John James Fraudubon

John James Fraudubon

From The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean by Sam Kean

October 28, 2025 · 18 min · Season 11 · Episode 4

About this episode

This episode explores the deceit behind John James Audubon's fame and the truth about the Bird of Washington.

The eagle that made John James Audubon famous, the Bird of Washington was nothing but an elaborate lie. Fawning biographers have suppressed this fact for years, but careful historical work has unraveled the Audubon legend, and shown that much of his life, and work, was built on deceit. (Part 2 of 2) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

People in this episode

Host: Sam Kean

Topics covered

  • Audubon
  • historical deceit
  • birdwatching
  • biography
  • American history

Keywords

  • John James Audubon
  • Bird of Washington
  • historical fraud
  • biography
  • science history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Bird of Washington

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