Why Whiskey?

The American Legend Series Part 4 - John Henry

Today we talk about another legend in American folklore and try to find the truth and origins behind these larger-than-life tales. On this EP, we are looking into the steel-driving man John Henry. Apart from his folklore fellows, John Henry seems to have been birthed from old songs sung by railroad workers in the late 19th century... but was the subject of their songs, John Henry, an actual person? Quite possibly. Listen to find out more! Sources: https://virginiahistory.org/learn/historical-media/steel-drivin-man-john-henry-untold-story-american-legend https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/books/18grim.html https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2006/qa-with-nelson-beyond-the-myth-of-john-henry.php https://archive.org/details/steeldrivinmanjo00nels/page/n9/mode/2up?q=prison

The American Legend Series Part 3 - Paul Bunyan with Chance Whitmore

Come and Join Chance and me as we go through the stories and tales of Paul Bunyan and his larger-than-life legends. As we sift through the information to find the truth behind the legends, we are sipping through some of Whiskey's greatest legends too. Enjoy the banter and booze, and let us know if you think Paul was FACT or FICTION. Cheers

The American Legend Series Part 2 - Pecos Bill the Super Cowboy!

The stories surrounding Pecos Bill are too good to be true... so are they? I will explore all of that and more as we continue to dissect American Folklore for facts, fiction, and fun! Cheers. Sources: Century Magazine Article https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030934122&view=1up&seq=845 Pecos Bill Video(viewer discretion advised) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyo5ko Pecos Bill: An Appraisal https://www.jstor.org/stable/1497281 Current Folklore Theories https://www.jstor.org/stable/2739820

The American Legend Series Part 1 - Molly Pitcher with Alycia from Civics and Coffee Podcast

In this episode, I am joined by my wonderful friend and fellow history nerd Alycia as we kick off the American Legend Series. A series of shows dedicated to looking into American Legends and seeing if we can find enough evidence to give the big red FACT stamp OR... send back to the story books with the Fiction stamp. Molly Pitcher was the name given to multiple women throughout the Revolutionary War. We are focusing on the two most prominent characters who may have earned this title. Both women found themselves on the battlefield, both saw their husbands go down, and both took up their spouse's positions and started fighting back. Join us for that story and more! CORRECTION: In the EP I state that I was in the room when the first women infantry officers were "commissioned" - that is not true. I was in the room when they were "branched" or selected to serve as Infantry officers. I did not edit or remove that statement for transparency. Thank you. Sources: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn00065127/1896-07-03/ed-2/seq-6/#date1=1777&index=7&rows=20&words=Corbin+Margaret&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=margaret+corbin&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 Margaret Corbin - https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/the-american-revolution/margaret-corbin/#:~:text=On%20July%206%2C%201779%2C%20Congress,what%20a%20man%20would%20receive. Molly Pitcher or just a legend? https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/05/mary-hays-mccauleys-claim-to-fame/ Camp Followers https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/molly-pitcher-most-famous-american-hero-who-never-existed-180977229/ Not Margaret Buried here https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/margaret-corbin-grave-west-point Who is Molly Pitcher https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1999/summer/pitcher.html#nt1

"Pardon Me are you Aaron Burr Sir?" You are? Cool, put him cuffs boys! - The Aaron Burr Treason Trial

You heard that right! Aaron Burr, our beloved villain from the musical, once tried to take over a country and start his own nation. Lucky for us there were very few folks who liked him and even fewer folks willing to go down with him. But how did it and what really went down? Let's check it out! Cheers.