Stuff You Should Know

Short Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement

April 1, 2026·12 min·2-min readconversationalculture
Podzilla Summary (2 min)
TLDR
Teddy Roosevelt once tried to reform English spelling with an executive order, backed by intellectuals like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, but the public and Congress mocked and rejected the idea, proving that even beloved leaders can’t easily change the quirks of language.


**TOPICS CO

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Theodore RooseveltMark TwainAndrew CarnegieBenjamin FranklinNoah WebsterEdward Rondthaler

Companies

iHeartRadio

Topics

American HistoryHistorical FiguresUs Politics

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Stuff You Should Know and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.