History for Cocktail Parties

JFK Assassination: The Evidence That Still Haunts America Part II

Thornton Kennedy and James Ottley dig deeper into the evidentiary inconsistencies surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the findings of the Warren Commission. From disputed fingerprints on the Carcano rifle and witnesses who reported seeing an Oswald look-alike, to the mysterious Nash Rambler sightings and the troubling fate of witnesses whose accounts conflicted with the FBI’s narrative, the episode explores questions that have fueled debate for decades. Kennedy and Ottley separate documented fact from speculation while examining why so many elements of the investigation still fail to neatly align. For listeners fascinated by history’s unresolved mysteries, this is an episode difficult to turn off.

JFK Assassination: The Evidence That Still Haunts America

In the latest episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy dive into the lingering evidentiary inconsistencies surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the conclusions of the Warren Commission. From Lee Harvey Oswald’s movements inside the Texas School Book Depository to conflicting witness testimony and the mysterious second-floor encounter with Officer Marrion Baker, the questions begin almost immediately after the shots rang out in Dealey Plaza. More than sixty years later, the official narrative remains fiercely debated by historians, investigators, and the public alike. If you think you know the JFK story, this episode may change your mind.

The Louisiana Purchase & the Battle for New Orleans: The Making of New Orleans Eps. 2

In their second episode on New Orleans history, James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy unpack the high-stakes drama of the Louisiana Purchase and the clash that followed at the Battle of New Orleans. They trace how Thomas Jefferson wrestled with constitutional limits before seizing a once-in-a-generation deal that doubled the young nation’s size and secured the Mississippi River. The conversation moves from diplomacy to gunpowder, exploring how the Purchase set the stage for war and how Andrew Jackson turned a late-breaking battle into a defining American victory. As always, it’s history with a pour; big decisions, bigger consequences, and the city that sits at the center of it all.

Bluffs, Blood and Bourbon: The Making of New Orleans Eps. 1

James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy explore New Orleans through the life of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the tattooed French officer who arrived in the New World as a teenager and pulled off one of the greatest bluffs in American history. They examine the period of Spanish control, including the violent crackdown led by Alejandro O'Reilly, “Bloody O’Reilly,” after French colonists staged a rebellion and ousted Spain’s first governor. The episode then turns to the high-stakes decision behind the Louisiana Purchase, and Jefferson’s internal conflict over executive power versus national survival. As always, the conversation is paired with a proper drink, the Sazerac, a fitting toast to a city shaped by ambition, intrigue and resilience.

The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth Eps. 4

Did Abraham Lincoln’s killer really die in that burning barn in Virginia, or did the manhunt miss its mark? In the gripping finale of the Hunt for John Wilkes Booth, Thornton Kennedy and James Ottley, joined by Atlanta raconteur Will Edmonds, unravel the contradictions, missing evidence and lingering whispers that have fueled one of America’s oldest conspiracy theories. From David Herold’s puzzling claims to the vanished post-mortem photo, this episode chases the truth through shadowy testimony and Southern lore, asking the question history never quite settled and leaving you to decide what really happened to John Wilkes Booth.