Shows / History Unplugged Podcast
History Unplugged Podcast
For history lovers who listen to podcasts, History Unplugged is the most comprehensive show of its kind. It's the only show that dedicates episodes to both interviewing experts and answering questions from its audience. First, it features a call-in show where you can ask our resident historian (Scott Rank, PhD) absolutely anything (What was it like to be a Turkish sultan with four wives and twelve concubines? If you were sent back in time, how would you kill Hitler?). Second, it features…
Episodes
History Unplugged PodcastAge of Discovery 2.0, Part 3: Space Colonization Will Reinvigorate Humanity More Than the New World Discovery 500 Years Ago
The discovery of the New World irrevocably changed the economy of the Old World. Triangle trade, manufactured goods went from Britain to the Americas, which…
History Unplugged PodcastAge of Discovery 2.0, Part 2: America’s New Destiny in Space, With Glenn Reynolds
With private space companies launching rockets, satellites, and people at a record pace, and with the U.S. and other governments committing to a future in…
History Unplugged PodcastWelcome to the Age of Discovery 2.0
No decade transformed Western Civilization like the 1490s. Before then, Europe was a gloomy continent split into factions, ripe for conquest by the Islamic…
History Unplugged PodcastAmerican’s Political Polarization Traces Back to 18th-Century Enlightenment Factions That Never Resolved Their Differences
Pundits on both the left and right proclaim our democracy is in crisis. This can be characterized by an eroding of civil institutions or politicians completely…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Iowa Boy Who Loved Baseball, Leaked Atomic Secrets to the USSR, and Jump Started the Cold War
Of all the WW2 spies who stole atomic secrets from the Manhattan Project, none were as successfully, or as unassuming as George Koval. He was a kid from Iowa…
History Unplugged PodcastWinston Churchill: Political Master, Military Commander
From his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime…
History Unplugged PodcastHow This Union General Who Executed Guerrillas and Imprisoned Political Foes Became the Most Hated Man in Kentucky
For the last third of the nineteenth century, Union General Stephen Gano Burbridge, also known as the “Butcher of Kentucky,” enjoyed the unenviable distinction…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Escape of Jack the Ripper: History’s Most Infamous Serial Killer, and the Cover-up to Protect His Identity
He was young, handsome, highly educated in the best English schools, a respected professional, and a first-class amateur athlete. He was also a serial killer…
History Unplugged PodcastTwo Revolutions and the Constitution
The United States is fraught with angst, fear, anger, and divisiveness due to our current political climate. How did we get here? And where are we headed?…
History Unplugged PodcastAlfred Hubbard Was a 1920s Inventor, Bootlegger, and Psychedelic Pioneer Who Became the Patron Saint of Silicon Valley
Not many people have heard about Alfred Hubbard but he was one of the most intriguing people from the 20th Century. His story begins in 1919 when he made his…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Normans: A History of Conquest
The Norman’s conquering of the known world was a phenomenon unlike anything Europe had seen up to that point in history. Although best known for the 1066…
History Unplugged PodcastElectric City: Ford and Edison’s Vision of Creating a Steampunk Utopia
During the roaring twenties, two of the most revered and influential men in American business proposed to transform one of the country’s poorest regions into a…
History Unplugged PodcastHalf Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium
Of all the radioactive elements discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, it was radium that became the focus of both public fascination and…
History Unplugged PodcastAn Alternate History of the Lincoln Assassination Plot
How deeply was the Confederate Secret Service involved in the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln? Did the Confederate Secret Service assassinate Abraham Lincoln?”…
History Unplugged PodcastWhat if Tsarist Russia Hadn’t Gone Communist? Revolutionaries Like Boris Savinkov Tried to Accomplish This
Although now largely forgotten outside Russia, Boris Savinkov was famous, and notorious, both at home and abroad during his lifetime, which spans the end of…
History Unplugged PodcastReviving Lost WW2 Stories With An M1 Rifle
You wouldn’t believe how these ninety-year-old WWII heroes come alive when you put a rifle in their hands. Andrew Biggio, a young U.S. Marine, returned from…
History Unplugged PodcastHollywood Hates History: El Cid (1961)
Eleventh-century Spain was a violent borderland of Christian-Muslim bloodshed, but on the eve of the First Crusade, the two religions cooperated as much as…
History Unplugged PodcastHollywood Hates History: The Messenger – The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
What happens when you cast Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc, take away her combat finesse she displayed in the Resident Evil series, but have her embody the…
History Unplugged PodcastAmerican Dunkirk – How Half a Million New Yorkers Were Evacuated from Manhattan Island on 9/11
The most famous large-scale sea rescue in history is the Dunkirk evacuation. Here nearly 400,000 Allied soldiers were surrounded by the German army in 1940…
History Unplugged PodcastColumbus of the Pacific: The Forgotten Portuguese Sailor Who Opened Up Earth’s Largest Ocean in 1564
Lope Martín was a little-known 16th century Afro-Portugese pilot known as the "Columbus of the Pacific"--who against all odds finished the final great voyage…
History Unplugged PodcastBrown Brothers Harriman: The Shadowy Investment Bank That Built America’s Financial System
Conspiracy theories have always swirled around Brown Brothers Harriman, the oldest and one of the largest private investment banks in the United States, and…
History Unplugged PodcastDrunk: How We Singed, Danced, and Stumbled Our Ways to Civilization
Humans love to drink. We have a glass or two when bonding with friends, celebrating special occasions, releasing some stress at happy hour, and definitely when…
History Unplugged PodcastTeaser: Key Battles of WW2 Pacific - Guadalcanal, Part 1
Listen to this full episode by searching for "Key Battles of American History" in the podcast player of your choice or going to…
History Unplugged PodcastVikings Went Everywhere in the Middle Ages, From Baghdad to Constantinople to….. Oklahoma?
Scandinavia has always been a world apart. For millennia Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Swedes lived a remote and rugged existence among the fjords and peaks of…
History Unplugged PodcastA Small Island in the English Channel Was the Birthplace of the Russian Revolution
Russia’s revolutionaries, anarchists, and refugees of the 19th century found an unlikely place to scheme against the Czar. These political radicals, writers…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Best-Selling Books in American History Include Self-Help Shams and ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’
Many would assume that the most influential books in American History would be the Bible or the classical works that made the reading list for the Founding…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Common Factors That Cause Societies To Die, From Viking Greenland to Modern Somalia
If we do not learn from the past, we're ultimately doomed to repeat it. While our society may not be on the decline just yet, everything eventually must come…
History Unplugged PodcastAmerica Won the Space Race Because of a Horrible Accident That Killed 3 Astronauts
“ We’ve got a fire in the cockpit!” That was the cry heard over the radio on January 27, 1967, after astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Daring WW1 Prison Break That Required an Ouija Board and a Life-or-Death Ruse
Today’s episode focuses on the true story of the most singular prison break in history—a clandestine wartime operation that involved no tunneling, no weapons…
History Unplugged PodcastHow the Broken Marriage of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln Saved the Civil War
Abraham Lincoln was apparently one of those men who regarded “connubial bliss” as an untenable fantasy. During the Civil War, he pardoned a Union soldier who…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Roman Brexit: How Civilization Collapsed in Britain After the Legions Withdrew in 409 AD
Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Dive: The Untold Story of the World's Deepest Submarine Rescue
On August 29th, 1973, a routine dive to the telecommunication cable that snakes along the Atlantic sea bed went badly wrong. Pisces III, with Roger Chapman and…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Civil War Battle That Resembled Dante’s Inferno
In the spring of 1864, President Lincoln feared that he might not be able to save the Union. The Army of the Potomac had performed poorly over the previous two…
History Unplugged PodcastX-Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
The men of X Troop were the real Inglorious Basterds: a secret commando unit of young Jewish refugees who were trained in counterintelligence and advanced…
History Unplugged PodcastThe 1919 Tour de France That Took Place in the Bombed-Out Ruins of WW1
On June 29, 1919, one day after the Treaty of Versailles brought about the end of World War I, nearly seventy cyclists embarked on the thirteenth Tour de…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Apollo Program Had a Surprising Close Relationship With 1960s Counterculture
The summer of 1969 saw astronauts land on the moon for the first time and hippie hordes descend on Woodstock for a legendary music festival. For today’s guest…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers & Explorers, Epilogue – What is the Point of Exploration in the 21st Century?
What is the purpose of a dangerous journey in the twenty-first century? What is the reason to explore when so much of the globe has been surveyed, mapped…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 8: Ernest Shackleton's Frozen March at the Bottom of the World
Ernest Shackleton was among the last of a group of intrepid men from the Golden Age of Discovery in the Victorian era. He sought honor for England and himself…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 7: Sir Henry Stanley (1841-1904) – “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?”
Henry Stanley was a soldier-turned-journalist-turned explorer who charged wide swaths of the Congo. He famously searched for the source of the Nile, commanded…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 6: James Cook (1728-1797), England's Poseidon
James Cook came from a humble village upbringing. But by the end of his career, he circumnavigated the globe several times, discovered Australia and explored…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 5: Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) and His Terrifying Voyage Across an Endless Ocean
Ferdinand Magellan was ready to conquer the natives with nothing but a few loyal soldiers. He had already discovered vast new swaths of the globe and crossed…
History Unplugged PodcastAnnouncement: “Beyond the Big Screen” – a New Movie Podcast – Launches Next Week
I’m please to announce that Steve Guerra is launching a new podcast called Beyond the Big Screen that comes out next week. If you member from a few years back…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 4: Zheng He -- the Admiral Who Turned the Indian Ocean Into a Chinese Lake
What would have happened if China discovered America before Europe? More importantly, what would have happened if it colonized America? It is a plausible…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 3: Ibn Battuta (1304-1368) -- The Everlasting Pilgrim
Abu Abdullah Ibn Battuta was a 14th-century Islamic scholar who spent 20 years travelling the full extent of the Islamic world, which stretched from West…
History Unplugged PodcastTravelers and Explorers, Part 2: Marco Polo (1254-1324) -- Opening the Door to the East
Marco Polo’s legacy is arguably the greatest of any medieval figure. While he was by no means the first European to reach China – his father and uncle did so a…
History Unplugged PodcastExplorers Who Pushed the Boundary of the Known World, Part 1: Rabban Bar Sauma (1220-1294) – the Reverse Marco Polo
This is the first in a multi-part series on the most consequential travelers and explorers in history and how their discoveries, land conquests, and diplomatic…
History Unplugged PodcastWhat Egyptian Crocodile Mummies Tell us About Life, Death, and Taxes Thousands of Years Ago
Our story begins in 1899, when two archaeologists — Arthur Hunt and Bernard Grenfell — were on an expedition in Northern Egypt in an ancient town once known as…
History Unplugged PodcastThe 1911 Meeting of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie that Changed Physics Forever
In 1911, some of the greatest minds in science convened at the First Solvay Conference in Physics, a meeting like no other. Almost half of the attendees had…
History Unplugged PodcastPancho Villa’s 1916 Raid on New Mexico: The Pearl Harbor Bombing of Its Time
Before 9/11, before Pearl Harbor, another unsuspected foreign attack on the United States shocked the nation and forever altered the course of history. In…
History Unplugged PodcastHow a Member of Easy Company’s “Band of Brothers” Found an Unlikely Friendship with a Former Nazi
One of the best-known screen depictions of World War 2 is Band of Brothers. This HBO miniseries followed the real-life Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st…
History Unplugged PodcastU.S. Presidents and Their 160-Year Love/Hate Relationship With the Camera
John Quincy Adams was the first president of whom we have surviving photos. His picture was taken in 1843, two decades after his presidency ended. The picture…
History Unplugged PodcastAnnouncement: Steve Guerra’s History of the Papacy Podcast is Joining Forces with History Unplugged – Free Giveaway!
Steve Guerra is joining forces with History Unplugged. We are pleased to announce that his show History of the Papacy is a part of our new podcast network…
History Unplugged PodcastLincolnomics: How President Lincoln Constructed the Great American Economy
Abraham Lincoln’s view of the right to fulfill one’s economic destiny was at the core of his own beliefs—but some believe that he thought no one could climb…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Gulf of Time Separating You From Napoleon III is Bridged By One Brandy Bottle
Some of the most remarkable historical artifacts found in the possession of collectors are vintage wines or spirits. A rare bottle’s journey spans continents…
History Unplugged PodcastThe Japanese-Americans Who Fought Nazis in Europe
The experience of Japanese-Americans in World War 2 is almost compoletely understood through the lense of internment camps. But for 10s of thousands of them…
History Unplugged PodcastMeet the Four Congressmen Who Won the Civil War and Shaped Reconstruction
The popular conception of the Civil War is that Abraham Lincoln single-handedly led the Union to victory. But in addition to the Great Emancipator, we can also…
History Unplugged PodcastMadhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s 1897 Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
Polar exploration of the 19th century was the space travel of its day. There were moments of glory, like Ernest Shackleton’s heroic journeys to the Antarctic…
History Unplugged PodcastTeaser: Key Battles of WW2 Pacific - The Rise Of Imperial Japan
Listen to this full episode by searching for "Key Battles of American History" in the podcast player of your choice or going to…
History Unplugged PodcastGold Fever and Disaster in the Great Klondike Stampede of 1897-98.
In 1897, the United States was mired in the worst economic depression that the country had yet endured. When newspapers announced that gold was to be found in…
History Unplugged PodcastFrom the River to the Sea: The Railroad War of the 1870s that Made the West
It is remarkable now to imagine, but during the 1870s, the American West, for all its cloud-topped peaks and endless coastline, might have been barren tundra…