George Washington has become an archetype of the great American leader. Subsequent generals and presidents all have been compared to Washington, and in the American mythos, they all fall short of this founder's military and political genius. What many people don’t know about Washington, however, is that his formal schooling abruptly ended at age 11 with the ... Show More
Jan 27
The Click Effect — Inside the Science and Magic of Social Chemistry
We’ve all had that feeling — you meet someone new, and the conversation just flows. You’re in sync. You click. But what’s really happening when that magic occurs?My guest today is journalist Kate Murphy, author of Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony, and ... Show More
54m 6s
Jan 20
How Football Took Over America — and Could Collapse
American football is so big — so braided into our weekends, our language, and our culture — that it can be hard to see it clearly as a whole.In his new book, Football, Chuck Klosterman helps us see the game from unexpected angles, and argues that football isn’t just a sport, it’s ... Show More
57m 40s
Jan 13
Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance
We usually think of money as something very practical, concrete, and secular; we earn it, save it, spend it, and crunch the numbers behind it. But money is never just about money: it reflects our values, our priorities — and even our spiritual life.My guest today, Tom Levinson, k ... Show More
45m 20s
May 2024
151. The Founding Fathers: George Washington (Ep 1)
Everybody knows Washington as the strapping, powerful general and then president who helped to overthrow the British and forge America, but how did he get there? He was born into a respectable Virginian planter family, had an ordinary education and, with the exception of his tort ... Show More
57m 22s
Dec 2021
George Washington’s 1789 Road Trip Across the New United States
In the fall of 1789, George Washington, only six months into his presidency, set out on the first of four road trips as he attempted to unite what were in essence thirteen independent states into a single nation. In the fall of 2018, Nat Philbrick, his wife Melissa, and their dog ... Show More
37m 45s
Jan 2023
George Washington: From Good Man to Great General
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington is remembered in our history books, our nation's capital, and the values Americans still esteem today. He can often seem more marble than mortal. Woody Holton brings us the story of Washington wasn't always the man we cel ... Show More
30m 17s
May 2022
Who the heck was Joseph Warren?
When it's time to study the American Revolution in grade school, US kids tend to learn the same few names -- Betsy Ross, George Washington, Benjamin Banneker, Jefferson, Revere and so on. But, were it not for a single gunshot, physician and revolutionary Joseph Warren just may ha ... Show More
41m 47s
Aug 2018
Episode 13 - George Washington
This episode is all about one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, the first President of the U.S., George Washington. You will hear about his childhood, how he got into politics, and his significant accomplishments.
18m 18s
Sep 2017
1: That One Time When George Washington Sort of Triggered an International War
"[He] washed his hands with the brains." This is the story of a 22-year-old George Washington as commander of a 400-man army fighting the French. We'll also hear about his childhood, the deaths, backcountry experience, and finagling, that bring George--who's untrained, inexperien ... Show More
1h 7m
