Published in History’s Trainwrecks·PinnedThe Most Dangerous Man In America, Part I: ImpeachmentThe governor of Louisiana was in serious trouble, but he didn’t really know how bad it was. As had been the case throughout his career, he figured that, no matter what, the people would always save him. *** Huey Long was far more than just a guy who told the…History9 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·PinnedThe Open HighwayI’ve been listening to The Open Highway Podcast with Eric Erickson. He’s got an incredible talent for interviewing people, and he needed every bit of it today. Because he interviewed me. Some highlights: 1. That time I told him patriotism should be more like Tylenol and less like heroin. 2…History1 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·PinnedThe Most Dangerous Man in AmericaFranklin Roosevelt called him “one of the most dangerous men in America.” Huey Long, governor and then senator from Louisiana, was a champion of the poor at precisely the right time. The Great Depression had most of the country out of work and hungry. He advocated a massive redistribution of…20th Century2 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·PinnedStubborn Nags of Ancient Rome, Part ISometimes a Republic on its way to becoming an empire could really use an intractable stick-in-the-mud to run things. (If you’d rather listen then read, check out this episode at The History’s Trainwrecks Podcast): 004 - Stubborn Nags of Ancient Rome, Part I | History's Trainwrecks Listen to 004 - Stubborn Nags of Ancient Rome, Part I from History's Trainwrecks. Meet Cato the Elder, a stick in the…shows.acast.comHistory4 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·Jul 26Ben Franklin In The Cockpit, Part IEngland’s American colonists were a serious problem for the British Empire by 1774. Mad old King George was pretty…well…you know. (If you’d rather listen than read, check out this episode of History’s Trainwrecks). 044 - Ben Franklin in the Cockpit, Part II | History's Trainwrecks on Acast The most famous American in the world was about to have one of the worst days of his life, and everyone who was anyone…play.acast.comHistory10 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·Jul 15The World’s Richest Man — Taken Down By CheeseThe richest man in the world was on the run. President Theodore Roosevelt’s Justice Department was planning to file an antitrust suit against John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company in 1906, and the states wanted to get into the action before the Attorney General did. …Standard Oil7 min read
Published in I’m Not Allowed To Watch The News·Jul 12How Does This End?How does this end? That’s a strange question to be asking in the first article. One possible answer is “people won’t read your scribblings and you’ll slink away in disgrace, never to be heard from again.” Which is very plausible. We’ll have to see how that goes. What I’m talking…Politics10 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·Mar 11What Good Is a Lawyer In An Army Camp?“Not bad for a lawyer.” Marcus Tullius Cicero, former Roman consul, famed orator, Senator, and jurist, had been sent to govern the province of Cilicia, near modern-day Turkey. …Rome9 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·Mar 4Pompey the Gr — Sort of Okay, Kind OfIt was every man for himself. The First Triumvirate was collapsing. Julia, the beloved daughter of Julius Caesar and adored wife of Pompey the Great, died in childbirth in 54 BC. Her daughter lived only a few days. Pompey fell into deep mourning, which was unusual. This was…Ancient12 min read
Published in History’s Trainwrecks·Feb 18Cato vs. The Dancing Girls of Ancient RomeThe dancing girls would take their clothes off, but not while Cato the Younger was in the audience. It was 55 BC, and the Floral Games were in full…um…bloom. The Games were the culmination of a week-long festival celebrating fertility, with the usual accompanying shenanigans: outrageous dress, lots of…10 min read
