History Dispatches

In 1900, a British colonial official demanded an African tribe - the Ashanti - give him a holy relic as a symbol of their capitulation to the English Crown. They refused - and instead took up arms against the British. The end result was thousands dead. This is the story of the War of the Golden Stool. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a y...

The city of Milwaukee began as a collection of three towns around the mouth of the Milwaukee River. None of these communities liked each other very much, and vied for supremacy over the area. This competition would turn into open conflict, and the main target, was the cities' bridges. This is the story of the Milwaukee Bridge War. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent...

The Florentine Diamond is a 137-carat diamond, known for its long association with European royalty. However, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 - the diamond disappeared. And it would remain that way until November of 2025 - when the fate of the famed gem would be revealed. This is the story of the Florentine Diamond. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 p...

Saints, in the Christian tradition, are people that are in heaven and can influence the world. Most saints are there for their kindness, generosity, piety, or any number of good traits. And then there is St. Olga of Kyiv, who, as regent of Kievan Rus, avenged her husband by burying enemies alive, burning envoys, and torching entire cities in the name of revenge. This is the story of St. Olga of Ky...

In darkest hours of World War I, more than 500 American troops were surrounded by the Germans in the Argonne Forest in France. They were facing furious fire - and were subject to artillery fire from their own forces. The American commander would need a hero to get word to his comrades to stop the shelling - and get his troops rescued. And a hero would step up. Or should we say - fly up. This is th...

The British flag flies in many places around the globe, but one of the most unlikely is a small cemetery on Ocracoke island in North Carolina. Its origin dates back to WWII, and the location has been permanently leased to the British Government. This is the story of the British cemetery on Ocracoke Island. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast fo...

In 1804, Haiti gained its independence. Two decades later the fledgling nation was struggling for international recognition. That is until they struck a deal with France - agreeing to pay 150 million francs to their former colonial master. But this huge debt would be a burden that dragged down the nation’s economy - the ramifications being felt to this very day. This is the story of Haiti’s Indepe...

On July 25, 1956, on a foggy night, human error and a freak accident caused two ocean liners, the SS Andrea Doria and the MS Stockholm, to collide. The collision killed 51 people. Despite being over a hundred miles from shore, and only half the lifeboats usable, quick thinking, and fast acting rescue ships saved the remaining 1,600 lives. This is the story of the collision of the SS Andrea Doria a...

In 1985, a Humpback whale deviated from its normal migration route on the way to the waters of Alaska from Mexico - and made its way into San Francisco Bay and up the Sacramento River. The whale - named Humphrey - became an International celebrity. It would take the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, researchers, scientists, and even the US Coast Guard, Army and Navy to lure Humphrey back to the o...

Before modern medical standards to study the human body, many doctors and physicians stole corpses to carry out their research. Unfortunately, this was not looked too kindly upon by the general public. In 1788, a bad joke from one of these physicians turned an upset crowd into a riotous one, ending with thousands besieging a New York hospital, and several deaths. This is the story of the 1788 Doct...

In early 1940, Soviet officials - including Joseph Stalin - authorized the execution of more than 25,000 Polish military and civilian leaders - in order to purge the nation of potential opponents. It is a crime that has been shrouded in blood, lies, and deception - the effects continuing to reverberate to this day. This is the story of the Katyn Massacre. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespo...

It takes special skill to be a burglar and safecracker. It takes even more skill to escape from prison...half a dozen times. And you need a whole lot of charisma to become a folk hero. Need more? Why not fight some Nazis while you’re at it. This is the story of the infamous safecracker Gentlemen Johnny Ramensky. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakf...

In January of 2026, Monet Izabeth completed a 57-day expedition in Antarctica, becoming the first American woman to ski solo, and unsupported, to the South Pole. In this episode, we interview her, and find out about her journey to not only reach the South Pole – but also all the challenges leading up to expedition. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free bre...

There is an old adage that says infantry wins battles, but logistics win wars. And the Cold War was no different. When the Soviet Union cut off all land and river access to West Berlin, the Americans and British organized the Berlin Airlift. Over the course of 15 months over 278,000 flights delivered more than 2.3 million tons of cargo to keep the besieged city afloat. It is one of the greatest lo...

In the Mexican-American War a unique detachment of soldiers was put together. It consisted of, mostly, Irish immigrants. And the amazing thing was they fought for Mexico - not the United States. This is the story of the Batallón de San Patricio - or Saint Patrick’s Battalion. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only,...

If you flew over the Nazca Desert in southern Peru, you would be astounded to see hundreds of miles of lines drawn into the earth. These lines created massive shapes - including animals and plants. The designs - called geoglyphs - were made more than 2,000 years ago. But who made them? And why? Was it aliens? This is the story of the mysterious ​​​Nazca lines. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatc...

In 1837 and 1838 many parts of British Canada were aflame with rebellion. To help quash this rebellion the United States sent support, fighting alongside the British army. However, fighting alongside the Canadian rebels was the Hunters Lodge - a secret society intent on helping the Canadians fight for freedom. This is the story of the Patriot War. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off t...

Robert Johnson died in 1938 at the age of 27. He only recorded 29 songs in his lifetime. Yet he is widely recognized as the King of the Delta Blues. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting have influenced musicians to this day. Yet the man’s life was filled with mystery. Was he murdered by a jealous husband? And what about that pact that he supposedly made with the devil? This is the story of...

The root of most conflict is misunderstanding and miscommunication. But what if there was a universal language that everyone could speak? Would such a language help avoid communication problems. To a dress this, in 1887, Ludovic Zamenhof created a brand new language: Esperanto. This was a constructed language to try and facilitate communication across ethnic and geographic lines. Today it is spoke...

We like things that go boom. Cannons, fireworks, dynamite - you name it. Explosive blasts - big and small - have an 'aha' factor that’s hard to deny. The source of all those booms goes back nearly 2,000 years to the alchemists of ancient China. This is the story of gunpowder. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only,...

In 1961, the Soviet backed East German government grew tired of its citizens fleeing into West Berlin. And thus, the East Germans began construction of a fortified wall that would completely surround West Berlin from the world. This wall would become the most notable - and hated - symbol of the Soviet era. This is the story of the Berlin Wall. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to ge...

One of the worst ecological disasters in the 21st century was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Thanks to greed, mismanagement, and poor practices, an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico caused the deaths of 11 people, and nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the ocean, costing billions of dollars in damage and untold harm to the environment. This is the story of the Deepwater Hor...

In the 1890s in South Australia, a murdering bushranger terrorized the area of Coorong. However, this was not a large scary outlaw on horseback - but instead, a small man wearing gold jewelry and riding an Ostrich. This is the story of John Francis Peggotty - the Birdman of Coorong. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscriber...

One year ago today we dropped the first 10 episodes of History Dispatches. And except for a single week, we have released one episode every single weekday. And while we try our best, we are far from perfect. This is a catalog of every mistake - that we know of - from the past year. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers...

On August 1, 1966, Marine veteran Charles Whitman murdered his mother and his wife, then went to the 28th floor observation deck of the University of Texas Austin's main building. When he was done,17 people were dead and 31 injured - making it one of the nation's worst shootings of all time. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New s...