In the final installment of our Panama Canal series, History for Cocktail Parties traces the disastrous opening chapter of America’s canal campaign. Tropical diseases, political missteps, and sheer stubbornness nearly doomed the United States to repeat the French failure. But under Teddy Roosevelt’s leadership, a new team of engineers and visionaries stepped in to change the course of history. William Gorgas conquered yellow fever and malaria, John Stevens reshaped the construction strategy, and the locks system became the key to success. It’s the story of how near disaster turned into one of America’s greatest engineering triumphs—and a legacy that still shapes global trade today.

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy unravel the astonishing story of the Panama Revolution — the chain of unlikely, cinematic events that allowed Panama to break free from Colombia and pave the way for the canal. From a revolutionary who won just enough at the gambling table to fund his mission to New York, to a railroad superintendent who cleverly stranded 500 Colombian sharpshooters without their general, every detail had to align perfectly — and somehow, every one did. With coded messages, political intrigue, and bold gambles, the revolution that created Panama is as gripping as any thriller, and a page-turner in its own right.

The Greatest Lobbying Campaign in History!
In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy uncover the true-life political thriller behind the Panama Canal. For decades, U.S. leaders planned to dig an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua—until two master lobbyists, Philippe Bunau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell, changed history. With intrigue worthy of Hollywood—coded cables, backroom deals, and a volcanic twist—they convinced President Theodore Roosevelt and Congress to buy the failed French canal project in Panama for $40 million. It’s a story of ambition, disaster, and the power of persuasion that reshaped global trade forever.

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In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy unpack the dramatic rise and fall of the French attempt to build the Panama Canal. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, famed for the Suez Canal but lacking any engineering background, the effort was plagued by deadly disease, financial mismanagement, and brutal terrain. The discussion highlights key figures like Jules Dingler, whose personal tragedies mirrored the larger collapse of the project. From the underestimated power of the Chagres River to the fatal missteps at the Culebra Cut, this story captures the high cost of ambition gone awry. It also sets the stage for the eventual American takeover, where a new strategy, and new politics, would reshape one of the modern world’s greatest engineering feats.

In the third installment of our Panama Canal series, we dive into the bold yet flawed French attempt to carve a path through the Isthmus of Panama. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps—celebrated hero of the Suez Canal but no engineer—this phase of the canal’s history is marked by grand ambition, shaky logistics, and devastating consequences. From the formation of the Société Civile Internationale and the controversial Wyse Concession to the theatrics of the International Canal Congress, this episode unpacks how politics, pride, and poor planning set the stage for disaster. Hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy explore how disease, denial, and the unforgiving terrain undermined one of the 19th century’s most audacious engineering efforts, and laid the groundwork for a future American takeover.

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy talk about the geopolitical race for canal dominance, focusing on the ambitious endeavors surrounding the Panama Canal. They unravel the stories of dreamers and diplomats, from the visionary yet unqualified Ferdinand de Lesseps to the strategic maneuvers of global powers. Discover how the Suez Canal's success fueled France's determination to reclaim its honor through the Panama Canal, despite overwhelming challenges.

Hack Historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy trace the early history of the Panama Canal, from the first European crossing of the Isthmus to the dreams and delusions of travel writers and pontificators who never visited the region. They explore how the Gold Rush and the Panama Railroad laid the groundwork for the canal’s eventual construction. Along the way, James and Thornton examine the role of international politics, tropical disease and 19th-century hubris. It’s a story of ambition, missteps and the irresistible pull of a shortcut between oceans.

In the winter of 1968, a 20-year-old Emory University student and heiress to a real estate fortune was ripped from her motel room in the dead of night by a pair of masked kidnappers. After drugging her mother and forcing her into their car, Gary Steven Krist and Ruth Eisemann-Schier buried her alive in a custom-made box, deep in a Georgia pine forest, with only an air pump and sedative-laced water to keep her alive. Demanding a $500,000 ransom, the kidnappers sparked one of the largest FBI manhunts of the decade. Join History for Cocktail Parties as we explore this harrowing true crime story, the ingenious — and terrifying — method of her captivity, and how Barbara Mackle’s courage and a father’s determination helped bring her home.

In Episode 3 of Before Camelot, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy continue to peel back the veneer of America’s most storied political dynasty. It begins with the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Originally groomed for the presidency, Joe Jr.'s tragic end in World War II forced his younger brother John into the political spotlight, with Bobby soon following. The episode traces the family's rise to power, built on Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s fortune and ambition, and the burden his sons carried as heirs to a legacy forged in secrecy and scandal. From wartime sacrifice to political triumph, and the series of tragedies that followed, the conclusion confronts the origins of the so-called Kennedy curse and the heavy cost of America’s royal family.

In the latest episode of Atlanta History for Cocktail Parties, hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy take a sharp-edged dive into the complicated life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the original architect of America's most storied political dynasty. From his savvy — and often suspect — stock market plays to his strategic forays into Hollywood and real estate, Kennedy emerges as a master of timing and influence. The conversation tracks his behind-the-scenes role in securing FDR’s nomination, his controversial stance on Prohibition, and his tangled relationships with both the British crown and organized crime.