(Episodes 80-83) Another Catch-Up on POTUSes 37 Thru 40

Happy 2023, Listeners! It's been a heck of a holiday season, and today is catch-up day! We've been steadily working our way through the Presidential Mini-sodes, telling stories about the Presidents that you may not remember or might never have heard. Here's a rundown on our latest episodes with links to some of the materials we used to prepare:

Episode 80, POTUS 37: "Crookery, CREEPiness, and Love Letters to Pat - The Richard Nixon Story"

Hoo boy, let's start off with a bang, shall we? Richard Nixon has layers (that's a nice way to say it, right?). There's a lot you might not know about him and what he accomplished as POTUS, including some interesting and historic Supreme Court nominees. Even before becoming President, Nixon had been on the ticket five times.  He also was a Quaker who tried to change Daylight Savings Time (both true) and a huge sports fan.

But we can't talk about Nixon without talking about Watergate, right? In the episode we address the chronology, the security guard who made the big discovery, and the reporters who tracked the story. And we'd be remiss if we didn't address the War On Drugs. 

Episode 81, POTUS 38: "President Huntzberger  - AKA Gerald Ford"

Next up is Gerald Ford.  (Side note for Gilmore Girls fans - doesn't he look like Logan Huntzberger's dad?).  Ford could have been in the NFL, or he could have been a male model, but he ended up pardoning Nixon instead (to oversimplify things). Oh, and he survived an assassination attempt or two.

Episode 82, POTUS 39: "Peanuts and Jesus - The Jimmy Carter Story"

Did you know that President Jimmy Carter, our oldest living President, left his military career to save the family peanut farm? Or that he's been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has won three of them? His story isn't all wholesome (some unsolicited comments to Playboy were news to us), but it also involves a yacht, a rabbit attack, and Elvis. Give us a listen for these and more fun facts.

Episode 83, POTUS 40: "Nearly Nude - The Ronald Reagan Story"

Last in this post round-up is actor-POTUS Ronald Reagan, a man who graced America with his presence from a teeny tiny town in Illinois. Yet another assassination-attempt-survivor, Reagan kept a good sense of humor about him during his recovery. Then again, it wasn't his only brush with death (thanks to a chimp named Bonzo). In the episode, we cover more about Reagan, aliens, and Star Wars (seriously, it's all connected).

And there you have it, folks! Give us a listen on your favorite podcast platform, and we look forward to wrapping up our minisodes in this new year.