American Esoterica

American Esoterica

American history, bite-sized. These are the stories that may have slipped through the cracks - the odd detours that have shaped our history and culture in small, but sometimes significant, ways.

Episodes

January 30, 2025 5 mins

The Napkin of Consequence emerges to define 50 years of American policy. 

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These are the losers of the losers - the ones who tried to do something stupid and failed in the attempt. Look at them - look at them and laugh. Also, it's a very serious subject, and your laughter is highly inappropriate. Grow up.

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January 2, 2025 7 mins

If you set out to make your mark on the world, don't half-ass it. 

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December 19, 2024 10 mins

You thought the duel was over. You were wrong.

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November 21, 2024 11 mins

It was a dramatic and chaotic campaign for the presidency, dominated by fake news, procedural problems, and a particularly problematic pundit. That doesn't narrow it down at all, either, does it? Ahh, America...

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November 13, 2024 2 mins

Juvenility ensues over the 16th #1's #2. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

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October 24, 2024 8 mins

There are famous ghosts and ghosts of famous people, but rarely do you find a ghost famous for being non-famous, as our subject today is. Be ready for the tragic theories behind the ghost known only as "The Thing."

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October 17, 2024 7 mins

It was a quick sales call that would go on to change everything and shape the world to come, until it all came to a fiery halt.

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September 26, 2024 8 mins

Is something setting off my Geiger counter, or are you just happy to see me? Sometimes, our usual methods of measurement just won't do.

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You got your prehistoric beach in my voting patterns! No, you got your voting patterns in my prehistoric beach! Hmm...maybe these are two great tastes that taste great together!

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August 15, 2024 8 mins

It's not just A national anthem. It's THE national anthem of all national anthems. But it isn't ours. At least, not anymore. But it kind of was. Twice. In different ways.

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No person is above the law. Not even the president. Especially when street racing.

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July 4, 2024 17 mins

Look, getting it right is hard. Sometimes we have to settle for "close to right" or "sort of right" or even "not remotely right, but a good story nonetheless." This one features an interview with a special guest, Stuart Fisk Johnson, Esq., of the Aaron Burr Association, who has some things to say about we've treated Mr. Burr.

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In which men once again learn which is the superior sex. You may have never heard of the Smith sisters, but after this, you won't forget them. Or their cows.

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June 6, 2024 10 mins

An inquisition that everybody expects uses its greatest weapon - surprise - against its worst enemy - itself. It begins with a reign of terror but ends in a very different place. 

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May 23, 2024 2 mins

The intersection of the National Mall's biggest eyesore and its ultimate revenge on its most consequential critic.

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In the fourth of four episodes on our nation's capital, new heroes emerge to drag Washington, D.C., kicking and screaming into the 20th century via a plan from the 18th century. In other words, the D.C. you know is a lot younger than you think.

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In the third of four episodes on our nation's capital, it takes a century for the nation's capital to become...the national toilet. Follow the federal city as it grows and decays simultaneously.

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If you think Washington, D.C., is a joke, well...it came by it honestly.

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In the second of four episodes on our nation's capital, one man's ego gave us a grand plan for our capital city, but it also led to his downfall. Come for the French fuss, stay for George Washington micromanaging real estate negotiations instead of presidenting. 

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