History Goon

This week we’re doing something a bit different. Not a violence wizard. Not a weird criminal. This man is closer to a cryptid. Diogenes was born into wealth and a high station in life and he decided “Meh, it’s gonna be a no for me dog” and gave EVERYTHING UP. Yeah, sure he was exiled from his homeland first but I think he would have been an odd duck either way. He became one of the strangest, most...

This week we travel to a mysterious corner of the former Soviet Union, a beautiful mountain range not far from Lake Baikal. A region that could kill you in a heartbeat in the right circumstances. The Khamar-Daban mountain range is a well explored and hiked area but, when a hiking party died strangely for no apparent reason very quickly much like the Dyatlov Pass Incident it makes it hard to accept...

JUST A HEADS UP: This is a fairly long episode. We recorded it over the course of 2 days and Jimbo got sucked into the void (had a massive thunderstorm and Tornado sirens) and he couldn't back on for the second half. Also this one has some pretty horrible stuff in it soooo... Join Dustin, Jimbo (2 of the hosts of Dark Discoveries) and myself as we travel into an outer ring of Hell that sprung...

This isn't a full blown History Goon episode. This is actually a full blown Crimes, Killers, Cults AND... episode! I've been co-hosting for Bill for a while now and I wanted to share what we do over there. It's usually God-awful serial killers but, this time was closer to swamp John Dillinger. I hope you all enjoy the episode and check out Crimes, Killers, Cults AND wherever you get yo...

This episode has it all when it comes to things you don’t want to think about: Child sacrifices, warcrimes, naked men and drugged up children being forced to kill. Joshua Milton Blahyi was born into a very strange world. By the age of 11 he was already a High Priest in his local religion carrying out human sacrifices, practicing black magic and having the ear of THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA because of...

This week we have one of the best naval commanders that Scotland ever produced. Well, he was born there and cut his teeth in the Colonies. Unfortunately part of his learning experience was as a member of a slave ship called Two Friends which is probably not the best name for a ship like that. He quickly realized this wasn’t for him and after self-defensing a crew member of a different ship he was...

Welcome to Season 3!  I wanted to come out of the gates swinging this time and, Ned Kelly is someone who came and went down swinging. He started life as the son of an Irish criminal who was kicked out of his home country for stealing pigs and sent to the world’s largest prison; Australia. Ned grew up rough, Dad died when he was young, and he spent a lot of time with his Mom’s side of the family wh...

This is it, the Season 2 finale! I couldn’t think of a better way to end this one than with a Germanic bloodbath. Arminius was sent at a very young age to the Roman Empire as a hostage. The Romans did what they did in those situations, they made him Roman. Education, cultural changes, learning a new language, learning military tactics that he’d need as a Legionnaire. All good things. Until he deci...

S.2 Ep. 19 - Mad Jack Churchill This week we have one of the most prolific maniacs in the history of the British Empire and that's saying something. Jack Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill was born in either the perfect time or CENTURIES too late. He would have been just as happy killing invading Danes with a longbow as he was killing Nazis with one. Yeah, you read that right. He led men through...

This week we follow the not at all cursed from the beginning voyage of the Russian Baltic Fleet. Russia had needed a warm water port FOREVER, the Baltic Sea, freezes. They would eventually lease a port from the Chinese buuuuuuut, the Japanese didn’t much care for that and attacked the Russian ships in China. Within A DAY of the Baltic Fleet setting sail they had damaged 3 of their own ships. A wee...

A duck, a horse, a cat and a bear. 2 are Marines, 1 is a German turncoat and 1 is in a Polish artillery division. Which is which? You’ll have to listen to find out!

S.2 Ep. 16: Botched Executions We’ve talked about execution methods (Season 1 episode 21) but what happens when an execution goes wrong? Well dear listener, have I got some stories for you! Everything from members of the Royal family (possibly reptilians) to some more… Fiery modern ones. Hang around and enjoy.  

This week I’m joined by either Sam from the award winning NeverDaily Podcast or The Operator from the also award winning 911 Calls with The Operator. We delve into the depths of the Highgate Cemetery; the geography, the history, the famous people that call it their final resting place and THE GIANT F**KING VAMPIRE that haunts it. Plus we’ll get to know a couple of total badasses (giant dorks) that...

Let’s talk about some good guys from WWII this time. The Last trip to the Second World War was… Not as fun as this one is going to be. Leonard Funk joined the Army in 1941 and was part of one of the early on parachute regiments and would go on to prove that he may have had the fastest gun in Belgium. Then we have William GH Cercy who has one of the most wholesome moments in the history of History...

S.2 Ep. 13: FBI Miami Shootout Welcome to 1986 Miami, grab a drink, a Cuban (the sandwich don’t be weird) and a heaping tablespoon of cocaine! This week we’re talking about the most lethal single day in FBI history when a team of Special Agents ran up against two ultraviolet bank robbers named Michael Lee Platt and William Russell Matix. They started off small; robbing grocery stores and drug deal...

S.2 Ep. 11: Bohemian Grove I don’t usually tie episodes into current events but… When the fruit hangs low I have to pick it once in a while. This time we’re headed off to the Redwood forest of California to sneak into a forbidden campground that is off limits to everyone except the ultra elite. Bohemian Grove has been the birthplace of many different world shaping events, everything from hand sele...

This week I’m getting after my first listener suggestion, an Air Force Pararescueman who fought in Vietnam. There isn’t too much more to say here without spoiling things so, enjoy the story of Bill Pitsenbarger’s selfless service to help wounded soldiers. You have no idea how much I wish there was more I could find on this guy…  

S.2 Ep. 10: Irma Grease & Ilse Koch: Nasty Nazi Ladies This one is gonna be a blast… When you think of Nazi war criminals you usually picture some Indiana Jones-esque, cartoonishly evil guy with a giant face scar and tiny mustache. Sometimes it's the person you least suspect. Like someone that looks like she could be one of your friend’s aunts or a random girl you see in town. But, sometim...

This episode was kinda spur of the moment and not a regularly scheduled one but: This time I sat down with my good friend and host of Crimes, Killers, Cults and Beer, Bill Selby to talk about a very uplifting and lighthearted episode. I’m kidding. This guy (not Bill) was one of the most brutal, blood thirsty Nazis I’ve ever read about. Oskar Dirlewanger was a violent, alcoholic, psychopath who cut...

S.2 Ep. 9: The Hashsashin We travel back to the time of Crusaders and Castles to meet a man named Hassan Ibn-Sabah. A man of faith and religion who created an order of professional killers to protect him and also carry out his bidding. He hand selected these men and fed them drugs (allegedly) and made them promises of entry to heaven after their mission. Sound familiar? They had some HUGE targets...

S.2 Ep. 8: New Jack Professional wrestling is a business full of crazy, brave, tough and violent people. Sometimes that all manifests in one person. Let me introduce you to New Jack. He was born Jerome Young but after a rough childhood and a VERY interesting early adult life he got into wrestling and became New Jack. Due to his willingness to do wild stuff he quickly found himself on the Island of...

S.2 Ep. 7: Weirdness in the Canadian Wilderness This time we are headed to some of the remote parts of the Canadian wilderness for some odd occurrences and mysterious disappearances. First we’re swinging through Nunavut where an entire Inuit village seemingly dropped off the face of the earth without a trace. It only gets weirder from there, when 2 investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Poli...

S.2 Ep. 6: Nathan Bedford Forrest From humble beginnings comes who would become one of possibly THE WORST people I’ve covered on this show. Nathan Bedford Forrest grew up pretty poor but as a young man got into a very lucrative business, slave trading. He made a ton of money selling human beings like used cars, including, allegedly the daughter of a very well known person. Unfortunately, he made e...

S.2 Ep.5 - Bay of Pigs and Operation Northwoods Ah, the 1960’s. Peace. Love. Threats of nuclear war. What a time to be alive, and of course the ever creeping threat of Communism. This week we are talking a little about the Cuban Revolution where Castro took over, then we’re going to talk about how this was almost IMMEDIATELY a problem for Washington. And when Washington DC has a problem like this...

Christmas Bonus : The Christmas Truce of 1914 War is hell. Trench warfare is a special kind of hell. What’s special is finding out that the men across the stretch that nobody crosses have more in common with you than the leaders sending you to your death is something special. Every once in a while, in the most inhuman times, soldiers find common ground.  Today we're all brothers Tonight we&#39...