History on Fire

[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome

This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely...

EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador

This episode covers some of the things that happened in El Salvador in the 1980s, in particular the story of the massacre at El Mozote, and how policies formulated by the White House supported death squads unleashing hell on civilians.

EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads

This is a story about what happened in El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s, and the role that democratic as well as republican administrations played in this tale. As much as humanly possible, I’ll try to let the facts...

[RERUN] EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death

[RERUN] EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother

[RERUN] EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries

EPISODE 103: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 2)

In this second and final chapter of this series, I’ll explore some of the key events in the latter parts of Musashi’s life: from the siege of Osaka to the Shimabara Rebellion, from his adopting sons to his grief over...

EPISODE 102: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 1)

In this first of two episodes, I’ll dive in to make sense of the contradictory evidence available: from his childhood marred by a terrible relationship with his father to his possible participation in the uber-famous battle of Sekigahara, from his...

EPISODE 101: The History Behind Killers of the Flower Moon

[RERUN] EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing

[RERUN] EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night

EPISODE 100: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 2)

EPISODE 99: Thug Life: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 1)

[RERUN] EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2)

[RERUN] EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1)

EPISODE 98: Machine Gun Blues

[RERUN] EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5)

[RERUN] EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4)

[RERUN] EPISODE 56 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 3)

[RERUN] EPISODE 55 Sitting Bull (Part 2)

[RERUN] EPISODE 54 Sitting Bull (Part 1)

EPISODE 97: The Psychology of Power in History: A Conversation with Aziz Al-Doory

[RERUN] EPISODE 51 A Life for a Whistle: Emmett Till and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement

EPISODE 96: The Wildest Man You Have Never Heard Of: Thomas Morton

[RERUN] EPISODE 50 Philosophers and Thugs: Jigoro Kano (Part 2)

Feed Drop For "This Job Is History"

[RERUN] EPISODE 49 The Father of Martial Arts: Jigoro Kano (Part 1)

EPISODE 95: Tom Le Forge: The Real Dances with Wolves

[RERUN] EPISODE 48: Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 2)

EPISODE 94: The Last War Chief

EPISODE 93: The Beast of Gevaudan

EPISODE 92: Jujitsuffragettes With Attitude

EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History

EPISODE 78: Bruce Lee (Part 2)

EPISODE 77: Bruce Lee (Part 1)

EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History

“I cut off their heads. I burned them with fire. With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool. Men I impaled on stakes. The city I destroyed, devastated… the young men and maidens I burned in the...

EPISODE 78 Bruce Lee (Part 2)

“Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit with all styles. As a result, Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none...

EPISODE 77 Bruce Lee (Part 1)

“Energy is eternal delight.” William Blake  “Hong Kong in the 1950s was a depressed place. Post–World War II Hong Kong had suffered from unemployment, a poor economy, over-crowding, homelessness, and people taking advantage of each other. Gangs roamed the street, and...

EPISODE 67: Ripples of History

EPISODE 67 Ripples of History

“If I knew the way, I would take you home.” From the song Ripple by the Grateful Dead  “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” Bertrand Russell  “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan  “A journey of a...

EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome

This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely...

EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death

EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother

EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries

EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing

EPISODE 53 The Punk Rocker of Ancient Greece

“A Socrates gone mad.” Plato referring to Diogenes  “Had I not been Alexander, I would have liked to have been Diogenes.” Alexander the Great  "If I wasn't Diogenes, I would be wishing to be Diogenes too." Diogenes “There are nowadays professors of philosophy,...

EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night

EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2)

EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1)

EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5)