History Loves Company

The artistic movement known as Impressionism conjures up specific ideas and images. It's most commonly associated with France, where it was born in around 1870. But by the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, it had made its way to America, but perhaps nowhere in this great nation did it take off quite like it did in California. The 'History Loves Company' podcast is back this week with a look at t...

While not the inventor of Armenian literature, the 18th Century poet, Sayat-Nova, is considered to be one of its greatest and most important contributors. Still, this legendary figure remains elusive, even little known, outside his Georgian homeland as well as Armenia. If you're curious to learn more about him, then sit back and check out this week's episode!

Youth subcultures are nothing new. It seems that each generation has its group of youngsters who see to it to rebel against conformity and the status quo. But one of the most surprising and daring of these came about at a time when fascism gripped Europe in a chokehold. Tune in this week for a look at the Zazous, the jazz-mad, umbrella-wielding, wildly-dressed youths who openly challenged the Nazi...

Today, tea is known the world over for its many health benefits as well as its rich taste. There are also countless varieties from all corners of the globe, but where did this mysterious drink come from? Pull up a chair and join me for a not-so-mad tea party, right here on the 'History Loves Company' podcast to find these answers to these questions!

While there were six great nations who officially squared off against one another during World War One, it's important to remember that it was, in fact, a global conflict, meaning that several other nations, whether willingly or unwillingly, became involved. One such country was Italy, who joined the side of the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia). Quick to defend their homeland, they squa...

Ask any child and they'll likely tell you that schooling's both a bore and a chore. Based on the subject of today's episode, it's a sentiment that hasn't changed all that much. Join me as we take a look at a child's homework from 13th Century Russia and see how he coped with the "boredom" of learning, today on the 'History Loves Company' podcast!

Paleontology was still a new science in the early 19th Century. The largely male-dominated field yielded some truly fantastic studies, but of these, none were as spectacular as those made by a woman from Southern England. Tune in this week to find out all about the wondrous life and discoveries of Mary Anning!

The holiday known as Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May) is often misconstrued as being the holiday in which Mexicans celebrate their country's independence from Spain. That day doesn't fall until September 16th, the anniversary of the day when, in 1821, the country officially declared itself independent from Spain. So what, then, does Cinco de Mayo commemorate? Tune in to this brief episode to find out!

It was the greatest "return to the homeland" venture since the return of the Hebrews to the Promised Land in the Book of Exodus. The only difference is, in this scenario, the people had help from the government they were leaving. As tensions between North and South mounted in America in the decades leading up to the Civil War, the question of what to do with the country's freed and free-born Black...

Greece and China were two of the ancient world's great powers, but never interacted with one another due to the vast distance that separated them...right? They indeed had knowledge of one another, but what if I told you that they actually met under the most peculiar of circumstances? Find out how in this week's bizarre episode!

In contemporary times, it's difficult to imagine crop shortages (at least in so-called developed countries). But not all that long ago, just such an incident occurred in a country then ruled by one of the foremost powers in the entire world. I'm speaking, of course, about the Potato Famine that ravaged Ireland in the mid-19th Century. How did it happen? How were its consequences ultimately felt th...

The Near and Middle East saw a great many empires throughout Antiquity, but perhaps one of the greatest was that of Assyria. At its height, it stretched from Egypt in the West to Persia in the East and was ruled by a man who's since come to be known as its greatest king. Ashurbanipal was one of many in a long line of Assyrian royalty, but what made him stand out? Find out in this new episode!

Between Greece and Turkey, in the Aegean Sea, lies a chain of islands known as the Cyclades. It's here, long before Indo-Europeans arrived in the area, that a distinct culture emerged, one that's left tantalizing clues into their society in the form of obsidian tools, bronze "calendars" and, most famous of all, marble figurines. What did these latter objects represent? What were they used for? And...

In the dry, arid steppe between the Volga River and the Caspian Sea in Southern Russia live a people who feel and certainly look different from those who surround them. Known as the Kalmyks, their origins come from a place that's decidedly far from their current homeland. How did they get to this part of Europe? Where did they come from originally? And what historic events befell them throughout t...

Spain is a country that has been ruled by several disparate peoples and rulers. Moors and Arabs, Germanics and Celts, even Romans and Greeks. But before any of these powers laid claim to Spanish sovereignty, a society emerged in Antiquity that didn't subjugate the peoples of Ancient Spain inasmuch as they blended their indigenous culture with that of the foreign power who came to rule over to them...

Many of us travel, but few get to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Such was the case of Alexander Gardner, an American and restless spirit who ultimately found himself in the service of the Sikh Empire of Northern India, where he fought alongside Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims to stop the British from advancing further into their territory. But how did this unassuming figure from the wilds of wh...

The time is Prohibition. The place is Chicago, better known at the time as "Gangland," a playful, albeit sinister, moniker due to the long list of illicit activities that take place behind the scenes. It's against this backdrop that the events of this week's episode unfold, a bloody, violent crime the likes of which has seldom been seen in American history. Why did it happen? Who were the key play...

Several Black and African voices have contributed to Western theatre. Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Langston Hughes...these are all big names, but there's one among them to whom they owe a debt of gratitude. Who was Publius Terentius Afer, better known in the English-speaking world as Terence? Find out in today's episode!

Since its birth in Antiquity, Ethiopia has claimed ties to the Biblical King Solomon, the Queen of the Sheba and the Holy Land in general. This may be true, but in the northern highlands of the this East African country, a community of Black Jews actually traces their lineage back to one of the famed Twelve Tribes of Israel. Join me for a look at the Beta Israel community of Ethiopia, a true story...

With only two monarchs to its name, the Empire of Brazil could easily have gone down in history as just another tumultuous period in South America's history. But when Pedro II assumed command of the imperial throne at the tender age of five, neither he nor the Brazilian people could have guessed the great leader he would become. Ushering in an age of unprecedented growth and prosperity for Brazil,...

The reputation of the fabled Age of Exploration was solidified by such titans as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Sir Francis Drake, among many others. While their accomplishments were indeed significant, there's one voyage whose details have largely been forgotten by the greater public. In the 4th Century BC, a Greek set sail from his home in what's now Southern France and set sail for poi...

No sooner had the Paris Commune gotten on its feet did threats of war from the Third Republic start to rear their ugly heads. Resulting in what Parisians called the "Bloody Week," the Commune's National Guardsmen clashed with the Republic's Regular Army in the streets, killing several and wounding more on both sides. Tune in to find out how this all played out, right here on the 'History Loves Com...

With France's disastrous defeat at the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the national government was tasked with creating some semblance of order while trying to keep the ever-growing discord amongst Parisians at bay. Find out just how it all went down in the second installment on the Paris Commune.

In light of the disastrous outcome of the Franco-Prussian War (from the perspective of the French), dissatisfaction with the Second Empire was at an all-time high. Though disillusionment had been stirring for some time, this was the final straw. It wasn't long before the people, namely the working-class, took to the streets to express their concerns, demanding the formation of a new government--a...

"Once upon a time..." With those four simple words, generations of readers and listeners have been transported to a timeless realm where reality doesn't exist and magic reigns supreme. But while most of us are familiar with the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault, fewer still know those of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. A civil servant by trade, he went on...