Plodding Through The Presidents
Join history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre for a deep irreverent dive into lesser-known stories of the early American presidents. They dig into the myths, mysteries, scandals, and drama of the founders and their families, with a dash of marital banter.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 89
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Theodore Roosevelt and the Piranhas of Doubt
We dive into the real story of Theodore Roosevelt’s encounters with piranhas in the Amazon, his impact on the ferocious reputation of the fish, and how one fishmonger titan—Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod—tur…
00:54:09 |
Tue 09 Sep 2025
Benjamin Franklin's Glass Armonica
In this story from the archives, we look at the haunting sounds and even more haunting history of Benjamin Franklin’s favorite invention: the glass armonica.
For more information about Mayling Garc…
00:23:25 |
Tue 19 Aug 2025
A Tale of Two Cheeses
We dig into the stories behind two giant cheeses gifted to Presidents: First, the Mammoth Cheese presented to Thomas Jefferson in 1802 by Elder John Leland, and then an even bigger cheese made for An…
00:45:45 |
Wed 06 Aug 2025
Presidents vs. Sharks
Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws, we dig into the most notable encounters between presidents and sharks—from John Adams on the Atlantic to JFK in the Pacific. Then we look at the sha…
00:41:36 |
Tue 22 Jul 2025
Presenting History Dispatches: Billy Possum
We're excited to share an episode of the daily podcast History Dispatches, hosted by Matt and McKinley Breen, where Howard is the special guest talking about one of his favorite topics: Billy Possum,…
00:26:52 |
Tue 01 Jul 2025
AI vs. The Founders
We look at how Artificial Intelligence is waging a sophisticated attack on historical sources—the very sources we depend on for our research—and why we can't count on the government to save us.
Find…
00:21:19 |
Tue 17 Jun 2025
The Wrestling Legacy of Abraham Lincoln
We pin down the truth behind the tall tales of Abraham Lincoln’s reputation as a Hall of Fame wrestler credited with inventing the chokeslam.
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Join our Patreon communi…
00:34:21 |
Wed 04 Jun 2025
The Death and Balls of William Henry Harrison
We look into the giant victory balls that kept on rolling during William Henry Harrison’s 1840 presidential campaign. Then we welcome Jerry Landry of the Presidencies of the United States podcast to …
00:45:15 |
Wed 21 May 2025
Tecumseh's Curse
We dig into the eerie presidential death cycle known as Tecumseh’s Curse or the Zero-Year Curse. Tracing the origins of the legend to Native American revenge, planetary alignment, and even Satan, we …
00:50:26 |
Tue 06 May 2025
Sarah Shelton Henry and the Scotchtown Basement
We dig into the truth and lore about the mysterious life and death of Sarah Shelton Henry, Patrick Henry’s wife—a woman who suffered from mental illness and was confined in the basement of their home…
00:41:33 |
Tue 15 Apr 2025
Unbusting the Cherry Tree Myth
We welcome James Bish and Dr. Richard Gardiner to talk about why they strongly believe the story of George Washington and his father’s cherry tree is not a myth—and that the real myth is that the sto…
01:01:27 |
Wed 02 Apr 2025
Parson Weems & The Cherry Tree
In the first part of our deep dive into one of the greatest myths in American history, we explore Mason Locke Weems—the complex character behind the story of young George Washington taking a hatchet …
00:47:13 |
Tue 18 Mar 2025
The Return of Billy Possum
20 years after William Howard Taft’s famous possum and taters feast inspired the failed Billy Possum toy, a real live Billy Possum wandered into the annals of presidential—and baseball—history. This …
00:29:53 |
Tue 04 Mar 2025
The Great Presidential Pot Hoax
We kick off Season 6 with a deep dank dive into a hoax about the early presidents and cannabis that fooled a Surgeon General in 1971 and is still claiming victims today. It’s the straight dope on the…
00:37:06 |
Mon 17 Feb 2025
Season 6 Trailer
Season 6 premieres this Presidents Day, and it's focused on some of the biggest and weirdest myths in presidential history. From cherry trees to bath tubs, we're digging into the drama, personalities…
00:01:20 |
Wed 12 Feb 2025
Presenting Historical Blindness: The Illuminati in America
During our hiatus ahead of Season 6, we're excited to share this fascinating episode of a podcast called Historical Blindness. In this episode, host Nathanial Lloyd digs into the conspiracy theories …
00:45:30 |
Fri 31 Jan 2025
Presenting Presidencies of the United States - The Jeffersonian Revolution: 1800
While we’re on hiatus before Season 6 debuts, we’re excited to share this episode of Presidencies of the United States, an excellent podcast hosted by our good friend Jerry Landry. Howard is Jerry’s …
00:59:35 |
Fri 17 Jan 2025
Jimmy Carter and the Swamp Rabbit
Remembering 39th President Jimmy Carter, we share the quirky story of Carter's encounter with a distressed swamp rabbit while fishing in Georgia—and how it turned into front page news. This was origi…
00:12:17 |
Mon 30 Dec 2024
Attack on Christmas Pies with Bennett Rea
We're joined by Bennett Rea of Cookin' with Congress to talk about his historical culinary adventures and our team-up to recreate a massive Yorkshire Christmas pie like the ones George Washington uns…
00:51:30 |
Tue 24 Dec 2024
Rebecca the Disgraceful Raccoon
We look at the wild life of Rebecca, President Coolidge's pet raccoon. She was sent to the Coolidges to be part of their Thanksgiving dinner, but Calvin and Grace instead fell in love with the critte…
00:26:45 |
Wed 18 Dec 2024
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