Softcore History

At the Second Council of the Lateran in 1139, Pope Innocent II banned Christians from using ranged weapons against other Christians under threat of excommunication. Was this to disarm the peasantry whose primary combat weapon was bows and arrows? Or were the reasons much... dumber and more selfish? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including l...

During a snow storm in December of 1915, an incredibly intelligent Enzo brown bear launched a series of attacks on dozens of residents in a small Japanese town. The Sankebetsu incident is regarded as the worst animal attack in Japanese history. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs,...

Jake and Dan compete in a historical parenting advice quiz to determine who would be the better father. Enjoy this FREE Softcore History Patreon preview and Merry Christmas to all our Softies out there. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Learn more abou...

Takanakuy is an annual Christmas tradition where residents of Santo Tomás, Peru call out neighbors they believe have wronged them throughout the year to physical combat. With no court houses in this community tucked away high up in the Andes Mountains, this centuries old tradition is used to settle legal disputes or clean the slate on petty disagreesments in front of the whole town. Subscribe to t...

Being executed for your crimes is never fun but throughout history, some executions have been much, MUCH worse than others. Specifically, the executions that did NOT go as planned. From beheadings that needed way too many swings of the ax and backup executioners who had no idea what they were doing to the first-ever use of the electric chair in 1890, many an execution has gone horribly wrong. We g...

Henry Kissinger was a pragmatic statesman above all else. Unfortunately, he was also German and, as such, his pragmatism took a lot of dark, destructive turns. His Cold War policy eschewed ideology (and any morsel of morality that might have previously existed) in favor of outcomes. The ends always justified the means to Kissinger when it came to the global stage. Also, this guy f*cked. Subscribe...

Franz Schmidt was a seasoned civil servant killer who hung, decapitated, drowned, burned alive, and crippled criminals' spirits and bodies on the breaking wheel as the head hangman in Nuremberg for 45 years during the Renaissance. He kept a diary detailing all 361 public executions he performed. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including list...

Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to the American People” recently went viral on TikTok because random Gen Z’ers thought the terrorist architect of 9/11 made some… pretty good points? The actual contents of the letter, however, range from insane to literally fake quotes about Jews attributed to Benjamin Franklin. We break down all the historical inaccuracies and crazy claims in the letter. Subscribe...

Learn about the mystery cults that dominated the religious landscape right before Christianity took off in the Greco-Roman world. From fraternity-style initiations to hallucinatory beverages that made you see gods and think you were dead, these cults sounded... pretty fun? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions,...

For 200 years a radical group of stone cold killers high on opium and hash living in an eagle's nest fortress in Persia terrorized Muslim and Crusade leaders alike. Hasan-i Sabbah, the "Old Man in the Mountain" led an often outnumbered group of Nizari Ismalis to mulitple victories over massive armies and organized hundreds of political hits throughout the Middle East. This devout branch of Islam o...

There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt, and for King James of Scotland and England, his favorite prey was witches. This is the story of the North Berwick Witch Trials in late 16th-century Scotland, which were inspired almost entirely by how awesome contemporary witch trials in Denmark and Germany seemed to King James. Hundreds of innocent people were executed but at least we got Macbeth out o...

Mary Bell was a child murderer, in that she was a literal 10-year-old child when she began murdering, and because her victims were children even younger than her. Learn about one of England's most horrifying murder cases as our hosts squirm in their seats. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie wa...

A small Iowa town was shook to its core in the summer of 1912 after six members of a local affluent family and two of their guests were brutally murdered with an axe inside the comfort of their own home. A lengthy investigation resulted in several oddball suspects but ultimately zero convictions. The case remains unsolved. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra hi...

Who does Gaza really belong to? Or Israel/Palestine in general? It's sort of hard to say since the people native to that area have basically NEVER been in charge of it. From the Bronze Age to the end of World War 2 the area we know today as Israel and/or Palestine has been ruled by everyone from the Egyptians and Alexander the Great to the Romans and the British. Basically every empire you've ever...

Throughout history, women accused of witchcraft have been wrongly executed. Mary Bateman, known as the Yorkshire Witch, was not one of those women. She absolutely earned her date with the hangman. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Customize the perfect...

Halloween Horror Month kicks off with a detailed look at how the ancient ruler of Israel King Solomon learned to summon demons, the time he got sent to horny jail by God, and the corporate hierarchy of hell. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Get 25% of...

Geronimo was seen as both the last great defender of the Native American way of life and a stubborn, savage holdout who put Apache lives in danger in the name of revenge. His life was a rollercoast ride of peaks and valleys -- constantly at odds with both the Mexican and US Governments. From North America's most wanted fugitive terrorizing Southwestern settlers to glorified parade decoration for T...

Long before the first SAG strike, Hollywood’s working conditions and lack of fair pay weren't just questionable, they were INSANE. So bad, in fact, that it helped lead to the early death of Curly Howard of The Three Stooges, who was forced to film despite suffering multiple strokes and other severe health issues. The Stooges were also robbed of millions by their studio, Columbia Pictures, who refu...

This week, learn about the ancient belief system of Gnosticism, its insane creation myth, and the lion serpent that keeps us all entrapped in a material hell. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Head to FACTORMEALS.com/softcore50 and use code softcore50...

From having their skin flayed off with knives to arena bears and school children ripping limbs clean off their body, sainthood typically meant dying in the most horrific and torturous ways possible. You probably didn't hear about these stories in Catholic School. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history m...

The Zanj Rebellion — an African slave uprising in modern Iraq from 869 AD TO 883 AD during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate — was a massively consequential event for arguably the world’s most powerful empire at the time and certainly for those involved in the revolt. Ever heard of it? Probably not. Nothing matters. No one will remember you. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds...

Armed with nothing more than sharpened sticks, thousands of Venetian tradesman would battle each other on bridges for glory and the entertainment of their fellow citizens. Learn about this violent pastime that lasted hundreds of years, and how the sport "evolved" over time. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions...

As Los Angeles expanded during the late 19th century, it began outgrowing its water supply. So, city officials decided to build a pipeline north and slurp up all the precious snow melt from the Sierra Nevadas bleeding Owens Valley dry. The resident farmers in the area didn't take kindly to this threat against their livelihood and conflict soon popped off with the help of an abundance of dynamite a...

Despite it being socially acceptable (and encouraged) for men to sleep with other men, the sexual environment in Ancient Rome was absolutely NOT liberated or healthy, especially if you were poor, or a woman, or liked oral. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episo...

After signing the U.S. Constitution in 1787 the Founding Fathers hit the bars and left a tab for the ages. By our count, America's founders averaged about 20 drinks per man. Plus we break down some other notable party tabs throughout history, including how many pregnant leopards one Chinese emperor was forced to kill in order to serve his favorite appetizer. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patre...