Tour Guide Tell All

Presidential Election Season is winding down! And while 2024 promises to be one for the history books, we decided to check out some other election years that are already in there. Today, we focus on the Election of 1960, to follow up our Election of 1892 episode.  It's Vice President Nixon vs. Senator John F Kennedy in a razor thin result, far closer than most people realize. And highlights the in...

It's Presidential Election Season! And while 2024 promises to be one for the history books, we decided to check out some other election years that are already in there. Today, we focus on the Election of 1892, a pivotal "rematch" election between the incumbent, Benjamin Harrison, and former President Grover Cleveland, who becomes the first, and so far only, President to win re-election after losin...

From 1934 to 1968, a rigid code of moralist conformity hung over every single movie produced in Hollywood during this time, stemming from a 1915 Supreme Court case that essentially held that the "new" form of media, motion pictures, was not "speech" and therefore was unprotected by the 1st Amendment.  Movie studios scrambled to respond to a pushback against the wildness of the "Roaring '20s" and a...

We here at TGTA love a good historical anniversary, and this year's 80th anniversary of the unprecedented Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy takes place today, June 6th!   Join the Rebeccas as they give you the context and details to truly understand the historic nature of this surprise attack and how it will come to mark the beginning of the end of the Nazi reign of terror over Europe.  ...

Apologies to all our faithful listeners!  It's that time of year where tour guiding clashes with podcasting, but we are back on track and ready to rock out your summer with the intriguing twists of American history and culture.    Today's (a tiny bit late May) episode takes a deep dive into the quintessential American classic, Citizen Kane, brought to the big screen by the 24 year old wonder boy,...

Tour Guide Tell All wants to help you observe the true meaning of our Memorial Day Weekend, honoring all those who have sacrificed for our country, by taking a deep dive into one of the most storied military units of all time (even though we aren't quite sure why...), Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.   Join the Rebeccas as they reveal the origins of these "Riders" who didn't actually get to ride mu...

We finish up April by delving into the real life of the "The Greatest Showman" ever, P. T. Barnum. Learn about his fascinating contradictions, what he contributes to American culture of the time and even today, and his interesting political career.   Join the Rebeccas as they reveal just how "loosely-based" Hugh Jackman's movie actually was and how much of what you think you know about Barnum migh...

The election of 1948 is one of those few elections that really stand out for a number of reasons, but the most famous reason is the iconic picture of the re-elected President Truman holding up a newspaper proudly declaring "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN"   Join the Rebeccas as they dig into the election pretty much everyone assumed Harry Truman was going to lose, and find out how he beat the incredible odd...

Join us as we close out Women's History month with an in depth look at one of the most beloved and enigmatic figures in Argentine history: Eva Peron. Most of us know about her only through the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, but the real story is perhaps even more astounding.   Join the Rebeccas as they take a deep dive at the origins of this woman who helped spark an entire political movement, still...

March is Women's History Month, and as we are fond of reminding everyone, women's history is American history, and there's no better way to focus attention on that than by talking about some of our favorite "forgotten women" of our Founding Era.   Join the Rebeccas as they discuss women notably absent from most of our history textbooks, like Deborah Read Franklin, as well as the brilliant enslaved...

Black History Month rolls on with a local DC story. Black history is American history but it’s also, and perhaps especially, DC history, as so much of our nation's capital was built by free and enslaved African Americans.    Join Becca and Rebecca as we discuss Benjamin Banneker, astronomer, surveyor, and "correspondent" of Thomas Jefferson. Hear the truth behind the myths, why there are so many m...

February is Black History Month; a time to pause a bit and reflect on how Black History is American History, and to highlight the often untold or hidden stories we don't know nearly enough about.  This week, we dive into one of the most important, and most effective, protests of the Civil Rights Era: The Selma Marches. Join the Rebeccas as they take a deep dive into not only how the marches occurr...

For fans of the Pod, you probably know that our esteem for President Andrew Jackson is hovering near our esteem for President Wilson....right around the bottom of the heap.  But that isn't going to stop us from telling you the fascinating tale of the shockingly close attempt on Jackson's life, while also stating clearly and firmly: political violence of any kind is never acceptable.  And yes, that...

Double Indemnity (1944) is, shall we say, "loosely based" on the real life murder of one Albert Snyder by his wife, Ruth, and her lover, Judd Gray. At the time the murder in 1927, this was labeled "The Crime of the Century" and was relentlessly pursued by the press which, shockingly, brought all sorts of twists and misrepresentations into the case.  Join the Rebeccas as they take a deeper dive int...

It’s the end of the year, so it's time for a World's Fair episode! In 1904 the attention of the world turned to St Louis, which held a massive and, of course, controversial World's Fair (because why else would we be talking about it!). In the middle of the Fair they even held the 3rd *ever* Olympic Games, which included a marathon that actually served as one of the most horrific and unethical medi...

  <<<MATURE CONTENT WARNING>>>   The story of the Oneida Community is a fascinating mix of ahead-of-their-time progressive ideals, and the stark realities of mid-19th century America. John Noyes firmly believed the 2nd Coming of Jesus had already occurred centuries earlier, and it was now the job of mankind to create the perfect society envisioned by many Christians.  The Oneida...

The Election of 1876 is probably the wildest election story and also integral to understanding the next 50 years of American history. It also serves as the final footnote of the Civil War, testing whether a nation divided by violence and warfare could ever really come back together. It does, but at what cost?   Join Rebecca and Becca as we tell the complete story of the Election of 1876, warts and...

This Veterans Day we wanted to talk about the women who have made our military and our country great, so we decided to focus on some of the many fascinating women buried at Arlington National Cemetery.   Join Rebecca and Becca as we do a deep dive into the often over looked, occasionally forgotten, yet always interesting women of ANC.   Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes -...

Harry Houdini was a magician, an escape artist, a skeptic, and a showman. We wanted a spooky spectacular star for an October spooky episode, and Houdini put the spectacle in spectacular.   Join Rebecca and Becca as we talk about the life of one of the most famous magicians in American history, and, perhaps more importantly, an early crusader against con artists and frauds in the realm of Spiritual...

OYEZ OYEZ OYEZ! It's October, which means the Supreme Court is back in session and the Rebeccas are digging into some of the history of the Court this month.  Associate Justice of the Supreme Court William O. Douglass is probably one of the most important Supreme Court Justices you probably know nothing about.  Appointed by FDR, he remains the longest serving justice in the history of the court, a...

Most of us have at least heard of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania being one of the proximal causes of the United States entering WWI, but that isn't *entirely* true.  As usual, there is more to the story!   Join the Rebeccas this week as they delve into the tragedy of this loss and learn how it differed in many ways from the other major maritime catastrophe of the era, the sinking of the Titanic....

Listen up Tour Guide Tell All fans, we've got a special announcement about the exciting Literary Hill BookFEST taking place here in DC at Eastern Market on Sunday, September 17, 2023.   Take a listen to the quick announcement to learn how TGTA and associated history buffs will take part!   Link --->. Literary Hill BookFEST!

The beginning of September marks the end of summer, and though we all enjoy that last 3-day weekend to get those summer plans checked off, it's important to remember the WHY of Labor Day.     Join the Rebeccas as they dive into one of the earliest organized labor strikes, all the more remarkable because it was driven by mostly formerly enslaved women who could largely neither read nor write, just...

This week, we take a look at a social phenomenon that took the Gilded Age by storm; young, rich, American women marrying into the titled aristocracy of the fading British Empire, also known as "Dollar Princesses."   Join Rebecca and Becca as we discuss wealth, patriarchy, and a very specific type of international relations.      Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes - #pitchto...

Join the Rebeccas this week as we get into heat of the spicy beef between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and look a little bit past the musical's interpretation and looking at what really lead to this odd bit of "civilized" murder.    DON'T FORGET DEAR PATRONS! We'd love to see you on tour, and you get some GREAT tour perks by being a Patron and making it to DC this summer. Contact us to find o...