In 1857, guests at Washington D.C.'s National Hotel began to come down with a mysterious illness. One of them was James Buchanan, who was preparing to assume the presidency of the United States. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the deadly outbreak and the many theories that were offered to explain it.
We'll also contemplate timpani and puzzle over an Old West astronaut.
Show notes
In 1857, guests at Washington D.C.'s National Hotel began to come down with a mysterious illness
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