Dave Does History

On this day, May 25 , back in 1738, the American colonies were not fighting Britain. They were nearly fighting each other. In this episode of Dave Does History , we dig into the wild and often overlooked border war between Pennsylvania and Maryland—Cresap’s War. Fueled by bad maps, stubborn governors, and one fiery frontiersman named Thomas Cresap, the feud saw barns torched, settlers evicted, and...

On today’s episode of Dave Does History , we journey back to 1688 and the quiet revolution that changed how people worshipped and thought about liberty. The Toleration Act may not sound like headline news, but it marked the first legal crack in England’s ironclad religious conformity. It gave dissenting Protestants just enough space to breathe—and sparked ideas that would echo across the Atlantic....

On May 23, 1939 , the brand-new submarine USS Squalus vanished beneath the waves off the New Hampshire coast during a routine test dive. What followed was one of the most daring and dramatic rescues in naval history. Thirty-three men were trapped on the ocean floor, their lives hanging by a thread. In this episode of Dave Does History , we dive into the harrowing story of disaster, heroism, innova...

Today on Dave Does History , we peer into the paradoxical life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—the brilliant mind behind Sherlock Holmes, the world’s most logical detective, and a man who passionately believed in fairies and séances. From the lecture halls of Edinburgh to the foggy streets of Baker Street, from battlefield hospitals to spiritualist temples, Doyle’s journey defied easy labels. He was a d...

Alexander Pope may have been small in stature, but his voice thundered through the English literary world like few others. In this episode of Dave Does History , we explore the remarkable life of the hunchbacked Catholic poet who rose above religious persecution, chronic illness, and literary enemies to become one of the greatest satirists and craftsmen of verse in the English language. From The R...

In this episode of Dave Does History on Bill MIck Live , we head to 1754—before the shot heard 'round the world—to explore the war that truly started America’s march to independence. Dave Bowman joins Bill Mick to explain why the so-called French and Indian War was actually the First World War, fought on five continents with global stakes. From young George Washington’s accidental trigger in t...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we turn the spotlight on a man whose name echoes through hospitals, universities, and research labs—but whose own story is often overlooked. Johns Hopkins was more than a name on a building. He was a hard-nosed Quaker businessman, a visionary philanthropist, and a man full of contradictions. From selling whiskey in wagons to founding America’s first research...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we set sail—so to speak—on a journey from cartoons to quatrains as we explore the life and legacy of Omar Khayyam. You may know his name from the Rubáiyát , or maybe, like me, you first heard it in a Rocky and Bullwinkle pun. But Khayyam was far more than a punchline. Mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and reluctant poet, his ideas reshaped science and m...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we head back to May 17, 1756 —the day Great Britain officially declared war on France and launched what many historians call the first true world war: the Seven Years’ War. From the forests of North America to the battlefields of Europe, and from the trading posts of India to the sugar islands of the Caribbean, this conflict redrew the global map and set the...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we travel back to May 16, 1969 , when the Soviet Union dropped a robot into the blazing heart of Venus. Venera 5 was no ordinary probe—it was built like a tank, wired like a scientist, and plunged into an atmosphere so fierce it would crush a submarine. For 53 minutes, it battled heat, pressure, and gravity, sending back data that shattered old assumptions ab...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we climb aboard Faith 7 with astronaut Gordon Cooper for the final mission of Project Mercury. Launched on May 15, 1963 , Mercury-Atlas 9 pushed the limits of solo spaceflight as Cooper orbited the Earth 22 times over 34 hours. When systems failed, he did not panic—he calculated reentry by hand and brought it home with calm, cowboy confidence. It was a missio...

Today on Dave Does History , we celebrate the life and legacy of Otto Klemperer, born May 14, 1885. From Mahler’s protégé to one of the 20th century’s most revered conductors, Klemperer’s journey wove through exile, illness, rebirth, and artistic triumph. He shaped the sound of Beethoven, Bruckner, and Mahler for generations, all while battling personal demons and political upheaval. And in a curi...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we begin a powerful new series leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Dave explores the forgotten difference between freedom and liberty—two words we often confuse, but which meant very different things to our Founding generation. With insights from Captain Levi Preston and a surprising lesson from the Book of Genesis, Dave re...

Today on Dave Does History , we honor the quiet heroes in scrubs by diving into the legacy of Florence Nightingale—the woman who transformed nursing from a thankless task into a global profession. On International Nurses Day, we reflect on her bold defiance of Victorian norms, her relentless pursuit of reform during the Crimean War, and how her spirit still burns bright in every hospital hallway....

In today’s episode of Dave Does History , we delve into the dramatic and tragic Mussel Slough Tragedy of 1880. This shootout between settlers and agents of the Southern Pacific Railroad over disputed land titles left seven men dead and sparked a nationwide conversation about corporate monopolies, land rights, and the battle between the little guy and big business. Join me as we explore the heart o...

Today on Dave Does History , we explore the scandalous story of John Wilkes and his infamous North Briton No. 45. Wilkes, an outspoken journalist and politician, took on the British government with his bold critiques of King George III and his ministers. His defiance sparked legal battles, public outcry, and even a rallying cry for liberty that resonated across the Atlantic. Join us as we dive int...

Ever wonder why a weak-hitting batter gets called a “Punch and Judy hitter”? Today on Dave Does History , we go from the batter’s box to the puppet booth to uncover the wild, whacking world of Punch and Judy. These slapstick puppets have been causing mayhem since the 1600s, and their names still echo through baseball dugouts today. From their anarchic roots in Italy to seaside fame in Britain and...

In the spring of 1721, Rome became the stage for one of the most politically charged papal conclaves in history. Over thirty-nine tense days and seventy-five ballots, powerful factions battled for control of the Church’s future. Out of this storm emerged a quiet and steady figure—Michelangelo dei Conti, who would become Pope Innocent XIII. On this episode of Dave Does History , we take you behind...

It was a clear spring day, May 7, 191 5, when a British ocean liner—the RMS Lusitania—slipped beneath the waves off the southern coast of Ireland. She had left New York six days earlier, bound for Liverpool, and was now just hours from her destination. On board were nearly two thousand souls—men, women, children, businessmen, families, and a significant number of Americans. The war in Europe had r...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we take a thoughtful—and occasionally hilarious—look at the differences between oral and written traditions. From ancient scrolls to text messages filled with emojis, we explore how meaning changes when words are spoken versus when they are inked. With a detour through Eddie Izzard’s comedy, a stop at the Talmud, and a glance at your phone’s last LOL, this ep...

Today on Dave Does History , we bring you the astonishing story of Nellie Bly—the fearless reporter who exposed cruelty inside an asylum, circled the globe faster than Phileas Fogg, and redefined what women could do in journalism. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Bly smashed through 19th-century expectations with a pen, a passport, and relentless grit. From undercover stunts to war reporting, her care...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we travel back to May 4th, 1919—when thousands of Chinese students flooded Tiananmen Square, outraged by the betrayal of the Treaty of Versailles. What began as a protest against foreign domination and political weakness became the spark that lit modern China’s fire. From cultural upheaval to the birth of new political movements, this was no ordinary student...

She was called “the only man in the cabinet,” the Iron Lady of Israeli politics before that nickname ever reached London. From a childhood dodging pogroms in Kiev to signing Israel’s Declaration of Independence, Golda Meir’s journey was anything but ordinary. In this episode of Dave Does History , we dive into the life of the Milwaukee schoolteacher who became a stateswoman, fundraiser, wartime le...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we follow Stonewall Jackson into the shadows of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863—the day the thunder rolled through the Wilderness. With audacity that bordered on reckless, Jackson launched one of the most daring flank attacks in American military history, shattering the Union right and changing the tide of the battle. But triumph came at a cost. In the confus...

On this episode of Dave Does History , we step into the tangled thickets of Virginia’s Wilderness to relive the first day of the Battle of Chancellorsville—May 1, 1863. It was a day filled with promise, hesitation, and bold defiance, as Union General Joseph Hooker surrendered the initiative and Robert E. Lee seized it. With vivid storytelling and sharp analysis, we explore how one day of missteps...