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
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Eight days, 11 states, 36 minutes of ill-advised anecdotes, two people on a mission to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste all the America. This one's a three-hander, giving you more America than you ever knew you wanted.
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Think you've had a rocky relationship with your parents? You've got nothing on William Franklin, who loses everything for the cause of American... Dependence. This one gets dark. Part II of II (That's Roman-speak for 2!).
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Benjamin Franklin may have been a beloved Founding Father, but not so much when you take the word "founding" out of it. In this first of two episodes, learn how a nearly inseparable relationship between father and son turned into a feud with historic consequences.
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
It's pop quiz time, and the subjects are "The Address of the Address," "Counting Commanders-in-Chief," "The War of Whenever," and "A King for a President." Good luck.
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
The vote for millions came down to the vote of just one, and a short, sublime campaign of influence by a powerful figure.
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
The weird story behind an iconic American brand, featuring old-time religion, free love, presidential assassination, and lots of silverware.
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Spy, saboteur, and financier of the Continental Army... Meet Haym Salomon, superhero of the Revolution.
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
In 1982, one man conned his way into one of the biggest races in NASCAR, then disappeared without a trace for over forty years. Get ready for a hard left turn.
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.