What people are saying about the Plodding Through The Presidents podcast:
“A must listen to! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This podcast is by far one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to. There is always such a good balance of history and humor that make it a joy to listen to. I’ve gotten friends who have no interest in history hooked on this…”
“A winner right out of the gate… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Smart and funny – Howard and Jess are the perfect duo to make this podcast.”
Join historian Howard Dorre and his wife Jess for an irreverent dive into lesser-known stories about the American presidents and the early republic.
The award-winning Plodding Through The Presidents is an Airwave Media podcast exploring myths, mysteries, scandals, and other oddities that shed light on the personalities of the founders and their families.
Where to Start?
Check out some of our listeners’ favorite episodes:
Show Notes
Season 1
1.1 John & Abigail & Smallpox1.2 Jefferson’s Broken Heart and Wrist
1.3 The Scandalmonger’s Revenge
1.4 A Tale of Two Stepsons
1.5 John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet
1.6 Andrew Jackson’s Slut-Shaming Evolution
Season 2
2.1 Paranormal Presidents Part 12.2 Paranormal Presidents Part 2
2.3 Alexander Hamilton & John Adams: A Superabundance of Hate
2.4 Elizabeth Jefferson’s Earthquake Drowning
2.5 Died On The Fourth Of July
2.6 Finding Madison’s Funny Bone
2.7 Gouverneur Morris and the Vampire of Bizarre
2.8 The Peacemaker and the Cradle Robber
2.9 (Bonus) The Sauciest Presidential Love Letters
Season 3
3.1 Thomas Jefferson’s Killer Ram3.2 Potty-Mouthed Parrots
3.3 Lindsay Chervinsky & Washington’s Cabinet of Personalities
3.4 The Mythology of Mary Ball Washington
3.5 Cara Finnegan & Photographic Presidents
3.6 The Amistad, The Creole, and Madison Washington
3.7 Conspiracy Theories & The Corrupt Bargain with Mark Cheathem
3.8 The Haunted Hermitage & The Stone Library Heist
3.9 Ghosts of the White House & New England with Jeff Belanger
3.10 Mary Hellen’s Petticoat Magic
3.11 Benjamin Rush To Judgment
Season 4
4.1 Hamilton, Burr, and the Murder of Elma Sands4.2 A Perfect Monster: Burr, Hamilton, and the Manhattan Company
4.3 The Resounding Will of Benjamin Franklin
4.4 Why John Adams Hated Benjamin Franklin
4.5 Bonus Episode: Friendsgiving Spectacular
4.6 The Passion of Benjamin Franklin
4.7 Treasures of Healthcare History with Tegan Kehoe
4.8 Teddy Bear’s Creation Myths
4.9 The Rise and Fall of Billy Possum
4.10 John Quincy vs. The Sun, The South & The Mole People
4.11 Populism in The Wizard of Oz
4.12 Washington & Madison’s Founding Fracture
4.13 Assassinating Andrew Jackson
4.14 Living Monuments of the Lost Cause with Karen L. Cox
4.15 The Shipwrecked Ring of John C. Calhoun
4.16 Bonus Episode – Friendsgiving Spectacular 2023
Season 5
5.1 The John Adams Diet5.2 Party Time with H. W. Brands
5.3 Saving Mount Vernon and Everything the Light Touches
5.4 Joe versus Mount Vernon
5.5 Mount Vernon’s Stone of Secrets
5.6 Adapting Franklin & John Adams with Kirk Ellis
5.7 The Undeniable Rizz of Aaron Burr
5.8 Presidential Grave Hunter with Kurt Deion
5.9 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with David Head & Timothy Hemmis
5.10 The Adoption of Lyncoya: Andrew Jackson’s Native “Son”
5.11 The Legacy of Lyncoya
5.12 FDR and the Spirit of America with Paul Sparrow
5.13 Andrew Jackson’s True Role in the Trail of Tears
5.14 Thomas Jefferson’s Beloved Dick
5.15 John Adams Under Fire with Lindsay Chervinsky
5.16 Living Constitutionally with A.J. Jacobs
5.17 Murder & The Masons
5.18 The Thing in the White House – Southern Gothic
5.19 The Last Check on Democracy with Savannah Eccles Johnston
5.21 George Washington’s Incompetence with James Early
5.22 Friendsgiving Spectacular 2024
5.23 James Monroe and the Tongs of Fire
5.24 Rebecca the Disgraceful Raccoon
5.25 Attack on Christmas Pies with Bennett Rea
5.26 Jimmy Carter and the Swamp Rabbit
Season 6
6.1 The Great Presidential Pot Hoax6.2 The Return of Billy Possum
6.3 Parson Weems & the Cherry Tree
6.4 Unbusting the Cherry Tree Myth
6.5 Sarah Shelton Henry and the Scotchtown Basement
6.6 Tecumseh’s Curse
6.7 The Death and Balls of William Henry Harrison
6.8 The Wrestling Legacy of Abraham Lincoln
6.9 AI vs. The Founders
6.10 Presenting History Dispatches: Billy Possum
6.11 Presidents vs. Sharks
6.12 A Tale of Two Cheeses
6.13 Benjamin Franklin’s Glass Armonica
6.14 Theodore Roosevelt and the Piranhas of Doubt
6.15 Thomas Jefferson’s Swordfish Treason
6.16 Bringing Eliza Home
6.17 Joseph Ellis & America’s Great Contradictions
6.18 Directing The American Revolution with Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt
6.19 Writing The American Revolution with Geoffrey C. Ward
6.20 Friendsgiving Spectacular 2025
6.21 Hamilton, Jefferson, and an American Caesar with Jeffrey Rosen
Season 7
7.1 In Pursuit of a Rising Sun7.2 How Taft Got Stuck in the Bathtub
7.3 Encore: The Peacemaker and the Cradle Robber
7.4 The Declaration of John Adams
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