Manifest Destiny

In honor of the woefully neglected Met Gala theme, it's a Gilded Age episode! First up, the wild tale of James Garfield's presidency and the absolutely unhinged man who assassinated him (come for the assassination, stay for the cautionary tale of sticking unwashed fingers into a presidential bullet wound). Then our resident expert on New York City regales us with the story of Caroline Astor, OG Manhattan socialite and matriarch of the Astor dynasty. Plus, your hosts revisit the single most formative film from our youth...that's right, we're talking Teeth (IYKYK). 

From the first flight in Kittyhawk to fulfilling JFK's desire to claim the moon for America, this episode covers a lot of airspace. But if you're looking for scientific details on the physics of flight, you've come to the wrong podcast. Instead, your intrepid hosts delve into the manifest destiny motivation behind taking to the skies, man's ability to sleep literally anywhere, and Rebecca's low-key lunar conspiracy. Plus, Bachelorette parties, Emily St. John Mandel, and Blair's enduring ability to laugh at the darkest things imaginable (RIP Albert I, Albert II, and Albert III). 

After extolling the virtues of "The Bird Game," your hosts dive into the Indian New Deal – the government's attempt to walk back many of the harmful policies against Native Americans and Native land – and the Haymarket Massacre, a labor demonstration in support of an eight-hour workday that escalated from a peaceful rally into a dramatic bombing. Fair warning: this episode is heavy on facts, and even heavier on birds. 

The live shows take a dramatic turn after one of your hosts suffers an early morning injury – but we persevere through pharmaceuticals, hangovers, and close encounters to deliver you a very New England episode. In the first half, Blair introduces the Manifesters to Roger Williams, the Puritan minister banished from the colonies for his kooky ideas on religious freedom, keeping church and state separate, and treating the Native Americans like human beings. Then Rebecca talks Canonicus, the peacekeeping sachem of the Narragansett Indians (and Natalie Beach to Roger Williams' Caroline Calloway). Laughs, facts, and interdimensional portals abound!