The American Presidency: Unfiltered is back with another delightfully strange chapter from the White House archives. Hosted by Brad Pitzl, this episode dives into the unforgettable 1837 moment when President Andrew Jackson was gifted a 1,400-pound wheel of cheese and decided to share it with the public. What followed was less a polite reception and more a chaotic, cheese-fueled spectacle as thousands of guests descended on the White House and devoured the entire block in just a few hours. Some called it civic hospitality, others called it mayhem, and a few historians still refer to it as the “Great Cheese Levy.”

Structured into five sharp segments, with a clear intro and outro, this episode separates fact from folklore while having plenty of fun along the way. Brad explores why the cheese existed in the first place, how Jackson used it as a political symbol, what actually happened inside the White House that day, and why this bizarre event still says a lot about populism, power, and presidential image-making. It’s a reminder that American history is not just speeches and wars—it’s also crowds, chaos, and occasionally, a truly unreasonable amount of cheese.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl explores one of the most unexpected footnotes in the Reagan years: how Ronald Reagan, the ultimate conservative icon and Cold War hardliner, quietly had help from the stars. After surviving the 1981 assassination attempt, Reagan’s wife Nancy Reagan reportedly brought an astrologer into the fold to help schedule key moments on the presidential calendar. It’s a revelation that feels almost sitcom-worthy. The man known for projecting strength, certainty, and old-school American confidence was also checking planetary alignments before big events. The episode has fun with the contradiction, poking at the irony without ever turning cruel, and reminding listeners that even the toughest leaders are still human when they stare down their own mortality.

Brad also speculates on just how far the cosmic consulting may have gone. Did astrology play a role in choosing dates for major speeches, diplomatic summits, or high-stakes Cold War meetings? Was a favorable star chart consulted before a State of the Union or a pivotal Oval Office address? While the astrologer never shaped policy, the idea that timing might have been guided by Saturn and Jupiter adds a strange, almost charming layer to the Reagan White House. The episode keeps things lighthearted, acknowledging that while the story clashes with Reagan’s public image, it may have made perfect emotional sense after nearly losing his life. And despite the star charts and New Age undertones, Reagan remains one of the most popular and influential presidents in American history, proving that even legends can have a few surprising quirks written in the stars.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl of Presidents.website explores how Abraham Lincoln became America’s first truly tech-savvy president—decades before radio, television, or social media. During the chaos of the Civil War, Lincoln embraced a revolutionary new tool: the telegraph. While many leaders dismissed it as a novelty, Lincoln recognized its power, using dots and dashes to gain real-time battlefield intelligence, communicate directly with generals, and maintain unprecedented control over a nation at war.

From turning the War Department’s telegraph office into a 19th-century situation room to managing information overload and technical failures, this episode reveals how Lincoln rewired the presidency itself. His mastery of emerging technology reshaped executive leadership and set the blueprint for every modern president who followed. Long before presidents went live, went viral, or went digital, Lincoln got wired—and changed history in the process.

When William Howard Taft moved into the White House, he brought with him an unlikely resident: a 1,500-pound Holstein cow named Pauline Wayne. In an era before widespread refrigeration, Pauline provided fresh milk and butter for the First Family, quickly becoming a national curiosity and one of the most famous “pets” ever to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But her time in Washington wasn’t all calm grazing and newspaper photos—at one point, Pauline vanished for two days and narrowly avoided being sent to a slaughterhouse, turning a wholesome presidential experiment into a near disaster.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl unpacks the strange, charming, and revealing story of the last cow to live at the White House. Along the way, the episode explores what Pauline Wayne tells us about food safety, celebrity, and daily life in the early 20th-century executive mansion, before following Taft beyond the presidency to his unique second act as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It’s a witty yet thoughtful look at how a cow, a president, and a changing America all became part of the same unlikely history.

Step inside The American Presidency: Unfiltered as host Brad Pitzl uncovers one of the most surprising eras in presidential history. This episode dives into the buttoned-up world of James K. Polk and First Lady Sarah Polk, the couple who famously banned dancing, card-playing, and hard liquor from the White House. From temperance-inspired receptions to state dinners with carefully rationed champagne, Brad explores how the Polks transformed America’s most powerful home into the quietest social venue in Washington. With historical detail, sharp wit, and plenty of snark, this episode highlights how one devout First Lady reshaped political hospitality in ways few presidents ever attempted.

But this story is more than a quirky footnote. Brad contrasts the Polks’ strict rules with the lively traditions of other administrations, including presidents who drank heavily, gambled freely, and danced well past midnight. This episode also breaks from the show’s usual tales of rowdy banquets and boisterous political mischief, offering a fresh look at the pros and cons of a no-fun White House. If you enjoy presidential history with personality, humor, and the occasional raised eyebrow, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl dives into one of the strangest linguistic legacies ever left by a U.S. president. Martin Van Buren may not dominate modern history books, but his nickname, “Old Kinderhook,” helped popularize what would become the most universally recognized word in the English language: “OK.” From campaign slogans to political shorthand, this episode unpacks how a savvy 19th-century branding moment escaped politics and embedded itself into everyday conversation.

Along the way, Brad explores Van Buren’s carefully crafted image, the surprisingly modern nature of early American political marketing, and how a two-letter abbreviation outlived the president who inspired it. Equal parts history, trivia, and presidential oddity, this episode proves that even the most overlooked leaders can leave behind cultural fingerprints we still use every single day — often without realizing where they came from.

It’s April 1979, and President Jimmy Carter is fishing alone in a pond near his hometown of Plains, Georgia, trying to escape the headaches of inflation, Iran, and an upcoming re-election fight. Then, out of nowhere, a hissing, splashing rabbit charges straight at his canoe, paddling like it’s auditioning for the Olympics. Carter grabs a paddle and fends off the “killer rabbit” while Secret Service watches from the shore, unsure whether to laugh or load their weapons. What should have stayed a private, hilarious moment exploded into front-page news, complete with a now-infamous White House photo of the soggy showdown.

The American Presidency: Unfiltered host Brad Pitzl unpacks the entire swamp-rabbit saga: why the press lost its mind, how the incident became late-night punchlines and political ammo for Reagan, and whether the creature was rabid, deranged, or just a very determined bunny with a grudge. From Carter’s own matter-of-fact recounting to the Washington Post’s legendary headline, this is peak presidential absurdity—proof that sometimes the most dangerous threat in the Oval Office comes with floppy ears and a bad attitude.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl uncorks one of the Founding Fathers’ lesser-known stories — the night George Washington threw a farewell bash worthy of legend. Before leaving Philadelphia in 1787, the future president joined 55 guests at the City Tavern for a dinner that included over 50 gallons of liquor, a modest spread of relishes and olives, and a bar tab that would make modern accountants weep. With humor and historical insight, Brad dives into the surviving receipt, revealing how the Father of His Country may also have been the Father of the Afterparty.

Far from the marble monument of restraint we imagine, this episode explores a more human Washington — one who’d earned the right to celebrate after years of war, compromise, and constitutional chaos. Through expert quotes, witty narration, and a few raised eyebrows, Brad unpacks how this night of indulgence clashed with Washington’s public image yet perfectly captured the spirit of a nation learning to let loose after inventing democracy. Grab your tankard — history has never been this intoxicating.