History Boiz

Nancy Wake was a kiwi who grew up in Australia and became one of the great heroes of the French Resistance during WWII. She became so notorious in fact, that the gestapo code named her “The White Mouse”. Join us for part 1! Sources: Fitzsimons, Peter. Nancy Wake : A Biography of Our Greatest War Heroine 1912-2011. Sydney, Harpercollins Publishers, 2011. Wake, Nancy. The White Mouse. Sydney, Pan Ma...

In 1835, the New York Sun ran a series of articles about amazing discoveries of sentient creatures living happy and productive lives in harmony on…the moon. And people believed it! Sources: Goodman, Matthew. The Sun and the Moon : The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York. New York, Basic Books,. Matthias, Meg. “The Grea...

W.R. built a castle, called FDR a communist, tried to ignore the “greatest film of all time”, and carried on a lifelong affair with one of the biggest Golden Age of Hollywood stars, Marion Davies - Hollywood’s worst kept secret. Join us for part 3 of William Randolph Hearst! Sources: Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein. “The Battle over Citizen Kane.” PBS, 1996. Nasaw, David. The Chief. Houghton Mif...

W.R. goes to war! Hearst didn’t cause the Spanish American War, although he’d love you to believe it. He just made people WANT to go to war. Join us for part 2! Sources: Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein. “The Battle over Citizen Kane.” PBS, 1996. Nasaw, David. The Chief. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 12 Aug. 2013. Randolph, William, and Jack Casserly. The Hearsts : Father and Son. Niwot, Colo., Robe...

How did William Randolph Hearst become a media giant who shaped public opinion through yellow journalism? The short answer? A silver spoon; AKA silver and gold mines owned by his parents. Join us as we follow “Willy the Worst” on his way to untold riches and influence! Sources: Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein. “The Battle over Citizen Kane.” PBS, 1996. Nasaw, David. The Chief. Houghton Mifflin H...

The much venerated charge of the light brigade at the battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War was one of the biggest military blunders of all time. The poor decisions made that day had much to do with the personalities of the British high command. Sources: Aldrete, Gregory S. History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach. The Great Courses, 2015. Figes, Orlando. Crimea. New York,...

The second First Lady of the United States was the mother of a president, a remarkable woman of letters, and in many ways, a founder herself. Join us for Abigail Adams! Sources: Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. Simon and Schuster, 2009. McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon and Schuster, 2001.

Mussolini’s spectacular fall from power would become a legendary cautionary tale for any would-be (and/or contemporary) despot going forward. Join us for part 4, the brutal conclusion of our series on the Italian fascist dictator! Sources: Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021. Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 202...

In this episode, Mussolini names and renames things after himself and his fascist “revolution”, appears shirtless in news reels, and decides that Italy should reacquire and acquire land enough to make a new Italian Empire. Join us this week for part 3! Sources: Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021. Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford Universi...

In part 2, Benito goes from being the editor of the left wing paper Avanti!, to marching (well, not personally, but figuratively) on Rome with his ultranationalist right wing black shirts. Join us for part 2, the Mussolini switcharoo! Sources: Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021. Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept....

How does a young delinquent that is born and raised to be a fiery socialist rabble rouser, end up being the Italian fascist leader, Il Duce? It’s a long, winding road to say the least! Join us for part 1 of Benito Mussolini! Sources: Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021. Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 2022. Goo...

Happy holidays from the History Boiz! On December 23, 1927, a man walked into a bank in Cisco, Texas and robbed it - while dressed as Santa Claus. Join us for this bullet riddled comedy of errors! Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Sources: Greene, A C. The Santa Claus Bank Robbery. Denton, Tex., University Of North Texas Press, 1999. Lumpkin, John. “Sinister Santa: A Look at the 1927 Cisco Ba...

In the winter of 1924-25, a diphtheria outbreak in the remote Nome, Alaska, relied upon a desperate dog sled relay mission. You may know the heroic dog, Balto, but what about Togo? Sources: Salisbury, Gay, and Laney Salisbury. The Cruelest Miles. W.W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. Mushing 101: A Primer for Someone Getting Started in Sled ..., dogscouts.org/base/tonto-site/uploads/2014/11/T...

Join us for spooky season! This time we’ll talk about the rise of spiritualism, complete with seances, exclusive clubs, famous true believers, infamous fakes and frauds, and the most respected magician of all time, Harry Houdini. Sources: Dawson, Kate Winkler. The Ghost Club. Penguin, 2023. Houdini, Harry. A Magician Among the Spirits. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Jaher, David, and Simon Vanc...

In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition in search of the northwest passage with two boats, aptly named HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, and never returned. To this day people search for clues as to what became of them, and what they did find carried horrifying implications. Sources: Beattie, Owen, et al. Frozen in Time : The Fate of the Franklin Expedition. Vancouver ; Berkeley, Greystone Books, 20...

In this episode we talk about what could’ve (and what probably) happened to Pocahontas while she was in England. It’s not something you would find in a Disney movie! Sources: Custalow, Linwood “Little Bear,” and Angela L. Daniel. The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History. Tantor Audio, 2023. Editors. “John Smith’s Writings (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. D...

Due to various life events the Boiz have decided to postpone our next official episode, instead we're giving our beloved listeners a taste of our exclusive Patreon show, Telling Jerry Something! 251.9 million years ago our planet suffered the most catastrophic event life on Earth has ever known. Join us as Chris regales the gang about the dreaded Permian-Triassic Extinction Event! Sources: GEE, HE...

Pocahontas has been used to tell different narratives throughout history, but few know the real story of her life. Join us for part 1! Sources: Custalow, Linwood “Little Bear,” and Angela L. Daniel. The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History. Tantor Audio, 2023. Editors. “John Smith’s Writings (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 4 Fe...

Join us for the 3rd and final part of our series on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution! This time, high school and college students take over the country to stamp out bourgeois/counter revolutionary/reactionary/conservative elements that, according to Mao, are holding China back. Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. M...

Join us for part 2! This time, we talk about what Mao decides to do after a successful revolution. Ambitious projects are launched like The Great Leap Forward. The Great Chinese Famine ensues. 
 Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. Random House, 2012. Han, Dongping. The Unknown Cultural Revolution. Mo...

One of the most divisive, misunderstood, and contradictory events in history was Mao Zedong’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. Join us for part 1 of our 3 part series! Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. Random House, 2012. Han, Dongping. The Unknown Cultural Revolution. Monthly Review...

Carlos II AKA Charles II of Spain AKA Carlos the Bewitched was the last of the Spanish Habsburgs and marked the end of 200 years of Habsburg rule in Spain. Carlos was born with a litany of health problems and remained sickly throughout his ineffectual reign due to generations of inbreeding. Sources: Gaudi, Robert. The War of Jenkins’ Ear. the Forgotten War for North and South America and the World...

The War of Jenkins’ Ear wasn’t really about an ear exactly and had more to do with trade. In a time of near constant warfare and the golden age of piracy nearing its end, Britain and Spain go to war yet again. Join us as we focus on the pivotal and disastrous Battle of Cartagena de Indias! Sources: Aldrete, Gregory S. History’s Greatest Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach. History ed., Le...

In the final part 3 of our series on Ludlow, we talk about the massacre itself and the Rockefeller PR campaign that came afterward. Sources: Andrews, Thomas G. Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War. Harvard University Press, 2010. Freese, Barbara. Coal: A Human History. Basic Books, 2016. Sinclair, Upton. King Coal. BIBLIOTECH PRESS, 2022.

In part 2, we will talk about the company, the union, and the personalities that come with both, when the strike broke out in 1913. Join us! Sources: Andrews, Thomas G. Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War. Harvard University Press, 2010. Freese, Barbara. Coal: A Human History. Basic Books, 2016. Sinclair, Upton. King Coal. BIBLIOTECH PRESS, 2022.