History with Dad

In this Dad Tangent, we explore what life was like when Ukraine was split between two very different empires: Russia in the east and Austria-Hungary in the west. It’s the 1800s, and depending on which side of the imperial border you lived on, your daily reality could be wildly different—laws, language, religion, and even your chances of publishing a poem without getting arrested. We’ll dive into v...

Welcome back to History with Dad ! In Episode 2, we dive into the turbulent 18th and 19th centuries, when the independent Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate vanished under pressure from Russian imperial rule. We’ll explore how Catherine the Great pulled a political disappearing act on the Hetmans, how life in Ukraine was dramatically different under the Russian Empire versus the Austro-Hungarian Empire,...

In this Dad Tangent, we zoom in on the empress with big ideas and even bigger land grabs – Catherine the Great. While she’s often remembered for art collections and Enlightenment vibes, in Ukraine, her legacy hits a little differently. We’ll break down how Catherine quietly erased the Ukrainian Hetmanate, why she saw the Cossack leaders as both useful and dangerous, and how the Russian Empire expa...

Long hair, wild mustaches, and zero interest in following rules — the Cossacks were the rockstars of the steppe. In this tangent, Dad takes you into the world of these legendary warriors, their battles, their bonfires, and what daily life was like when your job was part cowboy, part soldier, and part rebel. Saddle up — this is history with attitude.

You’ve heard of the Mongol hordes storming across the steppe, but did you know they also had the world’s fastest mail system, passport stations, and spy ponies? In this tangent, Dad explores the surprisingly advanced side of the Mongol Empire — the one with more paperwork than pillaging.

Pull up a chair and join Dad for History with Dad — the podcast where big history meets small ears (and curious grown-ups too). In this welcome episode, Dad shares how his own love of history started, why his kids’ endless questions inspired this podcast, and what you can expect in the episodes ahead. Spoiler alert: we’re talking Vikings, Tsars, Mongols, revolutions, and plenty of “Wait, that real...

From Viking adventurers to medieval alliances, Mongol invasions to royal betrayals — this episode dives into the tangled early history of Ukraine and Russia. Dad unpacks how Kyivan Rus, a medieval powerhouse, became the origin story both nations claim today. It’s a thousand-year saga of who ruled, who rebelled, and why the past still echoes loudly in the present.

In this first Dad Tangent, we sail back to the 9th century to meet Rurik — a Viking who somehow kick-started Russian and Ukrainian history — and the fiery Princess Olga of Kyiv, who took the phrase "don’t mess with grandma" to a whole new level. These stories didn’t make it into the main episode, but they’re too wild (and too fun) to leave out. It’s history’s weird side quest — and you’re coming a...