This is an iHeart Podcast. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washable sofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at $699. AniBay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out.
Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus, our pet-friendly stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washablefas.com to upgrade your living space today with no-risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com. are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. You don't need a thousand dollars to buy Bitcoin.
You just need a plan. Kraken lets you set up recurring buys so you can build your position over time. Invest on your schedule, not the markets. Set it and forget it. Kraken handles the rest.
Download Kraken. Get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S.
customers through Payword Interactive Inc. terms and conditions apply. This is Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang from Los Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. JBL Tor Pro 3 earbuds are for those who don't conform to the standard. Yeah, I mean, if you want to get into some touchscreen technology, how about the smart charging case, clear sound?
These are not standard things. You're only going to get them with the JBL Tor Pro 3 baby. And I love the sound of JBL and goes, Goombo. These earbuds are packed with innovation because you can't stand out by following others. Touchscreen smart charging case for one touch control, instant EQ customization.
True adaptive noise canceling and the one-of-a-kind audio transmitter, which can plug and play with everything from game consoles to in-flight entertainment. What more could you want? First doesn't follow. Grab a pair at jbl.com. In a time where money often feels disconnected from meaning, it's rare to find a place where your savings can actually reflect your values.
That's why I'm here to tell you about a powerful opportunity with America's Christian Credit Union. Right now, new members can lock in the top 12-month certificate rate in the nation. 4.75% APY on deposits up to $1 million. And it only takes $1,000 to get started. It's called the Term Share Certificate, and it's a safe, secure way to grow your savings.
But here's what makes it truly special. Your money doesn't just sit in a vault. It works to help build communities and support your values, all while growing your finances. This is a powerful opportunity with America's Christian Credit Union. This is more than banking, it's stewardship, it's real impact, and it's only available for a limited time.
So don't wait. Lock in your rate before it drops. Visit America's ChristianCU.com and get started. America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. If you eat too many ultra-processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes, and they'll get hangry.
That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try This from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try This. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges.
Follow Try This right now wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it. And we continue with our American stories. Up next, Best-selling historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, the late David McCullough, is the author of 1776. In this masterwork, he tells the intensely human story of those who marched with George Washington.
General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence, beginning in 1775. Here he is telling the story of how American history is taught today. Let's take a listen. There are wonderful teachers of history, and in many places history is being taught extremely. effectively.
But they they Blunt truth is Hmm. In our public schools nationwide, we have been doing an abysmal job of teaching history. It's been a long time since the Bradley report, which spelled all this out very clearly. There have been surveys and studies since. A survey conducted by the American Council of American Alumni here in Washington.
was a um Okay. filling out a Questionnaire. by seniors, only seniors on what were called the fifty best universities and colleges in the country. And the results were Very discouraging. The performance was less than what it would have been at the high school level.
Uh 25 years ago. A question 19. Who was the captain? Commanding America, who was the American commanding officer at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. More people, more of these college seniors in their best schools, best colleges.
and universities Answered Ulysses S. Grant, then answered George Washington, and six percent of them said it was Douglas MacArthur. Which shows they didn't know they were guessing. They're guessing. Um I could tell you at length incidents that I've Done.
When I've been lecturing or serving as a visiting professor or Um lecture at Colleges and universities you know very well. It's striking. It's appalling. But it's curable. And I think the problem is is At the core of the problem is that we're not teaching our teachers As effectively as we need to.
We're graduating too many teachers with degrees in education. who don't know any subject. They have had no major other than education. Yeah. And there's Good signs that several universities are changing that.
SMU now has always required that you have to major in a subject if you want to teach. The University of Oklahoma now requires that one major in a subject if you want to teach. This is a big step in the right direction.
Now, if a teacher doesn't know, her subject, his subject, that obviously makes it difficult to teach that subject. But you can't love something you don't know. any more than you can love someone you don't know. And we all Remember from our own experience, those teachers who meant the most, who inspired us, who threw open the window and gave us a whole new. uh inspiration or idea about the possibilities of learning.
were the teachers who loved what they were teaching. and conveyed that enthusiasm. Miss Schmeltz in sixth grade who said, Come over here and look in this microscope, you're going to get a kick out of this. My high school history teachers, Robert Abercrombie, Walter Jones. that they were marvelous teachers.
because they loved what they were teaching. There was a terrific Uh teacher of teachers at the University of Pittsburgh, Margaret McFarland. who was, among other things, The great mentor of Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers, who reached more children than any. teacher who ever lived.
And he would he would he said so. That Margaret, everything he did in his program was based on the teachings of Margaret McFarland. And Margaret McFarland said, attitudes aren't taught, they're caught. It's the attitude of the teacher that's caught. and that's what matters most.
Show them what you love, she would tell. teachers and advice about how to do it. Also, if a teacher doesn't know what she's teaching, she's therefore more dependent on the textbooks. And while we have some superb textbooks, Most of them are far from superb. Many of them are so dreary.
So boring.
so lifeless, it's as if they were designed to kill any interest that you might have in history. There are certain basic ideas, it seems to me, which are essential. in writing history and teaching history. And one is to convey the sense that nothing ever had to happen the way it happened. That events could have gone off in any number of different ways for any number of different reasons at a variety of points all along the way.
Nothing was ever on a track. We're taught history that this followed this, followed that, and that followed that, and we begin to think that that's how it had to be. It never had to be. Nor was anyone ever aware of how things would turn out. The expression the foreseeable future ought to be dropped.
We shouldn't use it. There's no such thing as the foreseeable future any more than there's any such thing as the self-made man or the self-made woman. We are all the Results of many people who have helped us, inspired us, corrected us, reprimanded us, given us encouragement when we need it. And we know who they were, parents, teachers. friends.
But often they're people we've never known. because they lived in another time. They lived long ago. And they may have written The symphony that moves us to our souls. They may have written the laws that we enjoy.
As among the blessings of this country. They may have been poets, they may have been. great masters of literature or painting. And they have shaped us. They've shaped us with our with their vocabulary.
All of us walk around every day. unknowingly quoting Shakespeare, Yeah. Cervantes? Pope, Swift, And we think this is just the way we talk, unknowing that these all come from a long tradition of the great English language. And too few, it seems to me, understand the degree to which we have been shaped by those who created this country.
And not just the founders, but the people whose Lives and whose fortunes and whose sacred honor was on the line, but whose names mean nothing to us. They would whether anonymous or largely anonymous even in their own time. But they were there. And they did. heroic and sometimes extraordinarily Um unprecedented.
acts which have made possible How we live. Abigail Adams in a letter to her husband written from Quincy when he was in Philadelphia in 1776 said, Future generations which will reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive. the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors. And this and in this she was entirely right. Another point to keep in mind, it seems to me, and to convey in what we teach and what we write about history.
Is that in a very real sense, there was never any such thing as the past? Nobody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, Washington, they didn't walk around saying, isn't this fascinating living in the past? Aren't we picturesque in our funny clothes? They lived in the present.
But it was their present, not ours. and they don't know how it's going to come out. any more than we do. They don't know what's over the horizon. And you're listening to the late great David McCullough telling a story about storytelling, and that is telling the story of how to tell the story of America.
and how so often History is reduced to dry dates, chronology, lifeless. lifeless explications about this remarkable remarkable country. When we come back. more of this remarkable storytelling on storytelling itself American history. Here.
on our American stories. Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Washablesofas.com has your back, featuring the Anibay Collection, the only designer sofa that's machine-washable inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly prices. That's right, sofas started just $699. Enjoy a no-risk experience with pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and changeable slip covers made with performance fabrics.
Experience cloud-like comfort with high-resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity, and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Check out washable sofas.com and get up to 60% off your Anibay sofa, backed by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees.
Every penny back. Upgrade now at washablesofas.com. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. From Bitcoin believers to cautious first-timers, Kraken makes it easy to trade crypto in seconds. With over 350 tokens, tight spreads, and easy funding for your account with Plaid, PayPal, and Apple Pay, Kraken lets you trade, earn, and invest on your own terms.
Download Kraken today and get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not Investment Advice: Crypto Trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and Conditions Apply.
In a time where money often feels disconnected from meaning, It's rare to find a place where your savings can actually reflect your values. That's why I'm here to tell you about a powerful opportunity with America's Christian Credit Union. Right now, new members can lock in the top 12-month certificate rate in the nation. 4.75% APY on deposits up to $1 million. And it only takes $1,000 to get started.
It's called the Term Share Certificate, and it's a safe, secure way to grow your savings. But here's what makes it truly special. Your money doesn't just sit in a vault. It works to help build communities and support your values, all while growing your finances. This is a powerful opportunity with America's Christian Credit Union.
This is more than banking, it's stewardship, it's real impact, and it's only available for a limited time.
So don't wait. Lock in your rate before it drops. Visit America's ChristianCU.com and get started. America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. Let's be honest, most of us have a love-hate relationship with wired bras.
We love the lift, but hate the digging. We love the support, but hate feeling trapped.
Well, NYX just changed everything with FreeFlex, a wired bra actually designed to work with your body, not against it. FreeFlex features a revolutionary, flexible wire that moves when you move, bends when you bend, and keeps everything exactly where you want it. No poking, no stabbing, no constant readjusting, just fine. Freedom to move. It also has a demi-cup shape for a natural lift with a lower neckline that flatters in everything from v-necks to dresses.
And because it's from NYX, it's available in sizes for everybody. Experience the first wired bra you'll actually want to wear all day. Visit nix.com for 15% off your order with FreeFlex15. That's knix.com code FreeFlex15 for 15% off. Nix.com.
There's something special about folks who come through without being asked. Like your coworker surprising you with your favorite coffee just because. Or your friend handing you the aux cable the moment you get in the car. No debate, no fight, just positive vibes. That kind of love, it just hits different.
And that's exactly the energy ATT is on with their new guarantee. If there's ever a network interruption, ATT will proactively credit you for a full day of service. No calls, no emails, no jumping through hoops, it's just handled. It's like the universe saying, I got you. Except this time it's not the stars aligning, it's your network.
And let's be real, that connection is everything. Whether you're holding down the group chat, checking in on your parents, scrolling TikTok, your network's got to come through. And if there's a problem, AT ⁇ T is on the case. No stress, no drama, just real backup with accounts. Credit for fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers.
Restrictions and exclusions apply. See ATT.com slash guarantee for full details. AT ⁇ T, connecting changes everything. Uh And we continue with our American stories and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough. He was giving a talk about 1776 at the National Archives.
And we pick up now where we last left off. Nobody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, Washington. They didn't walk around saying, Isn't this fascinating living in the past? Aren't we picturesque in our funny clothes?
They lived in the present. So, when we try to enter into their world, into their time, into their culture, We must remember that they're present was different from ours. And as a consequence, they were different. From what we are. In many ways, more different than we realize.
Yes, of course, they were fellow human beings. Yes, of course, they had many of the same emotions and fears and ambitions. and the like, but because they lived in another culture. They, of course, were different, and again more different than we often understand.
Now, George Washington has been long perceived as the marble man. Virtually a demigod. An emblem, a unifying symbol, an icon, and the rest. And he's very knowable. He's very approachable to use.
a word in fashion. He had been in command since the summer of 1775. And when he took command, please understand that he wasn't the George Washington of the Gilbert Stewart paintings. He wasn't the George Washington of the powdered. Uh hair in the and the awkward teeth.
He was a young man in the prime of his life. and in spectacular physical condition. six feet two, hundred and ninety to two hundred pounds in and uh for all of 43 years old. and he'd never commanded an army in battle before in his life. He was new to it they were all new to it, and they were all young.
Jefferson, 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Adams, 40. Hancock, 39. Benjamin Rush, one of the most interesting of them all, was 30 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. Nathaniel Greene, who turned out to be the best general we had and who started.
knowing only what he had read in books. Was a Quaker with a bad limb from a childhood injury, and he was all of 33 and been made a major general, having never set foot on the battlefield or having served in a war before in his life. Henry Knox was a big, fat, garrulous Boston bookseller, 25 years old. And he too only understood All that he understood about the military was what he'd read in books. Greene had bought most of his books on the military in Henry Knox's bookshop.
And so Henry Knox and Greene have become fast friends over books before the war began. And the fact that they had learned as much as they had, but only from books, was never held against them because, you see, this was the 18th century when it was widely understood that learning things from reading books was a good idea. Neither green. Nor Knox nor Washington had more than about a fifth grade education formally. But they were very intelligent men and they never stopped reading.
Now some people say to me, Often. And I understand how much of your time is spent on research and how much is spent on writing. They almost never say how much of your time is spent thinking. And most of your time is spent thinking. And it should be that way.
My wife Rosalie will say, when I'm in the shower, say, stop writing your book and get out of the shower. Um I work every day. All day. I find that if I Stay with it every day, all day. It's both more enthralling and easier.
Um I try to At the beginning, Read all Sort of the basic secondary works on the subject, but get past that as quickly as possible into the primary sources. And I'm trying to write the book I would like to read. That's really the essence of it. If a book hasn't been written that I would like to read, I write it so I can read it. And um I went to a party one night when I was quite new at this.
I'd written one book, but I had embarked on writing my second book about the. building of the Brooklyn Bridge. And it was a party in the summer on Martha's Vineyard where we live. and I was introduced to a well-known Washington Socialite. of great importance.
And I'd like, and my host said to her, I would like you to meet David McCullough. He's writing a book. about the Brooklyn Bridge. And she said in a voice that for my p point of view was far too loud. Who in the world would ever want to read a book about the Brooklyn Bridge?
Well, I tried not to show my seething. feelings about her. And but on the way home, I think I was probably punching the dashboard as I drove along. And uh But by th I think by the time I got back to the house, I realized that she'd done me a great favor. She's right, who would want to read a book about the Brooklyn Bridge?
Well, I would. I would. And my feeling has always been: if I can make it as interesting as it really was. I'll have achieved what I'm I'm trying to attain.
Now, I write narrative history. And there are people who don't. think highly of narrative history. They think that it's not quite the way it ought to be. That's all right, that's fine.
Isn't it wonderful we don't all have to think alike? I love to historical novels when I was in my twenties now. I read almost all, for example, the The books of Kenneth Roberts, Oliver Wiswell, and the Rundell, wonderful, wonderful novels. But I kept thinking, how much of this is what happened? How many of these things that people are saying did they really say?
How many of these characters actually existed? And I began thinking, wouldn't it be wonderful to write something That had the The the poll, the The appeal of these wonderful novels, but yet it was all true. You couldn't make up anything. You had to play by a The rules that everything had to be the real thing. No invented dialogue, only what they actually said in letters and diaries and the like.
And so that's That's what I've been trying to do. And of course I had many good examples of that. spirit, that attitude. One of whom, one of the masters of of the form. shall be foot.
Uh who's um whose works on the Civil War. Our literature. And I think that's what people People who write history, at least not some of us, ought to aspire to. Because otherwise No one's going to read it except professional people, and if no one reads it, other than the professionals. I think history is doomed.
Because it belongs to all of us. That's the wonder of it. That's what most teachers need to find out: teaching history. Get their hands dirty in it, find out the excitement, the detective case. Uh accelerative accelerative curiosity.
It works. for anybody who takes it up. I was an English major in college. I started off having no idea how to do it. And you learn by doing.
You can't learn to play the piano without playing the piano. You can't learn to paint without picking up a brush And putting some paint on it and going to work. And it's the same thing with writing history. Dig in. Learn from the experience and enjoy it.
Because if you're enjoying it, the people who are going to read what you wrote and write. Will enjoy it. And rewrite. Rewrite, rewrite. Learn to edit yourself.
That's the hardest thing of all. Write what you have to say and then put it aside for a while. and then call upon the editor you. to step in and show that mug that wrote this stuff how it can be fixed. That, in many ways, is the most enjoyable part of the whole process for me.
And read it out loud. to someone or have someone read it out loud to you. Because that's when you begin to hear things that are wrong with it or need to be changed. things that need to be added that you don't often see with your eye. I think we all ought to read to each other much more than we do.
I think it's one of the pleasures of life. We shouldn't just of course we should read to our children and grandchildren, but we ought to read aloud to each other. And a terrific job on the production and editing by our own Greg Hengler. And you've been listening to the late David McCullough, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, telling the story, in essence, of his own love affair with history. and telling the story of how his story came to be, and his affection for this country.
Warts and all. sins and all. There's a great moment earlier when he said you can't love something you don't know. And here at Ow American Stories. I think that's what we're trying to do, get you to fall in love with your country.
with so many of the stories you may not know. I also loved when he said attitudes are caught. not taught. And if there's one thing you come away from listening to our American stories, it's a sense of gratitude. for all that came before us.
the inheritance we have here in this country. was not something we fought for. or earned. and it's ours to pass along to the next generation. David McCullough.
Here on our American stories. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washable sofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices with sofas starting at $699. Anibay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out.
Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus, our pet-friendly stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washablefas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washable sofas.com. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Ah, Barcelona Crypto is on Kraken.
My crypto is on Kraken. My XRP is on Kraken. I'm part of the XRP army. Dave Portnoy trusts Kraken with his crypto.
So do millions of clients around the world. Ranked best crypto platform of 2025 by Forbes. Download the app today and get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice.
Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and Conditions Apply. Hi, it's Danielle Fischl from Pod Meets World. You know that moment when you're getting dressed and it's just total chaos?
Your kid can't find a shoe, the dog's barking at his reflection, and all you need is a go-to outfit you can trust. If you're tired of options that miss the mark, let me put you on to JCPenney. No, don't give me that. Wait, seriously? Look.
They've got stylish, dependable pieces that feel effortless. A perfect solution for busy parents. I just picked up an ANA denim blouse and Liz Clayborne A-line. Dress, both easy wins for when I'm on the go and super affordable. And the best part?
The shocked faces I get when I say, yeah, it's from JCPenney. Don't miss out. Shop now at jacypenny dot com. Yes, J C Penny. If you eat too many ultra-processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes, and they'll get hangry.
That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try This from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try This. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges.
Follow Try This right now wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it. Does Friendly have a taste? If it does, it's probably like Hello's peppermint-flavored anti-plaque and whitening toothpaste. Brush away plaque, show Tartar Who's boss, and remove surface stains to naturally whiten.
Hello's thoughtful and flavor-forward products make brushing your teeth feel like a confetti-filled bathroom dance party.
So say hello to Hello with the always cruelty-free, never-tested-on animals toothpaste that's made to spread smiles. Visit helloproducts.com and let Hello add some everyday yay into your life. This is an iHeart podcast.
