In November of 1956, the Hungarian Water Polo team came to Melbourne, Australia, for the Olympic games. But back in Europe, the player’s homeland was only a couple of weeks removed from a bloody - and failed - uprising against the Soviet Union. Then, on Dec. 6, in the semi finals - the Hungarian polo team was slated to face the Soviet Union - who many saw as their suppressors and overlords. What followed was one of the most brutal matches - of any sport - in Olympic history. This is the story of the Blood on the Water polo match.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom%27s_Fury

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_in_the_Water_match

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the South Pacific island of Tanna, the locals are waiting for a man to return and save them this man’s name, John Frum. He is the central figure in the most prominent cargo cult in the south pacific, dating to the start of World War Two. But the origins are just as murky as the man himself. This is the story of the John Frum Cargo Cult.

"John Frum He Come" by Edward Rice

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-john-they-trust-109294882/

Image: By Leigh Cooney - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flow_My_Tears_John_Frum_Said_-_Painting_by_Leigh_Cooney.jpg

This thumbnail image is titled "Flow My Tears, John Fruma Said" and features Leigh Cooney's interpretation of John Frum as a Christ Figure to represent the absurdity of turning to Gods as a source of answers for aspects of life we don't understand.

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sept 10, 1813, on Lake Erie, nine vessels of the United States Navy met - and defeated - six ships of the British Royal Navy in one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812. The battle ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit, and win the Battle of the Thames - which broke the Indian confederation of Tecumseh. This is the Battle of Lake Erie.

Sources

https://www.nps.gov/pevi/learn/historyculture/battle_erie_detail.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lake_Erie

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Lake_Erie.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around 1150 AD, near the village of Woolpit - in East England - two mysterious children suddenly appeared. They wore odd clothing and spoke a strange language. And most shockingly - their skin was green. This is the story of Green Children of Woolpit.

Sources

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Green-Children-of-Woolpit/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_children_of_Woolpit

https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/green-children/

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most isolated island in the world is Bouvet Island. It is located over a thousand miles from any other location The nearest land Antarctica. It has an amazing history of discovery, loss, phantom islands, and much more. This is the story of Bouvet Island.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouvet_Island

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/bouvet-island/

Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov - ID# ISS017-E-16161

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 892, the Viking warrior Sigurd Eysteinsson was the scourge of the north of Scotland. Through unscrupulous means, he had just defeated one of his main rivals - a Pictish chief named Máel Brigte. He rode off the battlefield with the head of his foe hanging from his saddle - a trophy of his victory. However, despite being dead, Máel Brigte would have his revenge - killing Sigurd in a most unique manner. This is the story of the Death of Sigurd Eysteinsson.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Eysteinsson

https://theorkneynews.scot/2024/03/19/earl-sigurd-i-the-mighty/

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1816, the 40-gun French frigate, the Medusa, departed for the overseas colony of Senegal, carrying 400 people. Incompetent and selfish decisions allowed the ship run aground, and 147 people were stranded on a raft. Only 15 survived. Their harrowing story includes murder and cannibalism. This is the story of the raft of the Medusa.

Sources

https://shipwrecks.hist.sites.carleton.edu/the-medusa/the-medusa-historical-background/

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-147348

"Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal in 1816" by Jean Baptiste Henri Savigny and Alexandre Corréard

Raft the Medusa painting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JEAN_LOUIS_THÉODORE_GÉRICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_(Museo_del_Louvre,_1818-19).jpg#mw-jump-to-license

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1862, a man born into slavery - Robert Smalls - pulled off an unlikely escape from his captors. He, his friends, and their families, stole a ship, and sailed out of Charleston harbor - right under the noses of the Confederates. But Smalls' extraordinary life was just beginning. He would serve with Union forces throughout the Civil War, then become a successful businessman, and politician. This is the life of Robert Smalls.

Sources

https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/21764

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Smalls,_captain_of_the_gun-boat_%22Planter%22_The_gun-boat_%22Planter,%22_run_out_of_Charleston,_S.C.,_by_Robert_Smalls,_May_1862._LCCN97512451_Trim.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Constructed around the year 300 AD of the reddish purple stone porphyry, the Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs is the iconic image of the four men who ruled the Roman Empire at that time. Yet this one piece has moved around the Mediterranean world, and to this day generates controversy. This is the story of the statue - The Portrait of Four Tetrarchs.

Sources

https://genealogytrails.com/wis/brown/murderofcharlesarndt.html

https://www.facebook.com/jamesrvineyardmemesforleadminingteens

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Russell_Vineyard

Image: By Matt Breen - http://historydispatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tetrachs-scaled.jpeg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1919, the United States Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the constitution. This prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide. This is the story of Prohibition.

Sources

https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States

https://www.americanprohibitionmuseum.com/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5_Prohibition_Disposal(9)_(cropped).jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices