S8 Ep335: DALLAS THE DOG DEFENDS BACKYARD FROM DESTRUCTIVE COCKATOOS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis reports that his dog, Dallas, now serves as an air defense system, specifically barking at destructive cockatoos attempting to land. Dallas ignores other birds but, a

S8 Ep334: AUSTRALIA RETAINS ASHES VICTORY AS ENGLAND'S BAZBALL STRATEGY FAILS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis discusses Australia's humble celebration after winning the 2026 Ashes series 4-1, noting that England's aggressive "Bazball" strategy was deemed fundamentall

S8 Ep334: BRISBANE WOMAN WAKES TO FIND 8-FOOT PYTHON ON CHEST Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis recounts a shocking story from Brisbane where a sleeping woman mistook an 8-foot python curled on her chest for her dog. Her husband alerted her, and a snake catcher removed

S8 Ep334: SEVERE STORMS AND BUSHFIRES PLAGUE AUSTRALIA'S CHAOTIC SUMMER Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis describes a tumultuous Australian summer featuring severe storms on the east coast and dangerous bushfires in Victoria. Shifting winds from the desert and Antarcti

S8 Ep333: PARTISAN RIFTS AND THE CAPITAL CITY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington selects the Potomac for the new capital to connect the West, while rivals Jefferson and Madison organize political opposition during a northern tour. The series concludes with

S8 Ep333: INDIGENOUS RELATIONS AND HIDDEN HISTORIES Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington meets with the Catawba nation to promise federal protection for their lands, even as his administration wages war against tribes in Ohio. Philbrick visits Old Salem to exp

S8 Ep333: THE ARDUOUS SOUTHERN TOUR AND CIVIL WAR ECHOES Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington undertakes an exhausting 2,000-mile journey through the South to unify the country, visiting federalist cities like Charleston. Philbrick notes the eerie experience

S8 Ep333: A STORMY SEA VOYAGE TO RHODE ISLAND Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington sails to Newport to embrace the former holdout state of Rhode Island, a trip Philbrick reenacts while surviving a terrifying tornado on the water. The discussion uncovers Rhode

S8 Ep332: SECRET GRATITUDE TO THE LONG ISLAND SPY RING Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick details Washington's unadvertised 1790 tour of Long Island, which appears to have been a covert mission to thank members of the Culper Spy Ring. This journey included st

S8 Ep332: POWER STRUGGLES IN BOSTON AND THE PARADOX OF SLAVERY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. In Boston, Washington asserts federal supremacy by refusing to dine with Governor John Hancock until the governor visits him first. The segment contrasts this political vi

S8 Ep331: THE INAUGURATION AND THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Overwhelmed by the moment, Washington collapses into a chair after taking his oath on a hastily acquired Bible. Philbrick parallels this vulnerability with the "only a man" folklore

S8 Ep331: THE RELUCTANT PRESIDENT'S JOURNEY TO NEW YORK Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington travels from Mount Vernon to New York for his inauguration in April 1789, plagued by inner turmoil and a sense of impending doom. Philbrick describes the President as

S8 Ep331: PREVIEW THE FOLKLORE OF THE ONLY A MAN STORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Nathaniel Philbrick discusses a recurring oral tradition where Washington, touring the country, tells awestruck observers that despite his title, he is "only a man." Philbrick arg

S8 Ep330: THE LEGACY OF THE MARBLEHEADERS Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. The final segment reflects on the heavy price Marblehead paid for independence, ending the war with a ruined economy and nearly 400 widows. O'Donnell notes that few physical memorials exist toda

S8 Ep330: ASSUNPINK CREEK, PRINCETON, AND INOCULATION Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following Trenton, many Marbleheaders returned home due to expired enlistments and starving families, but those who remained fought in the pivotal Battle of Assunpink Creek. Here, th

S8 Ep330: CROSSING THE DELAWARE AND THE VICTORY AT TRENTON Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. On Christmas night 1776, Washington launched a surprise attack on Trenton requiring a crossing of the ice-choked Delaware River. O'Donnell explains that only the diverse Marbleh

S8 Ep330: ASSASSINATION PLOTS AND THE MIRACLE OF NEW YORK Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. In 1776, a conspiracy orchestrated by Loyalist Governor Tryon to assassinate George Washington and destroy Patriot gunpowder supplies was uncovered. Thomas Hickey, a member of Wa

S8 Ep330: WASHINGTON'S NAVY AND THE LIFEGUARD Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Upon arriving in Cambridge in July 1775, George Washington formed a close bond with the Marblehead Regiment, relying on them for security and expertise. Facing a desperate shortage of gunpow

S8 Ep330: BUNKER HILL, SMALLPOX, AND TREASON Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. The discussion moves to June 1775, covering the Battle of Bunker Hill where Marbleheader Samuel Trevett's cannons successfully repelled British charges despite a critical lack of gunpowder. O

S8 Ep330: THE BATTLE OF MENOTOMY AND INFORMATION WARFARE Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following the initial skirmishes, the conflict escalated into the Battle of Menotomy, where Marbleheaders engaged the retreating British column in brutal combat. O'Donnell highlig