- 9 minutes 24 secondsThe Backstory: The Gettysburg Address in Real Time
We take a look behind the scenes the night before Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19th, 1863. It’s from the diary of one of Lincoln’s private secretaries. John Hay was 25 years old, drinking whiskey with older guys, and getting a little snarky about his boss. Who hasn’t been there?
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10 November 2026, 5:00 am - 7 minutes 11 secondsThe Backstory: Addicted to Pain Relief
We all want relief from pain when we're miserable. That’s been true for thousands of years. But how we've dealt with it . . has caused it’s own problems. 10,000 cigars and cocaine water. What could go wrong?
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6 November 2026, 5:00 am - 7 minutes 18 secondsThe Backstory: How an Iconic TV Star Found His Voice
It’s fascinating to see how someone faces personal challenges and then becomes more than they dreamed. Ted Knight wanted to be a serious TV star but he became a comedy icon of 1970s sitcom TV playing Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty SteeleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 November 2026, 5:00 am - 8 minutes 32 secondsThe Backstory: What’s Under Your Feet in NYC?
Did you ever stop to think what’s beneath city streets and parks that we walk on everyday? Take the NY Public Library and Bryant Park on NYC’s 5th Avenue. Did you know that that 4 acre piece of land once held a 50 foot tall reservoir that held 20 million gallons of water for NYC? Where did the water come from and where did that massive mid town reservoir and it’s aqueduct disappear to?
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30 October 2026, 4:00 am - 8 minutes 12 secondsThe Backstory: The Not So Innocent Origins of Trick or Treating
Trick or treating on Halloween is a rite of childhood. But it’s origins go back several thousand years and they were pretty dark, including human sacrifice. Centuries later, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought less violent traditions to America where Halloween evolved into something that again became fairly violent. So, how did it turn into the festive celebration we know today? Big business found a way to cash in.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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27 October 2026, 4:00 am - 9 minutes 44 secondsThe Backstory: The Diamond Necklace That Led to 17,000 Beheadings
The riots in France last week were all about the same things that caused the American Revolution in 1776 as well as the French Revolution in 1789. Distrust and disappointment in how the government treats us. In France 250 years ago, it was actually a stolen diamond necklace that began the downfall of the monarchy.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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23 October 2026, 4:00 am - 9 minutes 42 secondsThe Backstory: Halloween: Why We Love Bloody Horror Flicks
What is we love about the blood and gore of a great horror movie or story? And where and when did that spooky interest start? Turns out we’re programmed to love terror . . and Hollywood has made a bundle off of it.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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20 October 2026, 4:00 am - 10 minutes 40 secondsThe Backstory: Mark Cuban: Garbage Bags to Billionaire
How does someone go from being a working class kid to being a billionaire before he’s 40? This is Mark Cuban’s story!
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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16 October 2026, 4:00 am - 8 minutes 46 secondsThe Backstory: The Light Bulb Conspiracy
We all know the term "planned obsolescence”. But where did it begin? We head back to the light bulb manufacturers of the early 1900s to see where basic needs and business collided, and how nothing has ever been the same since.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . On Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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13 October 2026, 4:00 am - 7 minutes 28 secondsThe Backstory: Columbus Day? Who Really Discovered America?
It’s Columbus Day this Monday . . also called Indigenous People’s Day. But it begs the question, who really “discovered” America? Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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9 October 2026, 4:00 am - 10 minutes 19 secondsThe Backstory: How to Create a Female Serial Killer
Watching the state of Georgia and their botched attempt to execute murderer Christa Pike this past week has been pretty cringy. Only about 1% of murderers put to death in the U.S. are female. It brought to mind one of America’s most prolific female serial killers, Aileen Wuornos. She admitted to killing at least 7 men, before she was executed in 2002. Her life was depicted in the 2003 movie Monster. But . . how did the little girl tormented by school mates as “the cigarette pig” . . become a monster?
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty SteeleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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