George Washington's mother Mary Ball Washington has been unfairly portrayed as a greedy shrew for decades. This week, we dig into the truth of the most popular allegations levied against her by biographers. We also trace the origins of two legends about her – the deadly lightning bolt said to have changed her and her founding fetus forever and the story of a wild horse (you thought we were done with animals?) that inspired the legend of young George and the cherry tree. Along the way we look at two recent biographies of Mary that approach their subject with very different perspectives.

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The Mythology of Mary Ball Washington

Join history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre for a deep irreverent dive into lesser-known stories of the early American presidents. They dig into the myths, mysteries, scandals, and drama of the founders and their families, with a dash of marital banter.

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Learn more about Kurt Deion at presidentialgravehunter.com and kurtshistoricsites.com
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Presidential Grave Hunter with Kurt Deion

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Special thanks to Gwen Fries, author of The Beehive blog post Sympathy for the Devil: John Quincy Adams's Brush with Aaron Burr
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The Undeniable Rizz of Aaron Burr

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Adapting Franklin & John Adams with Kirk Ellis

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Mount Vernon's Stone of Secrets

This is the story of one man with big dreams who wanted to turn George Washington's Mount Vernon into a stop on his massive proposed theme park—a Disneyland on the Potomac named "The Spirit of America." In the 1960s and 70s, Joseph I. Goldstein was called the greatest threat to Mount Vernon since the British navy, and we dig into his wild plot and how the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, his neighbors, the government, and all the elements of nature joined forces to stop him.
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The Mythology of Mary Ball Washington

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