S8 Ep331: THE INAUGURATION AND THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Overwhelmed by the moment, Washington collapses into a chair after taking his oath on a hastily acquired Bible. Philbrick parallels this vulnerability with the "only a man" folklore

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Books, Society & Culture, News, Arts

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 January 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

THE INAUGURATION AND THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Overwhelmed by the moment, Washington collapses into a chair after taking his oath on a hastily acquired Bible. Philbrick parallels this vulnerability with the "only a man" folklore and recounts how artist N.C. Wyeth, like Washington, experienced a near-death fall that haunted his dreams of the general. NUMBER 2
1789

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job.
0:03.5	You need the right person with the right background who can move your business forward.
0:07.4	If you want candidates who match what you're looking for, trust Indeed sponsored jobs.
0:12.3	And listeners of the show will get a 100-pound sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash broadcast. Just go to
0:22.3	Indeed.com slash broadcast right now and support this show by saying you heard about Indeed on
0:27.6	this podcast. Indeed.com slash broadcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring, do it the right way
0:34.4	with Indeed. With Luckyland slots, you can get lucky just about anywhere.
0:40.7	This is your captain speaking.
0:42.4	We've got clear runway and the weather's fine, but we're just going to circle up here a while and get lucky.
0:47.5	No, no, nothing like that.
0:48.8	It's just these cash prizes add up quick.
0:50.7	So I suggest you sit back, keep your tray table upright, and start getting lucky.
0:55.6	Play for free at Luckylandslots.com. Are you feeling lucky? No purchase necessary. Boyd were prohibited by law.
1:02.3	18 plus terms and conditions apply. See website for details.
1:12.9	This is CBSI in the world.
1:15.6	I'm John Baxter with Nathaniel Philbrick.
1:19.9	His new book travels with George in search of Washington and his legacy.
1:23.2	A reenactment of the inauguration.
1:26.5	Nathaniel attends it in New York one April afternoon.
1:29.6	And there are revelations here.
1:35.8	For example, Genesis 49 to 50, after Washington said, fetch me a Bible.
1:36.7	What's there, Nat?
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 27 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.