From CNN this morning: “No president has ever needed a public holiday like Joe Biden needs July 4.”
At This Day in Esoteric Political History, we’d typically add a bit of nuance to that kind of statement. Something like: did you know that in 1893 President Grover Cleveland used the guise of a summer vacation in early July to hide a secret medical procedure (performed on a boat!)?
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But not today, because, well, we’re on vacation too.
Is there anybody who didn’t desperately need a bit of respite? A step away from the building maelstrom, even if we’re not boarding a yacht like Cleveland could? If you are looking for some Independence-related content, here are a couple recommendations from our archive:
Bonus points are already in order for listener Ben, who sent us this note.
I just finished listening to your episode on Statuary Hall and had been in the Capitol a week ago where I saw one of the newest additions to the collection. In June Arkansas replaced their two statues of obscure white men with statues of Johnny Cash and Daisy Lee Gatson Bates. I had read about the swap but hadn’t heard where they placed the statues. When I was in the Capitol last week I was very pleased to see they placed the statue of Daisy Bates next to the infamous statue of Jefferson Davis. It was a striking sight to see and I took the attached photo.
