History Loves Company

"Well behaved women rarely make history." So goes a famous adage used by many feminist scholars and historians and one that most certainly applies to the subject of this week's episode. Who was the Syrian queen who led a rebellion against one of the greatest empires of all time? How did she form an empire of her own? And how did it all come crashing down? Find out this week in a truly riveting epi...

The two World Wars, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War...these are some of the 20th Centuries greatest conflicts, yet they pale in comparison to the Emu War, a skirmish that erupted in the state of Western Australia in 1932, pegging farmers and soldiers of the Australian Army against an indigenous species of flightless bird--the emu. Feathers will fly in this informative (and somet...

It goes without saying that the Civil War remains an indelible stain on American history. For four years, the nation was torn asunder by cultural and political differences, differences that indeed had rocked the country since its foundation. And yet, it nonetheless remains a fascinating period, for it produced a cast of colorful characters that have shaped our understanding of the conflict and its...

The Heian Period (794-1185) is seen as a golden age in Japanese history. The arts flourished, written Japanese was invented, and great works of literature were penned. But it was also a time of political turmoil as two rival factions fought for control over the imperial court and, in turn, the country. Join me for a bloodbath worthy of 'Game of Thrones' this week on the 'History Loves Company' pod...

Today, the Australian Outback is crisscrossed with roads and highways, having been mapped and charted by braver, more intrepid, individuals in earlier days. But in the 19th Century, it presented a formidable barrier between the country-continent's eastern settlements and its interior. Several people set about exploring this vast expanse, but perhaps none was as interesting as the story surrounding...

With the execution of Andrés Bonifacio, revolutionary fervor died down a bit, with disillusioned rebels succumbing to defeat at the hands of the Spanish. But in the tumultuous period that followed, his rival, Emilio Aguinaldo, would return from a brief exile in Hong Kong and be lauded as a hero. While this was going on, war had broken out between Spain and the United States and it wouldn't be long...

Dissention, deceit, personal squabbles...these are just some of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. Tune in this week to find out how and what lit the fuse of the conflict.

Ask anyone who's been to the Philippines and they'll tell you it's an island paradise, the "Pearl of the Orient," as one of its most famous writers, José Rizal, put it. But things weren't always peaceful and bright for that beautiful island nation. For three centuries, it was under the Spanish colonial yoke and most of its population enjoyed few rights and civil liberties. But by the 19th Century,...

We tend to think, rather arrogantly, that we live in an enlightened age, that we and our immediate forebears invented reason and logical thought. The truth of the matter is that this is far from the case. In fact, some two-and-a-half millennia prior to our own time, logic and reason were the driving forces behind Western thought and philosophy, even before great minds like Socrates, Plato, and Ari...

With the ratification of the 18th Amendment on January 17th, 1920, Prohibition went into effect throughout America. So began what's since become known as the greatest failed social experiment in this country's history. Drinking levels doubled (tripled even), crime rose to astronomical heights, and the general feeling of lawlessness that ensued was only rivaled by that of the Wild West some forty o...

It's difficult to imagine now, but there was a time in American history when the production and sale of alcohol was a criminal offense. Known as Prohibition, it was ratified as the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1919 and would prove to be the greatest failed social experiment in this country's history. But its origins date back to even before the nation's founding and it would...

There was a time when Britain ruled much of the world. But long before that, the opposite was true, when outside forces invaded and colonized the British Isles as their own. The Romans were first, then the Normans, and between these two time periods, the Norse. The last of these three came from Scandinavia in the late 8th and early 9th Centuries with the intent of setting up permanent shop, giving...

No sooner was young Baldwin crowned king did he set his sights on taking down Saladin, his Muslim adversary. What ensued were a series of conflicts and skirmishes, each led by the new monarch, despite his ever-worsening leprosy. Family drama, bloodshed, and a war of succession are just some of the things he'd face, as you'll discover in the second half of his truly epic story!

As an important center for the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), the Holy Land has been hotly contested for centuries. Since time immemorial, it's been under the jurisdiction of several rulers and empires, though perhaps none was as famous and renowned as the subject of this week's episode. Find out how the so-called Leper King, Baldwin IV, assumed command in this, the fir...

Since at least the Age of Exploration, Africa has been referred to as "the Dark Continent." It's, naturally, a dated and controversial term, though to me, it refers to the mysterious interior of the continent, which wasn't seen by European eyes until the 19th Century. But in this podcaster's opinion, it's a moniker that could just as easily be applied to South America, whose Amazonia region in Bra...

The game of Telephone many of us played in childhood is indeed fun, though it's also a fascinating study as to how information changes from one person to the next and reveals just how muddled the truth can become when filtered through the broader public. Such, perhaps, is the case with this week's episode, in which a man from a mysterious and unknown country turned up at a Japanese airport in the...

Ghosts, goblins, trick-or-treating, candy. These and several other symbols and practices are hallmarks of Halloween. It's difficult to think of a more universally-beloved holiday and it seems that people brighten up a bit the closer it gets. But the origins of this fun and festive holiday run much deeper, and older, than you might expect. Tune in this week as we discover the spooky origins of Hall...

What defines a golden age? Google, that most invaluable of sources, defines it as "an idyllic, often imaginary past time of peace, prosperity, and happiness." But the period of time we're discussing today was anything BUT imaginary. Scientific achievements, religious tolerance, and some of the greatest works or art ever created are just some of the things for which this era was known. Find out how...

Individually, the Germanic Norse and Celtic Gaels were two of the richest and most fascinating cultures of Late Antiquity and the Early Medieval Period. But when combined, they became a force to be reckoned with and went on to conquer much of Ireland, the British Isles, and the islands of the North Sea and North Atlantic under their control. What gave birth to the rise of this distinct hybrid cult...

A few episodes ago, I covered the first pharaoh of Egypt. This week, we discuss the last and his tragic downfall as brought about by the man who would become Rome's first emperor. Full of political intrigue and behind-the-scenes drama, this is the story of Caesarion, today on the 'History Loves Company' podcast.

Like 'Gilgamesh' or Homer's 'Odyssey,' the legend of King Arthur is one of the Western World's foundational stories, one whose tales of triumph, glory, and virtue have inspired such disparate factions as the Tudors and the Kennedys. But is there any truth to the story? Was Arthur a real person? And what, if any, historical accounts from this shadowy period of British history survive to corroborate...

As kids, we often dreamed of visiting a land made of candy or other sugary substances. But for people living in Boston's North End in 1919, this fantasy became a terrifying reality, as a giant wave of molasses swept through the neighborhood, injuring some 150 people and claiming 21 lives as a result. Just what caused this industrial disaster? Who or what was at fault? And how was it that the North...

No ancient civilization has so captured the public imagination quite like Egypt. For a staggering thirty centuries, this mighty empire held sway on much of Northeastern Africa and the Mediterranean World, influencing every culture within its orbit. But even it had to start somewhere. Tune in this week for its humble origins and the man responsible for it all!

There have been a number of (in)famous mutinies throughout history, but perhaps none was harrowing, as human, as that of the Spanish schooner-turned-slaver, La Amistad. One fateful day in 1839, her human cargo cast off their proverbial and literal shackles and revolted against their overseers. A series of court cases ensued in the United States, but would the captives be found guilty of murder or...

Throughout much of history, the copying of printed material was a long and tedious and process that took the writer several days, weeks, months, even years, to complete. Particularly in Medieval times, places known as scriptoria saw scribes, usually monks, spending hours of back-breaking work hunched over illuminated manuscripts. While beautiful works of art in their own right, something had to be...