She was just 16 years old when she rode nearly 40 miles through the night rallying the militia as the British attacked during the American Revolution.

Bob calls up Karen Romano Young (Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Hero) to get the story of Sybil Ludington. They explore what parts of her story are fact or fiction, and why she was nearly forgotten.

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In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in the most infamous duel in American history. But what happened next?

Did Burr face murder charges? Was he convicted? And why did he go full Gary Busey? (You'll have to listen to understand that reference!) 

Bob calls up Yale historian Joanne Freeman (The Essential Hamilton: Letters and Other Writings) to unpack the astonishing second act of Aaron Burr’s life. From criminal indictments to conspiracies, a treason trial and exile, the duel was just the beginning for Aaron Burr. 

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No, Benjamin Franklin did not invent Daylight Saving Time. But he did muse about its practicality in a 1784 essay. So, if Franklin didn't invent DST, where did all this springing forward come from? 

Bob calls up Chad Orzel (A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks) to get to the bottom of this question. 

Oh, and don't forget to change your clocks on March 8th! 

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Was the Disney movie Balto actually based on a true story? A listener wants to know if this heroic snow dog was real—or just a Hollywood invention. 

To get answers, Bob calls up Dr. Nicole Burt of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It turns out, the real Balto is actually IN her museum. What?! 

Bob and Nicole dive into the truth behind one of the most beloved animated films of the 1990s by exploring the real 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska. How did a deadly diphtheria outbreak create a hero sled dog? And what happened to Balto once the spotlight of fame dimmed? 

It’s an episode that will have you heading to Alaska and hop on a dog sled! Or, at least, pop in an old VHS of Disney’s Balto.

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Roald Dahl is a beloved children’s author. Turns out, he was also a British spy during WWII! So how does one transition from seducing prominent Americans’ wives to writing Matilda? 

Well, we’re glad you asked! We called up the creator of a new docu-series called The Secret World of Roald Dahl to get all the dirt on this famous children’s author. 

Aaron Tracy, Creator of The Secret World of Roald Dahl

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In honor of President's Day, we're sharing some of the best conversations we've had about Honest Abe and General Washington. 

We speak with historian Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington) about George Washington myths, including whether or not his teeth were made of wood. 

We also speak with Julian Zelizer about which party Abraham Lincoln would belong to today.

Check out Julian's Substack, The Long View. 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of President's Day, we're sharing some of the best conversations we've had about Honest Abe and General Washington. 

We speak with historian Alexis Coe (You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington) about George Washington myths, including whether or not his teeth were made of wood. 

We also speak with Julian Zelizer about which party Abraham Lincoln would belong to today.

Check out Julian's Substack, The Long View. 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It takes decades to build a new subway line in the United States. Meanwhile, China is building entire high-speed rail networks in just a few years. So, how did America's once-great love of trains get derailed? 

We use New York City’s Second Avenue Subway as a test case to answer this bigger question: Why is building trains in America so hard compared to places like China?

Bob calls up Dan McNichol, author of Second Avenue Subway: Building the Most Famous Thing Never Built in New York City, and transportation expert Joe Stanford to break down how the U.S. went from a rail-building powerhouse to a country where major transit projects feel nearly impossible.

In this episode we bore deep into: 

America’s century-long struggle to complete the Second Avenue Subway

China’s rapid expansion of subways and high-speed rail

How politics, regulation, and Americans' LOVE for their cars shape infrastructure

Why the cost of expanding passenger rail lines is so much higher in the U.S. (like, WAY higher) than in Europe and Asia

All aboard! Next stop: a brief history of American rail. (Toot! Toot!) 🚂

 

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Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent just one term in Congress. So how did "the best known two-time Senate loser in the country" become one of the greatest presidents in American history? 

Bob calls up historian and author Chris DeRose (Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America’s Greatest President) to help answer this question.  

Together, they explore how Lincoln's short stint on Capitol Hill shaped his presidency — from his early and consistent resistance to the expansion of slavery to his firsthand experience of seeing men kidnapped and sold into bondage. 

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You gotta keep 'em separated. That's a lot of people's opinion about mixing sports and politics. But as the world turns its eyes to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games, you have to wonder if this is the ideal place to make a political statement. 

To understand how acts of political activism have played out at the Olympics throughout history, we call up Jules Boykoff. He's the author of numerous books about the Olympics, including What are the Olympics For?

So, are the Olympics fair game for protest? Or should athletes keep their eye on the ball ... or épée ... or curling stone? You get the point. 

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