Well, I Laughed 136: Shoot Your Shot pt.1: Life Long Loser
Dec 17, 2025
Explore the chaotic life of Charles Guiteau, whose series of failures led him from a troubled childhood to becoming an infamous figure in American history. Discover his ill-fated attempts at love, law, and a career in politics. Dive into his delusions of grandeur, and learn how he believed his actions were divinely inspired. The story spirals from his early life challenges through to his shocking assassination of President Garfield, revealing the bizarre intersections of failure, ambition, and tragedy.
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Meet The Unlikely Assassin
- Grant introduces Charles Guiteau as a historically forgettable but consequential loser who assassinated President Garfield.
- He frames Guiteau's life as a tragic series of failures leading to a pivotal political murder.
Free Love Movement Was Politically Radical
- The Oneida Community practiced 'free love' and aimed to separate state control from private sexual relations.
- Grant notes this 19th-century movement was more progressive on sexual autonomy than commonly assumed.
Rejected In A Sex Cult
- Guiteau joined Oneida but was ostracized because members didn't want sexual contact with him.
- He failed at a Oneida-sponsored newspaper in Hoboken and returned bankrupt, worsening his social standing.