This American President

Theodore Roosevelt once said that he could only do one of two things: be president or control his daughter Alice. He insisted that he couldn't do both at the same time. Alice Roosevelt Longworth was, in many ways, a mirror image of her father: she was fiercely intellectual and never backed down from a fight. In her youth, she was the idol of millions of young women. In time, she became a DC power...

Countless books have been written about Theodore Roosevelt the statesman, the war hero, and the adventurer, but virtually none have explored his religious life. In this episode, we interview Professor Benjamin Wetzel, Professor of History at Taylor University, about his book Theodore Roosevelt: Preaching from the Bully Pulpit. Professor Wetzel reveals Roosevelt's views on matters of the soul and h...

It has been said that "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." In his youth, there was little to indicate that Theodore Roosevelt was destined for greatness. He spent much of his childhood bedridden, suffering from asthma. Roosevelt, however, overcame his ailments and dedicated his life to achieving greatness in every aspect of his life: physically,...

If Alexander The Great Hadn’t Died, He Might Have Conquered Europe, Circumnavigated Africa, and Built His Own Silk Road “And Alexander wept, seeing as he had no more worlds to conquer.” That’s a quote from Hans Gruber in Die Hard, which is a very convoluted paraphrase from Plutarch’s essay collection “Moralia.” Despite the questionable sourcing, there’s plenty of truth in that unattributed quote f...

In this episode of the Eyewitness History Podcast, Host Josh Cohen speaks with the former principal of Columbine High School, Frank DeAngelis. Frank and Josh discuss the events of the tragic shooting, what the police were doing at the time of the shooting, as well as the potential motivations of the two shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. They also discuss the infamous basement tapes, as well...

James Madison was shy, bookish, and a dainty five-feet-four inches. He was more of a deep thinker than he was a warrior, but he was the first president to lead the United States into war. In this episode, we interview James Early, host of Key Battles of the Revolutionary War and Key Battles of American History, to learn more about his leadership during the War of 1812. JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free...

The history of the world is full of unsung heroes and misunderstood figures who have shaped our lives in profound ways. Their contributions to history are, simply put, underrated. A couple of months ago, the guys from Parthenon Podcast Network (Joshua Cohen, Eyewitness History; Steve Guerra, History of the Papacy; Richard Lim, This American President; and Scott Rank, History Unplugged) discussed w...

Secret Service Agent Clint Hill personally knew and protected First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, as well as five American presidents. He and his wife, author Lisa McCubbin Hill, have just released a new book, My Travels With Mrs. Kennedy, where they share what it was like guarding the most popular American woman in the world. In this episode, we interview Mr. and Mrs. Hill about their book and Mr. Hil...

Zachary Taylor might be America's most forgotten president. Most Americans don't know anything about him. There have been no major biographies on Taylor in decades. He doesn't even have a historic home that you can visit--something his successor Millard Fillmore does have. And yet, Theodore Roosevelt considered him one of America's great presidents. Cameron Coyle, founder of the Zachary Taylor Pro...

Grover Cleveland’s political career—a dizzying journey that saw him rise from obscure lawyer to president of the United States in just three years—was marked by contradictions. A politician of uncharacteristic honesty and principle, he was nevertheless dogged by secrets from his personal life. A believer in limited government, he pushed presidential power to its limits to combat a crippling depres...

This episode is a preview of History of the Papacy by Stephen Guerra, a podcast in the Parthenon Podcast network. Today we begin a two part conversation on the history of Freemasonry during the 19th century. We are joined by author and historian John Dickie to find out who the Freemasons are and why the church and particularly the Catholic Church of the 19th century had so much conflict with Freem...

The Cold War was America's longest and most bizarre war. It was full of unlikely heroes and villains--people like Vasily Arkhipov who, although is little remembered today, literally saved the world from destruction. Commentator/podcaster Bill Whittle joins us on a tour of the personalities and moments that made the Cold War and shows that even Pizza Hut played a role in America's battle against co...

What is it like to travel to the moon? Only 24 human beings in all of history have known the answer to that question. One of those individuals is astronaut Fred Haise. Haise was a test pilot and astronaut during the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. Most famously, he was the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 13 mission. As we celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the first moon landing, we ar...

It's every history nerd's fantasy: going back in time and personally witnessing a historical event. In this episode, our host Richard Lim and Stephen Guerra (History of the Papacy and Beyond the Big Screen) reveal which events they would choose. STEVE GUERRA http://www.beyondthebigscreen.com/ JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium FOLLOW US www.linktr.ee/thisamerica...

In the Marvel series Loki, the all-powerful Time Variance Authority preserves the sacred timeline by "pruning" undesirable events from the timeline. In this roundup episode, the hosts of Parthenon Podcasts discuss which events from history they would "prune" to clean up our timeline and why it would be better, the only rule is they can't choose 9/11. Events such as: •The American Civil War •Saddam...

Great speeches can change the course of history. Not every speech, however, ends up getting delivered. Many, by twist of fate or some last-minute decision, end up being lost to history, such as Hillary Clinton's 2016 Election acceptance speech or Emperor Hirohito's speech of remorse following WWII. Thankfully, prominent speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum has published a book to recover these lost document...

In the first two decades of the 20th century, America stood poised to dominate the world economically and geopolitically--a fact underscore by the key role the United States played in World War I. During this time, three Americans rose to prominence, seeking to transform their country so it could cope with the challenges of a new age: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jane Addams. In this ep...

In the aftermath of the Queen's spectacular Platinum Jubilee, some might be asking some questions, such as why the United Kingdom still has a monarchy in the 21st century or what will history say about Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign? In this episode, we interview Deborah Hart Strober and Gerald Strober to answer these questions and discuss their new book book, titled Queen Elizabeth II...

This episode is a preview of History Unplugged hosted by Scott Rank, a podcast in the Parthenon Podcast network. War is assumed to be one of the chief features of human history. Plenty of ancient and modern writers back up this perspective (Plato said that only the dead have seen the end of war; John Steinbeck said all war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal, suggesting it was hard-...

In his first and only Inaugural Address, President George H. W. Bush stressed the importance of strengthening America through community involvement, a balanced budget, and bipartisanship. JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium FOLLOW US www.linktr.ee/thisamericanpresident CREDITS Host: Richard Lim Producer: Michael Neal Artist: Nip Rogers, www. NipRogers.com See omn...

The Bush family has arguably been the most successful political dynasty in modern American history. But while much has been written about presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, less is known about the women in their family, specifically the matriarch Dorothy Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. In this episode, we interview J. Randy Taraborrelli about his book Grace & Steel: Dorothy, Barbara...

Nine US presidents led America during its struggle against communism, but it would be George H.W Bush who would preside over the final collapse of the Soviet Union. In this episode, we cover how Bush used these circumstances to create a new world order. JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium FOLLOW US www.linktr.ee/thisamericanpresident CREDITS Written by: Owen Flan...

Just two weeks after the Russian invasion, the world is horrified as it sees images of death and destruction in Ukraine and is left guessing as to what President Vladimir Putin's next move will be. This conflict, however, is just the latest chapter in the long, tumultuous, and shared history between Ukraine and Russia. In this episode, our host sits down with retired U.S. Navy Commander Geoff Webe...

This is a preview of Key Battles of American History hosted by James Early, a podcast in Parthenon Podcasts. As late as the 1860s, Japan was a semi-feudal nation, largely cut off from the rest of the world. But within a few decades, the nation had transformed itself into a major industrial power with one of the world’s most well-trained, well-equipped, and well-led militaries. Between 1905 and 194...

In 1796, George Washington decided to retire after decades of public service, but he was worried for his nation’s future. This episode explores his Farewell Address, which he hoped would guide Americans beyond his own lifetime. WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY Did you know that Presidents' Day is officially called Washington's Birthday? The federal holiday was established by an act of Congress in 1879 and wa...