American Esoterica
American history, bite-sized. These are the stories that may have slipped through the cracks - the odd detours that have shaped our history and culture in small, but sometimes significant, ways.
Listen on:
Episodes
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
No time - just listen, before it's too late. (Also, the story of the results of John Tyler's procreative history.)
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
About the tension between Freedom of Speech and human decency, and how one canny Police Commissioner tried to protect both at once. Come laugh at the bigots with us.
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
An epic tale of an indomitable spirit and the small world of the Civil War-era United States. Meet Elizabeth Keckley.
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
The story of the saddest Valentine's Day in American history. Listen with a loved one.
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
If you think a raid into enemy territory that rescued over 750 enslaved people and destroyed millions of dollars of Confederate property sounds impressive, you should hear about the woman who led it
Thursday Jan 19, 2023
Thursday Jan 19, 2023
On the night that shattered the nation, a dark conspiracy would also devastate a family. At the same time, as assassination attempts go, this assassin went 0 for 5.
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
A cold-blooded murder in broad daylight. A cover-up that starts at the White House. A scandal that rocks the entire country. You won't believe how this one ends. Or you probably will now, now that I've hinted that it's different than the way you thought it would go. Just listen to it, okay? It's got an action sequence and everything!
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Lincoln grows a beard and forces a young lithographer to find a new way to make a lasting impact on American culture. NOTE: this episode comes in an alternate form - this is the main version.
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Lincoln grows a beard and forces a young lithographer to find a new way to make a lasting impact on American culture. NOTE: this episode comes in two forms, and this version is an alternate version featuring a few contributions from my two-year-old son. Enjoy!
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Founding Father Gouverneur Morris produced some of the lofty language that underpins our most sacred governing document, but we don't talk about him much, maybe because of his...unorthodox self-care methods. NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH.