Calling History: Listen In on Conversations with History’s Most Influential People.

In Part 2 of the 1802 phone conversation with Peggy Shippen she will explain why having a locket of John Andre’s hair was not proof of a romantic relationship. She’ll also discuss the infamous invisible ink letter. Why was her writing written over the top of this treasonous document. And lastly, when George Washington showed up to extract the truth about her involvement after her husband’s plan ha...

In 1802, Peggy Shippen was in England when she received a call from the future … In her youth, Peggy Shippen lived a charmed life. Her father was a respected man of the community and spoiled his daughters with nice dresses and a premier education for women of the time.  Then, in her late teens, she married Benedict Arnold. Once the nightmare of his treason began, it never ended. In this episode sh...

On May 4th (as in, "may the fourth be with you"), evil Sith lord Emperor Palpatine was making a diabolical plan to destroy everything and everyone, when he received a phone call from a galaxy far, far away.  If you love history, then you might hate this episode. This bonus episode was released on the Star Wars holiday, "may the fourth be with you". In this episode any of the following could happen...

In Part 2 of the 1835 phone call with David Crocket, he’ll be sharing a few hilarious stories with us. How he encouraged people to vote for him, whether or not he killed a bear at three-years-old, and the correct action to take when you hear a deep, angry growl, and your rifle is empty. It’s no wonder David Crockett was so popular in his time and loved as a congressman. He did what was right, but...

In 1835, just months before he would die at the Alamo in Texas, David Crockett received a call from the future … David Crockett was a good man with unwavering principles. But long before he was king of the wild frontier and a celebrity of his time, war required this principled man to do the unthinkable. At the beginning of this episode, you’ll hear the horrifying story that later shaped his decisi...

In Part 2 of the 1816 phone call with James Madison he is going to share some controversial thoughts about how they were attempting to Christianize the native Americans, how the natives reacted, why we had to take their land, and yet, why it was wrong. He’ll also take a hard jab at me when I won’t let up about a question he doesn’t want to answer about who he thinks was slacking in the government....

In 1816, while finishing his second term as President, James Madison received a call from the future … When you ask someone, “Who is James Madison and what did he do”, the most common response is, “I have no clue.” Yet, as you listen to this episode, you’ll see that we have many of our rights because Madison created them and then fought to make them the law of the land. You’ll also hear how he gat...

In Part 2 of the 1859 phone conversation with John Brown he will share with us: How the new lawless western territories looked nothing like the United States. Why did the current president not want the new territories to be free states? And finally, why he ordered lunch from a hotel for his hostages once he was trapped in the Harpers Ferry fire engine building. John Brown was not a man driven by g...

On November 30, 1859, John Brown was sitting in his Jail cell looking forward to being hanged in two days, when he received a call from the future … John Brown was a polarizing figure. If you lived in the north, he was a hero fighting for freedom. If you lived in the south, he was a murderous devil. In this episode: you’ll learn: How John Feels about being hung in two days. Why he refused to plead...

In Part 2 of the 1784 phone conversation with Martha Washington she will share with us: Whether or not her father had a daughter with one of their slaves? What happens to her husband in the bedroom if he goes back into public service after promising that he was done forever? And finally, why the hand of providence depriving the Washingtons of children might have been a curse and a blessing.  After...

In 1784, while relaxing in Mount Vernon after the Revolutionary war, Martha Washington received a call from the future … After eight long years of war, Martha wanted some time to relax and enjoy the fruits of her labor. When duty called, she was always willing, but how much can one person give?  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why she wished General Washington had not come to Mount Vernon to visit,...

In Part 2 of the 1889 phone conversation with Frederick Douglass, he’ll clear a few things up for us. If all people are in fact equal, why did he agree to drop women from the ballot after fighting for the right to vote for all? Why did he decline to join revolutionary abolitionist John Brown on his raid that would have collected 100,000 guns and armed the black man to fight back? And finally, who...

In 1889, former slave, and current ambassador to Haiti, Frederick Douglass, received a phone call from the future … If you’re looking for inspiration about what is possible in the United States, Frederick Douglass is your man. After being born into slavery and seeing every form of violence to himself and his family, he didn’t fold under the pressure, instead he harnessed that energy and used it to...

In Part 2 of the 1802 phone conversation with Paul Revere, I had to know the answers to these questions: After being caught on The Midnight Ride while attempting to inform the colonist to unite and prepare to fight, why did the British put a gun to his head, and then … let him go? Why did his revolutionary brothers chuck him to the side when leaving to fight the war and create our new nation? And...

In 1802, while working at his copper foundry, Paul Revere received a phone call from the future and began to reminisce about his revolutionary past … History had forgotten about Paul Revere until a poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow resurrected his legacy by writing about Revere’s Midnight Ride. Ironically, in Revere’s time another Wadsworth did everything in his power to destroy that same lega...

In Part 2 of the 1903 phone conversation with Harriet Tubman I make a huge mistake, you’ll know it when I say the word ‘chaos’. She will also tell us: About the conductor that ripped up her train pass and then broke her arm. The difference between the regular Bible and the Slave Bible. I had to look this up, it’s real! And finally, she’ll share the thing she wants to do next. It will make you smil...

In 1903, while sitting in her home in Auburn, New York at the age of 81, Harriet Tubman received a call from the future … Few have accomplished so much after starting with so little.  Harriet Tubman was born a slave, saw her family sold off in pieces, and was illiterate. Despite her disadvantages, she spent her life in the service of her nation and helping those that were enslaved. In this episode...

In Part 2 of the 1801 phone conversation with Abigail Adams, she’ll clear up a few things I’ve always wondered. For starters, John Adams was short, round, and balding. Which of those features made her think, “Yep, that’s my guy.”? Why did she think Thomas Jefferson was a terrible parent. And last, her profound response to a question about the necessity of violence. It is hard to say which of the A...

In 1801 Abigail Adams was enjoying the day at the family farm, Peacefield, when she received a phone call from the future … In Abigail Adams time, a woman and her belongings were the property of her husband. Yet, despite women being marginalized in this time, you’ll hear: How Abigail made a fortune investing the family’s money, even though women were not allowed to participate in financial transac...

In Part 2 of the 1891 phone conversation with Louis Diemschutz, he will clarify several facts about the crime and mistakes that could have resulted in the team getting caught. In this episode you’ll hear about: Why Diemschutz intentionally called the police to the murder he had just committed outside of his clubhouse. Obvious mistakes that the police missed, that would have easily connected his cr...

In 1891, Louis Diemschutz was at the International Working Men’s Educational Club preparing to leave London forever to protect a secret, when unexpectedly he received a call from the future … Jack the Ripper was never caught by the police. When I asked him why, he will tell you over and over, “Because they were idiots.” Probably the greatest obstacle the police had was that they were looking for o...

In Part 2 of the 1876 phone conversation with Mary Todd Lincoln she is going to clear up a few facts for us. What did she see in Abraham Lincoln and why she called this tall lanky man her diamond in the rough. Why and how close her husband was to duelling over her. And finally, why did Abe keep going when she saw her baby fall out of the back of his wagon, and what she had to say about it. After l...

In 1876, Mary Lincoln had fled to France after her insanity trial, when she received a call from the future … In modern times, Mary Lincoln's diagnosis would be bipolar. Although she is remembered as unpredictable and possibly insane, the truth is very different. She was educated, refined, and Abraham Lincoln's most trusted adviser, playing a pivotal role in helping him rise to the highest office....

In Part 2 of the 1881 conversation with Jefferson Davis, he’s going to shock me by saying that George Washington was his hero. He’ll also explain: What the phrases “sold down the river” and “overage” mean. Neither are good. What he meant when saying, “The Confederacy died of a theory.” And finally, how his thinking changed about slavery and the war, but not about the South’s right to Secede.  Jeff...

In 1881, while enjoying his retirement at Beauvoir, his home in Biloxi, Mississippi, Jefferson Davis received a call from the future … On the surface, Jefferson Davis was the perfect person to lead the South in secession from the Union. Prior to the Civil War he served in the United States House and Senate. He understood government. His experience was invaluable because the South had to build a no...