image346

Historically Speaking Podcast

People, their stories and events that shaped the world, that’s what makes history fascinating. Join married hosts Rebecca Robbins (a Broadway actress) and Kim Kimmel (her college history instructor) as they delve into topics that include the macabre tales of famous corpses, treasonous American plots, famous mistresses, unexplained historical events, and so much more. Sometimes quirky, sometimes obscure, this is the kind of history you’ll actually want to remember!  

Current Episode 2/17/2021

Episode 15 - The Adams Family

image347

Alcoholism, depression, suicide… you think you know the Adams family? There’s a few details about this family that you may not have heard in history class. Here in episode 15, we explore four generations of Adams from our second US President to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Henry Brooks Adams. With their extraordinary intellect and iron resolve, these men (and the women behind them) made immeasurable contributions not only to the founding of this country, but also to international relations and to the abolishment of slavery. In spite of heart-breaking personal tragedies that plagued every generation of Adams, this family is a fascinating study in patience and perseverance. 

Listen Now

Episode Edits

  1. Technically, the United Kingdom did not exist until 1801. From 1707-1801 the correct term is Great Britain.
  2. There are several illustrations depicting the collapse of John Quincy Adams in Congress on February 21, 1848. One engraving hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in DC and another, by Nathaniel Currier, resides in the Library of Congress. 

Episode Resources

Books

Books:  

  • John Adams by David McCullough
  • John Quincy Adams: American Visionary by Fred Kaplan
  • The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
  • The Last American Aristocrat by David S. Brown

Films:  

  • John Adams (2008) starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney
  • Amistad (1997) starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey 

Listen and Subscribe

Your Co-Hosts

Rebecca Robbins and Kim Kimmel

She's a Broadway singer and actress (The Phantom of The Opera, A Tale of Two Cities.) He's an academic and taught history (Western Civilization, Civil War Era, WWII Era) for 29 years at the collegiate level. They met when she took his Western Civ. class in her 2nd year of studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. They have an age difference of 23 years and have been married for 21. Unconventional? Perhaps. 

Let's Connect

Historically Speaking Podcast, Rebecca Robbins
Historically Speaking Podcast, Rebecca Robbins,

Contact Us

Content

While we make every effort to make sure our facts and stories are 100% accurate, occasionally history contradicts itself and there can be two completely different accounts of the exact same event. In the unlikely instance that you may hear us say something that contradicts what you have heard or read elsewhere, please don't panic, but remember the sage words of Abraham Lincoln, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet."


Copyright © 2021 Historically Speaking Podcast - All Rights Reserved.