Very Special Episodes

Author: iHeartPodcasts

On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, this should be a movie. Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
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Genres: Education, History

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JFK's Forgotten Summer [Best of 2025]
Episode 63
Wednesday, 31 December, 2025

Eighty years ago, a young John F. Kennedy took a summer job as a journalist for Hearst newspapers, filing dispatches in the final days of World War II. Even the most seasoned JFK scholars often overlook this chapter, missing the influence those months had on the future president. * "JFK's Forgotten Summer," which we originally published in June, was our top performing episode of 2025. Tragically, it took on more significance earlier this month with the death of Rob Reiner. Rob — who, with Soledad O'Brien, hosted Who Killed JFK?, one of the most successful podcasts of 2023 — kindly shared with us his knowledge and passion about the Kennedy family and appears in this episode. He was under no obligation to do this. He just wanted to help. It was an honor to work with him. We still cannot believe he and Michele are gone. * Listen to Who Killed JFK? from Rob Reiner and Soledad O'Brien wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Fred Logevall's excellent book: JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century. And thanks to our JFK voice actor, Tom Antonellis, for nailing another role. * Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason EnglishWritten by Joe PompeoProduced by Josh FisherEditing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington and Josh FisherAdditional Editing by Mary DooeMixing and Mastering by Josh FisherResearch and Fact-Checking by Joe Pompeo and Austin ThompsonOriginal Music by Elise McCoyShow Logo by Lucy QuintanillaExecutive Producer is Jason EnglishSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.