Constantinople’s Walls—The Strongest Fortress Ever Built
There are many contenders for the strongest fortress in history (Malumat in Iran or the island fortifications of Malta to name a few). But nothing can compare to the Theodosian City Walls of Constanti...
19 Sep 201711min
How Religion Has Influenced Politics Across History, From Ancient Sumeria to the 21st Century—Paul Rahe
In our interview, Prof. Paul Rahe says that a liberal democracy that guarantees the rights of all citizens needs the guarantee that no one religion is established as the official state belief system. ...
18 Sep 201749min
Why The Potato Led to the Rise of Modern Europe
The humble potato has done more for Old World peasants than any other food. Famine plagued the lower class from time immemorial. But once the potato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s and widely pl...
15 Sep 201711min
When Churchill Experimented with Chemical Weapons—Giles Milton of the Unknown History Podcast
Winston Churchill is consistently ranked as the greatest leader in British History. But like any complex historical figure, he has his dark side. Most notoriously, but least well known, is his interes...
14 Sep 201726min
Dan Carlin of Hardcore History on Why the German Military Was Better in WW1 Than WW2
I was honored on this episode to interview Dan Carlin, whose podcast Hardcore History is the biggest history podcast in existence. It regularly features shows of 5-6 hours in length covering everythin...
13 Sep 20177min
The History of Pig Latin (ig-pay atin-lay)
Everyone's favorite code (it's not a language) has quite a storied history. Learn how Pig Latin became the fastest, most convenient way to sound intelligent when you didn't know any ancient languages....
12 Sep 20179min
Wait, Nixon Was Innocent?—Geoff Shepard
Richard Nixon left the White House over 40 years ago, yet he remains embedded in American pop culture like no other ex-president. He was the body-less leader of Earth in Futurama, the five-time presid...
11 Sep 20171h 44min
How Was Alexander Able to Supply His Army Deep Into Asia?
It's one thing to conquer the known world and beyond without the benefit of modern communications like Alexander the Great did. It's another thing to supply tens of thousands of soldiers deep into hos...
8 Sep 20179min
