red Machine, Rose's return to Cincinnati and getting the hits record at Riverfront Stadium. Chris recounts the decision to induct Rose into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016 and takes us through the museum's history. Link below to visit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, located on site at Great American Ball Park. Highly recommend visiting their large museum space next time you're in Downtown Cincinnati.

Where to buy Charlie Hustle: https://keithob.com/purchase

Visit the Reds HOF & Museum here: https://www.mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame

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Alex travels to the Sunshine State to discover the story of Henry Flagler, the Cleveland native, known as "the Father of Modern Florida." We analyze Flagler's career at Standard Oil and his close relationship with John D. Rockefeller during their years building the oil giant in Cleveland, Ohio. We follow Flagler's second act as a railroad tycoon and developer in cities like St. Augustine, Palm Beach and Miami. The Florida that Flagler builds during the 1920s grows exponentially. But the economic boom goes bust and perhaps even sparks the Great Depression.

Kevin Callahan, trustee from the Western Reserve Historical Society, rejoins the show to share Henry Flagler's rise from failed businessman to one of the co-founder's of Standard Oil. The oil company, which started in Cleveland, with Rockefeller and Flagler becomes one of the most successful and despised companies in American history.

We follow Flagler's journey south to Florida in the 1880s, Leslee Keys from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida shares the history of the Ancient City and Flagler's landmark resort the Hotel Ponce de Leon. Professor Keys discusses the new empire that Henry Flagler begins to behind along Florida's Atlantic Coast. Check out Leslee's book, Hotel Ponce de Leon: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Flagler's Gilded Age Palace. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813061498

Finally, we sit down with Dr. Paul George from the History Miami Museum and discuss the Roaring Twenties in Florida. Dr. George outlines Henry Flagler's final achievement, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad, completed in 1912. We discuss the historic Florida real estate boom of the 1920s that transforms the state to the hot new destination for America's fortune seekers. We meet the incomparable developer of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher as his rise and fall mirror that of the entire state in the 1920s. Lastly, we ponder the role of the Sunshine State in two of America's most infamous financial crises, the Great Depression and the Great Recession of 2008. Visit the History Miami Museum next time you're in South Beach. https://www.historymiami.org

Don't forget to go and read our book recommendation from this episode Christopher Knowlton's most excellent 2020 book Bubble in the Sun. Buy it here...https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bubble-in-the-Sun/Christopher-Knowlton/9781982128388

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Alex dives into the biggest medical experiment of the 20th Century: the development of the polio vaccines and the story of rivalry between its creators, Drs. Albert Sabin and Jonas Salk. A disease that was terrorizing parents all over the United States, the polio virus changed American medical history. We sit down with four amazing medical experts to discuss the polio crusade and its lessons for our current vaccine debates while analyzing the efforts of Dr. Albert Sabin from Cincinnati, Ohio and his oral polio vaccine that helps to nearly rid the world of this terrible virus.

Dr. Paul Offit joins the show to discuss the terror that was the polio epidemic in the first half of the 20th Century and how America ultimately took the experimental vaccines in overwhelming numbers. Offit, from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Board has written extensively on the polio virus. Dr. Offit's new book You Bet Your Life (2021) discusses how there's inherent and very real risk involved in all medical innovations in our history. Polio and COVID-19 are no exception. Paul discusses the "Cutter Incident" in 1955, which stopped the polio vaccination process and his thoughts on vaccine skepticism in modern times. Buy Dr. Offit's new book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S3DL19Y

We're joined by Brandy Schillace, science historian and author, to discuss the rivalry between Albert Sabin and Jonas Salk and why polio becomes such a problem for middle class America in the 1950s. Brandy teaches us about the importance of the messaging in the success of the polio vaccine rollout and its stark differences as a case study compared to the COVID vaccine rollout. Brandy's new book Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher (Simon & Schuster 2021) can be purchased here and it's a truly fantastic read. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mr-Humble-and-Dr-Butcher/Brandy-Schillace/9781982113780

Michael Flamm, professor of history at Ohio Wesleyan University, joins the program for the first and likely not the last time. Professor Flamm is the creator of How 1954 Changed the World on Audible.com and he joins the program to discuss "the greatest public health experiment" in US history up until that time. Professor Flamm highlights the careers of Sabin and Salk, their epic rivalry and how the Greatest Generation embraced the polio vaccine despite the uncertainties.

Dr. Randy Sharma joins the program to discuss the effects of the polio virus on its child victims in the 1940s and 50s, things like the terrible solitude of the "iron lungs" and Sabin's early vaccine trials in Chillicothe and Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Episode 13: “Ohio v. Conspiracy” (Roswell, the WaterCar, JFK) We sit down 3 guests and discuss three of Ohio’s most fascinating conspiracy cases. First we meet with author Ray Szymanski and we talk about the connection between the Roswell UFO incident in 1947 and Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Ray, who worked at Wright Patt for 38 years, has traveled the world investigating the alien phenomenon and talks to us about Ohio’s connection to extraterrestrials. (4:30) Check out Ray’s book ‘Fifty Shades of Greys: Evidence of Extraterrestrial Visitation to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Beyond.” https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1523383178/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Columbus Dispatch reporter, Dean Narciso, joins the show to discuss the little known story of Stanley Allen Meyer and his water car. Alex and Dean look at the life and invention of Stan Meyer that could have changed the world until his untimely and suspect death in 1998 in Grove City, Ohio. (23:00) Lastly, we tackled the biggest conspiracy of them all: the JFK Assassination (47:30). JFK scholar, Lane Marcus, joins the show to examine the life and death of Cleveland, Ohio’s, David Ferrie. We analysis the connection between David Ferrie, Lee Harvey Oswald and the killing of our 35th President in Dallas, TX in 1963. Mr. Marcus describes a complex plot involving the Mafia, elements of the CIA and even LBJ himself that contributed to the death of President Kennedy. Special thanks to our guest and Chief Marketing Officer of the Ohio History Connection, Jamison Pack. (41:00) Jamison and I discuss the changing of the name to the OHC from the original name the Ohio Historical Society back in 2014 and the challenges of marketing in the history world. Go see the new Ohio: Champion of Sports exhibit at the Ohio History Center in 2019. Thanks to the support from our friends at GoBus! Go to www.ridegobus.com for more info on the intracity bus service in Ohio.

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Episode 8: “Ohio v. Conventions”. Alex visits the convention hall floor and the smoke-filled rooms of America’s past political conventions in Ohio. Political conventions are going to look very different in 2020 but usually they’re the Super Bowl for political junkies. We breakdown all six major party political conventions that have taken place in Ohio in American history. We focus on the first convention to be held in the Buckeye State: the 1856 Democratic Convention in Cincinnati. This first Ohio convention nominates our 15th President, James Buchanan. Journalist and author, Robert Strauss joins us to discuss his book about Buchanan, Worst. President. Ever. Robert shares how Buchanan got the nomination in Cincinnati, won the election and why many historians consider him our worst president. Buy Robert’s book Worst. President. Ever. here https://www.amazon.com/Worst-President-Ever-Buchanan-Presidents/dp/1493030590 We hit two conventions in Cincinnati in 1876 and 1880 with former guests Mike Allbritain, Todd Arrington and Dustin McLochlin. They walk us through the unlikely nomination of Ohioan Rutherford B. Hayes at the 1876 Republican Convention and Winfield Scott Hancock’s almost presidency as the nominee at the 1880 Democratic National Convention. We are joined by former guest and history professor at Case Western Reserve University, John Grabowski, to discuss the 1924 and 1936 Republican Conventions in Cleveland, OH. The successful presidential run of Calvin Coolidge is discussed as well as why a total of 3 political conventions were held on the shores of Lake Erie in 1924. We visit Depression-era Cleveland and the ill-fated nomination of Alf Landon at the 1936 Republican Convention. John and Alex look at life in Cleveland in the midst of the Great Depression and discuss the reasons behind Landon’s landslide defeat to FDR. Lastly, we go back to 2016 and the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The unlikely nomination of Donald Trump is analyzed with author and political analyst, Kyle Kondik. Kyle was at the convention in 2016 and discusses Trump’s speech and the mood in the convention hall. We also look forward to President Trump’s re-election bid in 2020 in the ultimate swing state of Ohio.

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