Deep Dive: The Axis of Evil Speech, the Legacy of Oprah Winfrey, and Hawaii's Last Queen - January 29, 2026

[00:00] Claire Donovan: Welcome to Deep Dive. I am Claire Donovan. [00:04] Nina Park: And I'm Nina Park. Today is January 29th, a date that marks a significant turning point for the [00:12] Nina Park: Hawaiian kingdom. Back in 1891, following the death of King Kalakakawa, his sister, [00:19] Nina Park: Liliuokalani, became the sovereign ruler. She was the first queen regnant and, um, ultimately, [00:27] Nina Park: the last monarch of Hawaii. [00:29] Nina Park: Right. [00:29] Claire Donovan: Her story is incredibly moving, Nina. When she took the throne, she was determined to restore political power to the Hawaiian people and the monarchy, which had been stripped away by the bayonet constitution. [00:43] Claire Donovan: But that determination met fierce opposition from pro-annexation forces, eventually leading to the overthrow of the monarchy just two years later. [00:54] Claire Donovan: Even after her arrest and imprisonment at Iolani Palace, her spirit remained strong. [01:00] Claire Donovan: She spent her later years at Washington Place, and her writings about the resilience of nature and her people are still studied today by those looking at labor and civil rights history in the Pacific. [01:12] Nina Park: It is a poignant reminder of how quickly political landscapes can shift. [01:18] Nina Park: The theme of leadership and how national identity is defined carries through to another major event on this day. [01:26] Nina Park: If we fast forward to 2002, we find President George W. Bush delivering his State of the Union address, [01:33] Nina Park: where he famously coined the term Axis of Evil to describe regimes that sponsor terror. [01:40] Claire Donovan: That phrase was a massive catalyst for the War on Terror, Nina. [01:45] Claire Donovan: By grouping Iraq, Iran, and North Korea under that single label, the Bush administration was essentially setting the stage for a new era of proactive foreign policy. [01:56] Claire Donovan: From a policy perspective, it was, I mean, it was a masterclass in using rhetoric to simplify complex geopolitical threats into a clear, albeit controversial, moral framework for the public. [02:10] Claire Donovan: It fundamentally changed how the United States interacted with the world for over a decade. [02:15] Nina Park: The power of a single speech is truly remarkable. [02:20] Nina Park: While we are on the topic of presidents and the power of words, [02:24] Nina Park: today is also the birthday of several individuals who mastered those crafts in very different ways. [02:31] Nina Park: For instance, January 29th marks the birth of William McKinley in 1843, the 25th President of the United States. [02:39] Claire Donovan: McKinley is such a fascinating figure to look back on, especially regarding his role in the Spanish-American War. [02:47] Claire Donovan: He led the country into a period of overseas expansion, which was a departure from traditional American isolationism. [02:55] Claire Donovan: his presidency really bridged the gap between the 19th century post-Civil War era and the [03:02] Claire Donovan: emergence of the U.S. as a global power in the 20th century. [03:06] Nina Park: Mm-hmm. That era of the late 19th century also gave us one of the greatest literary minds [03:12] Nina Park: in history. Anton Chekhov was born on this day in 1860. What I find [03:18] Nina Park: so inspiring about Chekhov Claire is that he was a physician by trade. He famously said that [03:24] Nina Park: medicine was his lawful wife and literature was his mistress. He revolutionized the short story [03:31] Nina Park: and drama by focusing on mood and character depth rather than traditional plot, [03:36] Nina Park: which still influences how we teach storytelling today. [03:40] Claire Donovan: And speaking of people who changed how we tell stories and view the world, [03:45] Claire Donovan: we have to talk about Oprah Winfrey, who was born on this day in 1954. [03:50] Claire Donovan: It is hard to overstate her influence. [03:54] Claire Donovan: She didn't just host a talk show. [03:57] Claire Donovan: She built a media empire that redefined the relationship between the host and the audience [04:04] Claire Donovan: through empathy and vulnerability. [04:06] Nina Park: Exactly, Claire. [04:08] Nina Park: Through Harpo Productions and the own network, she became one of the most successful producers [04:14] Nina Park: and business women in the world. [04:16] Nina Park: But more than that, she used her platform to champion education and literacy. [04:22] Nina Park: Her book club alone changed the publishing industry. [04:26] Nina Park: She showed us that a single voice could create a global community. [04:31] Nina Park: It is quite a legacy to celebrate. [04:33] Claire Donovan: From the ascension of a queen to the words of a president and the birth of a media icon. [04:39] Claire Donovan: January 29th is truly a day for the history books. [04:44] Claire Donovan: Thank you for joining us for this look at the stories that shaped our world. [04:48] Claire Donovan: Check out deepdive.neuralnewscast.com for more. [04:52] Claire Donovan: I'm Claire Donovan. [04:53] Nina Park: And I'm Nina Park. [04:55] Nina Park: We will see you next time on Deep Dive. [04:58] Nina Park: Deep Dive is AI-assisted, human reviewed. [05:01] Nina Park: Explore history every day on Neural Newscast.