World War 1 features a couple battles that stand out above the rest. The Battle of the Somme is one, The Battle of Verdun would be the other vying for the top spot. Now where the Somme was a nasty meat-grinder, of trench warfare, Verdun was all about laying siege to forts. Lasting over 300 days it was by far the longest battle of The Great War. Verdun was a fortress town that served as the symbolic home to France's military power. The Verdun region was home to around 20 other forts making it the most heavily defended part of France. German General Erich von Falkenhayn determined the French would do anything to defend this region and if it was lost, do anything to get it back. The plan was to overwhelm the defenders in the area, destroy their fortifications and take advantageous positions. When the French had to counter attack to re-take Verdun, the German Army would be in position to inflict massive casualties or as Falkenhayn put it "bleed the French white." How did that all turn our for him, find out this week as we get Historically High on the Battle of Verdun

Support the show

Professor Adam is in the driver's seat this week for a Serial Killer history episode. Gary Ridgway, better known as The Green River Killer, is the 2nd most infamous serial killer in U.S. history. Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in the state of Washington. He worked areas known for prostitution, and preyed on a part of society that law enforcement had turned a blind eye on. Gary wasn't a mastermind. He wasn't a super criminal. He's certainly not well spoken. In fact, he would even point out his own stature to victims as a way of proving he wasn't the Green River Killer. Even he knew he was a loser. That loser is, was, and always will be purely evil. Join us today as we get Historically High on The Green River Killer

Support the show

James Cook is one of those explorers where upon hearing his name, you gotta take a beat and try to decide if he's a real person or if you're thinking of Captain Hook from Peter Pan or Captain Cook from Breaking Bad. But don't sleep on Jimmy cause the man knew how to quest. Starting out from humble origins cutting his teeth in the coal shipping game, he learned his way around a ship and around the water. Eventually the Royal Navy came calling and he was sent to the new world during the Seven Years War and found he had a talent for cartography. A few years of honing his skills later and James found himself charged with locating the great southern continent that balanced the hemispheres. His voyages would take him around the world several times, seeing places like Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, both circles (Antarctic and Arctic), and many others. Compared with other explorers of his era he was on the lighter side when it came to the mistreatment of indigenous people so he's got that going for him, which is nice. Join us this week as we set sail on the high seas with Captain James Cook. 

Support the show

During WW2 a lot of airmen and a lot of sailors found themselves treading water in the ocean instead of flying in their plane or standing on the deck of their ship. Rescuing these men eventually became a well practiced task, but how exactly was it done? Go to Patreon.com/HistoricallyHigh and subscribe to find out and more. 

Support the show

What is an archeologist's wet dream? Our guess would be two pre-christian Roman Empire cities preserved almost perfectly under pumice and ash. Something that could be excavated and studied for a lifetime. Each little detail laying out the historical record of what everyday life in a Roman port city/vacation town would look like. Thanks to Mount Vesuvius erupting in 79 CE, that wet dream is a reality. Lava was not involved in the eruption of Vesuvius. It spewed ash and pumice that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. For those unfortunate souls who could not leave, the pyroclastic flows took them in an instant. Today we are going to talk about what happened on that day. The panic, the terror, the normality of the day Vesuvius erupted. Then we get to talk about what the excavation at the two sites has uncovered. Spoiler alert: this episode is a lot of fun. Join us today as we get Historically High on Pompeii!

Support the show

In 1975 a man named George Lucas began preparing to make an audacious film that would come to be known as Star Wars. The movie, released in 1977 would go on to blow the minds and capture the hearts of countless people all over the world. The movie showed them things they'd never imagined they'd see, space battles, laser swords, a battle-station the size of a moon destroying a planet, and a guy in a suit with asthma.  The problem was, back in 75 no company existed to create the effects George needed to see his dream become reality...so he created one. Industrial Light & Magic was born. The crew that initially created the visual effects were a rag tag team of nerds, outcasts, and people with hobbies other's saw as ridiculous. Together they literally made magic happen, and it didn't end there. For the last 50 years ILM has been making the impossible possible by creating some of the most memorable moments in cinematic history. ILM has put you on the edge of your seat, they've put your jaw on the floor, and they've taken your breath away more times than you know. It's time to tell their story, the Historically High way. Punch it Chewie. 

Support the show

We here at Historically High will admit, we have been a little critical of the French. I mean historically, like the British they've started a lotta shit. WW2 was a different scenario. Germany steam rolled what was supposed to be the most powerful army in Europe at the time. France sought a way to try and preserve some semblance of itself by signing an armistice which legitimized Nazi occupation in the north while allow the "Free Zone" in the south the be controlled by the Weekend at Bernies of governments, The Vichy French. Now while the government may have been okay with occupation there were a lot of people who weren't. Some resisted in small ways like taking down propaganda posters or listening to illegal BBC broadcasts. Others resisted by derailing trains, feeding enemy information to the allies and ambushing nazi convoys. All of them wanted a free France, some were just willing to go further than others. This is their story. Viva La Resistance!!

Oh and we started a Patreon, if you like what you hear and want to support the show you can at www.patreon.com/historicallyhigh.

Support the show

In 1830 Belgium became its own country after winning independence from the Netherlands. Founded as a Constitutional Monarchy the national congress elected Leopold I (who of course was tied to the British Monarchy) to serve as king. Following Leopold as monarch was, surprise surprise, Leopold II. Being a new country, Belgium was late to the party establishing any colonial holdings. Leopold II heard about the Congo in Africa and crafted one of the biggest cons in human history. Under the guise of ruling the country to help advance and civilize the people and region, Leopold was made sole ruler of the Congo with no one to answer to. He used his total and utter control of the Congo to brutalize the people and strip the country of its resources to enrich himself personally. This happened over a period 20 years until the atrocities he committed were brought to light. Murder, Mutilation, Slavery, nothing was off the table for Leopold II. Join us as we discuss one of histories worst humans and his reign of terror. 

Support the show

There are certain people in history that never really got to collect their roses. They come along at a pivotal time in human advancement and just kinda operated behind the scenes, sometimes contributing massively to humanity. Nikola Tesla is one of those people. Were it not for the car brand (not gonna get into that here) Tesla's name would still be relegated to the historical hamper under men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham-Bell, and Henry Ford. While not inventing electricity, Nikola did discover the best way to use it. Partnering with literal power-powerhouse Westinghouse (thats not a type) they were ready to bring Tesla's AC (Alternating Current) power to the masses. This didn't rub old Tom Edison right as he the big name in the electric game with DC (Direct Current). He was also Tesla's employer for about 6 months until he didn't make good on a deal when Tesla improved a bunch of his stuff. Now he would see his mistake come back to haunt him. But Tesla wasn't just volts and watts, the guys mind was an idea factory, some were good, some not so much, but most of the time they alway had the touch of genius. Let's meet the man that powered the world, Nikola Tesla.

Support the show

This week we are looking at an everlasting gobstopper of true crime history. Patricia Hearst is the grand daughter of Newspaper magnate, and notable dickhead enemy of the show, William Randolph Hearst. In 1974, Patty was kidnapped from her townhouse by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was held captive as the SLA negotiated with her father to feed the hungry of California, in exchange for her release. Then a strange thing happened. Patty the hostage became Patty the Guerilla. Instead of being the victim, it appeared she had become a gun wielding member of the SLA. Once Patty was "rescued" there were questions that needed answers. We have a question that she cannot answer. Why did Donald DeFreeze, the founder of the SLA, have so much contact in prison with a CIA agent? Find out the answer to these questions as we get Historically High on the Kidnapping of Patty Hearst!

Support the show