It's impossible to assess the historical reputation of President William McKinley without tangling with the Spanish-American War. In this final part of the William McKinley trilogy Sebastian gets into the debate around what actually lead to the war. Could a war with Spain have been avoided? Was McKinley pushed into it by a manipulative American press? How di ... Show More
Mar 24
Episode #247 - Was Box Brown Magically Emancipated?
One of the most celebrated stories from the Underground Railroad is that of Henry Box Brown, the man who mailed himself to freedom. In 1849 Henry Brown successfully had himself shipped out of slavery in a packing crate from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brown ... Show More
1h 29m
Mar 17
Bonus Episode - Disappearing Doppelgängers, Viking Thralls, and the Comedy of the Sagas
In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent series on the Viking voyages to North America. In it he reckons with the history of slavery in the Norse world, guesses at why the southern Vinland of settlement of Hóp remains undiscovered, and muses about doppelgä ... Show More
40m 57s
Jul 2024
168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World
In 1898, whilst his boss was on a break at the osteopath, Teddy Roosevelt basically started a war. A master of the press, he managed to whip up war fever amongst jingoists in Congress, leading the United States to declare war on imperial Spain. Building on an established independ ... Show More
50m 27s
Aug 2024
President Theodore Roosevelt
<p>What kind of a nickname is Bull Moose? How progressive was Theodore Roosevelt's presidency? And how does his legacy live on?</p><br><p>Don is joined once again by Michael Patrick Cullinane, historian of American politics, an award-winning author, and the Lowman Walton Chair of ... Show More
41m 22s
Jul 2024
President William McKinley: The Secret Service & the Spanish-American War
<p>Why does the Secret Service protect the President of the United States? And what can we learn from McKinley's life and presidency, not just his assassination?</p><br><p>Don speaks with Kim Kenney, Executive Director at the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. Together, they ... Show More
46m 3s