What if the Renaissance didn’t begin with a painting, a sculpture, or a famous artist?

What if part of the story begins with the Silk Road?

In this episode of Have To Know History, we begin a three-part series called From the Silk Road to the Renaissance. Part 1 follows Marco Polo, the Silk Road, and the world of trade, travel, stories, inventions, and ideas that helped open Europe’s imagination after the Middle Ages.

We’ll talk about Europe after the fall of Rome, the Crusades, the Black Death, Mongol rule, Kublai Khan, Venice, China, the Old Man of the Mountain and the Assassins, and how Marco Polo’s book helped Europeans imagine a much larger world.

The Renaissance didn’t appear out of nowhere. Goods moved. Ideas moved. Stories moved. And eventually, Europe began to change.

This is Part 1 of 3 in the series:

Part 1: Marco Polo and the Silk Road
Part 2: Italian city-states and the Renaissance
Part 3: The Medici, money, art, and the road toward the Reformation

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dMhZr40HBfQ

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.

When people hear the name Mansa Musa, they usually hear one claim right away: the richest man who ever lived.

But how did someone become unimaginably wealthy in the middle of the Sahara Desert?

In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore the real story behind Mansa Musa — not just his gold, but the systems that made his wealth possible. From silent barter and the salt trade to camel caravans, trans-Saharan routes, and the rise of the Mali Empire, this is the story of how West Africa became one of the most connected regions in the medieval world.

We’ll look at:

• How silent barter worked and why it depended on trust

• Why salt was just as valuable as gold

• How trade crossed the Sahara using camel caravans

• The fall of the Ghana Empire and the rise of Mali

• How Mansa Musa controlled trade rather than mining gold himself

• Islam as a global cultural and economic network

• Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage to Mecca

• The rise of Timbuktu as a center of learning

• How Greek ideas were preserved and expanded through Islamic scholarship

Mansa Musa wasn’t rich because of legend or exaggeration.
He was rich because he understood geography, trade, and global connections.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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Imagine a story so old it was told long before it was ever written down…

A story of monsters, warriors, revenge—and one hero who decides to fight a creature with his bare hands.

That’s Beowulf.

In this episode of Have to Know History, we dive into one of the oldest surviving stories in the English language—a tale of Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a final battle with a dragon that comes many years later.

But this isn’t just a monster story.

It’s about fame.
It’s about legacy.
And it’s about what happens when even the greatest hero grows old.

Along the way, we explore how this ancient story connects to Viking culture, medieval beliefs, and even later works like those of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Whether you're a student, a history fan, or just love a great story, this is one you have to know.

🎧 Have to Know History is also available on YouTube for full video episodes.

Baseball feels as American as summer nights, hot dogs, and a game of catch in the backyard… but the real story of how it began is far more surprising.

In this episode of Have To Know History, we go beyond the familiar myths and uncover the true origins of baseball—from ancient stick-and-ball games played in Egypt, Greece, and Rome… to chaotic medieval games… to the rise of professional teams in places you might not expect.

Was baseball really invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown?

Why was the first professional team the Cincinnati Red Stockings… and not a team from New York or Boston?

And how did small Midwestern teams like the Fort Wayne Kekiongas help shape the game we know today?

This episode explores how baseball evolved—not from a single moment, but over time—and how it became something much bigger than just a game.

Because in the end, baseball isn’t just about rules or teams…

It’s about something humans have always done:
Pick up a stick. Hit something. And see what happens next.

🎙️ Have To Know History — history you just have to know.

#JasonFreewalt #HaveToKnowHistory #BaseballHistory

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only ancient Wonder of the World still standing — and the more we study it, the more questions it raises.

Built over 4,500 years ago during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu, this massive monument was once a gleaming white mountain in the desert, aligned with the stars and designed for eternity. But how was it built with such precision? Who were the workers really? And why is Khufu’s name almost completely missing from inside the pyramid?

In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore:
• how the Great Pyramid was actually constructed
• the workers’ graffiti that links it to Khufu
• the mystery of the empty granite box
• the solar boats buried beside the pyramid
• the engineering of the King’s Chamber
• the star-aligned shafts and spiritual symbolism
• and why this monument still matters today

This isn’t just a tomb — it’s a cosmic monument built from engineering, mathematics, astronomy, and belief. And it’s the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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The men who assassinated Julius Caesar believed they were saving the Roman Republic.

Instead, they accidentally created an emperor.

In this episode of Have To Know History, we trace the political chaos that followed Caesar’s murder and led to the rise of Octavian, later known as Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. From Marc Antony’s explosive funeral speech to the doomed alliance of the Second Triumvirate, this is the story of propaganda, betrayal, civil war, and one young man who learned from Caesar’s mistakes.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Caesar’s assassins completely misjudged public opinion

• How Marc Antony turned a funeral into a political weapon

• Why Octavian’s adoption changed Roman history

• How Antony and Cleopatra’s alliance doomed them both

• What really happened at the Battle of Actium

• How Octavian avoided Caesar’s fate and took power legally

• Why the Senate willingly handed him absolute authority

Julius Caesar tried to seize power and was murdered for it.
Octavian let the Senate give him power — and ruled for decades.

A fast, clear, story-driven retelling of one of the most important turning points in world history.

🎧 This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Thanks for being here.

📺 Watch the full video version on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/9ZQxrS4nfAU

If you could turn invisible, would you still do the right thing?

In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore Plato’s famous story of the Ring of Gyges and the debate between Socrates and Glaucon over human nature, morality, and whether people are truly good — or simply afraid of getting caught.

This ancient thought experiment asks a timeless question: who are you when no one can see you?

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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What if everything you think is real… isn’t?

In this episode of Have To Know History, we break down Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave from The Republic and explore what it reveals about truth, education, and how easily people can be shaped by what they are taught.

From ancient Greece to the modern world of media and information, this powerful thought experiment challenges how we understand reality — and ourselves.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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The Olympic Games didn’t begin with gold medals, national anthems, or massive stadiums. They began nearly 3,000 years ago in ancient Greece as a sacred festival dedicated to Zeus — where city-states paused wars, athletes competed for honor, and victory meant glory, not money.

In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore the true origins of the Olympic Games:• Why Greek city-states stopped fighting just to hold the Games• What events the ancient athletes actually competed in• Why competitors ran, wrestled, and fought completely naked• How the Olympic truce worked in the ancient world• The story behind the first marathon• Why the Games eventually disappeared — and how they were reborn

From Olympia and the Temple of Zeus to pankration, chariot races, olive wreaths, and the idea of arete (excellence), this is the story of how the Olympics began — and why their influence still echoes every time the torch is lit.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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What is courage? What is love? What is beauty?

More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates was asking the same questions we still struggle with today. In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore Socrates, the Socratic Method, and why asking questions — instead of accepting easy answers — became one of the most powerful tools in Western thought.

Socrates believed wisdom begins by admitting what you don’t know. That belief made him famous… and ultimately led to his execution.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Thanks for being here.