Tuesday we're telling the story of a bankrupt and dying Ulysses S. Grant and the colorful Mark Twain. In 1884, Grant lost all his money in a Ponzi scheme and was suffering from excruciating throat cancer. Twain was an unlikely partner to the taciturn general, but he convinced Grant to pen his memoirs in his final days. Doug is joined by playwright Elizabeth Diggs and historian Geoffrey Ward to talk about Grant and Twain, and about the lure of wealth and celebrity in the Gilded Age.

Salt Lake Acting Company is staging the world premiere of Elizabeth Diggs' new play Grant & Twain. It opens Wednesday, February 5 and runs through March 2. For tickets and information, click here

Geoffrey Ward is a writer and historian. Among his books is A Disposition to Be Rich [Amazon|Indiebound], which tells the story of the man who swindled Ulysses S. Grant. Ward was principal writer of The Civil War and several other Ken Burns' documentaries.