logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
29m 16s

The President and the King

The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
About this episode

December 21st, 1970. Elvis has entered the building. And today, that building is the White House. He's brought a gift for President Nixon, a framed Colt .45 pistol, which White House security won't be thrilled with. But he isn't just there to drop off a Christmas present.

Elvis Presley has lived many lives in his brief 35 years that a child might dream of: he got to be a musician, a soldier, a movie star, the "King of Rock and Roll." And now he might be just a handshake away from his next dream... becoming a federal agent.

What's going on in Elvis Presley's chaotic life that leads him to seek this meeting with Richard Nixon? And when they come face-to-face, does Elvis get what he came for?

Special thanks to our guest, Jon Lowy, author of Elvis and Nixon and founder and president of Global Action on Gun Violence.

To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Aug 21
The True Winnie-the-Pooh
August 24, 1914. A train pulls up to the lumber town of White River, Ontario, carrying a regiment of Canadian troops on board. On the tracks where they disembark is a small black bear cub. An army veterinarian decides to buy the bear and name her Winnipeg—Winnie for short—after t ... Show More
29m 51s
Aug 18
Egypt’s Last Hieroglyph and the Fiery Archbishop of Alexandria
August 24, 394. On the walls of a fading Egyptian temple, a priest carves what will become the last known hieroglyph in history. At the same moment, in Alexandria, a fiery archbishop named Theophilus is rising to power. He mocks the ancient Egyptian gods, desecrates their temples ... Show More
33m 21s
Aug 11
The Shark Attacks That Made Us Fear the Water
August 15, 1915. American diplomat J. T. Du Bois publishes a letter in The New York Times. It’s not about diplomacy or foreign affairs. This letter is about sharks. It’s Du Bois’ attempt to prove to the American public that “Man-Eating Sharks” - as he calls them - are real. Becau ... Show More
32m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
Elvis Presley
One of the best-selling solo music artists of all time, Elvis Presley embodied the spirit of rebellion and youth culture in the 1950s. He redefined popular music by blending his distinctive voice with elements of rock, country, blues and gospel. In addition to winning three Gramm ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2025
CLASSIC: The Man Who Assassinated Abe Lincoln's Assassin
On April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in Ford's theatre, escaping shortly thereafter and going on the run. The Federal troops in pursuit of the assassin had orders to bring Booth and any of his conspirators back alive. For most of the soldi ... Show More
34m 56s
Jan 2025
Ronald Reagan’s Make-Believe
Ronald Reagan, as Jackson Lears wrote recently in the LRB, was a ‘telegenic demagogue’ whose ‘emotional appeal was built on white people’s racism’. His presidency left the United States a far more unequal place at home, with a renewed commitment to deadly imperial adventures abro ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 2024
We're Going to Graceland: Elvis Does Crime
Graceland is not just a Paul Simon album, turns out it was also the home of Elvis Presley. Who knew?! Turns out crimers and scammers –– they knew! Because once the King was gone, the scammers came to steal his Graceland. But there's so much more going down in that world famous ma ... Show More
57m 43s
Jan 2025
Abraham Lincoln : le plus grand président américain
Instagram : @50states_podcastDonald Trump le répète en boucle :c’est lui le meilleur, le plus grand et le plus extraordinaire président des ÉTATS-UNISTous les autres avant lui ? Des gros nazes.A part peut-être un homme : Donald Trump accepte en effet d’être comparé à Abraham Linc ... Show More
23m 3s
Oct 2023
98. Presidential Memorabilia and More, with Jim Warlick
Self-described "political entrepreneur" Jim Warlick has spent much of his life tracking down valuable presidential collectibles, including rare items once owned or used by John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman — and he recently sold off many of his most impr ... Show More
39m 8s
Aug 2024
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Protecting POTUS (NEW) | 1
The job of guarding the President’s life belongs to the men and women of the United States Secret Service. There have been many highs and lows in the agency’s more than 150-year history – most poignantly the assassination of JFK in 1963. On today’s show Pulitzer Prize-winning Was ... Show More
52m 45s
Nov 2024
510. America in '68: The Killing of Robert Kennedy (Part 3)
“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another” As Attorney General during JFK’s presidency, Bobby h ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 2024
American presidents
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.It's 50 years since Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign, following the Watergate scandal.To mark this anniversary, we're featuring first hand accounts from major moments in US pr ... Show More
51 m
Jan 2025
John F Kennedy
The second of nine children from a well-to-do family in New England, John F Kennedy fought his way up to become the most powerful man on the planet. After claiming a narrow victory in the 1960 election, Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jacqueline, led the country on a wave of opti ... Show More
1h 1m