How the 1565 Siege of Malta Led to the Golden Age of Piracy
The Knights Hospitaller were kicked out of Jerusalem following the Third Crusade, but they found a new home on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Their defense fortifications were so strong that nobod...
5 Okt 201713min
Europeans in the Far East Before Marco Polo
Marco Polo is the most famous European explorer to the Far East, but he definitely wasn’t the first. His father and uncle came there years before. And they found a small colony of Europeans who lived ...
4 Okt 20178min
The Lost Technology of Damascus Steel
Damascus swords, which were generally made in the Middle East anywhere from 540 A.D. to 1800 A.D., were sharper, more flexible and harder/stronger than other contemporary blades. According to legend, ...
3 Okt 20177min
Alexander Hamilton’s Broadway Musical is Great, but Brion McClanahan Thinks He Screwed Up America
He’s the subject of a hit Broadway musical, the face on the ten-dollar bill, and one of the most popular Founding Fathers. But what do you really know about Alexander Hamilton? In this interview with ...
2 Okt 201744min
Timur the Tatar’s Revenge on Bayezit—When an Emperor Literally Made a Sultan His Footstool
One of the most chilling stories of revenge is Timur the Tatar's defeat of Ottoman Sultan Bayezit and literally making him his footstool. The humiliation likely led to his death. Learn about the clash...
28 Sep 20176min
A Revolutionary-Era Soldier Fights a Modern One Hand-to-Hand. Who Wins?
If we were to have a battle royale with American soldiers from its different eras all duke it out, who would win? Would a Revolutionary-era soldier win due to his scrappy toughness, or would the moder...
27 Sep 201712min
The Origin of the Middle Finger Insult
We’ve all done it in moments of anger. But why do we use our middle finger to express anger? And why do we call it “the bird.” Suggestions range from The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 to Ancient Rome. W...
26 Sep 20176min
Why the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England Changed Everything—Jennifer Paxton
If you were to ask a scholar about one critical moment after which the history of the English-speaking world would never be the same again, it would undoubtedly be the year 1066. I know that because I...
25 Sep 20171h 15min
