The Good Assassin: A Mossad Agent's Hunt For WW2’s “Butcher of Latvia”
Before World War II, Herbert Cukurs was a famous figure in his small Latvian city, the “Charles Lindbergh of his country.” But by 1945, he was the Butcher of Latvia, a man who murdered some thirty tho...
23 Jun 202025min
Death From Above - How Paratroopers Evolved From a WW1 Pipe Dream To A Key Part of Combined-Arms Assault
“Paratroopers are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it were some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, ...
18 Jun 202049min
Want to Star Your Own Nation? That's What a Family Did in 1967 When it Created "Sealand"
In 1967, a retired army major and self-made millionaire named Paddy Roy Bates cemented his family's place in history when he inaugurated himself ruler of the Principality of Sealand, a tiny dominion o...
16 Jun 202038min
Why the Galileo Affair is One of History's Most Misunderstood Events
One of the most misconstrued events in history is the Galileo affair. It is commonly understood as a black-and-white morality play of science vs. religion. Galileo proves the Sun is the center of the ...
11 Jun 202047min
Henry Knox's Noble Train: How a Boston Bookseller’s Expedition Saved the American Revolution
During the brutal winter of 1775-1776, an untested Boston bookseller named Henry Knox commandeered an oxen train hauling sixty tons of cannons and other artillery from Fort Ticonderoga near the Canadi...
9 Jun 202047min
Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul
On the eve of the 1948 election, America was a fractured country. Racism was rampant, foreign relations were fraught, and political parties were more divided than ever. Americans were certain that Pre...
4 Jun 202046min
History’s First Global Manhunt: The Search for 18th Century Pirate Henry Every
Most confrontations, viewed from the wide angle of history, are minor disputes, sparks that quickly die out. But every now and then, someone strikes a match that lights up the whole planet. That idea ...
2 Jun 202044min
History's Most Insane Rulers, Part 5: Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria was a dreamer, above all. The king famously built fairy-tale style castles that adorned the Alps but were completely useless for defensive or social reasons (the king held large b...
28 Mai 202046min
