America’s Worst President Can Teach Us Much About Writing Raunchy Poetry and Dying Suspiciously

America’s Worst President Can Teach Us Much About Writing Raunchy Poetry and Dying Suspiciously

The common view of Warren G. Harding is this: a likable affable fool from Ohio who was chose as Republican presidential candidate at a deadlocked national convention because he was the lowest common denominator. His cronies—the “Ohio Gang”— plundered the government while Harding pursued his vision of “a return normalcy,” which involved little more than writing raunchy poetry to his mistresses (which the Library of Congress made available to the public in 2014). Harding died in 1923, possibly at the hand of a political rival or a jealous wife. Historians agree with this assessment – in every poll of the president, Harding comes at the very bottom.

But what if this view is wrong? After all, Harding was beloved by Americans during his life and mourned deeply at his early passing. He was the first president to require a budget from Congress, improved relations with Latin America, and pushed for the inclusion of Black Americans into civic life.

In this episode, we’ll look at the legacy of America’s most hated president and if he deserves that distinction. Other topics include:

• Theories about his death There are lots and lots of theories about how he was murdered and they have to do with the belief he was always involved in scandals and womanizing.

• lurid poetry he sent to his mistress

• theories he might have been black (CSPAN episode from 1999 had lots of callers bout this)

• Whether Warren G. Harding’s reputation deserves to be rehabilitated.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaksot(1076)

Gears, Gold, and Global Peace: A Steampunk Bitcoin Journey Through an Alternate 20th Century

Gears, Gold, and Global Peace: A Steampunk Bitcoin Journey Through an Alternate 20th Century

We have paper money today because it functioned as an IOU, certifying that the holder could redeem it for an equivalent amount of physical gold or silver from the bank's vault. That’s where the Englis...

20 Tammi 1h 5min

Before the Cold War, Russia and America Were the Closest of Distant Friends

Before the Cold War, Russia and America Were the Closest of Distant Friends

Nearly a century of Cold War tensions between the United States and Russia hide the incredibly close friendship that the two nations enjoyed before this period. From America’s colonial founding in the...

15 Tammi 46min

The Horrifying Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Titanic of the Great Lakes

The Horrifying Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Titanic of the Great Lakes

One of the worst nautical disasters in recent American history is the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. On November 10, 1975, the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot wa...

13 Tammi 48min

Inside the Deadly German U-Boats That Brought Britain to Its Knees (But Were Deadlier for Their Own Crews)

Inside the Deadly German U-Boats That Brought Britain to Its Knees (But Were Deadlier for Their Own Crews)

Over the course of World War II, Germany’s submariners sank over three thousand Allied ships, nearly three-quarters of Allied shipping losses in all theaters of the war. Winston Churchill famously dec...

8 Tammi 41min

Manifest Destiny, Powered by Coal: How “Black Gold” Conquered the American Continent

Manifest Destiny, Powered by Coal: How “Black Gold” Conquered the American Continent

America’s growth from a rugged frontier nation to the globe’s industrial superpower in the space of 100 years can be explained by one word: coal. Before coal dominance, American buildings were defined...

6 Tammi 49min

Ancient Athens Picked Its Leaders by Lottery for Over 200 Years. Some Think This System Should Replace Electoral Democracy

Ancient Athens Picked Its Leaders by Lottery for Over 200 Years. Some Think This System Should Replace Electoral Democracy

For almost two centuries, Ancient Athens—the most successful democracy in history—selected citizens by lottery to fill government positions. Athens adopted sortition—a random lottery system—to select ...

1 Tammi 51min

How Would Nixon Have Handled the Cuban Missile Crisis?

How Would Nixon Have Handled the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The "Madman Theory" was Richard Nixon's foreign policy strategy during the Vietnam War era, where he deliberately cultivated an image of being unpredictable and irrational—hinting he might escalate to...

30 Joulu 202528min

Diogenes, the Father of Ancient Greek Stoicism, Loving Trolling His Audience and Could Out-Shock Borat

Diogenes, the Father of Ancient Greek Stoicism, Loving Trolling His Audience and Could Out-Shock Borat

The famous street artist Banksy shocked the art world in 2018 when his painting, Girl with Balloon, partially shredded itself moments after selling it for over a million dollars. at a Sotheby's auctio...

25 Joulu 202549min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

sita
olipa-kerran-otsikko
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
i-dont-like-mondays
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
mamma-mia
rss-murhan-anatomia
rss-nikotellen
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
aikalisa
meidan-pitais-puhua
naakkavalta
rss-haudattu
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
mystista