Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This suggestion is from a listener Mickey we love it when we get those suggestions so shout out right off the bat to Mickey this day in

1909 Helen Nellie Taft I think we'll call her Nellie Taft from now on. The wife of President William Howard Taff

suffered a stroke.

The stroke happened at the beginning

of her husband's presidential term.

Obviously, it's in May.

And it was likely during a party cruise on the Potomac during a concert that was part of a series of events that she had created.

But Nellie Taft was 48 years old and the stroke had a pretty big impact. It impaired her speech, her right arm, and leg.

It was not fully debilitating, but she did suffer from aphasia and had to kind of relearn how to speak.

She went to the family summer home in Massachusetts to convalese and recover.

She was out of the White House just weeks into her husband's term in office. And as we will get into the White House just weeks into her husband's term in office.

And as we will get into, the White House was now absent of an incredibly influential

force, someone who was a real close advisor to the new president, someone who is a champion

of some key issues issues and that voice in

every sense of the word was no longer inside the White House so here to discuss Nellie

Taft her relationship with her husband the domestic life of presidents oh and also the long history of keeping health

matters from the public because surprise surprise they did not tell people that this had happened

but here to discuss all that are as always Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of

Wellesley hello there. Hello Jody. Hey there. Uh Kelly let we'll get into the

sort of like nitty gritty of this event which is very tragic but just like in a big picture you read about

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