Plodding Through The Presidents

On America’s 250th birthday, we look at The Declaration of Independence, and how John Adams may have contributed to one of its most enduring promises.

Learn more about author and professor Danielle Allen at https://danielleallen.scholars.harvard.edu/

For more information about The Huntington Library's "This Land Is..." exhibit visit https://www.huntington.org/this-land-is

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In the spirit of Texas, we’re sharing this episode from the archives where we took on the single deadliest disaster to befall a presidential cabinet – the explosion aboard the USS Princeton in 1844. We look at four of the key players aboard and how they got there - President John Tyler, Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Captain Robert Stockton, and Julia Gardiner, "The Rose of Long Island" – and how this tragedy shook up Tyler's plans for love and Texas.

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Houston Event June 13th, 2026 Details: https://calendar.houstonlibrary.org/event/16693436
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We go behind the story that Howard just published in Smithsonian Magazine, digging into the forgotten origins of the story that William Howard Taft got stuck in a White House bathtub.

Check out the article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/popular-lore-claims-that-william-howard-taft-got-stuck-in-a-bathtub-new-research-sheds-light-on-the-legends-forgotten-origins-180988386/

You can also hear Howard on these recent podcasts:

The Big Fib: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/will-we-impeach-wisdom-when-telling-fibs-about-us-presidents/id1348469682?i=1000748336772

Talk That Pod: https://talkthatpod.net/episode-002-howard-dorre/

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We kick off a season full of weird science and pseudoscience with a tale of two very different chairs in Philadelphia—George Washington’s “rising sun” chair and Benjamin Rush’s tranquilizer chair. Then we welcome Colleen Shogan, former archivist of the United States and CEO of the exciting new initiative In Pursuit, honoring America’s 250th.

Check out the excellent essays from In Pursuit written about presidents and first ladies and written BY presidents and first ladies (and more) at inpursuit.org

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Join us this season for weird science! Deeply researched, deeply irreverent dives into the real—and pseudo—scientific beliefs of the early presidents and founders.

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