History with Dad

Capturing a city makes for a great history book chapter. Keeping it is usually where the real work begins. In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we look at four famous cities that changed hands throughout history and ask why winning the battle was often the easiest part. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so at https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

History loves telling us who married whom. It spends a lot less time explaining why. In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we look at four famous marriages that were really about power, diplomacy, and survival—and one spectacular counterexample where marriage solved almost nothing. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so at https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

One year ago, I hit publish on the very first episodes of History with Dad. Today, we're taking a break from the Viking Age to look back on why this podcast exists, how my family inspired it, what I've learned during the first year, and where we're headed next. Most of all, this is simply my chance to say thank you.

After the Norse are driven out of Dublin, the Viking story does not shrink. It spreads. From Ireland to Chester, from Normandy to York, and from Æthelflæd’s Mercia to Athelstan’s rising kingdom, this episode follows the messy years when Viking power changed shape instead of disappearing. By 930, England is stronger than ever, Dublin is back, York is the prize, and Britain is starting to look like...

Some places become important. And then history never leaves them alone again. Cities. Ports. Trade routes. Tiny dots on maps that somehow keep collecting armies. In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we look at places that became valuable enough that everyone wanted them—and ask whether becoming important might actually be one of history’s worst outcomes. From empires to blockades to one city...

History loves statues. History loves battles. History loves putting one person in a painting and pretending they dideverything. But sometimes the biggest changes come from things nobody puts on a T-shirt. Roads. Rail. Ports. Boring systems that quietly change everything. In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we look at moments where infrastructure quietly beat drama and ask a simple question:...

By the late 800s, the Viking Age was changing. Not because the fighting stopped. It didn’t. Paris survived a massive siege. Alfred rebuilt and reorganized. London recovered. Dublin became powerful—and worth fighting over. And parts of England started changing in ways that would last for centuries. In this episode of History with Dad, we follow Europe between 878 and 902 and explore what happened a...

Sometimes buying time works. And sometimes buying time just means meeting the same problem later. In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we take one of the biggest ideas from the Great Heathen Army and explore how often history tries to solve immediate problems with temporary fixes. From kings paying tribute to preserve peace, to empires negotiating with threats they hoped would go away, we lo...

In this Dad Tangent from History with Dad, we take one of the biggest ideas from the Great Heathen Army and explore how often it repeats across history groups arriving temporarily and becoming permanent. From Viking settlement in England to later moments where outsiders arrived expecting one thing and history turned into something much bigger, we look at the strange pattern of temporary problems b...

The Viking Age changes permanently in this episode of History with Dad. Between 865 and 878, we follow the arrival of the Great Heathen Army and the shift from seasonal raiding toward conquest, winter campaigning, and permanent settlement. We explore the stories and realities behind Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan Ragnarsson, the capture of York, the collapse of Northumbrian leadership, King Edmund’...

From Irish rulers working with Viking leaders to global superpowers teaming up in World War II, this Dad Tangent explores one of history’s strangest patterns: people who absolutely should not be working together… deciding they need each other anyway. Why do enemies become allies? And why does it almost always get complicated? If you'd like to support the show, you can do so at https://buymeaco...

From Viking fleets entering the Mediterranean to treasure ships crossing oceans and humans reaching the Moon, this Dad Tangent explores one of history’s strangest patterns: people repeatedly deciding the horizon is not far enough. Why do humans keep pushing farther? And what happens when somebody finally says… maybe we should stop? If you'd like to support the show, you can do so at https://bu...

The Viking Age is no longer confined to northern Europe. In this episode of History with Dad, we follow the rise of Dublin under Olaf the White, Viking involvement in Irish politics, the growth of slave trading networks, Bjorn Ironside's famous Mediterranean expedition, the Rus attack on Constantinople,Charles the Bald's efforts to defend Francia, and the flow of silver from the Islamic wo...

After talking about Ragnar Lodbrok, one question kept coming up: was he the only historical figure whose story completely escaped containment? Absolutely not. In this Dad Tangent, we meet King Arthur, Robin Hood, and El Cid at maximum legend power — because history occasionally creates people whose biographies slowly turn into superhero origin stories. Support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.c...

Ragnar Lodbrok may be the most famous Viking of them all — dragon-slayer, king, raider, explorer, and legendary hero. But how much of Ragnar’s story actually happened? In this Dad Tangent, we follow the wild saga of Ragnar first and ask questions later… because sometimes history gives us facts, and sometimes it gives us stories that get bigger every time they’re told. Support the show here: https:...

By the mid-800s, Viking activity was no longer limited to quick coastal attacks. In this episode of History with Dad, we follow Viking fleets as they strike Francia, raid deep into Iberia, reach the Mediterranean world, and begin changing warfare through overwintering and permanent camps. Along the way, we explore the Treaty of Verdun, the Siege of Paris (845), and the moment Viking raiding became...

Why do powerful states so often struggle to stop smaller mobile attackers? In this Dad Tangent, we explore one of history’s most recurring problems: defending huge borders, coastlines, and trade routes against fast-moving threats — from the Roman Empire to Ming China, the British Empire, and Pearl Harbor. Support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

How do people adapt when terrifying attacks stop feeling rare and start becoming part of everyday life? In this Dad Tangent, we explore how societies across history slowly adjusted to recurring threats — from Roman frontier raids to Mongol attacks, Mediterranean piracy, and even Cold War nuclear fears. Support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

The Viking raids were no longer isolated shocks. In this episode of History with Dad, we follow the spread of Viking attacks across Britain, Ireland, Frisia, and Francia as Europe slowly realizes these raids are becoming recurring, adaptable, and increasingly organized around trade routes, rivers, and wealthy commercial targets like Dorestad. We also explore how Carolingian civil wars and politica...

How much of history is shaped by the people who survived to tell the story? In this Dad Tangent, we look at how writers, conquerors, priests, and governments shaped the way later generations understood major events — from Roman accounts of “barbarians” to Viking raids, the Crusades, and World War I propaganda. Because history is not just about what happened...it’s also about who got to describe it...

Why do powerful societies keep getting shocked by new tactics they never saw coming? In this Dad Tangent, we look at moments in history when old defenses suddenly stopped working — from Mongol horse archers to Viking raids, cannons smashing castles, and Blitzkrieg in World War II. Because sometimes history changes not when technology appears… but when people finally realize the rules have changed....

In 793, Viking raiders attacked the monastery at Lindisfarne — and the news shocked Christian Europe. But why did this raid feel so terrifying to the people living at the time? In this episode of History with Dad, we look at the early Viking raids, why monasteries became targets, how writers like Alcuin reacted, and why the attack on Lindisfarne became remembered as the moment the Viking Age truly...

Why do people fight battles they know they can’t win? In this Dad Tangent, we explore famous “last stands” from Thermopylae to the Alamo to the Warsaw Uprising — and beyond — to understand courage, identity, and decision-making when outcomes aren’t in your control. Support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

Why do people keep predicting the end of the world — and believing it will happen soon? In this Dad Tangent, we explore historical “apocalypse” moments from the year 1000 to Y2K, and what they reveal about how humans deal with uncertainty. Support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

What did Ragnarok actually mean in the Viking Age? In this episode of History with Dad, we tell the full Norse myth of Ragnarok — from Fimbulwinter to the final battle — and then break down what that story may have meant. Looking at cycles, courage, and the difference between myth and meaning, we explore why the Viking “end of the world” isn’t as simple as it seems.  Support the show here: https:/...