Below are some places the podcast and blog have been featured. You can reach out here for more information.
History Articles by Howard Dorre
Smithsonian Magazine – March 23, 2026
Popular Lore Claims That William Howard Taft Got Stuck in a Bathtub. New Research Sheds Light on the Legend’s Forgotten Origins by Howard Dorre
A long-overlooked 1929 account contains the earliest known reference to the anecdote, suggesting that the 27th president found himself trapped in a tub during a Mississippi River voyage.
Smithsonian Magazine – March 3, 2025
How a Stuffed Animal Named Billy Possum Tried—and Failed—to Replace the Teddy Bear as America’s National Toy by Howard Dorre
In 1909, wealthy widow Susie W. Allgood marketed a plush marsupial inspired by President William Howard Taft. But children thought the toy looked “too much like a rat,” and it sold poorly.
Public Appearances & Conferences
America at 250: Founding Frenemies and the Rivalries that Shaped America – Houston History Research Center, June 13, 2026
In this lively and story-driven presentation, historian and podcaster Howard Dorre explores the rivalries, grudges, and political clashes that shaped the early United States—from the bitterness between Benjamin Franklin and both John Adams and Abigail Adams, to the political warfare between Adams and Alexander Hamilton, to the fallout between George Washington and James Madison. But these conflicts didn’t end with the founders. They carried into the next generation of American leadership—where figures like John Quincy Adams confronted an even more explosive disagreement: whether the United States should annex Texas.
History Camp America – July 10, 2021
Presentation: “Saving John Quincy Adams from Alligators and Mole People”
Intelligent Speech Conference Spring 2021 – April 24, 2021
Panel: The Women Who Shaped The Early Presidencies
Moderator Jerry Landry (Presidencies of the United States) and panelists Lindsay Chervinsky (The Past, the Promise, the Presidency), Howard Dorre (Plodding Through The Presidents), and Kenny Ryan (Presidential Histories)
Press Mentions
The Washington Post – February 4, 2016
44 presidents, 43 biographies, one surprising take-away by Justin Wm. Moyer
Journalist Justin Moyer discusses people on a journey to read a biography of every president in order, including myself.
Podsauce – February 21, 2022
Editors’ Picks: Andrew Jackson’s parrot: ‘Plodding Through the Presidents’ shares lesser-known facts about some of the most iconic presidents
Smithsonian Magazine – Revised June 21, 2021 (original May 7, 2015)
John Quincy Adams Was An Ardent Supporter of Exploration by Marissa Fessenden, Meilan Solly
Originally titled “John Quincy Adams Once Approved an Expedition to the Center of the Earth,” this article propagated the myth that Adams believed in a hollow earth. It was substantially revised in June 2021 to correct that, mentioning my work and the work of J. L. Bell.
Snopes – February 19, 2018
Were Alligators Ever Kept as White House Pets? by David Emery
My findings on John Quincy Adams’s legendary pet alligator were cited in this article, and I achieved a lifelong dream of having Snopes say, “We agree with Dorre.”
Grunge – November 5, 2022
Here’s Why People Think John Quincy Adams Had A Pet Alligator by Andrew Amelinckx
“If not for an intrepid writer and podcaster Howard Dorre, this alligator tale would have continued to be passed off as fact, rather than a legend.”
Cracked.com – November 3, 2020
Cracked Apologizes to John Quincy Adams by Ethan Lou
In which I locate the source of the idea that John Quincy Adams wanted to fund an expedition to meet “mole people” and he actually apologizes for inadvertently creating the myth: “The Los Angeles man who emailed me is named Howard Dorre, a history enthusiast. He runs the podcast Plodding through the Presidents. According to him, in the nine years since my Cracked article dropped, it’s apparently spiraled totally out of control. The article’s the source of the now wide-spread factoid that John Quincy Adams believed in a hollow Earth inhabited by mole people…”
Presidential Pet Museum – February 21, 2018
Bitten by an Alligator by Andrew Hager
The historian-in-residence of The Presidential Pet Museum responds to my “thorough (and quite funny)” piece on JQA’s alligator and acknowledges their mistaken propagation of this gator tale.
Boston1775 – November 9, 2017
A Presidential Plodder by J. L. Bell
American Revolution author J. L. Bell’s profile of my blog where he provides the words I want on my epitaph: “Delightfully irreverent.”
WordPress Discover – August 29, 2018
Editors’ Picks by Ben Huberman
“American history buffs, this one’s for you: Howard Dorre, who’s reading (and blogging about) a biography of every U.S. president, has published numerous posts on arcane-yet-fascinating aspects of the presidency…”
Podcast Guest Appearances
Talk That Pod – March 31, 2026
002 – Howard Dorre – Plodding Through The Presidents
In this episode, host Sebastian Arciszewski sits down with Howard Dorre, co-founder and co-host of Plodding Through the Presidents — an award-winning history podcast that takes an irreverent dive into the lesser-known stories of the American presidents and the early republic. Howard co-hosts the show with his wife, Jess, in a format where he researches the stories and presents them to her fresh on mic, blending narrative storytelling with genuine, unscripted conversation.
The Big Fib – February 5, 2026
Will we impeach wisdom when telling fibs about US PRESIDENTS?
“This week on The Big Fib we find out if our child contestant can spot which adult expert is fibbing about US PRESIDENTS. Where did Abraham Lincoln keep important documents? Who was the first African-American woman to run for president? Which president and his wife spoke Mandarin to have private conversations? Play along and see if you can guess who’s telling the truth and who’s telling fibs on The Big Fib gameshow.” The young contestant must decide which grown-up is an expert on US presidents—Howard or a fibber.
Presidencies of the United States
William Wirt Part One – August 24, 2025
“After a childhood marred by tragedy and drunken nights of Shakespearean recitations in a state of undress as a young adult, William Wirt went on to become one of the most well respected lawyers of the Early Republic, serving as legal counsel in some of the highest-profile cases of the time including the trial of George Wythe’s alleged murderer and the treason trial of Aaron Burr. Why then isn’t he better known in the modern day? Join me and my special guest, Howard Dorre of Plodding Through the Presidents, as we try to answer that question!”
William Wirt Part Two – September 14, 2025
“After making a name for himself in some high profile cases as well as his literary endeavors, William Wirt became the 9th US Attorney General and would ultimately prove to be the longest-serving person in that post to date. What did he contribute to the two administrations that he served and how did he transform the office of Attorney General? Join me and my special guest, Howard Dorre of Plodding Through the Presidents, as we explore Wirt’s Cabinet tenure.”
William Wirt Part Three – September 28 2025
“In this third and final part, we examine Wirt’s life after leaving the Cabinet which included a presidential campaign, arguing two monumental cases before the Supreme Court, and his bid to become the first Florida snowbird in history. At the end, I and my special guest, Howard from Plodding Through the Presidents, evaluate Wirt’s career and Cabinet tenure to determine whether he deserves a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars.”
S010 – The Jeffersonian Revolution: 1800 – March 10, 2024
“The election rematch between President John Adams and Vice President Thomas Jefferson in 1800 did not go quite according to plan thanks to the original method of electors casting ballots. In this episode, I am joined by friend and fellow podcaster, Howard Dorre from Plodding Through the Presidents, to discuss the ins and outs of that complicated election that devolved into a constitutional crisis and what we felt were the key takeaways from it.”
Seat at the Table #4 – Thomas Jefferson – November 7, 2021
“We’ve spent a good amount of time in the narrative talking about Jefferson as the third US president, but in this episode, while also exploring his life and career as a whole, we focus in a bit on Jefferson’s tenure as Secretary of State in the Washington administration. Thanks so much to my special guests for this episode, Howard and Jess from Plodding Through the Presidents!”
History Dispatches – June 25, 2025
Billy Possum
“In 1909, wealthy Georgia widow Susie Wright Allgood saw a business opportunity. She wanted to crate a new stuffed toy that would usurp the popular Teddy Bear. Her new toy was Billy Possum—inspired by President William Howard Taft. For this episode, we are joined by Howard Dorre from the podcast Plodding Through The Presidents.”
Southern Gothic – September 22, 2024
The Thing in the White House
“On July 26, 1911, Major Archibald Butt, the military aide to President William Howard Taft, wrote to his sister-in-law about something rather odd that had been happening inside the walls of the White House for months: ‘My dear Clara, it seems that the White House is haunted.’ The Major then continues on to describe some of the interesting and eerie claims made by members of the White House staff, folks who claim to have come into contact with an entity that has since become known simply as ‘The Thing.’ This episode was done in collaboration with Howard Dorre of the chart-topping history podcast Plodding Through The Presidents.”
Historical AF
Episode 73: An Unkillable Cannibal and a Bad Bromance – September 13, 2020
“Welcome to PRESIDENTS PART ONE with special guests Howard and Jess from the Plodding Through the Presidents Podcast! This week we get weird and historical with the horror movie monster Andrew Jackson and the first smear campaign between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson!”
Episode 104: Inventions Part Two: Whirligig Chairs & Abolitionist Patents – May 2, 2021
“Welcome to the Inventions Part Two with special guests Plodding Through the Presidents Podcast! This week we kick it off with some weird inventions by Thomas Jefferson. Naturally this is followed by some rage because he’s kind of the worst. Next, we dive into some of the earliest African American inventors in the United States that everyone should know!”
The Delicious Story Podcast – August 23, 2020
TDS 56 When Living In The Past Is Good For You, Howard Dorre of Plodding Through The Presidents
“For this interview, we visit with history blogger Howard Dorre, an unapologetic history enthusiast who is “plodding” his way through research into the presidents of the United States. As you listen, you’ll discover how he migrated from trudging along with a small audience to flying high and capturing the attention of thousands of thrilled followers…”
Check out all regular podcast episodes here.
Awards
Best History Podcast, Winner
Discover Podcast Awards, 2025
Best History Podcast, Finalist
Discover Pods Awards, 2021, 2022
Best History Podcast, Finalist
People’s Choice Podcast Awards, 2022