Podcast | Rewatching John Adams: Law, Revolution, and Abigail’s America (Episodes 1–2)

We begin our rewatch of HBO’s John Adams with the Boston Massacre and a risky defense that tested the rule of law at the edge of revolution. From Abigail’s steady influence to the messy birth of independence, this episode revisits a familiar story that feels urgent again. Listen to this episode of the Public History podcast.

Fourth of July cannon disaster at Lykens, PA | 1854

Explosion of a cannon during a patriotic occasion in the 1850s

In 1854, a festive cannon salute in Lykens, Pennsylvania turned tragic on the Fourth of July. One man was killed, another lost an arm, highlighting the hazards of 19th-century holiday revelry. Read the full story.