Untold Stories of US Presidents, Undercover Women, Unbroken

Untold Stories of U.S. Presidents Guest: Rick Beyer, author of “The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy” We know about their leadership techniques, the various policies they’ve implemented, and the lasting effect they’ve had on our nation, but what do we know about their lives outside of the public eye? From George Washington’s custody battle to Jimmy Carter’s UFO sighting, we get insight into some of the juiciest stories on the most powerful men in U.S. history. “George Washington is not our first president. He is our first president under the constitution,” says Beyer, “but our country existed about 8 years before the constitution was ratified, and during that time we had a bunch of presidents. The first one was John Hanson—he is actually our first president.” Women Undercover in the Civil War Guest: Kern Abott, Best-selling author including “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy” Pick up a book about Civil War history and you’re likely to read about Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and the men who fought under them for the future of the nation. Women figure into the story mainly as the wives and girlfriends back home whose letters and pictures gave the men on the front something to live for. But that’s because you haven’t read best-selling author Karen Abott’s new book about Emma Edmondson, Belle Boyd, Rose Greenhow, Elizabeth Van Lew. The amazing stories of these four women are the subject of the new book, “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy”  Boyd was 17 and obsessed with Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. “Part of her disguise was her brazenness. She would wander through Union Army camps stealing sabers and pistols and telling the men that she was a Confederate spy,” says Abott.   “I think it just comes down to this: No one had any idea what women would look like wearing pants. People were so used to seeing women corseted and in crinoline they couldn’t fathom a woman in pants, let alone a full army uniform,” says Abott on Emma Edmonds