American Esoterica

The tip of Lake Michigan is just the tip of the iceberg that spins out into a war between the states. Two states, that is.

THIS ONE'S GOT IT ALL, FOLKS - hucksters, country music, goat testicles, pirate radio, patent medicines, wire fraud, William Jennings Bryan...you name it! This is the bizarre story of how rural America fell in love with country music.

Meet Herman Hollerith - the founder of your digital world and archnemesis to The Count on Sesame Street. 

We all know that THE story about George Washington isn't true, but what if what we've been wrong about all this time is that the story is KINDA true-ish? 

Sometimes American cultural greatness runs in very concentrated pockets. 

"Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again..." - George W. Bush.

There's one order that holds the record for maybe the most antisemitic government act in American history, and it both complicates and haunts the legacy of someone otherwise perceived as a hero.

Attacking the Union from the south just wasn't cutting it. So why not attack from the north instead? GENIUS.

Lincoln loved the theater, although he might have a different opinion in retrospect. Yes, we're doing another Lincoln one. Yes, it includes some startling coincidences.

This one is about Beyoncé’s stepfather’s ex-wife’s uncle. (It's also the incredible story of a family that lifted each other to unheard-of heights.)

A love story for the ages.

She broke the invisible barriers in early American aviation with little more than a wing and a prayer. 

The Napkin of Consequence emerges to define 50 years of American policy. 

These are the losers of the losers - the ones who tried to do something stupid and failed in the attempt. Look at them - look at them and laugh. Also, it's a very serious subject, and your laughter is highly inappropriate. Grow up.

If you set out to make your mark on the world, don't half-ass it. 

You thought the duel was over. You were wrong.

It was a dramatic and chaotic campaign for the presidency, dominated by fake news, procedural problems, and a particularly problematic pundit. That doesn't narrow it down at all, either, does it? Ahh, America...

Juvenility ensues over the 16th #1's #2. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

There are famous ghosts and ghosts of famous people, but rarely do you find a ghost famous for being non-famous, as our subject today is. Be ready for the tragic theories behind the ghost known only as "The Thing."

It was a quick sales call that would go on to change everything and shape the world to come, until it all came to a fiery halt.

Is something setting off my Geiger counter, or are you just happy to see me? Sometimes, our usual methods of measurement just won't do.

You got your prehistoric beach in my voting patterns! No, you got your voting patterns in my prehistoric beach! Hmm...maybe these are two great tastes that taste great together!

It's not just A national anthem. It's THE national anthem of all national anthems. But it isn't ours. At least, not anymore. But it kind of was. Twice. In different ways.

No person is above the law. Not even the president. Especially when street racing.

Look, getting it right is hard. Sometimes we have to settle for "close to right" or "sort of right" or even "not remotely right, but a good story nonetheless." This one features an interview with a special guest, Stuart Fisk Johnson, Esq., of the Aaron Burr Association, who has some things to say about we've treated Mr. Burr.