History for Cocktail Parties

This episode of History for Cocktail Parties examines the FBI’s international pursuit of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. Hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy follow Ray’s desperate flight across Canada and Europe, his paranoid search for new identities, and his ill-fated dreams of becoming a mercenary. The story highlights the unprecedented scale of the manhunt, the inter...

This episode of History for Cocktail Parties explores the largest manhunt in FBI history — the international search for Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, James Earl Ray. Hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy trace Ray’s flight from Memphis to Canada, his use of fake identities, and the pivotal clues that ultimately unraveled his escape. It’s a gripping mix of history and true crime, highlightin...

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties , James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy examine the largest manhunt in American history—the pursuit of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. The hosts trace the events leading up to King’s assassination in Memphis, the FBI’s challenges in tracking Ray across international borders, and the racial and political tensions that shaped the inv...

From soccer scrums to Bowl games, football’s journey is as fascinating as the game itself. In this episode, hosts Thornton Kennedy and James Ottley trace the evolution of the South's favorite pastime, spotlighting the legends who shaped it, the rivalries that defined it, and the cultural forces that turned Saturday afternoons and bowl games into national traditions.

In the final installment of our Panama Canal series, History for Cocktail Parties traces the disastrous opening chapter of America’s canal campaign. Tropical diseases, political missteps, and sheer stubbornness nearly doomed the United States to repeat the French failure. But under Teddy Roosevelt’s leadership, a new team of engineers and visionaries stepped in to change the course of history. Wil...

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy unravel the astonishing story of the Panama Revolution — the chain of unlikely, cinematic events that allowed Panama to break free from Colombia and pave the way for the canal. From a revolutionary who won just enough at the gambling table to fund his mission to New York, to a railroad superintendent who cleve...

The Greatest Lobbying Campaign in History! In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties , hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy uncover the true-life political thriller behind the Panama Canal. For decades, U.S. leaders planned to dig an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua—until two master lobbyists, Philippe Bunau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell, changed history. With intrigue worthy of...

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties , hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy unpack the dramatic rise and fall of the French attempt to build the Panama Canal. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, famed for the Suez Canal but lacking any engineering background, the effort was plagued by deadly disease, financial mismanagement, and brutal terrain. The discussion highlights key figures like Jul...

In the third installment of our Panama Canal series, we dive into the bold yet flawed French attempt to carve a path through the Isthmus of Panama. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps—celebrated hero of the Suez Canal but no engineer—this phase of the canal’s history is marked by grand ambition, shaky logistics, and devastating consequences. From the formation of the Société Civile Internationale and the...

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy talk about the geopolitical race for canal dominance, focusing on the ambitious endeavors surrounding the Panama Canal. They unravel the stories of dreamers and diplomats, from the visionary yet unqualified Ferdinand de Lesseps to the strategic maneuvers of global powers. Discover how the Suez Canal's success fu...

Hack Historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy trace the early history of the Panama Canal, from the first European crossing of the Isthmus to the dreams and delusions of travel writers and pontificators who never visited the region. They explore how the Gold Rush and the Panama Railroad laid the groundwork for the canal’s eventual construction. Along the way, James and Thornton examine the rol...

In the winter of 1968, a 20-year-old Emory University student and heiress to a real estate fortune was ripped from her motel room in the dead of night by a pair of masked kidnappers. After drugging her mother and forcing her into their car, Gary Steven Krist and Ruth Eisemann-Schier buried her alive in a custom-made box, deep in a Georgia pine forest, with only an air pump and sedative-laced water...

In Episode 3 of Before Camelot, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy continue to peel back the veneer of America’s most storied political dynasty. It begins with the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Originally groomed for the presidency, Joe Jr.'s tragic end in World War II forced his younger brother John into the political spotlight, with Bobby soon following. The episode traces the family&#...

In the latest episode of Atlanta History for Cocktail Parties, hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy take a sharp-edged dive into the complicated life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the original architect of America's most storied political dynasty. From his savvy — and often suspect — stock market plays to his strategic forays into Hollywood and real estate, Kennedy emerges as a master of timi...

Hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy explore the dark origin story of America’s most glamorous political dynasty. Long before JFK captured the nation's imagination, his father Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was amassing a fortune through bootlegging, stock manipulation, insider trading, and political backroom deals — with more than a few suspicious deaths along the way. This is the story o...

Before it became a millionaire’s retreat and before U-boats prowled its shores during World War II, Jekyll Island began as a gift — an honor bestowed by James Oglethorpe upon one of Britain’s most principled and peculiar political minds: Sir Joseph Jekyll . A fiery Whig reformer, Jekyll spent four decades fighting corruption in Parliament, championing sobriety to the point of needing personal secu...

Before it became a millionaire’s retreat and before U-boats prowled its shores during World War II, Jekyll Island began as a gift — an honor bestowed by James Oglethorpe upon one of Britain’s most principled and peculiar political minds: Sir Joseph Jekyll . A fiery Whig reformer, Jekyll spent four decades fighting corruption in Parliament, championing sobriety to the point of needing personal secu...

In the final episode of Jekyll Island and the Secret Origin of the Fed, hack historians Thornton Kennedy and James Ottley peel back the curtain on the conspiracy theories—and cold, hard truths—surrounding the creation of the Federal Reserve. What was really at stake when six men, representing some of the wealthiest interests in America, met in secrecy on Jekyll Island? Was it public good or privat...

In Episode 3 of Jekyll Island and the Secret Origin of the Fed , hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy recount the 1910 journey right out of a movie of America’s financial power players to a secluded Georgia island under the guise of a duck hunting trip. Using only first names and traveling in stealth, the group—including a man who had never hunted duck in his life—crafted the blueprin...

In the second leg of the journey to Jekyll Island and the secret 1910 meeting that laid the groundwork for the Federal Reserve System, History for Cocktail Parties hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy dive into the economic chaos triggered by the 1890 Silver Purchase Act and the devastating Panic of 1893. This episode uncovers how debates over gold and silver shaped America’s monetary system, f...

History for Cocktail Parties hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy take listeners on a journey that ultimately leads to Jekyll Island, Georgia — the secluded site of a secret 1910 meeting that laid the groundwork for the Federal Reserve System. This episode explores the dramatic history of American money, revealing how financial panics, backroom deals and banking reforms shaped everything from t...

In the final installment of our three-part series on The Masters Tournament, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy take listeners back to the very first tee-off in Augusta. This episode explores the inaugural 1934 tournament and how Bobby Jones—after serving with distinction during World War II—returned home to find his dream had taken root. Ottley and Kennedy trace how Jones' postwar legacy...

In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy explore the origins of Augusta National Golf Club, delving into why Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts selected Augusta, Georgia, as the site for their course. They discuss the club's early financial challenges and how these struggles led to the creation of the inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament in...

In the debut episode of History for Cocktail Parties on The Masters — a tradition unlike any other — hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy dive into the story behind the creation of Augusta National Golf Club. They explore the unlikely partnership of golf legend Bobby Jones, Wall Street financier Cliff Roberts and renowned golf course architect Alister MacKenzie. Despite coming from va...