Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

This episode of Talk With History features an interview with screenwriter/lead actor Lee Wilson (as Confederate cavalry commander Earl Van Dorn) and actor David B. Meadows (as Nathan Bedford Forrest) about the feature film The Legend of Van Dorn, set in Middle Tennessee in spring 1863. They discuss how Wilson discovered Van Dorn through a Spring Hill play, Meadows’ initial reservations about portraying the polarizing Forrest, and the production’s emphasis on authenticity through filming at historic sites and battlefields.

For a reminder when the film releases, sign up here

00:00 205 The Legend of Van Dorn Interview

00:05 Van Dorn Murder Mystery

01:10 Meet the Film Cast

02:49 Discovering Van Dorn

05:49 David Takes on Nathan Bedford Forrest

08:25 Why These Generals Matter

10:05 Filming on Real Battlefields

13:30 Costumes and Authentic Detail

16:07 Cavalry Training and Horses

23:05 Staying in Character on Set

25:55 Playing Confederates Today

31:52 Why History Matters

32:35 Fearless Acting Choices

33:16 Motives Behind Villains

34:39 Pirates and the Moral Gray

36:42 Context Over Caricature

38:20 Real Civil War Artifacts

43:21 Graves and Childhood Sites

44:30 Forrest vs Van Dorn

47:08 Van Dorn Love Affair

50:03 If Battlefields Could Talk

51:55 Release Date and Premier

52:52 Wrap Party

🎥 Video version of this podcast

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TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

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📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

Hosts Scott and Jenn, discuss Edgar Allan Poe while visiting Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore, covering the mysterious circumstances of his 1849 death after being found delirious in the streets.

They trace Poe’s early life (orphaned, taken in by the Allan family), his Army service and brief West Point stint, and his struggling writing career, including The Raven’s 1845 publication for $9 and the death of his wife/cousin Virginia in 1847.

The episode details rival Rufus Wilmot Griswold’s scathing pseudonymous obituary, his acquisition of Poe’s literary rights from Maria Clemm, and forged portrayals that both damaged and amplified Poe’s fame before later rebuttals discredited Griswold.

📍 Travel to this cemetery

🎥 Video version of this podcast

00:00 Poe’s Final Mystery

00:49 Welcome to Talk with History

01:34 Why Poe Still Matters

04:39 Podcast Shout-Out Break

05:38 Orphaned Origins in Baltimore

09:10 Army Enlistment and West Point

12:59 Poems, Publishing, and Baltimore Return

14:55 Marriage, Tuberculosis, and Making Ends Meet

16:39 A Rival Writer Enters the Story - Rufus Griswold

17:59 Poe vs Longfellow

18:23 Virginia Illness and Loss

18:46 The Raven Breakthrough

19:56 Griswold Rivalry Begins

23:26 Obituary and Death Mystery

28:21 Rights Stolen and Forged Memoir

31:34 Griswold Discredited

33:37 Grave Marker and Reburial

37:09 Poe Toaster Tradition

39:01 Legacy and Final Farewell

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TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

🧳 Plus...get free travel resources in your inbox.

-------------------------------------------------------

📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

In our latest Talk With History episode, I had the privilege of interviewing Aaron Moon, a former British Royal Marine Commando who survived a catastrophic IED explosion in Afghanistan and is now set to cycle the entirety of Route 66 in 22 days, all on one leg.

Aaron's journey is driven by a powerful purpose: to raise awareness for veteran mental health through the Wounded Warrior Project, while showcasing his "Reborn Mindset" philosophy.

Follow his incredible journey on Instagram (@oneleg87) and join in supporting his mission, knowing that real change starts with the courage to pursue the impossible.

📍 Follow Aaron and support Wounded Warriors

🎥 Video version of this podcast

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⬇️ Help us keep the show going and explore history with us! ⬇️

TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

🧳 Plus...get free travel resources in your inbox.

-------------------------------------------------------

📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

Scott and Jenn of Talk With History visit the Traveling Titanic Exhibition, an immersive experience that recreates spaces like the grand staircase, bridge, dining rooms, and pool while displaying artifacts from the ship and items connected to the film, including a life vest worn by Kate Winslet and one of only seven surviving full-size deckchairs.

📍 Visit this exhibit near you

🎥 Video from inside

00:00 Titanic Sets Sail

01:09 Intro

02:01 Jenn's Titanic Obsession

03:27 Discovering The Exhibit

04:19 Immersive Lifeboat Moment

06:25 CQD And SOS Explained

09:48 Why So Many Died

10:33 Artifacts And Recreated Rooms

12:59 Class Chivalry And Survival

15:17 Legacy Museums

16:29 Visit the Exhibit

🎥 Video version of this podast

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TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

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📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

Scott and Jenn recount Commodore John Paul Jones’s rise from a Scottish sailor who began at sea at 13 to a celebrated Continental Navy officer known for taking the fight to Britain, including the 1779 Bonhomme Richard battle with HMS Serapis that produced his famous refusal to surrender.

They follow the 1905–1906 detective effort to locate his remains under a paved-over Paris cemetery, their identification, Theodore Roosevelt’s battleship-escorted return to the U.S., and his 1913 reinterment in a sarcophagus beneath the Naval Academy Chapel crypt in Annapolis.

00:00 I Have Not Yet Begun

00:55 Welcome

02:04 Reviews

03:02 Annapolis Crypt Visit

05:23 Early Life At Sea

09:48 Becoming John Paul Jones

12:44 Continental Navy Rise

14:17 Privateer Or Pirate?

18:05 Serapis Legendary Battle

21:00 Russia Scandal Exile

24:42 Death And Lost Grave

26:37 Finding John Paul Jones

31:11 Crypt Legacy

33:06 Final Reflection

📍 Map to John Paul Jone's Crypt

🎥 Video version of this podcast

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⬇️ Help us keep the show going and explore history with us! ⬇️

TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

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📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

For our 200th episode...we inerview Professor Greg Jackson—host of the podcast History That Doesn’t Suck!

He talks about his upcoming book 'Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome'.

Greg argues today’s hyper-partisan media, gridlock, and political violence have clear precedents in U.S. history, from the 1790s newspaper wars to violent conflicts like the caning of Charles Sumner and the Baltimore riots. The book is a fascinating look at history and explanation of how we made it through those times...and showing how we can do the same today.

You're going to enjoy this one.

📖 Buy the book

00:00 Intro

00:37 Meet Greg Jackson

02:12 Greg’s Origin Story

03:23 Why Times Aren’t Unprecedented

06:52 1876 Election Chaos

08:24 Reconstruction Violence Explained

10:34 Dan Sickles Saves Hayes

13:59 Bribes Ballots and Multiple Returns

15:54 Who Decides the Winner

18:52 Telling History Without Sides

21:21 Accused by Both Sides

21:32 Jefferson Davis at Fort Monroe

22:16 Why Greg’s Work Resonates

22:48 Ellis Island Inspiration

23:28 Love Letter to Liberty

24:33 Facing Americas Lows

25:50 Constitution as Firebreak

27:06 Checks Balances Deep Dive

30:01 Amendments and Civic Duty

31:23 Podcast Voice to Book

32:34 Print Wars Meet Twitter

36:33 Washington the Adult

38:17 200th Episode Milestone

39:27 Road Trip History Picks

43:53 Book Tour and Farewell

45:12 Outro and Final Thanks

🎥 Video version of this podcast

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⬇️ Help us keep the show going and explore history with us! ⬇️

TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

🧳 Plus...get free travel resources in your inbox.

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📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

Jenn visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor two World War II legacies: General James Doolittle, who led the April 1942 Doolittle Raid; and the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, who enlisted into the Navy together.

00:00 Doolittle and the Sullivan brothers

00:02 Arlington Opening

00:33 Meet the Hosts

01:30 Podcast Reviews

02:55 App Membership Update

05:01 Pearl Harbor Context

08:22 Planning the Doolittle Raid

11:49 Raid Execution and Impact

13:20 Doolittle at Arlington

15:46 Who Were the Sullivans

18:36 USS Juneau Tragedy

20:30 Legacy and Sole Survivor Policy

21:45 Arlington Memorial Section

24:15 Final Reflections

📍 Visit Arlington

🎥 Video version of this podcast

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⬇️ Help us keep the show going and explore history with us! ⬇️

TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

🧳 Plus...get free travel resources in your inbox.

-------------------------------------------------------

📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link

Celebrate America's aviation heroes: 📖 Aeromasters 🇺🇸

Announcing History or Drive: A Map-Based App for Finding History Videos Near You.

Scott and Jenn announce the release of their new app, History or Drive, a web-based “portable web app” available at Historyordrive.com that shows nearby Walk With History videos and Talk With History podcasts on a map based on your location, plus National Park pins and History Underground’s JD “History Traveler” videos.

Users can tap points of interest to watch videos, play podcasts in-app while browsing the map, favorite stops for later, filter by topics (e.g., WWII, Civil War) or creator, and open Google Maps for directions.

📍 History or Drive app

🎥 Video version of this podcast

00:00 We Made an App

00:09 What Is History or Drive

01:53 How It Works Without App Store

02:50 Launch Pricing and Lifetime Access

04:22 Map Features and Directions

04:57 JD and National Parks Added

11:02 Sharing Favorites and Filters

13:46 Name Origin and Merch Plans

14:50 Membership Options

16:52 Favorite Location Spotlight

18:34 Install Tips and Device Support

19:33 Who Its For and Whats Next

21:37 Download and Drive

-------------------------------------------------------

⬇️ Help us keep the show going and explore history with us! ⬇️

TheHistoryRoadTrip.com

🧳 Plus...get free travel resources in your inbox.

-------------------------------------------------------

📧 contact: talkwithhistory@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Areomasters

Celebrate America's aviation heroes and history: 📖 AEROMASTERS: Celebrating a Century of the American Fighter Pilot 🇺🇸

Aeromasters Amazon Link