This week on History Happy Hour: Today most people remember little more about John Hancock than his signature, but 250 years ago this Boston businessman was a powerful and popular patriot leader who, on multiple occasions, played a vital role in the fight for Independence.

Chris and Rick start the new year by diving back into the Revolution (or is it the War of Independence?) and talking to Brooke Barbier, author of King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.

 

Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, specifically researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. Two of Brooke's favorite things are history and beer, so in 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the author of two books about revolutionary Boston and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Boston.com. She is originally from San Diego, CA and has lived in Boston for many years.