‘How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”

This is the story of a man driven to madness by a pale blue eye; the story of a man who’s vowed revenge; of a young scholar heartbroken by death. This is also the story of the man who brought us these three tales–one of the most grim and ghastly Gothic authors in American history–Edgar Allan Poe.

This episode is best enjoyed alone. In the dark. With headphones.

Happy Halloween!

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Did Singer Sewing Machines take over the world? And are bananas as dangerous as they appear in cartoons? The answer to both of these questions are a resounding “yes!” in the Gilded Age. Listen in as the Prof. discusses these and other Gilded Age topics with his esteemed colleague and fellow podcaster: Dr. Ben Sawyer of Middle Tennessee State University and The Road to Now Podcast (check them out here: https://www.theroadtonow.com/)!

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“You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”

This is the story of the Gilded Age’s later presidencies.

Grover “the Good” Cleveland is known as a man of integrity and honesty. Those characteristics alone are enough to get him to the White House. But as Benjamin Harrison interrupts his terms, the frustration of farmers and factory workers is boiling over into more labor strikes. Soon, working-class Americans are rallying around one issue in particular: the minting of silver.

The issue is ripping the Democratic party apart. Should they continue to support the gold standard, as Democratic president Grover Cleveland does? Or should they support the working-class “Silverites,” as a young Congressman from Nebraska named William Jennings Bryan hopes to do? This question will be settled as the Dems pick a nominee to square off against the Republicans’ 1896 presidential candidate: William McKinley.

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“Someday, some-time, when I am a man, I want to be worth a hundred thousand dollars!”

This is the story of two of the United States’ most wealthy industrialists.

John D. Rockefeller is the son of a con artist; he teaches young John never to trust and leaves the boy wondering if food will or won’t be on the table. John will rise from his world of uncertainty to dominate the emerging oil scene.

The son of a Scottish weaver, Andrew Carnegie comes from absolutely nothing. But Pennsylvania Railroad exec Tom Scott sees promise in the lad. Tom’s mentoring will help Andy emerge as the king of the steel industry.

Both men overcome the impossible. But are they inspiring Titans of industry? Or monopolistic robber barons? The beneficiaries of their philanthropy see the former, while workers might see the latter—particularly those at a steel mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

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“Tesla, you don’t understand our American humor.”

This is the story of opinionated inventors with very different views on electric lighting; a story of invention, genius, conniving, and even electrocutions. This is the War of the Currents.

Thomas Alva Edison believes in direct current. He’s convinced it’s safer. Freshly arrived from Europe, Nikola Tesla thinks alternating current has the potential to unleash indoor domestic lighting on a whole new level and can be made just as safe. The men differ, and when Nikola teams up with George Westinghouse, Alva finds his position as king of the Electric Hill threatened. But as Nikola and George will soon see: the Wizard of Menlo Park won’t take this threat lying down ...

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“I have got so much to do and life is so short, I am going to hustle.”

This is the story of trial and error, of determination, and science merging with business.

Electric lights have been around since the early 1800s. Unfortunately, they’ve also been impractical. The energy it takes to operate an arc light makes it little more than a novelty. Likewise, newer lights called “incandescents” burn out far too quickly to be of value. 

But what if someone could make incandescents last hundreds of hours? What if someone could figure out how to power them safely and economically … on such a scale that an entire neighborhood could be electrified–like a major section of Lower Manhattan? 

It sounds like a pipedream, but one inventor with incredible business savvy thinks he can do it. All he’ll need is a large team willing to make every error in the book until they can figure out how to do it right. This is the story of Thomas Alva Edison and his electric light.

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An epilogue. Or interlude? Well, we aren’t done with the Gilded Age, but we have too much behind-the-scenes HTDS evolution to discuss! So here we are. Zach is moving up from intern to writer status. Longtime HTDS team member Kelsi gets behind the mic for the first time. Meanwhile, Greg discusses doing a second edition of older episodes. 

But of course, we won’t ignore the Gilded Age. We’ll still have some good old-fashioned chit-chat about recent episodes.

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“Vive l’entente fraternelle des deux républiques !”

This is the story of the Statue of Liberty. In 1865, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (or “Auguste,” as his friends call him), claims to have attended a dinner at which his French colleagues and friends feted the United States’ victory over the Confederacy and slavery. With hope for a restoration of republican government and greater liberty at home, these Frenchmen living under the rule of Napoleon III spoke of the United States and France’s shared sense of liberty. There was even a suggestion that the nations should jointly build a monument to American independence.

Years later, Auguste will undertake such a project. But is he really inspired by this dinner and the idea of liberty? Or is he just an ambitious sculptor looking for any excuse to build a colossus statue? And can he really raise funds in both countries, manage a massive workforce, handle the death of colleagues, and overcome the engineering challenges? Whatever his motives, Auguste’s life will ultimately be defined by his unlikely journey to create a monument unlike any the world has ever seen.

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“John Roebling has not the leisure to wait upon any man.”

This is the story of a bridge and a family.

John Roebling is weary of the oppressive, bureaucratic Prussian government. He’s heard from his professor–Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel–that the United States is a land of opportunity. Those factors combined lead the driven über productive German to immigrate, where he introduces wire rope to his new adopted homeland and takes bridge building to another level.

But can he span the great East River–in reality, a saltwater tidal strait full of hazards–that divides the separate and distinct cities of Brooklyn and New York? He has an idea. But as he moves forward, this bridge will quickly become a deadly and life-altering family affair.

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“What is the chief end of man? A: To get rich.”

This is the story of the Gilded Age and its first three presidents: Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur.

Mark Twain calls this era a “Gilded Age”–that is, a time of great greed covered with a thin veneer hiding the nation’s decadence. Is it? We’ll assess and define this oft-forgotten time. In doing so, we’ll meet three oft-forgotten presidents. Rutherford (or Rutherfraud?) Hayes, who receives the presidency through a Reconstruction-ending compromise, is fighting for reform in the civil service. His successor James Garfield doesn’t want to be president but holds great promise. Sadly, an assassin will end his life before this last log-cabin president can even put his agenda into play. Can his compromised, spoils-system-created VP Chester “Chet” Arthur rise to the occasion? 

Strikes, assassination, reform, unlikely presidents: welcome to the Gilded Age.

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