HILF: History I'd Like to F**k

To help tell the story of the man behind our 100-dollar bill, Dawn is joined by Benjamin Franklin expert, Bryan Austin . He portrays James Madison and Ben Franklin in Colonial Williamsburg and has walked much more than a mile in their shoes... Pull up a chair and hear the stories of Benjamin Franklin’s wild childhood, his multitude of lovers, and the parties that were so good, they saved America....

Nannerl Mozart, Wolfgang Amadaeus's intriguing older sister, is the HILF of Dawn's guest, LAZOU . She is an award-winning podcast host and composer with work featured in film, television and a gazillion other places!  Hear about her childhood growing up on the tiny island of Mauritius (the only place the Dodo bird ever lived) and how moving to Canada and then the US shaped both her perspective and...

Dawn's guest literally wrote the book on this mysterious and mythic place known by some as 'the Atlantis of the Pacific Ocean'. Historian and writer Justin McHenry joins her from his office in West Virginia to help tell this absolutely bananas tale of Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place.  --- SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) Justin's Book: Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place Read more about s...

While many of us can easily picture Mount Rushmore in our heads, few of us know much about it beyond the heads. Even if you CAN name all four presidents featured (and only 30% of Americans can) the story of how and why this enormous feat of engineering - and total fuck-job on the Native Americans - came to pass. Guest, Christine Blackburn , is a comedian and story-teller located in LA, and the hos...

AJ Jacobs is a writer and humorist known for his immersive dedication to a variety of subjects.  He spent a year attempting to follow EVERY rule in the Bible and wrote a NY TIMES best-seller, The Year of Living Biblically ; and his latest book The Year of Living Constitutionally follows his journey through the lens of the 18th century.   Join Dawn and AJ as they discuss what in the constitution th...

Originally recorded recorded in April, 2022 - over 50 episodes ago - Dawn revisits The Whiskey Rebellion with bartender, Rashid Green.    Learn how to make some of the best 18th Century cocktails AND get a dose of some founding daddy realness. ---  Get Rashid's recipe for THE SHERRY FLIP Get Rashid's recipe for CLARET'S PUNCH --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck)  See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! C...

Dawn is joined by actor and writer, Brandon Gibson (Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat, Spilled Paint ) who has long been fascinated by the the consumptive, former-dentist, with a southern drawl and a propensity for prostitutes… who isn't? SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) Doc Holiday The Life and Legend by Gary L Roberts - Biography (2019) Tombstone, The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday and the Vendetta Ri...

Join Dawn as she strips down YOUR HILF's in the first-ever audience-request show.  [00:01:13]  The Great Emu War of 1932 which pitted a bunch of WWI veterans against a mob of flightless birds. [00:08:37] The Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. Was she the first documented serial killer AND an inspiration for Dracula? [00:19:42]  Hedy Lamarr who went from dinner parties with Hilter to inventing weap...

Maybe you think WW2 started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor... but that was just when America got involved.  Maybe you think WW2 started when Germany invaded Poland... but that was just when England and France had finally had enough.  To really understand how WW2 started, historian Michael Trapani has written and produced an audio-book - HOW TO START A WAR - that is a vivid guide through the...

Dawn's guest is adult-film actress, Ryan Keely who takes no offense to the term 'porn star'. Ryan is also a book-worm and one of the cast of the sensational new Dungeons and Dragons podcast, I Seduce The Dragon . @ISTD Join Dawn and Ryan as two professional 'fuckers' in hot pursuit of history's hottest outlaw.  Dawn's Sources    Book - SHOT ALL TO HELL by Mark Lee Gardner Visit - Northfield, MN ha...

Climbing into the cockpit with Amelia and Dawn is guest, Fallon Morey of That's So Fucked Up . Fallon's knowledge of history and love of bad-ass women makes her a perfect navigator for this incredible story. Dawn's Sources    Book - Amelia Earhart A Biography by Doris L. Rich. (1989) Article - Read more about her surprise landing in Derry. BBC Maps - Maps and details about her almost Around the Wo...

Dawn is joined by guest, Katy Hearne-Church one of the hosts of The Queens Podcast . Katy is not only a big fan of Josephine Baker, but she is whip-smart and enjoys a cocktail in the afternoon.  Dawn's Sources    Book - AGENT JOSEPHINE by Damien Lewis Podcast - YOU'RE DEAD TO ME  Video - See her dance in 1927, some of the faces that made her famous Hear an interview with her in 1950 Watch this BBC...

Dawn's Guest, Dave Reinitz is a stand-up comedian and stain-glass artist whose personal connection to this slice of History brings it alive for all of us. Hear about how his mother, Janet Braun-Reinitz, joined with the Freedom Riders in 1961 and endured and enlightened one of the darkest chapters of American History.  --- Dawn's Sources    Book - The Freedom Riders by Raymond Arsenault Podcast - S...

Joining Dawn for the HILF-ing of the Conch Republic is Florida native, comedian, and former Marine Biologist, Forrest Shaw . He currently performs stand-up around the world, and is the co-host of the podcast, I don’t Know About That with Jim Jeffries .  You can also catch him on The Mermen Podcast with Dave Williamson . --- Dawn's Sources    Book - The Two Mice that Roared , by Wayne Madsen (Autho...

Welcome back aboard the ill-fated Bounty with Dawn and guest, Scott Edwin Williams, school-teacher and author of the fantastic book series, LIGHTBULB MOMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY .   Part one left the mutineers singing and dancing as they pushed Captain Bligh into the horizon. Rejoin them as they go in search of a new future among hostile territory, and while be hunted by an angry king. Dawn's Sources...

Come aboard the ill-fated Bounty with Dawn and guest, Scott Edwin Williams . Scott is a school-teacher and author of the fantastic book series, LIGHTBULB MOMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY which looks at history with a nod to both humor, and a hope for the future. Together they trace the origins and outcomes of not only the infamous Captain Bligh, but the mutineers, their Tahitian lovers, and even the blind...

Aleister Crowley is a sado-machoistic cult leader that Dawn frankly hates... but since when has hate ever made anyone less fuckable? Joining her on this journey into the darker pages of history, is celebrated chef, Hilah Johnson . She has hosted several cooking shows on Youtube and The Travel Channel and is also the author of several cookbooks.  Dawn's Sources Book - Do What Thou Wilt - A Life of...

Dawn's guests are sports podcasters (and native Bostonians) Sarah Retalic and Dave Houghton of IN A PICKLE RADIO .  Find out how much they know regarding one of their city's defining events, and keep score along with Dawn all the way to the surprise ending.  Dawn's Sources Book - THE BOSTON MASSACRE, A Family History by Serena Zabin Book - REPORTING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, by Todd Andrilik Doc - AN...

Dawn's guests  are Jimmy G and Mike Wehmann who love the world of wrestling - and the world of rock bands, and whiskey, and podcasting, and bacon. They are the co-hosts of the hit podcast ‘ Bacon is my Podcast ’ and that makes this episode a three-way, baby. Hear Dawn on BIMP - Part 1 and Part 2 are available now! Dawn's Sources The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling by Aubrey Sitterson an...

Love 'em or hate 'em, rom coms have been an established genre for centuries and Holiday Rom-Coms are their modern-day beating heart. Dawn is something of a convert, having spent most of her life considering them thin, uninteresting trash... which they are sometimes. BUT THAT'S WHY THEY'RE GREAT!   Leah Bonnema is not only a longtime fan of the genre, she has contributed to it as the author of THE...

In December 2021 - almost 50 episodes ago - Dawn sat down with her husband, director, Andrew Melby .  Together they discussed the origin and history of the dark, Yuletide figure of Krampus... and debate whether he may be a welcome addition to their family. The Krampus and the old Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch Krampusnacht - Twelve Nights of Krampus edit...

On March 29th, 2023 I released EP#34 - The Vibrator, with my mom and two older sisters as my guests. It went bananas - broke the podcast's download record and yielded a slew of comments from listers telling me they felt like they knew us. And those who actually do know us, said they felt like we were all back around the Thanksgiving table just like the old days.  What happened to us when we sat do...

Dawn's guest is stand-up comedian (and former award-winning journalist) Kiki Andersen . Kiki aces Dawn's spontaneous quiz on the last Queen of Egypt as the two traverse the second chapter of her little black book.  Dawn's Sources Book - CLEOPATRA - A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of Egypt and her Relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. (2021) Doc - QUEEN CLEOPATRA on Netflix Podcas...

Dawn's guest is stand-up comedian (and former award-winning journalist) Kiki Andersen . Kiki aces Dawn's spontaneous quiz on the last Queen of Egypt as the two traverse the first chapter of her little black book.  Dawn's Sources Book - CLEOPATRA - A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of Egypt and her Relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. (2021) Doc - QUEEN CLEOPATRA on Netflix Podcast...

Dawn's guest is the hilarious author of the book, Your Child is Not Broken - How to Parent Your Neurodivergent Child Without Losing Your Marbles . Find her and the organization she runs in the UK for other parents of neurodivergent children who struggle in school, EOTAS Matters .  Dawn's Sources Book - Alan Turing, ENIGMA by Anna Revell (2017)  Doc - Alan Turing: The Scientist who Saved the Allies...