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
Yesterday
How Constraints Help You Focus, Create, and Finish
Back in 2019, David Epstein joined me to talk about his book Range and why generalists often thrive in a specialized world. Now he’s back with a new book that explores a seemingly opposite idea: the power of constraints. In Inside the Box, David argues that limits — deadlines, bo ... Show More
45m 2s
May 5
Why Screen Time Leaves You Exhausted — And How to Reverse Its Effects
You hear a lot today about how our ample screentime is affecting our mental health. But how is it affecting our bodies, and how is that impact on our bodies affecting, well, our mental health?My guest today will unpack the ways that digital technology is sapping our vitality, and ... Show More
50m 56s
Apr 28
A Map for Finding Direction and Purpose in Life (Again and Again)
While we often think of life as linear, my guest’s own life, along with a decade of research, has taught him that it’s anything but. In his latest book, What to Make of a Life, Jim Collins unpacks the cyclical pattern life actually unfolds in, and how to navigate it. He explains ... Show More
58m 15s
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
