You are a new country. You have a constitution. If anything goes wrong, don't worry, the constitution will tell us what to do.......or will it?

Learn about the death of President William Henry Harrison, the first time a President died in office, and the forgotten constitutional crisis that followed, as well as a deep dive into the 25th Amendment that tried to correct those errors.

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of the all too brief Presidency of William Henry Harrison, the controversial elections that got him into office, The Curse of Tippecanoe, the gentleman's agreement between Eisenhower and Nixon, why it is difficult to invoke the 25th Amendment, the wisdom of Al Haig, and tons of The West Wing examples.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

ARTICLES

His Accidency

How The Shortest Presidency Spurred A Brief Constitutional Crisis

Public Announcement of Harrison's Death

Did William Henry Harrison Really Die of Pneumonia

Did Tecumseh's Curse Kill Seven Presidents

What Really Killed The First President To Die In Office

Remembering William Henry Harrison

25th Amendment: Three Questions

What Is The 25th Amendment

Who's In Charge?

Reagan Aides Once Raised The Possibility Of Invoking The 25th Amendment

AUDIO/VISUAL

AL HAIG 

Music and Sound Effects

Yankee Doodle

“Junkyard Tribe” and “Fife and Drum” by Kevin MacLeod

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Door Closing Sound Effects

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It’s a Halloween Extravaganza this week on This Was A Thing. Who’s hosting, you ask? TV Funnyman Paul Lynde, of course!

Ray teaches Rob all about The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Who was there to share a drink (or six) with Paul? Well, just about every spooky TV personality you could think of: Carol Brady, Mr. Wiggins, Witchy Poo/Wicked Witch of the West, Donnie and Marie, Billy Barty, Sue Ann Nivens, and Halloween favorite Roz “Pinky Tuscadero” Kelly! We even get to see KISS’s first national television appearance! And, guiding the spooky special is Brady Bunch Variety Hour alumni Bruce Vilanch, ABC President Fred Silverman, and a very confused LeVar Burton!

Strap in for the WITCHIEST episode of This Was A Thing yet!

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

IMBD

AV Club

Shock Cinema Magazine

Drunk TV

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special Bruce Vilanch on working on the show

“Happy Bee” and “Airport Lounge”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Cute Halloween Ambience & Music” by Infinity Rooms

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

You know those weird looking figurines on your grandmother's shelves? Those little Aryan children clad in leiderhosen and looking adorable against bucolic backdrops? They are not only worth a "fortune" they were the bane of Hitler's existence....well.....one of them.

Learn about female entrepreneur Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel who sought to create beautiful pieces of art celebrating her students but was hijacked by a greedy convent and thwarted by the Third Reich.

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of Hummel figurines, which are worth the most, why they adorn the shelves of our elderly relatives, how Sister Maria created these figurines and how Hitler wanted them stopped, why they made a resurgence in the 1970s, and how to make sure you are paying for legitimate Hummels!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Wikipedia

Hummel Website

Museum of Hummels 

Hummels of Note

History of Hummel Figurines

The Religious History of Hummels

BOOKS

A List of Hummel Books

ARTICLES

Kitsch and Capitalism

AUDIO/VISUAL

Ebay Seller 

 Dr. Lori

Museum of Hummels

 Music and Sound Effects

“Elevator Music and Elevator Jazz” by David Luong

German Accordion Music

German Folk Music (Deutsch Spieler Chorus)

Bad Trumpet Fanfare

“Please Take Your Seats” Announcement

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You’ve heard of the “Curse of the Bambino”, “Curse of the Billy Goat”, and even “Merkle’s Boner." But the case that changed baseball forever was The 1919 World Series Scandal, better known as "The Black Sox Scandal," because itt was discovered that players were betting against their own team!

Ray teaches Rob about players like “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, “Buck” Weaver, and “Chick” Gandil who had enough of their Manager, Charles Comisky, which led them to engaging in the first baseball scandal, the naming of the first commissioner of baseball (named. Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis....You read that correctly), the theory that famous gambler, Arnold Rothstein, was behind the fix, how baseball redeemed itself........and honestly, what’s with all of these nicknames?!?

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

1919 World Series Stats

Famous Trials Timeline

Timetoast Timeline

ARTICLES

The Black Sox Trial: An Account

NY Times 1921 Article 1

NY Times 1921 Article 2

SportsCenter Flashback

AUDIO/VISUAL

Eight Men Out Trailer

Music and Sound Effects

“Charge!” as played by Nancy Bea Hefley

“Red Dead Redemption 2” - House Building Theme

Small Group Applause by SM Soundfx

Crowd Cheering as posted by J Gaming

Three Taps on Microphone by Foley for Free

Microphone Feedback

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Can you feel it? Can you feel the spirit? Can you feel the spirit moving your money right into the bank accounts of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker?

To coincide with the brilliant "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" we are doing a deep dive into the scandal that brought down the PTL ministries and how Jim Bakker got away with embezzlement for so long.....he had some help from the man upstairs.....Ronald Reagan.

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of evangelism, how televangelists were able to be exempt from taxes and audits, why Jim and Tammy Faye became the face of Christianity, Jerry Falwell taking his marching orders from Machiavelli, the South Korean studios that never were, the defaming of Jessica Hahn, the rebirth of Tammy Faye, and what Jim Bakker is peddling to sorrowful souls now.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

AUDIO/VISUAL

Pat Robertson Quotes

The Rise and Fall of Jim Bakker

Tammy Faye Sings

Jim and Tammy Faye on Nightline

 Sam Kinison

Jim Bakker Bucket Song

Music and Sound Effects

“O Happy Day”

“Tanz, Tanz, Kneydlekh” by Yid Vicious

“O Happy Day” arranged by David Murdock

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Don’t worry folks, the Bradys are BACK! But this time the whole bunch is singing and dancing! Yes, even Alice.

This week, Ray tells Rob all about “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour” a show that may have been panned back in the 70s, but is loved in 2021, and how The Bradys became America's first franchised family.

And don’t worry! You don’t just get Mike, Carol, and the kids! No, no! A slew of A-Listers wanted to come along for the ride! You like Tony Randall? He’ll be there! Donny and Marie? Check! Milton Berle? Oh yes! Charo, Lee Majors and even Farrah Fawcett too? There they all are being groovy with Rip Taylor!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

TV Guide's Worst 50 Shows All Time (#4)

BOOKS

Love to Love You Bradys

ARTICLES

News Clipping from 1976

Retro Junk

VISUAL

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Television Academy Interviews

Music and Sound Effects

“The Brady Bunch” Instrumental

“Happy Bee”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grab your coonskin cap (and your checkbooks) because the Patron Saint of Consumerism, pioneer Davy Crockett, is here and he's ready to turn his name into a brand and his checkered past into an economic boom.

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of how Davy Crockett wasn't all who he was cracked up to be, the greatest economic loss of Walt Disney, the oh so stiff acting of Fess Parker, the brilliance of branding, Hollywood's ability to rewrite history, and how Davy Crockett unknowingly has committed to the hostile political climate of the 21st Century.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

The Davy Crockett Almanacs

ARTICLES

The Sun-Sentinel

Disney History Institute 

AUDIO/VISUAL

Fess Parker Sings "Davy Crockett"

Fess Parker on Merchandise

Fess Parker on Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett: Indian Fighter

Davy Crockett Goes To Congress

Davy Crockett Mambo

Duvid Crockett

The Death of Davy Crockett

Music and Sound Effects

“The Ballad Of Davy Crockett KARAOKE” by KARAOKE CALI

"Corncob”

• 
  
• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
• 
  
• 
  
• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
• 
  
• 
  
• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• 
  

“I Saw The Light” from “Hit Standards Bluegrass Style” by Nashville Acoustic All-Stars

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What would you do if your six-year-old child was suddenly suspended over 7,000 feet in the air and traveling solo over the treacherous terrain of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado? Call the media, of course! Doesn't make sense? Well, very little about this 2009 Balloon Boy Incident does.

This week, Ray fills Rob in on all the juicy details of an event that took the news by STORM. Why would the Heene Family even set off a large weather balloon? And how could little Falcon have gotten in there? What does the bearded Wolf Blitzer have to do with any of it?

Stay tuned to hear about all the aftermath of the Balloon Boy hoax......from Wife Swapping to a Heavy Metal Music Video by the Heene Boys!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

This week's Patreon ONLY episode: Interview with composer Billy Reece (The Balloon Boy Musical)

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Articles

CNN Report

AP Article

ABC Denver

CNN Article

Today Show - Six Years after event

ABC News - Ten Years after Event

AP News - Pardon

AUDIO/VISUAL

Raw Footage of Balloon Takeoff

Richard Heene 911 Call

Richard Heene Tells Reporters to put Questions in a Box

Heene Family and Wolf Blitzer

Richard Heene gets mad at Wolf Blitzer

Falcon Heene gets nervous on The Today Show

Richard Heene on Wife Swap 1

Richard Heene on Wife Swap 2

Heene Boyz - "Balloon Boy No Hoax" Music Video

Heene Family on ABC News Ten Years Later

Jimmy Kimmel Sketch featuring Fred Willard

Music and Sound Effects

The “MacGyver” Theme Song

“Jet Airliner” by Steve Miller Band

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Strap on those leg warmers and get ready to break the glass ceiling because we are going back to the 80s and doing a deep dive into the history of Jazzercise!

Learn about the Patron Saint of Sweat, Judi Sheppard Missett, who not only broke the exercise glass ceiling but built it through sweat, tears, and a funky beat.

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of female exercise including how women were encouraged not to sweat, the retroactive philosophies of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, forgotten “fitness” coach Debbie Drake, the feminist manifesto that built Jazzercise, the franchised exercise program, and why you should bow down to Judi the next time you do Soul Cycle, Barry’s Boot Camp, or Orange Theory.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Jazzercise Official Site

BOOKS

Building a Business with a Beat

ARTICLES

The Atlantic

The New York Times

10 Best

New Yorker

Forbes

Harper’s Bazaar

AUDIO/VISUAL

NPR interview with Judi Sheppard Missett

Jazzercise Compilation

Judi Sheppard Missett Interview

Jazzercise News Story 1986

Debbie Reynolds Workout Video

Debbie Drake

Music and Sound Effects

Ride Like the Wind (Originally Made Famous by Christopher Cross), from "70’s and 80’s Hits Remixed"

Don’t Rain on My Parade (Glee Karaoke Version)

You Can’t Stop the Beat (Karaoke Version)

O What a Beautiful Morning (Instrumental)

Seasons of Love (Instrumental)

And I Am Telling You (From “Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture)

VHS Sound Effect by Allan Hazle

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This Was A Thing is the podcast that dives deep into the cultural happenings of yesteryear!

Join hosts Ray Hebel and Robert W. Schneider as they delightfully dissect some of history's greatest fads, trends, and one-hit wonders.

From box office hits to box office flops, from high fashion to low fashion, This Was A Thing is your one-stop-shop for all things nostalgia.

New episode is released every Tuesday.

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