Plodding Through The Presidents

We explore some of the biggest and most controversial architectural changes to the White House over the years, and how they compare to the current ballroom project. And Jess shares the shameful secret of what she did inside the White House on a fifth grade field trip.

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You can learn more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy from Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast: https://www.civicsandcoffee.com/from-tragedy-to-charity-dr-david-conrad-perez-on-fire-in-the-heart-of-the-city/

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On America’s 250th birthday, we look at The Declaration of Independence, and how John Adams may have contributed to one of its most enduring promises.

Learn more about author and professor Danielle Allen at https://danielleallen.scholars.harvard.edu/

For more information about The Huntington Library's "This Land Is..." exhibit visit https://www.huntington.org/this-land-is

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In the spirit of Texas, we’re sharing this episode from the archives where we took on the single deadliest disaster to befall a presidential cabinet – the explosion aboard the USS Princeton in 1844. We look at four of the key players aboard and how they got there - President John Tyler, Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Captain Robert Stockton, and Julia Gardiner, "The Rose of Long Island" – and how this tragedy shook up Tyler's plans for love and Texas.

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Houston Event June 13th, 2026 Details: https://calendar.houstonlibrary.org/event/16693436

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We go behind the story that Howard just published in Smithsonian Magazine, digging into the forgotten origins of the story that William Howard Taft got stuck in a White House bathtub.

Check out the article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/popular-lore-claims-that-william-howard-taft-got-stuck-in-a-bathtub-new-research-sheds-light-on-the-legends-forgotten-origins-180988386/

You can also hear Howard on these recent podcasts:

The Big Fib: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/will-we-impeach-wisdom-when-telling-fibs-about-us-presidents/id1348469682?i=1000748336772

Talk That Pod: https://talkthatpod.net/episode-002-howard-dorre/

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We kick off a season full of weird science and pseudoscience with a tale of two very different chairs in Philadelphia—George Washington’s “rising sun” chair and Benjamin Rush’s tranquilizer chair. Then we welcome Colleen Shogan, former archivist of the United States and CEO of the exciting new initiative In Pursuit, honoring America’s 250th.

Check out the excellent essays from In Pursuit written about presidents and first ladies and written BY presidents and first ladies (and more) at inpursuit.org

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Join us this season for weird science! Deeply researched, deeply irreverent dives into the real—and pseudo—scientific beliefs of the early presidents and founders.

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In our Season 6 finale, we welcome Jeffrey Rosen, author of “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America” for a conversation about Hamilton and Jefferson’s nation-defining differences, and their shared fear of the "embryo-Caesar" Aaron Burr.

Check out the fantastic resources at the National Constitution Center’s website at constitutioncenter.org.

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Howard joins fellow history podcasters Jerry Landry from Presidencies of the United States, Alycia from Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast, and Kenny Ryan Austin from [Abridged] Presidential Histories (and the new podcast Democricide) for their fourth annual Friendsgiving special for a discussion about history, podcasting, confounding presidents, and bringing back duels.

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Listen to [Abridged] Presidential Histories: https://aph.buzzsprout.com/

Listen to Democricide: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/democricide/id1820630367

Listen to Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast: https://www.civicsandcoffee.com/

Listen to Presidencies of the United States: https://www.presidenciespodcast.com/

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We welcome Geoffrey C. Ward, the writer behind The American Revolution documentary series and its companion book, for a conversation about the revolutionary characters he’s excited to bring into the spotlight, the iconic images of the Revolution, his long partnership with Ken Burns, and his fascination with Franklin Roosevelt.

Find out more about The American Revolution film series at pbs.org and check out Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns’ gorgeous book The American Revolution: An Intimate History based on the film.

Sign up for the free Plodding Substack newsletter at plodding.substack.com by 11/30/25 for a chance to win a copy of Joseph Ellis’s new book.

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We welcome the codirectors of the new documentary The American Revolution, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, for a conversation about what it took to bring this massive project to life. They share behind the scenes stories about the collaborative process with Ken Burns, the incredible voice cast, the Revolution’s fascinating characters, and their road to documentary filmmaking.

Sign up for the free Plodding Substack newsletter at plodding.substack.com for a chance to win a copy of Ellis’s new book.

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