Radio Free History

The Elizabethan age was in inflection point, when a lot of the things we associate with England came into being. The foundations of modern English culture, art, and religion are all products of the age. It was also a time when spies and informants were everywhere, and they played a crucial role in the struggle between the English Protestants and Catholics. James Bond may have been written during t...

When you dig into the history of any European country, the 16th century is always an inflection point, either because of the Reformation or the Renaissance. Our hosts take a bird's eye view to see just what the Continent (as a whole) looked like before and after this period of change. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

We've all heard the story of Al Capone making his fortune running rum from Canada to Chicago, as portrayed in classic films like The Untouchables. But what was the story of the man on the other end of that supply line? https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

The Hell's Angels are the world's largest and most famous biker club, but like any other large organization or business, they have rules and procedures to work at scale. In this episode, the boys take a look at the world's most famous biker gang, and how it runs. It turns out that it's not so different from a franchise operation. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/r...

The second in a series of episodes looking at the history of North America as a whole, we look at the Mexican-American War, including the run-up and aftermath. In less than 20 years, the map was redrawn in essentially every region on the mainland of the continent, and it was all related (directly or tangentially) to one conflict. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com...

Surprisingly few people know just how North America got the way that it is. You may know a few facts about the Louisiana Purchase or the Alamo, but how does a continent end up dominated by three large countries with stable borders? This is the first in a series of episodes looking at North America as a whole, starting with Mexico's fall from a prominent position in the world's strongest empire at...

In 1995, Mel Gibson produced, directed, and starred in "Braveheart". The movie won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and forever left its thumbprint on both pop culture and Scottish nationalism, but it did not always prioritize historical accuracy. In this episode, our hosts take a deep dive into the age of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and set the record straight on a crucial episode t...

Picking up where the last episode picked off, we've already looked at how an upstart German political party rose to prominence and took over most of Continental Europe. Today we look at where it all went wrong, from both a political and a military perspective. You'll also hear family anecdotes that you won't read in any history books. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi....

When a political discussion gets empassioned, somebody always seems to bring up pre-WW2 Germany. And yet, it's amazing how few events are mentioned, other than the Nuremberg rallies, the invasion of Poland, and maybe the Treaty of Versailles. This is the first podcast in a series, really digging into the question of how Germany got to that point.  https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history h...

It seems like nobody can explain what exactly money is, or how the banking system works. That doesn't stop people from having all sorts of theories about inflation, the central bank, currency traders, and the money printer. Benn and Jay explore the history of money and banking, as they try to answer a deceptively simple question: What exactly is a U.S. Dollar? https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-f...

The British Empire had a storied history, and at one point controlled more than 20% of the world's dry land. And yet, there are a lot of misconceptions about the Empire, even things as simple as the time period when it was at its strongest. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory