Softcore History

Softcore History presents "Two People Arguing on the Internet, About History," a full-cast comedy audiobook short story following a day in the lives of two people who can't stop being mean to each other in the comments section of a history page on Facebook instead of, you know, doing anything that is actually worthwhile with their time. You can hear this and an entire audiobook's worth of other sk...

On June 28, 1861 Confederate pirates led by Captain George Hollins and Lt. Colonel Richard Thomas Zarvona captured a passenger steamer on the Potomac with an unusual plan of deception. Learn how these men and a flirtatious "mystery woman" became heroes in the south in one of the lesser known conquest of the American Civil War. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extr...

Actual expert Alex Petkas, who has a PhD in Classics from Princeton and hosts the history podcast Cost of Glory, joins the show for some inexplicable reason to break down why the Roman dictator Sulla is Rome’s most underrated man, why Caesar wasn’t such a bad guy, and why he left Academia for the internet. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content inc...

Fredrick Russell Burnham experienced one of the most insane and eventful lives in all of human history. From tracking Geronimo and getting into family feuds in the Wild West to fighting in multiple wars in South Africa and stopping an American President from getting assasinated, Burnham was a decorated hero who sought out adventure and eventually found good fortune for his trouble. Subscribe to th...

We break down the history of men wearing makeup with beauty writer Cristina Montemayor (@crismontyy), from Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens inventing sunless tanner instead of farming, to the Egyptians and Romans slathering their faces with lead because looking hot was more important than your brain working right. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history conten...

Robert Maxwell was a media mogul, decorated war hero, member of British Parliament, and Israeli intelligence asset. He was the father to Ghislaine, a rival to Rupert Murdoch, and a spy whose death was more mysterious than his hidden life. Before Jeffrey Epstein there was Captain Bob Maxwell. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener...

Wanton killing was common in Ancient Rome, but most mass murderers were Emperors and Generals. One woman, though, killed hundreds if not more. Not for conquest but for business. And practice. And Nero. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Rob Foxhttps://w...

Comedian Uncle Lazer joins the show to break down the history of professional wrestling in the United States, from Civil War campsite brawls to the sports entertainment we know and love today. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Rob Foxhttps://www.instag...

In 1884 Pope Leo XIII had a vision. A terrible vision. He overheard a conversation between God and the Devil about the destruction of the Catholic Church and the horrors of the 20th Century. Was this vision real? Or was it a product of his love of cocaine wine and some present-day political factors? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including...

The French Revolution in 1789 is often regarded as a watershed moment in world history with the violent removal of King Louis XVI and his family from power. Despite its romantic portrayal, this was one of the ugliest and most savage revolts that was covered by blood and feces wall-to-wall. We breakdown what caused the events to set in motion and end with Louis and Marie Antoinette's unpleasant fat...

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. — aka Joe Jr. aka JFK’s older brother — was the original prince of Camelot. Ordained from birth by his father, Joe Kennedy Sr., to be first Catholic president in American history, Joe was trained for that job his entire life. But along the way he had some interesting thoughts about Adolf Hitler and Brazilian women. Sadly we didn’t get to see how his life panned out becau...

Emma Goldman, one of the most prolific anarchist activists of the Gilded Age, hated injustice and was willing to kill innocent people in order to combat it. She was a renowned anarchist orator who was drawn to the anarchist movement after a brutal childhood and a terrorist attack she found interesting. We recount the story of her rough, fascinating, and contradictory life. Subscribe to the Softcor...

Jack Churchill was an eccentric British Army officer who brought a Scottish broadsword, long bow, and set of bagpipes onto the front lines of World War II. He led Commando missions taking entire towns and escaped from SS concentration camps...twice. Alex Buscemi joins the show to talk about this mad lad. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content inclu...

“Boys will be boys” is, it turns out, a tale as old as time. We run through several historical examples of little boys f*cking sh*t up just for the fun of it, from a kid who started a full blown political riot because he wanted free candy to a drunk stable boy who decided to Ricky Bobby it and ride a chariot onto the track mid-race. Rob’s wife and #boymom Courtney Fox joins the show. Subscribe to...

Bass Reeves was a slave turned deputy U.S. Marshal who became one of the most prolific manhunters in the Wild West. He arrested over 3,000 outlaws, collected bounties on some of the biggest gangs of the time, and barely had a scratch on him after three decades in the line of duty. Jack Mandaville helps break down this American legend. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours...

Czar Alexander III was Russia's second-to-last Czar. He was also, arguably, its coolest, and definitely one of its most oppressive. One day, he'd be lifting heavy deck furniture over his head to impress his in-laws or hunting a bear with a spear. The next, he'd be abolishing basic civil liberties and being so oppressive to Jews that they fled the country en masse. He beat Kaiser Wilhelm II in a dr...

Everyone is familiar with the names Wilbur and Orville Wright, but is it possible they are actually overlooked and don't get enough props for their insane accomplishments? We dig a little deeper into these strange men obsessed with conquering the skies, their often unmentioned sister Katharine, everything that led up to that fateful day at Kitty Hawk, and the aftermath of their success. Subscribe...

America didn’t want to join World War 1. America wasn’t going to join World War 1. But one German foreign minister who thought he was way smarter than he actually was had a self-own SO BAD that he forced the United States into the war against his country. This is the story of the Zimmerman Telegram. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including...

The First Opium War was a series of military conflicts between the British Royal Navy and the Qing dynasty between 1839 to 1842. After tightening up and restricting trade for England creating a major deficit, China was flooded with opium by agents of the East India Company. Tensions built up between the two nations and the murder of a Chinese man by two British sailors stoked the flames of war. Su...

The United States has a long history of questionable tariffs but nothing compares to the “Tariff of Abominations” in 1828. It was an episode in American political and economic history so stupid that you’ll feel bad for absolutely no one… except maybe the slaves. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history mo...

Balto was a Siberian Husky sled dog who helped transport life saving medicine to a remote Alaskan settlement. Initially seen as a mediocre pup, this good boy proved his owner wrong and led a pack of 13 others through the final stages of a 674 mile serem relay to prevent the death of hundreds of residents in the gold rush town of Nome. He captured the hearts of America and became an overnight celeb...

Breaking news about possible new discoveries under the Giza Pyramid Complex have people asking, do we really know who built the pyramids? The answer is yes we really know who built the pyramids. A bunch of blue-collar Egyptians who, much like many construction workers today, were kind of drunk while they were doing it. We break down the well-documented and ridiculous stories that have been discove...

After the American Civil War, a large group of Union veterans weren't ready to say goodbye to the battlefield. So, they picked a fight north and attempted multiple invasions on our neighbors in Canada -- all in the name of Irish independence from the Crown. The Fenian Brotherhood and their raids on the Canucks proved life in the 19th century was whatever you wanted it to be. Subscribe to the Softc...

In honor of Irish Heritage Month we delve into the most offensively stereotypical Irish historical event of all time: The Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875.Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Rob Foxhttps://www.instagram.com/robfoxthree/ https://twitter.com/Ro...

Alesiter Crowley was an English magician of the dark arts, dirty poet, mountaineer, liberal sex haver, and founder of the Thelema religion. He traveled the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and shocked or banged every human being he came across. Crowley claims to have been contacted by the Egyptian God Horus through a messanger named Aiwass, routinely participated in ceremonial eroti...