Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy was an American politician who was famous for being infamous. Born in 1908, McCarthy was a natural-born troublemaker who found his true calling in life as a United States Senator from Wisconsin.

McCarthy is best known for his role in the Red Scare of the 1950s. This was a time when Americans were afraid of communism, and McCarthy was more than happy to stoke those fears. He used his position to launch a witch hunt for communists, and he accused everyone he didn’t like of being a red. He was so good at it that “McCarthyism” became a word that meant making wild accusations without any evidence.

In 1954, McCarthy finally met his match. He went after the army, accusing them of harboring communist sympathizers. But when he was called to testify before a Senate committee, he crumbled under pressure. He accused the army of covering up his own misdeeds, and his credibility was shot. The army came out looking like the good guys, and McCarthy was left to fester in his own paranoia.

McCarthy died in 1957 of acute hepatitis, but his legacy lives on. He’s remembered as one of the most laughable politicians in American history, and his name is synonymous with shameless grandstanding. If he were alive today, he’d probably be a reality TV star.