Podcast
Archive Atlanta
Hosted by Victoria Lemos · EN
A weekly history podcast sharing stories about the people, places and events that shaped the city of Atlanta.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Atlanta Student Movement - REPLAY
Feb 600:15:53Tap to summarizeWhen people think of sit-ins, they think Greensboro. But the movement didn’t start, or stop, there. This episode looks at how the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins inspired Atlanta’s Black college students to challenge segregation in a city that called itself “too busy to hate.” From An Appeal for Human Rights to coordinated sit-ins across downtown, arrests under newly written laws, and the protests that landed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in jail. Atlanta’s Student Movement reshaped the civil rights fight and even influenced a presidential election. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Time Zones
Jan 3000:08:53Tap to summarizeAtlanta gets nearly an extra hour of evening sunlight compared to cities east of us—and it turns out that’s no accident. In this episode, we unravel how railroads invented time zones, why Georgia was once split between Central and Eastern Time, and how Atlanta spent decades fighting over what time it should be. From business interests and newspaper deadlines to full-page ads promising more sleep for children, the battle over the clock was surprisingly intense. This is a story about power, commerce, civic identity, and a deceptively simple question that once divided a city: what time is it, really? Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Oakland City + Bush Mountain
Jan 1600:16:39Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we follow the land from rural farmland to an independent city with its own mayor, streetcars, schools, and sharp racial divides. You’ll hear how Bush Mountain became a vital Black community, how segregation shaped education and housing, and why progress so often bypassed certain streets. From Madea’s House to Negro League baseball fields, Klan activity, and environmental justice, this is a story of growth, conflict, and resilience layered into one small corner of the city. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →The First Hot Air Balloon Ride
Jan 200:05:23Tap to summarizeBefore airplanes and AI, Atlanta once stopped in its tracks to watch a hot air balloon rise into the sky. In this episode, I cover the story of the city’s first balloon flight in 1869. Balloon pioneer Samuel Archer King and the “Dare Devil Dentist” Dr. Albert Hape ascended nearly a mile above Atlanta as thousands watched from below. From spotting Stone Mountain to scaring onlookers and surviving a rough landing, their journey was equal parts spectacle and wonder. Through Hape’s own words, we glimpse how life-changing it was to see Atlanta from above for the very first time. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →USS Atlanta
Dec 1900:14:06Tap to summarizeFrom ancient superstitions to nuclear submarines, the name Atlanta carries a remarkable legacy across the seas. In this episode, we trace the centuries-old traditions of ship naming, before diving into the history of the vessels called USS Atlanta. You’ll hear how one ship served both the Confederacy and the Union, how others helped usher in America’s “New Navy,” and how the most famous USS Atlanta fought—and was lost—during the brutal battles of World War II at Guadalcanal. We follow the name through Cold War submarines, deep-sea wreck discoveries, and all the way to a newly ordered, multi-billion-dollar nuclear sub still under construction today. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Tami Roche
Dec 500:53:12Tap to summarizeTami Roche was named Miss Burlesque in 1966 and her career took off, performing across the country and on Broadway, before moving to Atlanta in 1969 to headline at the Body Shoppe for a few weeks. Weeks turned into years and she made her way to the Domino Lounge, where she developed her famous champagne glass bath act. She even had Russ Meyer, famous sexplotation film director, write a script for her! We talked about her early childhood, her entry into burlesque, how she chose her stage name, how she became "Tassel Twirling Tami", her move to Atlanta, marriage to the club owner, his sudden death and the battle to keep and run four clubs as a woman in the 1970s. And best of all, the origin story of her famous bathtub act. https://gofund.me/0e5816385 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsk6V4mXIBM Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Atlanta Freedom Bands + Voices of Note
Nov 2800:34:28Tap to summarizeA special bonus episode to share my interview with Cliff Norris and David Aurilio to learn about the histories of the Atlanta Freedom Bands, a nonprofit community music organization made up of LGBTQ+ musicians and allies that includes a full concert band, marching band, jazz ensemble, and several small groups, and Voices of Note, the nonprofit organization that oversees Atlanta's LGBTQ+ choral groups, including the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus. We covered the history of how these groups formed in Atlanta, why they were needed and how they fared through the AIDS crisis. In the upcoming weeks, each group has several concerts, including the one that I am hosting on December 20th! Events: Holidays on Peachtree Street Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus Atlanta Women’s Chorus Other Links: www.voicesofnote.org www.atlantafreedombands.com www.oursongatlanta.org www.outfronttheatre.com www.outonfilm.org www.atlantaphilharmonic.org www.southernfriedqueerpride.com -
Transcribe →WRFG-FM
Aug 2900:09:30Tap to summarizeIn the fall of 1971, a group of volunteers in Atlanta set out to build a radio station by the people, for the people. By 1973, WRFG was on the airwaves, amplifying voices that mainstream media refused to touch: Black activists, women, laborers, LGBTQ, ex-convicts, and musicians from every walk of life. But just two months after launch, Atlanta police tried to shut it down — accusing the station of spreading radical politics. From 32 watts to 100,000, this is the story of how one scrappy, volunteer-run station was born in Atlanta. https://wrfg.org/programschedule/ Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Oakland Cemetery
Aug 1500:17:49Tap to summarizeBefore it became Atlanta’s most iconic cemetery, Oakland Cemetery was just six acres of farmland owned by the Woodings. But as the city grew, so did its need to bury its dead. From Confederate obelisks to disinterred graves, this is the story of the cemetery that tells Atlanta’s story. Oakland Cemetery Oakland Cemetery book Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →City Hall - REPLAY
Aug 1, 202500:16:25Tap to summarizeThis week, I am re-sharing an episode from 2021 where I cover the history of Atlanta’s City Hall...not just the Art Deco masterpiece you can see today, but also the places that no longer exist. Where they were, how we got them and what their fate was. Our current City Hall (the 4th one in history), was built in 1930 and brought forth something called the Atlanta Graft Ring - an epic corruption scandal that brought down a mayor and won the Constitution a Pulitzer Prize. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
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