History Loves Company

With the insurrection against the Roman Republic well underway, we witness the behind-the-scenes actions taken to quell this most treasonous act. But will Catiline emerge victorious? Or will Cicero, the consul, and the Senate be able to stop him in his tracks? Find out in the exciting conclusion of the Catiline Conspiracy!

The history of Rome is perhaps best known and most famous for its days as a vast empire, the largest of the Ancient World. But before Augustus Caesar declared himself its first emperor, it was a republic and had been for some five centuries. Though it served its people well, it soon became steeped in corruption and political turmoil, perhaps none more so than in the subject of this week's episode....

Anyone who's been to the United States knows that each state has its own flag. Texas has the Lone Star Flag, a remnant of its days as an independent nation. Hawaii's has the Union Jack in its upper left-hand corner, a reminder that a Brit, Captain Cook, was the first European to "discover" the islands in the 18th Century. And California has the so-called "Bear Flag." Depicting the now extinct Cali...

Last week, we discussed the long and lengthy origins of the tank, right up to their initial use in the Great War (World War One). Today, we examine just how far they've come in the over a century since then, so be sure strap in and tune in for the fascinating conclusion!

In the years since their introduction during World War One, the tank has become an integral part of war and conflict. These machines forever changed the tactics of battle, but did you know that their roots go back to ancient times? Join me again this week for part one of yet another transportation-themed episode, this time about the tank!

While the boat may be the oldest form of man-made transportation to be made into a reality, it's quite possible that humans have been thinking about flight even longer, noting birds, flying insects, and other species that could take to the skies with ease. As such, humans have been experimenting with flight since civilization began and it was the fruit of their labors and research that contributed...

Planes, trains, and automobiles...people will tell you they're faster, more efficient, and save travel time, but what if you'd like to experience the freedom (to say nothing of grandeur) of the open sea? For eons, boats and ships have allowed us to do just that, while also providing practical uses in the form of trade, exploration, even war. Set sail with me this week as we embark on an epic journ...

There's arguably not a more romantic mode of transportation than the train. Since their inception in the early 19th Century, various writers, singers, and artists have depicted and idealized this most unique and exciting form of transit. But it was born of a very practical, even ancient, practice: to simply move things from point A to point B in a timely and easy manner. Present your tickets to th...

It marked a turning point World War Two. Had history played out differently, the outcome may very well have been different. Tens of thousands died and those who survived pushed on until all of Europe was wrenched from Nazi control. Tune in for this special short segment to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Tom Cruise in the classic film 'Top Gun' may have had "the need for speed," but so have generations of motorists, particularly the ones known as bikers. Indeed, the motorcycle has evolved into the vicious, powerful, and awesome two-wheeled vehicle we all know and love today, but where exactly did it originate? What fuel sources did it rely upon prior to gasoline? And what exactly defines a motorbi...

The James Bond film series has inspired several knockoffs and parodies since its inception in 1962, but prior to that, the suave Agent 007 began life on the page in a series of novels by British writer, Ian Fleming. But did you know that this seemingly ordinary man drew upon his own experiences for Bond's action-packed exploits? Find out in this week's episode how Fleming's work during World War T...

Vietnam is a country with a rich (albeit complicated) history. Before communism, it was torn apart by civil strife, pegging northern forces against southern. Prior to that, it was under the colonial yoke, when France claimed it as part of its overseas empire. But before all this, a power known as the Champa Kingdom ruled over the country's southern half, leaving behind the hallmarks of its civiliz...

If you've ever seen the Disney film 'Encanto,' then you're familiar with the backstory as to how the Madrigal family came to be at their magical mountain refuge. It involves a conflict, a very real conflict, in fact, that shook the country of Colombia to its core in the final year of the 19th and the first years of the 20th Centuries respectively. Be sure to catch this week's episode all about the...

When it comes to Africa's vast history, people tend to focus on Egypt, the Kerma and Kush kingdoms of Sudan, or else the Mali Empire of Mansa Musa. But what of Sub-Saharan Africa? Surely, there must have been great cities and civilizations there too, right? Well, I'm happy to say that there were, perhaps none more impressive than that now known as Great Zimbabwe. Tune in this week to learn all abo...

The 1930s were marked by economic toil both abroad and in the United States, as the Great Depression took a toll on the world economy. To add insult to injury, an environmental calamity of both natural and man-made factors, rocked the American Heartland and had devastating effects that would take years to rectify. Tune in this week for a bleak, albeit ultimately uplifting, tale of one of the most...

Religion is one of humanity's oldest practices and likely stems from our need to explain the natural phenomena that surrounds us as well as our place among it. But while the religions to which we now adhere are attested to via sacred texts penned by their earliest worshippers or else by their founders themselves, nothing survives of the earliest religious practices in human history. Join me for a...

"Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging." So goes a lyric in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' hit song, "Californication." But what if you didn't have to go under the knife to get your youth back? Such has been the quest for many people throughout history, searching for a way to turn back the clock on the forward advancement of time. Does such a place exist? And if it does, why aren't we...

If you've ever been down to Louisiana, chances are you've noticed a great many French place names. Indeed, for a time in the 17th and 18th Centuries, this part of America was under French jurisdiction. But the people of French ancestry there who call themselves Cajuns are a decidedly newer arrival, though their reasons for being there are marred by a history of trauma, violence and exile. Tune in...

Today, chocolate is beloved the world over as a delicious sweet treat that's best enjoyed at the end of a long and stressful day. But did you know that there was a time when it was made solely into a drink? Or that its origins can be traced back to Mesoamerica? Tune in to this week's "sweet" episode to learn all about this delectable delicacy!

In the West, snakes have a reputation, thanks to the Bible, of mistrust and deception, as it was a serpent in the Garden of Eden that tempted Eve to taste the forbidden fruit, thus leading to the Fall of Man and her and Adam's banishment. It's because of this that, according to tradition, the man who would one day be known as Saint Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland. Or so they say. Tune in...

Today, Hollywood is deemed the entertainment capital of the world and is, without question, the most famous section of Los Angeles. But did you know that it didn't begin life with the intent of becoming associated with the movies? Tune in this week for a look into Hollywood's origins, which will surely surprise you.

2024 is a leap year, and as this episode falls on the extra day in question, I thought it would be fun to examine the history of this most fascinating (and, at times, complicated) occasion. Celebrate February 29th with me by tuning in to this week's episode!

When last we joined our (anti-)hero, Jean Laffite had been imprisoned for the crime of piracy. But even bars couldn't keep this legendary figure at bay (maritime pun once again intended here). Tune in this week for the second part, and exciting conclusion, on his incredible story--how he became entangled in a conflict, set up yet another smuggling racket, and ended up in a South American navy, thi...

Pirates have been romanticized in literature, film, and various forms of media since at least the 19th Century, but the truth is that the life or activities of a pirate were anything but romantic. Just ask Jean Laffite, the subject of this week's episode, whose smuggling operation on Louisiana's southeastern coast was interrupted time and again by war, politics, and the law. This isn't to necessar...

Since at least the 12th Century, there has been a Swedish presence in Finland, so much so that they've since become known as a distinct ethno-linguistic group from the Finns. But this history has been far from easy and has, in fact, proven to be something of a bumpy road for them. Join me this week for a look at the resilient and tenacious Finland Swedes.