Many people think that politics and elections in the United States are the most controversial they have ever been. History, however, begs to differ. Perhaps the oddest and most controversial presidential election in American history was the election of 1824. It is an election that doesn’t get a lot of attention given who won and the lack of major issues at stake, but it is one that more people should be familiar with.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

A note on notes: We’d much rather you just went into each episode of The Memory Palace cold. And just let the story take you where it well. So, we don’t suggest looking into the show notes first.

Music

• Waltz for Sky by Muriel Botsdorp

• A Gathering to Lead me When You're Gone by Brian McBride

• 20 (Lichen) by Brendan Eder Ensemble

• Electronium Movie Score by Raymond Scott

• Someday We'll Linger in the Sun by Gaelynn Lea

• 32 (Harp) by Nearly Oratorio

Notes

• By far the most fun and helpful thing I read for this episode was Michael O'Malley's, Keeping Watch: A History of American Time.



If there is one song almost everyone knows it is Happy Birthday to You (yes, that is the actual title of the song, even though everyone just calls it Happy Birthday). Not only has the song been sung at countless children’s birthday parties, but it has also been mentioned in Supreme Court decisions and was the subject of one of the most important copyright cases in history. Learn more about the most famous song in the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of my dirty secrets is that I’m a fan of pro wrestling. Whenever I tell people this the first thing I inevitably hear is, “you know it’s fake right?” This idea that people think professional wrestling is real comes from the concept that wrestling insiders call kayfabe. Learn about the history of kayfabe and how this concept from professional wrestling can be used to navigate the modern world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you look at the list of officer ranks in the United States armed forces, there are 10 ranks listed which are held today They go from Second Lieutenant all the way up to the rank of General, which is the four-star variant of the rank.  There is a rank above general, a five-star general, which hasn’t been awarded in 70 years. Most people are familiar with these generals as having served in WWII.  However, there is still one more rank above that of a five-star general in the United States Military

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath of the horrors of WWI, many people in Europe wanted to find a better future going forward. A future of peace and prosperity, where energy, food, and jobs would be available for everyone. One man from Germany named Herman Sörgel had a VERY ambitious idea. An idea that would literally change the map of the planet Earth, and was the biggest proposed engineering project ever put forward.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is the story of a man, who if you don’t know his name, you probably should: Joe Medicine Crow. Joe Medicine Crow was a scholar, an author, a historian, a spokesperson, and a warrior. In fact, he was the last person to have earned the title of War Chief in the Crow Nation, and he earned that title in a way you probably wouldn’t imagine. Hear his fascinating and inspirational story on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Question: Who is the most dominant athlete of all time? It’s an interesting question and one which has started endless pub debates. Is that a basketball player like Michael Jordan, a baseball player like Babe Ruth, or a soccer player like Lionel Messi? Or maybe it’s an athlete in an individual sport like Tiger Woods, or Serena Williams. My answer to the question of who is the most dominant athlete of all time might surprise you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices