This week’s “Drunk History” lesson features three stories involving some of the most influential events and people from Baltimore, Maryland. From learning about an early assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln, to the origin of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and finally the rivalry between Edgar Alan Poe and Rufus Griswold.
Our first sloshed story teller tells us the story of how the Pinkerton Detective Agency was able to save Abraham Lincoln’s life prior to being sworn in as the President of the United States of America. Allan Pinkerton – the founder of the agency – assembled a group of detectives to infiltrate some of the radical meetings where people openly discussed their plans to kill Lincoln. By using the information they uncovered, they were able to safely escort Lincoln to Washington D.C. in time for his inauguration.
Although “The Star-Spangled Banner” is no doubt one of the most popular songs in the United States, few know the true story for its origin. Our second historian tells us how Francis Scott Key – the song’s author – was actually held captive on a British ship while trying to negotiate the release of a U.S. doctor.
While on board, Key overheard British troops talking about a planned attack on Baltimore. Afraid they would ruin their plans, Key was locked in a cell for a week. As he was held captive, Key saw firsthand the explosions and smoke from the attack. When the smoke cleared, the flag of the United States was still waving, meaning they were able to defend themselves from the British attack. In turn, Key wrote the song to pay tribute to how he felt that morning.
For the final story of the episode, our final narrator tells us about the heated rivalry between Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Griswold. Griswold was putting together a book of poetry and asked Poe to submit a few of his works for inclusion in hopes that it would force Poe to write a positive review of it.
Angry with the fact his poems were at the end of the book, Poe instead published many critical and negative reviews of the book, encouraging readers to not purchase his book. This started a rivalry between the two, which arguably led to not only Poe’s demise, but ultimately his death.
Tonight’s episode was another great example of how “Drunk History” does a great job of not only entertaining us, but also informs its viewers about the small events in America’s history that helped shape our country.
Next week’s episode will feature three stories about Charleston, West Virginia. Don’t forget to watch it next week Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. EST on Comedy Central.
