History Out of The Box

Adversity is something that many of us face throughout our lives. Studying for a difficult test, preparing for a business presentation, operating on a patient, and overcoming personal challenges; we can all attest to facing ample levels of adversity. Many of us though, will never face the same levels of diversity that Helen Keller faced, and overcame, throughout her life. Helen Keller is well-know...

You've probably seen commercials. Margot Robbie decked out in pink. Ryan Gosling smiling in the summer sun. The much anticipated Barbie movie is coming to theaters soon! Jen, one of History Out of the Box's hosts, grew up playing with Barbie dolls, and they had quite an impact on her life, as well as countless others lives. Many people across the world are familiar with Barbie dolls, but a...

Known as the "Queen of the Air", Amelia Earhart was a trailblazing aviator, author, and women's rights activist who shattered gender stereotypes and made history with her daring feats of aviation. Her life was full of excitement and adventure, and she set numerous aviation records, making history as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Despite her incredible achieve...

Mansa Musa was a famous ruler of the Mali Empire, and supposedly one of the wealthiest rulers of all time. He was one of Africa's wealthiest, most powerful, and most influential individuals during the medieval period. As described in an Atlas from 1375, "This king is the richest and noblest of all these lands due to the abundance of gold that is extracted from his lands." Sure, Mansa...

Kamehameha the first was a Hawaiian monarch who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for unifying the Hawaiian Islands and establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii, which lasted from 1795 until his death in 1819. Hawaiian seers had prophesized that "a great light in the sky with feathers like a bird would prepare Hawaii for a great chief", and in 1758, with the passing of Ha...

Japan was an exciting place to be in the 1500s. During the 1550s - 60s, the Sengoku daimyo, or "feudal lords" of the time had survived the conflicts and wars of the last century and began to move into an even fiercer time of conflict. Japan was divided, and many suffered from this division. It's speculated that around this time, Yasuke was born. His exact birthplace is unknown, with many scholars...

We're here today to discuss a true visionary. Jack Parsons pushed the bounds of science, technology, and society. His life was filled with adventure, discovery, and occult activity. Jack was an otherworldly Thelemic magician, he was a revolutionary rocket scientist and referred to by some as the "Strange Angel."  John (Jack) Parsons - born with the name Marvel Whiteside Parsons - came into th...

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door..." - Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven One of America's most renowned authors and poets, an intelligent literary critic, and a master of the macabre, mystery, and s...

"Lay me out, dressed in white, with a golden crown on my head. Inscribe my Christian name, Sophie." - Catherine the Great Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, was born Sophie Friederike Auguste con Anhalf-Zerbst-Dornbrug in 1729, in what is known today as modern-day Germany - then known as Stettin, Prussia. She was the daughter of a minor German prince Christian August von Anhalt-Zerbs...

Disclaimer: This episode is NOT about the conspiracy aspects surrounding JFK's tragic assassination. "Never let your fears hold you back from pursuing your hopes." - John F. Kennedy JFK is remembered as one of the most impactful, unifying, and universally beloved American politicians of all time. Despite his service as the 35th President being tragically cut short, he made strides politically that...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We hope you, your family, and your loved ones have a wonderful time together to close out this year.  Welcome to the 20th episode of History Out of the Box! We're in the holiday spirit (we hope you are as well) and we decided it was time to discuss a man of legend, known for his generosity and love of children. His impact on the world is significant, even t...

"Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all." - Ernest Shackleton What do you know of pain, suffering, and struggle? Have any memorable adventures you've experienced left scars worth enduring? Have you pushed until you've had nothing left, only to fail, and begin the process of struggle again? Born on February 15th, 1874, in Kilkea House, County Kildare, Ireland, Ernest Shackleton came sc...

Happy Native American Heritage Month! Let's talk about the woman who famously helped assist in the Lewis and Clark Expedition of the Louisiana Purchase - the westward expedition that led from the west Mississippi River to the Pacific coast. Commonly misinterpreted as merely a "guide" for the Lewis and Clark expedition, Sacagawea was mostly an interpreter for the expedition. There are a lot of fact...

Halloween is here, and what more can we do, but provide you with some tales of dark magic, the occult, and murder? That was the life-led, but notorious Aleister Crowley. Usually, on History Out of The Box, we try our best to paint the characters that we choose to discuss in a moderate light, providing you with details in an entertaining way, to determine your thoughts on these people for yourself....

Thought to be Bram Stoker's inspiration for his 1897 novel, Dracula , Vlad the III or Vlad the Impaler, made quite the impact as Prince of Wallachia (wa-laa-she-uh). Wallachia is recognized today as Romania, and Vlad the Impalers' historical importance in Romanian history is unprecedented, in many ways, to this day. Most likely born in 1431, in Sighisoara (sigh-ee-sor-ah) Citidel in Transylvania (...

First and foremost, this is not a podcast episode *specifically* about Scientology. In episode 14, part one of L. Ron Hubbard, Jen and Cam discussed L. Ron Hubbard's early life, his struggle for social relevance, and the many failures that he endured before coming into his own. Please be advised, the best way to understand what's happening in part two is to listen to part one.  L. Ron Hubbard...

First and foremost, this is not a podcast episode about Scientology.  Born on March 13, 1911, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was brought into the world by his mother Ledora May, and his father Harry Ross Hubbard, in a city called Tilden, Nebraska. One of the most well-traveled characters featured on HOTB, L. Ron Hubbard called many places his home for short periods during his young life. From Tilde...

Otherwise known as Michael Joseph Jackson, the King of Pop was born on August 29th, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. Michael was the 8th child of 10, born into a musically inclined family. Michael's father, Joe Jackson, formed a band called the Jackson Brothers, and in 1964, at 6 years old, Michael joined the band. For those of us who are Michael Jackson fans, the rest is history. For his extreme levels of...

E = mc2. The theory of relativity expresses the fact that mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other. Created by the world's most famous physicist, a man of great physics, and largely responsible for the development of the theory of quantum mechanics, Albert Einstein lived a fascinating life.  Born on March 14th, 1879, in Ulm Germany, Albert was raised in...

Montezuma ll was the last of the Aztec emperors and was defeated by the conquistador, Hernán Cortés in the year 1520. Born in 1466 in Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City), Montezuma was born into Aztec royalty. As was the tradition at the time, Montezuma was educated in the Calmecac (a private school), by the Aztec nobility regarding all things military and religion. He was devoted to the Aztec r...

"O death! Rock me asleep, bring me the quiet rest; let pass my weary guiltless ghost out of my careful breast; toll on the passing bell, ring out the doleful knell, let thy sound my death tell, death doth draw nigh; there is no remedy." - Anne Boleyn - written while waiting for her eventual demise (execution).  Born in Norfolk between 1501 and 1507 at the Boleyn home at Blickling, Anne Boleyn...

" You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. " Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of The United States of America. Born on February 12th, 1809, to an impoverished young family in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln started his life modestly. Surrounded by the death of multiple family members, and the tragedy associated, with his life, Lincoln surely did not let the might...

Alexander The Great was merely his nickname, but he sure lived up to that title... at least when it came to warmongering. Born in July, 356 BC, in the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, Alexander The Great impacted the historical world in ways that seem almost unfathomable. His warfare record was perfect: he never lost a single battle.  He conquered the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, the Middle...

We've been watching season four of Stranger Things, which is pretty good. As we watched, it brought our attention to the immense skill, discipline, and sacrifice that some child actors experience during their early careers before "making it big". This inspired us to do an episode on the one and only, Judy Garland, also known as "The World's Greatest Performer".  Born as Frances Ethel Gumm, Ju...

Some say she might be the phantom whose face can be seen when you chant "Bloody Mary" in a mirror, others believe she may have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. She also may have been a powerful woman caught up in political conspiracy & sabotage. Regardless, Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Eased is considered to be one of the most infamous women throughout all of history. In episod...