Manifest Destiny

In honor of the woefully neglected Met Gala theme, it's a Gilded Age episode! First up, the wild tale of James Garfield's presidency and the absolutely unhinged man who assassinated him (come for the assassination, stay for the cautionary tale of sticking unwashed fingers into a presidential bullet wound). Then our resident expert on New York City regales us with the story of Caroline Astor, OG Manhattan socialite and matriarch of the Astor dynasty. Plus, your hosts revisit the single most formative film from our youth...that's right, we're talking Teeth (IYKYK). 

From the first flight in Kittyhawk to fulfilling JFK's desire to claim the moon for America, this episode covers a lot of airspace. But if you're looking for scientific details on the physics of flight, you've come to the wrong podcast. Instead, your intrepid hosts delve into the manifest destiny motivation behind taking to the skies, man's ability to sleep literally anywhere, and Rebecca's low-key lunar conspiracy. Plus, Bachelorette parties, Emily St. John Mandel, and Blair's enduring ability to laugh at the darkest things imaginable (RIP Albert I, Albert II, and Albert III). 

After extolling the virtues of "The Bird Game," your hosts dive into the Indian New Deal – the government's attempt to walk back many of the harmful policies against Native Americans and Native land – and the Haymarket Massacre, a labor demonstration in support of an eight-hour workday that escalated from a peaceful rally into a dramatic bombing. Fair warning: this episode is heavy on facts, and even heavier on birds. 

The live shows take a dramatic turn after one of your hosts suffers an early morning injury – but we persevere through pharmaceuticals, hangovers, and close encounters to deliver you a very New England episode. In the first half, Blair introduces the Manifesters to Roger Williams, the Puritan minister banished from the colonies for his kooky ideas on religious freedom, keeping church and state separate, and treating the Native Americans like human beings. Then Rebecca talks Canonicus, the peacekeeping sachem of the Narragansett Indians (and Natalie Beach to Roger Williams' Caroline Calloway). Laughs, facts, and interdimensional portals abound! 

We are back and taking absolutely no prisoners in this Season 3 premiere. Olivia Rodrigo is in! Constitutional bans on drinking are out! We celebrate the launch of our (Rebecca’s) website, talk Prohibition, and get cult-y with Waco.

After an unexpected mid-season hiatus (shout out to Blair!), Manifest Destiny is back to share the story of America's favorite first-daughter/political influencer, Alice Roosevelt – and yes, we have no choice but to stan this snarky queen and her iconic snake sidekick Emily Spinach. Then Rebecca struggles to pronounce "miscegenation" while talking Loving vs. Virginia, the long-overdue Supreme Court case that finally allowed interracial marriage in the US. Come for laughs about Florida, stay for the facts about institutionalized racism! 

Happy Valentine's Day, Manifesters! Instead of bland chocolates or dying flowers, our gift to YOU is this extra-special mini-episode featuring six American power couples and their astrological compatibility (or lack thereof). Laughs, facts, and ROMANCE abound! 

In this episode we cover Ping Pong diplomacy... a legit turning point our Cold War with China that only happened because a hippie table tennis player missed his bus. Then we travel to a much, much simpler time in American politics: The Monica Lewinsky Scandal. We talk stained blue dresses, the unharnessed sex appeal of Bill on sax, and pursue #justiceformonica.

We are coming in HOT today with our most sexual episode to date! We discuss The Oneida Community, a mid-1800s sex cult in upstate New York where everyone just got naked and bitched each other out in the name of progress! Then we take a hard left and discuss the very large genitals of our 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson, and their role in the Vietnam War. Toxic masculinity abounds!

In this episode, Rebecca tells us the tale of Patty Hearst, kidnapped heiress turned revolutionary bank robber. Trigger warning: Pisces take a real beating in this half hour. Blair unlocks the perils of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and once again brags about living in New York.

In this episode, Blair takes on the tragic death of Mary Jo Kopechne at the hands of Ted Kennedy in 1969. Rebecca reveals a borderline paranoid level of belief in ALL Kennedy conspiracy theories, and we objectify the Kennedy men by ranking them from biggest smokeshow to least. 

In our premiere episode, Rebecca and Blair define Manifest Destiny, the concept that brings us all here – from its humble beginnings in 1848 to being used as justification for every good and bad thing America has ever done.   We also revisit the election of Ivanka's Dad and discuss the absurd amount of white privilege we both have.