Hi, this is Mike Volo, senior producer here at Slate.

This GabFest Extra is a real treat.

It's a sample episode of our new podcast, WhistleStop,

true tales from American presidential campaign history told by none other than our own John Dickerson,

who in this episode takes us all the way back to 1840.

To get every episode, search for Whistle Stop,

that's one word, in iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app, and subscribe today.

Thanks so much.

Welcome to WhistleStop, Slate's new podcast about curiosities from the campaign trail.

I'm John Dickerson.

Who was the candidate who started it all, the first to ever hit the campaign trail?

William Henry Harrison.

We'll talk about him, the political act of

taking umbrage, and the campaign of 1840 that started all this madness we chronicle here.

That's coming up in a minute, but first a word from our sponsor.

Why did Sam Slater dive into the frozen river in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in December of 1790?

And what did that have to do

with the Industrial Revolution? You'll find answers to these questions. In turning points in American

history, a great offering by great courses, which is sponsoring this podcast, in which I've been

listening to, there looks into little moments of American history that tell the larger story

of America. Shea's rebellion, the industrial revolution,

the birth of baseball. What I love is not just the details, but the context that Professor Edward

...