Touring History 6-20-25

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Touring History Podcast Script - June 20th, 2025

 

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Opening

LANE: Welcome back to Touring History, the podcast where we turn calendar pages into entertainment and occasionally learn something by accident. I'm Lane—

DAVE: And I'm Dave, and before we dive into a day that gave us everything from Queen Victoria to Jaws, we need to talk about Randy's Donuts.

LANE: Oh, are we starting with the important stuff today?

DAVE: Lane, when you're about to discuss the French Revolution, movie sharks, and Lizzie Borden's acquittal all in one episode, you need proper sustenance. Randy's Donuts has been providing that to Los Angeles for over seven decades.

LANE: That giant donut sign isn't just advertising—it's a promise. Inside, you'll find donuts perfected through generations of bakers who take their craft seriously.

DAVE: Check them out at randysdonuts.com, because when you're learning about history's most dramatic moments, you deserve snacks that are equally dramatic.

LANE: And speaking of dramatic, today is June 20th—revolutionary France to movie sharks, with royal succession and axe murder trials thrown in for good measure.

 

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Birthdays

DAVE: Let's start with birthdays, because June 20th produced some seriously talented people. Brian Wilson turns 83 today—the mastermind behind the Beach Boys who proved pop music could be as complex as classical music.

LANE: "Pet Sounds" alone makes him a genius. Plus Lionel Richie's 75, Nicole Kidman's 58, and John Goodman's 73.

DAVE: And representing Gen Z, we've got 17-year-old TikTok star Ava Wood and 18-year-old rapper Ndotspinalot.

LANE: I love that we're living in an era where teenagers can build global audiences from their bedrooms. Although I feel ancient when there are famous people younger than my T-shirts.

 

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1782 - Great Seal of the United States

[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Colonial-era Congress meeting room with founding fathers in period dress examining the Great Seal design. Show close-up details of the eagle, olive branch, arrows, and "E pluribus unum" motto on parchment. Include the moment of final approval and the seal being pressed into wax. Style: Dignified historical documentary with warm candlelit atmosphere.]

DAVE: June 20th, 1782, the U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal—that's the eagle and pyramid on the back of dollar bills.

LANE: This took them six years to figure out! Three different committees, and they kept rejecting designs. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey as the national bird.

DAVE: Can you imagine? "In God We Trust" with a turkey underneath? The eagle holds 13 arrows and an olive branch, but cleverly, the head faces toward the olive branch—peace over war.

LANE: The reverse side with the pyramid and eye says "Novus ordo seclorum"—"a new order of the ages." The founding fathers were announcing America would change everything.

DAVE: And they weren't wrong! Though I'm not sure they anticipated their symbols ending up on conspiracy theory websites.

 

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1789 - Tennis Court Oath

[AI VIDEO PROMPT: Indoor tennis court at Versailles with members of the Third Estate in 18th-century French attire raising their hands in solemn oath. Show the dramatic moment of collective commitment with revolutionary fervor and period architecture. Style: Classical historical painting brought to life with cinematic drama.]

LANE: June 20th, 1789, brings us the Tennis Court Oath—basi