History Defeats Itself

Dean Karnazes, known as the Ultramarathon Man, does some crazy things. How crazy? In 2005 he ran 350 miles in 80 hours and 44 minutes without sleep. Why, you ask? Hell if we know. But we have plenty to say about it in the latest episode.  

There was a time when #journalists were thought of as trustworthy thought leaders who enlightened us with #facts and #insights. They were people who cared about #humanity, had empathy, and wanted what was best for everyone. Then there is #TuckerCarlson, who so eloquently said that "women are primitive" and need to "do what they're told." And people say chivalry is dead.  In this episode, John...

How can one of the world’s most iconic #brands suddenly decide to change its #recipe ? It’s a good question. But #Coke did it back in the #80s. What prompted this change? Was it the #colawars with #Pepsi? Was it arrogance? Was it #Schlitz? We look at every angle.  Please subscribe and share! Greg has crippling gambling debts he needs to pay off.  Follow us at https://bio.site/historydefe...

Greg wants you to be safe. It’s one of his missions in doing this podcast. That’s why this episode is dedicated to the history and innovation of the seatbelt. Join us as we discuss the origins of the simple yet vital apparatus that saves lives all the time. Plus, we ponder whether New Hampshire has cities or if it’s just woodlands. Man, we’re just not very bright.

In this episode, Kevin, John, and Greg take you on a wild ride through the absurd world of Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's most eccentric dictator.  Prepare to be amazed as John leads us through the quirkiest moments of Niyazov's rule, from renaming months after his family members to making Melon Day a priority. Find out how this outlandish leader exemplifies the folly of history and what...

Fasten your seatbelts and put on your cheekiest grin as we dive into the scandalously amusing life of Albert Spaggiari, the cunning French #bankrobber who slipped through the fingers of the law like a well-oiled baguette. Grab some cheese and a croissant and holy shit, I must be hungry. 

In the third and final installment of our series on cheating, Greg tackles infidelity. Why do people feel the need to step out of their marriage? We're here to unpack. Or, pack...if we get caught cheating on each other.

For part two on our series about cheating, John discusses the idea of cheating death. Many want to, some have tried, all have failed. Could that change? Kevin discusses how he feels it would suck to live forever, and Greg is tired.

How far would you go in order to win. Would you cheat? Would you cheat using sex toys? For the next three episodes we're doing a theme: cheating. For the first episode Kevin enlightens his co-hosts on the story of Hans Niemann, the 19 year old American chess player who some believe is not on the up and up, but IS playing with something up something. Join us to learn more about chess than you did b...

Did you know that 1 out of every 3 people will spontaneously combust? Wait...maybe it was 1 out of every 300? Or 1 every 300 years? I can't remember. No one listens to Greg. Join us as we welcome a very special guest and chat about spontaneous human combustion. Or. SHC, as the hip, young people call it.

It's our 100th episode! Join along as we pull back the curtain and reminisce about how we started, the speedbumps along the way, and how much we've enjoyed ourselves. It's our most self indulgent episode yet. Come celebrate with us!

Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise have no problem surviving plane crashes. Others who can do it with ease are Schwarzenegger, Stallone and on a good day, Nicolas Cage. But topping them all, is Vesna Vulovic. She actually survived a 33,000 foot fall, without a #parachute, after the plane she was on was bombed. And she survived. And lived an actual life. How, you ask? Fuck if we know. But it's a crazy stor...

It's almost one of those "stranger than fiction" kind of things but in 1919, 2.3 million gallons of molasses flowed throw the streets of north Boston after a tank burst. Why was there a tank holding 12,000 tons of molasses? Christmas cookies, obv. Molasses cookies are delicious.

In 1976 Gerald Ford and his administration fast tracked a swine flu #vaccine hoping to avoid another #globalpandemic like the one in 1918. It went pretty poorly. We're here to chat about it.

On the latest episode of History Defeats Itself John continues his theme of shitting on NASA as he leads the crew in a discussion about the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. Man, he really is upset about not being able to go to Space Camp when he was a kid.

The crew discusses ASMR, which is basically how people get oddly pleasurable feelings from mundane sounds like shispering or listening to someone eat sushi. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

In honor of Halloween, Kevin conjures up a spooky tale of vampires and a town gone mad. Also, Greg drinks a White Claw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John discusses a NASA math blunder that took out a satellite. (Hint: they forgot to carry the one.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They say war is hell. And no one knows that better than the Australians. In 1932 they waged war against a fighting force that is still undefeated to this day. The force? Emus. On this episode Greg discusses the great Australian Emu War of 1932. Come for the knowledge...stay for the accents. Sources: https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/australia/great-emu-war-how-australia-started-a-war-agains...

HDI is back! On an early fall day in Arkansas, 1980 the sky was blue, the birds were chirping, school was just back in session, and a three megaton nuclear bomb nearly decimated a chunk of the state. How could this happen? We'll talk about that and Kevin's high level safe word on our latest episode. Sources: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/1980-titan-ii-disaster-fallen-socket-wrench-...

Hey Mistorians! We are taking a much needed summer break. We are also going to do some retooling of the show. We are confident that it will be bigger than 10 Super Bowls. But let's not oversell it. We're on hiatus for the month of August, returning in September. Have a wonderful summer and go out and make some history! Or babies. Or elotes. Or bathtub gin. We don't care what you do. Learn more abo...

"Guns don't kill people. People kill people." But as the great Eddie Izzard once said...the gun helps. On the latest episode of HDI John talks guns. And holy shit he knows a lot about them for a pacifist! You'll laugh...you'll cry...you'll learn...then you'll probably cry some more because America's gun problem shows no signs of getting better. <sigh> at lease we're on a Canadian podcast net...

As most of us know five conservative judges from the US Supreme Court recently took it upon themselves to drop their collective pants and shit all over women's rights by making it so that abortion is no longer a guaranteed right. This is, of course, after some judges said they wouldn't do that in their confirmation hearings. Yes, even judges can be lying pieces of shit hellbent on promoting their...

All of us have some experience coaching and/or being coached. Sometimes your coach was a mentor...a teacher...a friend...someone to confide in. And other times your coach was just a giant piece of shit. On this episode Greg talks about coaching and what it means to him to mold the young people of America. And John and Kevin wonder how he passed the background check. Learn more about your ad choice...

The idea of American isolationism has a long and complicated past. From George Washington to Trump and his minions people have clamored for an America first approach to diplomacy throughout our history. On the latest episode John leads the charge in a discussion about our role as a world leader. Plus, Kevin has a suggestion for John and Greg on how to fix their combative relationship. (Hint: it's...