🎧 The Ides of April
The Handshake Line: The Assassination of William McKinley
Episode One: The Last Gentleman
On September 6th, 1901, at the height of the Pan-American Exposition, President William McKinley stood in a public receiving line, greeting ordinary citizens one handshake at a time.
It was a gesture he believed in.
It was also the moment that would end his life.
In Episode One, we step into the final hours of McKinley’s presidency and the forces—personal, political, and psychological—that converged inside the Temple of Music that afternoon. From McKinley’s origins as a Civil War soldier to his quiet devotion to the American people, we examine the character of a man who believed deeply in proximity over protection… and paid for it.
We also meet his assassin, Leon Czolgosz—a factory worker turned radical, shaped by economic collapse, isolation, and a growing belief that violence was the only remaining language available to him.
And waiting in the wings…
Theodore Roosevelt—a man just one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Because this isn’t just the story of an assassination.
It’s the story of what that assassination made possible.
The fatal decision behind the public handshake line
McKinley’s Civil War past and political rise
The psychology of Leon Czolgosz (“Fred Nobody”)
The warning signs ignored by security
The proximity of Theodore Roosevelt—and what it meant
🔥 On This Episode:
The fatal decision behind the public handshake line
McKinley’s Civil War past and political rise
The psychology of Leon Czolgosz (“Fred Nobody”)
The warning signs ignored by security
The proximity of Theodore Roosevelt—and what it meant
🔗 Listen + Follow
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
📺 Watch on YouTube
🌐 Visit: eviocreative.com
📣 The Usual CTA’s
If you’re drawn to the moments that changed everything…
Follow The Ides of April wherever you listen so you don’t miss what’s next.
Leave a rating and review—it helps more than you think.
Share the show with someone who loves history told the way it actually happened: complex, human, and unresolved.
And remember…
History doesn’t repeat itself.
But it leaves patterns.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
