In this episode, the American Timelines gang explore historical and artistic topics, including baseball history, World War II recruitment posters, and the development of the V1 flying bomb. Specifically: Joe Nuxhall's Record-Breaking MLB Debut Joe shares the story of Joe Nuxhall, who at 15 years and 10 months became the youngest person to pitch in a Major League Baseball game for the Cincinnati Reds in 1944. Vojtěch Preissig's Life and Art Artstar shared the life story of Czech artist Vojtěch Preissig, who was born in 1872 and worked as a topographer, illustrator, and designer. Artstar also discussed how the Nazis categorized artists into "degenerate" and "Nazi-approved" categories, with the former including modern artists like Otto Dix, Paul Klee, and Picasso, while the latter favored realistic or neoclassic art. Nazi V1 Flying Bomb Overview Hunter presented an in-depth overview of the V1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodle Bug, developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Ern Malley Hoax Steve shared the story of the Ern Malley poetry hoax, which was created to mock modernist poetry but ended up being embraced by some as legitimate art.

Joe is joined by Quin Cho, Author and Fellow, Pacific Atrocities Education to discuss his books and expertise on World War 2. Quin Cho is an accomplished historian and author specializing in the history of global conflict and geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region. A 2023 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Quin earned a 4.0 GPA as a double major in History and International Relations. His academic excellence and rigorous training in archival research and historiography earned him the prestigious Outstanding Senior Award from USC’s Phi Beta Kappa society, an honor bestowed upon only three students in his graduating class.Quin’s debut book, Competing Empires in Burma: A Chronicle of the China Burma India Theater of World War II, achieved critical acclaim, ranking in the top 10 of Amazon’s military regiments category and earning an average rating of 4.91 stars on Goodreads.Currently, he is authoring a multi-volume work on the Kwantung Army, exploring its role in the false flag attack on the South Manchuria Railway that precipitated Japan’s conquest of Manchuria and set the stage for World War II in the Asia-Pacific.As a fellow at Pacific Atrocities Education since January 2024, Quin has made significant contributions to the organization’s mission. Despite a three-month sabbatical to study Korean through the State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship, he wrote 176 pages of his forthcoming book, which now totals approximately 427 pages. In March 2024, Quin conducted extensive archival research at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, scanning thousands of pages of primary source documents. These materials enriched his book and expanded PAE’s archival collection. Additionally, he completed a 40-page mini-book on the Battle of Wuhan, slated for release in early 2025.​Looking ahead, Quin’s first volume on the Kwantung Army (150–200 pages) is scheduled for release in September 2025, coinciding with a commemorative event at the Officers Club in San Francisco marking the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end. This strategic launch aims to amplify the book’s reach, with subsequent volumes planned for future years. To continue this ambitious project, Quin seeks to extend his fellowship with PAE through 2025 and 2026, ensuring further contributions to the organization’s educational and archival efforts.

Hunter, Artstar and Gruff join Joe again to continue coverage of June 1944, and this episode we jump into D-Day, and Operation Overlord. Events covered: The battle for Pointe du Hoc the Battle of Merville Gun Battery  the capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges. T Operation Houndsworth and Operation Mallard. Stanley Hollis   The Magnificent Eleven D-Day photographs. President Roosevelt's prayer address. Birthdays covered inlcude: Edgar Froese, artist and electronic musician, Bud Harrelson,  Phillip Allen Sharp, geneticist and molecular biologist, in Falmouth, Kentucky;  Tommie Smith, track & field athlete and AFL wide receiver

Joe is joined by Artstar, Gruff and Pilot Baboo to discuss June of 1944 and events leading up to D-Day! Topics covered include: World War II Historical Events Blimp History and Modern Uses Marvin Hamlisch: A Life in Music Asperger's and McGuire's Achievements World War II Deception Tactics

April & May 1944: Lena Baker, Charlie Chaplin & The Castle Warden Fire Joe is joined by Steve from the Gruff & Loud Show and the Debra Jo Ruppiverse to discuss April and May of 1944. Stories include The first and last woman to ever be executed in the electric chair in Georgia, A haunted castle fire, and Chat GPT hipster styled story about Charlie Chaplin & the Mann Act. Plus some birthdays and other stuff. Credits: Southernghoststories.com, Ripleys.com, Georgiaencyclopedia.org Part of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band. Click Here to buy their albums!

Author Roger Newman joins Artstar and Joe to discuss his novel, BOYS. Imagine a young boy whose family is killed by the Ku Klux Klan during the Great Depression and is raised by the farmer whose farm he hides on, alongside the farmer’s son. The two boys—one Black, one White— come to view themselves as brothers. When the brothers head off to fight in segregated military units in World War II, they are separated by diverging military careers and escalating racial hostility. This is the true story of South Carolina author Roger Newman’s North Carolina family, and the inspiration for his fifth novel, BOYS, newly released on January 14 (Koehler Books). Newman was compelled to write the book after learning about his Black uncle who disappeared during World War II. BOYS, which has been touted by Kirkus as “A powerful and nuanced novel about racial tensions in 20th-century America,” paints a vivid picture of many lesser-known aspects of history, from service in WWII to Vietnam and beyond.

Episode 239. Amy and Joe jump into March 1944. WW2 is going strong, a soldier survives a jump from a plane without a parachute, Bob Hope hosts the Oscars, a Jewish Mobster who invented Murder Inc. dies, a child is executed after being wrongfully convicted of murder, and Amy covers a French serial killer doctor who pretended to be part of the Resistance. American Timelines, by History for Jerks. Check out historyforjerks.com for all the fun stuff we make.

Joe interviews author Robert B. O’Connor about his World War 2 based book: Jeep Show, as well as some other topics such as soccer, baseball, cigars and weed! Robert B. O’Connor is the author of the WWII novel Jeep Show – A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge (https://jeepshowbook.com/) and the non-fiction Gumptionade – A Booster for Your Self-Improvement Plan. Two radically different books about morale. Please visit Robert’s charity of choice , Shields and Stripes, and share it and/or donate if you are able. https://shieldsandstripes.org/ Part of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band. Click Here to buy their albums!

Amy is back to tell us all about the tragedy of the lynching of Willie James Howard. Plus: Birthdays galore with Bonnie Franklin, Angela Davis, Joe Frazier and Stockard Channing. We love all of you.

Addy Kapur episode: Recorded December of 2024. Addy Kapur is a software developer, a photographer, a father, a husband, a native Delhiite, a comedian and a cook. Listen as we get to know Addy Kapur who met Joe in 2019 at the Queen City Comedy Experience Festival while photographing the Nate Bargatze show and meet and greet. Follow along as we learn about Addy’s journey from the vastly populated Delhi where he was forced to play basketball because of his height to Silcon Valley in the late 90’s where highways and bars were new to him as he discovered computers, and on to Michigan where he learned about the Michigan/Ohio state rivalry before coming to Charlotte and trying his hand at stand up comedy where he entered Joe’s realm. We discuss the art of stand up comedy, performing in rural North Carolina, learning to cook and more! Friend Check is a subseries of American Timelines, where a middle aged man scours his Facebook friend list to reconnect with each person and ask….Are we ACTUALLY friends? Why are we Facebook friends? Who actually ARE you? What stories do you have? Should we STAY Facebook Friends?

Episode 235: The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler Incident w/ Artstar and Hunter Brame Hunter shares the tale of The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident, while John Denver and Ben Kingsley are born. Hunter also gives us some in-depth Hitler knowledge. Artstar is a real man.

he Hopevale Martyrs: November & December 1943 with Artstar and Hunter Brame The mighty Artstar tells us about the Hopevale Martyrs, while Joe overviews Sam Shepard, Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell and Jim Morrison being born, U.S. Marine Sergeant Herbert J. Thomas, An unusual game involving the Ohio State Buckeyes & Illinois Illini, The U.S.Navy destroyer USS William D. Porter firing a torpedo at the president of the US, Leonard Bernstein breaking a record, Mustard gas accidentally helping fight cancer, Edward R. Murrow being profound, and Randy Newman's high school mascot. We'll be back next episode with Hunter Brizzle's story.

Adam Cufr episode:  Recorded September of 2024.   Friendcheck #9, Episode 233. Adam Cufr is a father, a husband, a drummer, a veteran and a Retirement Income Certified Professional Listen as we get to know Adam Cufr, an upstanding gent who happened to go to high school with Gruff and Joe.  Listen as we discuss Adam’s beginnings as a boy playing with girls, playing drums in bands and in school, getting his first drumset from Santa, his daughters learning how great he is from band camp, how he coped with twin to twin transfusion syndrome, how he learned empathy from tragedy, how he met his wife and almost lost the chance to marry her over a popsicle, and how he became an author and retirement advistor. Friend Check is a subseries of American Timelines, where a middle aged man scours his Facebook friend list to reconnect with each person and ask….Are we ACTUALLY friends?  Why are we Facebook friends?  Who actually ARE you?  What stories do you have?  Should we STAY Facebook Friends?

Episode 232: 1943: Huntz Hall: Don't Kill Your Friends. Joe is joined by the very rev Gary Hall, son of legendary comedian Huntz Hall of Bowery Boys & Dead End Kids fame to discuss Huntz Hall in the 40's. Including his WW2 training video, Don’t Kill Your Friends. We also discuss his friendship with Shemp Howard, his comparisons to the Beastie Boys, Milton Berle babysitting, his impression of a machine gun that got him cast, his church mentors Bing Crosby, Loretta Young and Jack Haley, as well as a fun little mob encounter. American Timelines is a member of the Queen City Podcast Network and a product of History for Jerks. Music by Matt Truman Ego Trip.

A True Friend, A Stoner & a former Prince Albert Haver The Gruff episode: Recorded August of 2024. (Friendcheck #8, American Timelines # 231) Steve Bishop aka Gruff from the Gruff & Loud Show is an Ohioan, a Stoner, a Damn Good Friend, and once had a Prince Albert. Before we move any further down the friend check path, let's take a pause and get to know the co-host of the Friend Check episodes a little better: Gruff. Listen as we diescuss the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Ohio and how it affects Gruff's enjoyment. We also share our nostalgic reflections on our childhood, school experiences, and our creative collaborations and Gruff's body modifications, our time as night guards at Bowling Green State University, and potential future interactions. Friend Check is a subseries of American Timelines, where a middle aged man scours his Facebook friend list to reconnect with each person and ask….Are we ACTUALLY friends? Why are we Facebook friends? Who actually ARE you? What stories do you have? Should we STAY Facebook Friends?

Amy’s back to jump back into 1943 and the mysterious murder of a somewhat famous actor. Did he get stabbed with a stiletto? Why was he in a bathing suit? Plus: Robert Dinero's birthday, Mussolini escapes, Kennedy is a hero, an airshow tragedy in St. Louis, and more! Part of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band.

A Pharma Consultant Who Grew Up On a Farm Adam Bianchi episode: Recorded July of 2024. (Friendcheck #7, American Timelines # 229) Adam Bianchi is a father, a husband, a farm-boy, a Spring Valley Viking, a UNC Tarheel, and a Pharma Consultant! Listen as we get to know Adam Bianchi who may have never even met Joe before, but became his friend because he’s married to one of Joe’s favorite comedians. Listen as we discuss Adam's upbringing on a farm and visiting his father’s zoo, to school days where Adam would drive from South Carolina to Canada to get beer, and then to college at UNC where he watched athletes make out during class, and then onto adulthood where Adam was happy to become a father and later find the love of his life, Jenn, who has the greatest laugh of all time. We even throw in a little Cosmic Horror and Dungeons and Dragons at the end…. Friend Check is a subseries of American Timelines, where a middle aged man scours his Facebook friend list to reconnect with each person and ask….Are we ACTUALLY friends? Why are we Facebook friends? Who actually ARE you? What stories do you have? Should we STAY Facebook Friends?

1943: Unit 731 (Episode 228-May to July) Amy’s back to jump back into 1943 with Joe. Amy tells us about the Japanese Unit 731 during World War 2 and all of the awful torture they became famous for while Joe covers the following timeline topics: Mussolini resigning, Sharon Gless and Mick Jagger being born, Batman and Robin coming to the big screen, The Phil-Pitt Steagles, The Detroit & Beaumont Race Riots, The Tuskegee Airmen, The Zoot Suit Riots, and much more! And much more! Part of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Credits Include: crimelibrary.org, A Crime To Remember, Murderpedia & More. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band. Click Here to buy their albums!

Hunter Brame aka Pilot Babboo is back to school Joe about awesome lady pilots in WW2. We talk Nancy Harkness Love, Jacqueline Cochran, the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS) and so much more. art of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band. buy their albums,

1943: Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? (Episode 226-Jan to Apr) Amy’s back to jump into 1943 with Joe. Amy tells us about a woman found dead in a tree, while Joe covers the following timeline topics: The invention of Nachos & Duct Tape The Birthdays of George Harrison, Janis Joplin, Joe Pesci & Christopher Walken WW2 Rationing Volcanoes Appearing Women Marines & Pilots And much more! Part of the Queen City Podcast Network: www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com. Credits Include: crimelibrary.org, A Crime To Remember, Murderpedia & More. Information may not be accurate, as it is produced by jerks. Music by MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP, the greatest American Band. Click Here to buy their albums!