History Dispatches

On Jan. 27, 1967, three astronauts boarded Apollo 1 to conduct a launch simulation test. What followed next was one of the most devastating moments in NASA's history. This is the story of the Apollo 1 Disaster. Sources https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-1/ https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/apollo-missions/apollo-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1 Image: https://commons.wikimedia.or...

Hygiene is a critical component to one's health. But our understanding of hygiene goes back only to the mid-19th century, where a Bavarian chemist, Max von Pettenkofer, turned hygiene principals from a series of old wives tales to a hard science. This is the story of Max von Pettenkofer, the father of modern hygiene. Sources https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2723483/pdf/12199_2008_Article_B...

In 1970, a 45 foot long, eight ton whale washed up on the beach near Florence, Oregon. Local officials weren’t sure what to do with the stinking, decomposing whale - so they decided to get rid of it by blowing it up with half a ton of dynamite. This is the story of the Exploding Whale of Florence. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale https://www.xplodingwhale.com/ https://www.oreg...

In the early morning hours of April 29, 1903, an enormous landslide in the mining town of Frank, Alberta, swept down the mountainside, killing dozens of people, and leaving half of the town buried. The worst part, if the town had listened to local lore, it could have been preventable. Sources https://www.geoinstitute.org/news/case-study-frank-slide https://ags.aer.ca/our-science/turtle-mountain/fr...

In late 1775, British and American forces were locked in a stalemate around Boston. The British were dug in, and the Americans lacked the heavy artillery to unseat them. And that’s when a Boston bookseller - 25 year old Henry Knox - suggested that artillery recently captured at Fort Ticonderoga be hauled overland to Boston. The only problem was that Fort Ticonderoga was more than 300 miles away, a...

Military units often have mascots, but not many are as impactful as Sgt. Gander, a massive Newfoundland dog donated to the Royal Rifles of Canada. Sgt. Gander was the quintessential military dog - and his actions during World War II saved many lives during the Battle of Hong Kong. Sources https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canada/sergeant-gander-and-his-handler-memorial https://ww...

The Oseberg ship is one of the finest surviving examples of a viking longship. It was discovered - along with two bodies - in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg, Norway. This is the story of the Oseberg ship - one of the finest relics from the Viking Age. Sources https://www.vikingtidsmuseet.no/english/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseberg_ship https://www.britannica.com/topic...

In late 1867, the Headmaster's house at Christ College, New Zealand, caught on fire. This was not uncommon at the time, but what is uncommon is this fire involved a quack fire chief, false accusations, and a comedy of errors. Sources "College!: a history of Christ's College" by Don Hamilton Special thanks to Taurapa Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free da...

Gargoyles are creepy. They are twisted, leering, tortured looking statues. Their mouths are often wide open - and serve as the exit of a water spout. So what is the story behind this unnerving bit of architecture? Was the gargoyle a ward against evil? Or was it something more sinister? This is the story of the gargoyle. Sources https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-a-gargoyle/ https://www.ancient-origin...

In September of 1987 two looters in Goiânia, Brazil, stole an unattended device carrying the highly radioactive Cesium 137. After breaking open the device, the radioactive material spread throughout the city, causing massive panic and taking four lives. Sources https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident Sponsor Go to factormeal...

Owney the Postal Dog was a stray terrier mix adopted as a mascot by the Albany, New York, post office around 1887. Owney loved to ride on the mail trains - and went on to travel over 140,000 miles throughout the United States - and even around the world. Sources https://americacomesalive.com/owney-the-post-office-dog/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owney_(dog) Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w...

Running a marathon is extremely impressive feat, but still fully attainable by most people with some grit and dedication. But its distance - at 26.22 miles or 42.195 km - is a little bit odd. So, why is the marathon as long as it is? That history goes back to a battle fought in ancient Greece, an army running a long distance, and some British royalty wanting to see the start of the race in 1908. T...

In the 1920s and 1930s, Anna May Wong, an American actress of Chinese descent, rose to international fame while starring in films such as the Thief of Baghdad and Shanghai Express. Her career spanned vaudeville, film, television, stage, and radio. This is the story of Anna May Wong - Hollywood’s first star of Chinese descent. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_May_Wong https://www.womenshi...

Since the birth of cinema, Pirates have been a part of the movies. Good pirates, bad pirates, fun pirates - they come in all shapes and sizes. Today we are going to talk about pirates in the movies - by discussing our favorite - and least favorite - pirate movies of that last century. Sources: the minds of the hosts Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free da...

In 711, the Moors crossed from Morocco into Spain - conquering all of Portugal, most of Spain, and even parts of France. What followed was a nearly-800 year long campaign by a variety of European kingdoms to expel the Muslim invaders. This is the story of the Reconquista. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquista https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Andalus Image: https://commons.wikimedia....

In 1867, the United States - led by Secretary of State William Seward - agreed to purchase the territory of Alaska from the Russian government - for $7.2m. Many people mocked the purchase - saying the land was useless. They called it "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox". Little did they understand what had been acquired. This is the story of one of the best buys ever made by the United States gov...

Just to the east of Athens are silver mines known as the Mines of Laurion. These mines, while abandoned today, were a critical component to the ancient Athenian empire. However, their biggest contribution came in 483 BC, with the discovery of a rich vein, which gave the city a choice: Distribute the profits to the entire city or build a navy. And their choice saved the Athenian Republic. This is t...

In 1545, the discovery of silver at the small South American village of Potosi would change the world. Over the next quarter of a century, 150,000 tons of silver would be extracted from the Potosi mines, and silver would fuel Spain’s enormous empire - and facilitate the globalization of the world’s economy. This is the story of the Silver Mines of Potosi. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespo...

Every single day has something in common. It has a date, whether that is July 4, October 7, or even the rare February 29. And that is thanks to the calendar, known as the Gregorian Calendar, and used by almost the entire world. Its efficiency and simplicity means that worrying about calendar drift is a thing of the past. But all this goes back to the mid-16th century when many in the Catholic Chur...

According to legend, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, there is a monster. It has horns like a deer, terrible red eyes, a long, twisting tail, and is covered in scales. This fearsome creature was seen in 1673 - painted on the bluffs above the Mississippi - by Father Jacques Marquette - one of the first Europeans to travel down the length of the great river. This is the st...

For several hundred years across the Ohio River Valley a civilization we know as the Hopewell Culture moved a lot of dirt. This dirt was moved into mounds and earthworks built with extreme precision and astounding size. This is the story of the Hopewell Earthworks. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only, varies by...

In 1769, a Spanish explorer camped under a tall, distinctive redwood tree along the banks of the San Francisquito Creek. Little did he know that tree would go on to become a living landmark - and the namesake for the city that grew up around it. This is the story of El Palo Alto - the tree that would define a community. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and fre...

It takes a special art to get something named after you, positive or negative. Such is the case with the Ponzi scheme - one of the largest and most successful scams of all time. Charles Ponzi orchestrated this scam in the early 1920s, suckering thousands of people, and swindling $20 million. This is the story of the original Ponzi scheme. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50...

In 1942, 14-year old Jack Lucas lied about his age to join the Marines - even bribing a notary to attest he was 17. Tired of missing out on the action, he later abandoned his unit to join another marine detachment - which was bound for Iwo Jima. He then joined in the invasion of the island - and in the process - became the youngest Marine to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He did th...

In September of 1979, two East German families escaped to the west using a very unconventional method - a hot air balloon. It was an escape that required failed prototypes, a near disaster, and raw gumption. This is the story of the East German Hot Air Balloon Escape. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only, varies...