History in Two Voices

06/25/2026

📍Across maps and memory, an encounter unfolds in 1888 between intrepid 19th-century journalist Nellie Bly and former First Lady Lucy Hayes—two women shaping how America tells its own story.

👉Step into the conversation with sources → https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/mapping-the-first-ladies-nellie-bly-visits-lucy-webb-hayes

❓❓Should we be doing more to preserve and create historic sites that focus on the lives of our First Ladies—and the women who shaped the nation behind the scenes?

06/24/2026

📍Along the Erie Canal—driven by the vision of DeWitt Clinton and others who helped transform an ambitious idea into a defining achievement of early America.

06/24/2026

A quiet moment between Jefferson and Adams—when history pauses long enough to remember how rivals once began as collaborators.

06/24/2026

As Tall Ships once again arrive in American ports… a look back at the Bicentennial spectacle that captured the nation.

In the summer of 1976, an estimated seven million people gathered along the shores of New York Harbor for Operation Sail — one of the most extraordinary maritime celebrations in American history.

Tall Ships from around the world glided past Manhattan as crowds filled rooftops, bridges, piers, and shorelines. Families described standing shoulder to shoulder along the water, watching sails rise above the skyline in a scene many still remember as unforgettable.

Since sharing this post, readers have brought the moment back to life through their memories — from camping trips with small televisions just to watch the broadcast, to crowds packed along the Palisades and Verrazzano Bridge, to the sound of ship whistles echoing across the harbor.

👉 Read the full story and sources here:
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/operation-sail-tall-ships-1976

👉 Preorder Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler and save 30% with code 24LADYJULIA:
https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700642670/

❓❓Were you there in 1976 — or are you seeing Tall Ships in ports today like New Orleans? We’d love to hear your memory. 🇺🇸

06/21/2026

📍A train left Albany that morning… and the sky won the race.

In 1910, Glenn H. Curtiss pushed a fragile 50-horsepower biplane off the ground along the Hudson River—and into history.

Below him, a New York Central train carried his wife and observers, racing south on parallel tracks of iron and water. Town after town looked up as the sound of flight cut across the river valley like nothing they had ever heard before.

West Point. Peekskill. Manhattan on the horizon.

And then—arrival.

Just 2 hours and 32 minutes of flying time later, Curtiss reached New York City, proving that distance itself had just changed.

Was this the moment aviation stopped being a dream and became a system?

Read the full story with sources/citations here:
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/0pgkrdn9uut894bwowhz5cmeyk7r1u

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum

History in Two Voices

06/21/2026

🎉 2,500 Followers — Thank You! 🎉 Imagine stepping into a Bicentennial county fair…where history feels alive again.

Quilts being made. Pies cooling. Families in colonial dress. A photographer capturing it all.

❓❓Do you still have any photos from your Bicentennial experiences in 1976?

Tell us below 👇

🇺🇸 History in Two Voices

Dive into American history with Sharon and Christopher Leahy, uncovering untold stories of America's most influential figures, Presidents, First Ladies, and defining moments.

06/20/2026

🇺🇸 Imagine looking out your car window in 1976 and seeing this.

Covered wagons stretching down the highway.
Horsemen carrying American flags.
Communities gathering along the roadside.
Thousands of Americans making a pilgrimage to Valley Forge for the nation's Bicentennial.

For a few months in 1976, scenes that looked like the 19th century unfolded alongside station wagons, traffic lights, and modern highways.

It was one of the largest public commemorations of the Bicentennial—and today, surprisingly few people remember it.

❓Did a Bicentennial wagon train pass through your town in 1976?

🔗 Learn more:
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/8s3f9mvk0lvgqj26h3onoimzyi0ivq

06/19/2026

🇺🇸On July 4, 1807, a 17-year-old student stood before a crowd at William & Mary to deliver a commencement address.

His subject surprised many then—and may surprise us today:

Female education.

Long before he became America's 10th president, John Tyler argued that educated women were essential to preserving the nation's republican ideals and the future of the young republic.

What inspired the speech, and how did those beliefs influence the women in his own life?

Discover the story behind a remarkable Independence Day address:

👇
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/a-future-president-speaks-on-female-education-july-4-1807

06/19/2026

📍 Mapping the Memories of First Ladies: Julia Grant, Wife of Ulysses S. Grant

In 1888, Nellie Bly visited Julia Dent Grant—the only living First Lady whose husband had served two full presidential terms.

Mrs. Grant did not talk about policy. She talked about memory.

• Mismatched furniture in the White House.
• Wilted flowers placed at her table.
• Tears shed when she left what she called the "dear old place."

And then she told a story that surprised even Bly.

One day, another former First Lady arrived quietly at the White House—Julia Gardiner Tyler. Mrs. Grant took her to see her portrait hanging in the residence.

Julia Tyler stood before the image of her younger self... and wept.

The White House is not only a political residence.

It is a place women leave—but never entirely.

👉 Part of our ongoing series exploring how America's First Ladies remembered their time in the White House. Click the link in the comments for the rest of the story.

❓ Have you ever visited a presidential home or museum and seen a First Lady's portrait in person? Which one left the biggest impression on you?

In 1888, Nellie Bly interviewed First Lady Julia Dent Grant about her years in the White House, revealing personal memories, interior renovations, and a poignant visit from Julia Gardiner Tyler. A glimpse into how former First Ladies remembered their time in America’s most famous residence.

06/18/2026

📚 "More Substance Than People Realize"

When most people think of Julia Gardiner Tyler, they often picture the glamorous young First Lady who captivated Washington society.

But there was much more to her story.

In this guest post for the University Press of Kansas, we explore why Julia Tyler deserves a closer look—not simply as a political spouse, but as a woman who understood public image, influence, religion, and the power of the presidency during a turbulent era in American history.

As we researched Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, we found a figure far more complex, determined, and consequential than many historical accounts suggest.

Many thanks to the University Press of Kansas for featuring our work.

👉 Read the article here:
https://kansaspress.ku.edu/blog/2026/03/27/julia-gardiner-tyler/

📖 Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler will be released September 8, 2026.

❓What aspect of Julia Tyler's life do you find most surprising—her youth as First Lady, her role in shaping public image, her religious conversion, or something else entirely?

. Books Forward

Julia Gardiner Tyler’s eight-month tenure as first lady of the United States was among the shortest in American history. Nevertheless, she packed a lot into her time in the White House. After becoming the first woman to marry a sitting president, she took the reins of the Washington social scene a...