Love it or hate it, every American recognizes the Star-Spangled Banner. The lyrics come from a poem written by a lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, based on his experience watching an attack of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The story itself is pretty inspiring -- but as Ben, Noel and Max learn in today's episode... Francis Scott Key was actually kind of a jerk.

Love it or hate it, every American recognizes the Star-Spangled Banner. The lyrics come from a poem written by a lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, based on his experience watching an attack of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The story itself is pretty inspiring -- but as Ben, Noel and Max learn in today's episode... Francis Scott Key was actually kind of a jerk.

History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.

Ridiculous History

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Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

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Francis Scott Key was Kind of a Jerk

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fa7ce8c6-2bae-4bcf-a95c-b4aa00ef9fdc/transcript

After the War of 1812, the US decided to shore up security at Lake Champlain by constructing a fort on Island Point. However, due to a surveying error, the US ended up building this fort in Canada, rather than the states. Listen in to learn more about the ridiculous story of Fort Montgomery, and why some people prefer to call it Fort Blunder.

After the War of 1812, the US decided to shore up security at Lake Champlain by constructing a fort on Island Point. However, due to a surveying error, the US ended up building this fort in Canada, rather than the states. Listen in to learn more about the ridiculous story of Fort Montgomery, and why some people prefer to call it Fort Blunder.

CLASSIC: Fort Blunder: The US Fort Mistakenly Built in Canada

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dd8094c2-c087-469e-8e1f-b4a5014bbb0d/transcript

Thomas Jefferson wasn't just obsessed with mastodons for no reason. Instead, he was in an intense dispute with a French naturalist named Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Leclerc argued that the American continent was 'degenerate', and all animals and life forms in the joint were weaker, smaller, and less-developed than those in Europe. In the second part of this special two-part series, returning guest Lauren Vogelbaum regales the gang with the final chapter of Jefferson's strange beef with Leclerc... and how this conflict eventually led to the concept of biological extinction.

Thomas Jefferson wasn't just obsessed with mastodons for no reason. Instead, he was in an intense dispute with a French naturalist named Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Leclerc argued that the American continent was 'degenerate', and all animals and life forms in the joint were weaker, smaller, and less-developed than those in Europe. In the second part of this special two-part series, returning guest Lauren Vogelbaum regales the gang with the final chapter of Jefferson's strange beef with Leclerc... and how this conflict eventually led to the concept of biological extinction.

Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part Two: A Grudge Match with the French

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/251a6df1-7053-45ee-b058-b4a500d955eb/transcript

If you grew up in the United States, you've doubtlessly learned all sorts of stuff about Thomas Jefferson -- but did you know about his bizarre fascination with mastodons? It's a winding tale of nationalism, naturalism, and good old American rivalry with the French. And the guys aren't diving into this one alone: they're joined by returning guest and veteran podcaster, the legendary Lauren Vogelbaum, to learn more about the story in part one of this special two-part series.

If you grew up in the United States, you've doubtlessly learned all sorts of stuff about Thomas Jefferson -- but did you know about his bizarre fascination with mastodons? It's a winding tale of nationalism, naturalism, and good old American rivalry with the French. And the guys aren't diving into this one alone: they're joined by returning guest and veteran podcaster, the legendary Lauren Vogelbaum, to learn more about the story in part one of this special two-part series.

Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part One: American Degeneracy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5e87f0ea-3f8a-439c-b797-b4a300e17c17/transcript

Francis Scott Key was Kind of a Jerk

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