History First

The facts of Abraham Lincoln's assassination are well-known — the president was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre, on April 14, 1865. But what about the others close to the event? Today, we discuss the assassination attempt of William Seward, why Ulysses S. Grant didn't go to Ford's Theatre that night, and the tragic fate of the young couple who shared the Lincoln's theater box, Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

How have American presidents interacted with the British Royal Family when one of the "Firm" weds? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Is the presidency romantic? Well, couples throughout history have thought so—multiple people have gotten married at the White House since the beginning of the 19th-century. Curiously, only one president has ever been married there. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

When Gerald Ford assumed the presidency following Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, he had to decide whether not to pardon his predecessor. Ultimately, Ford decided to pardon Nixon—to the outrage of many. The Ford pardon was so unpopular that it may have even cost him reelection. So, how did Ford reach his decision? And how do Americans regard Ford’s pardon of Nixon today? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

When it comes to Inauguration Days, nothing quite tops Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration in 1861. By the time Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4th, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

In this episode, we check in with three American presidents—Warren G. Harding, William Howard Taft, and Franklin Roosevelt—who all had an eventful 1921. We'll also discuss what life was like in America 100 years ago. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

If President Trump were to run again in 2024, and win, he would become only the second president to serve two, non-consecutive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland. He won the election of 1884, lost the election of 1888, and returned to the White House after the election of 1892. This made him the 22nd AND 24th president of the United States. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

We take a look back at a few awkward Inauguration Days in the 20th-century. We'll discuss the transition from Harry Truman to Dwight D. Eisenhower; Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan; and Bill Clinton to George W. Bush --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Happy Halloween! Here's a short episode about White House ghosts. Presidents, first ladies, and White House visitors have reported supernatural sightings at the executive mansion. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

At the beginning of the month, President Trump was diagnoses with coronavirus—and questions quickly followed. For several days, the truth about the president’s condition seemed foggy, especially after he went to the hospital. That got us thinking about other presidents who have hidden health scares. Today, we’re going to talk about two cases—Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson—who went to great lengths to hide the truth about their health from the American people. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Today, we’re going to delve into Calvin Coolidge’s 1928 trip to Cuba. At the time, it seemed like a rather serene affair. The wild truth about the trip didn’t come out until thirty years later. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Conventions are historically pretty wild. (This has changed in the last several election cycles…they’ve become much more predictable). We look back at four memorable convention moments from the 20th-century—from the battle of Bull Moose in 1912, to a moment of Hollywood oddity in 2008. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

These days, all anyone can talk about is coronavirus. Our conversations are consumed with social-distancing, quarantine measures, and questions about testing. Many have drawn similarities between the pandemic of today to the 1918 influenza pandemic. So how did Woodrow Wilson respond to the Spanish flu? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Joe Biden has officially picked Kamala Harris to be his running mate. This came after some grumbling within Biden's circle that Harris was "too ambitious" and "lacked remorse" for her attacks on Biden during the primaries. So, we looked back at a few other campaign rivals who became running mates. Kamala Harris is in good company—although we hope that she and Biden develop a better working relationship than some of the examples here. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Today, Donald Trump is throwing a huge military style parade to celebrate the 4th of July in DC. So what have American military parades looked like in the past? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

The youngest candidate running for president in 2020 is 37. The oldest is 77. So what role has age played in past campaigns? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

On this day in 1933 FDR gave the first of his fireside chats. It *completely* transformed how presidents communicate with the country. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Is changing the size of the Supreme Court a radical idea? The short answer is no. We take a look at the history of the Court’s changing size, and how this may be an issue in 2020. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Those who have run for either successfully or not, play a curious role during new campaigns. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

This weekend marked the death of John Quincy Adams in 1848. JQA led a dramatic life, closely interwoven with the early years of a young United States. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

The 80th Congress saw the start of Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy’s political careers. We take a look at their parallel divergent paths, and wonder about presidential potential in the freshmen of the 116th Congress. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Today we celebrate George Washington’s birthday. Name a fact, any fact about him—first President? Revolutionary War General? Something about a cherry tree? Wooden teeth? Ah—wooden teeth. Today we debunk the popular myth. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

News broke today that the deputy director of the FBI discussed trying to invoke the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office. So what exactly does the 25th amendment do? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

If elected president, Cory Booker would join the small club of men who held the presidency without a wife. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Happy birthday to William Henry Harrison! Yes, his presidency was only a month long. Yet it, and his campaign, were deeply consequential in American political history. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

“Why do you want to be president?” This question should have an easy answer. Ted Kennedy learned the hard way what happens when you aren’t prepared for it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

There are a lot of senators running in 2020. But only three sitting senators have ever become president. This got us thinking—where do presidents come from? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

American presidential history is filled with twists and turns, and surprise success stories. Today we take a look at a few of the dark horse candidates that changed the game—and what that means for 2020 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Inaugurations can be dramatic affairs. Today, we take a look back at the end of Harry Truman's presidency, and his involvement in the inaugurations of his successors. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has written the president asking him to submit a written State of the Union in lieu of a speech. A written address isn't all that unusual. The tradition of a speech has only been set in the last 100 years: --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT HAS RUN BEFORE, NEVER SUCCESSFULLY. COULD 2020 BE DIFFERENT? Check out the full article at: https://history-first.com/2019/01/09/to-biden-or-not-to-biden/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

President Trump isn’t the first president to manufacture a crisis at the border as a means to an end. He follows in the footsteps of James K. Polk. For Polk, the war was both a success and a political misfire. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support

Presidential hopefuls are increasingly relying on Instagram to get their message across. Is it so different from the front porch campaigns or yesterday? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyfirst/support