The Sons Of History

Medical student, polar explorer, author, movie star, Danish resistor during World War II. Peter Freuchen seemed to be everywhere doing everything. His fascinating life has been captured by Reid Mitenbuler, author of the Freuchen biography, “Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, an Epic Journey, a Lost Age.” Reid’s initial encounter with the larger-than-life figure was a memorable moment in a very memorable place. But then again, everything about Freuchen is memorable. Reid Mitenbuler joins The Sons of History podcast to discuss the Great Dane.

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It’s not as easy as it sounds. Just because someone says something, doesn’t necessarily make it true. This goes for the average person, the journalist, the politician, and, yes, even historians. Dustin Bass and Alan Wakim discuss some of the topics that have come under attack in fraudulent ways, but more importantly, they discuss how to go about studying history, how to think about history and sources, and how sometimes we can’t know the full scope of a historical moment until we have all (or at least as much as possible) the information.

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Since Christopher Nolan’s recent film “Oppenheimer,” the conversation has arisen anew on the man who gave America the atomic bomb. Dustin Bass and Alan Wakim discuss who he was, the legacy he left behind, the need for America to build the nuclear weapon first, and the debate of nuclear usage. At the time of the film’s release, Alan wrote an article for The Epoch Times about creating the bomb entitled “America’s Path to the Atomic Bomb.” Dustin wrote a piece entitled “​​Debunking Theories About the WWII Use of the Atomic Bomb.”

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James A. Garfield is most often remembered for being assassinated only a short time after his inauguration. His death was a tragedy, but his life was a triumph. C. W. Goodyear, historian and author of the new biography "President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier," joins the podcast to discuss this incredible statesman who overcame everything that stood in his way - except the assassin's bullet.

C.W. Goodyear earned his degree in Global Affairs from Yale University in 2016. then moved to Washington, DC. His first book project was a collaboration with former naval officer Chris Fussell called One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams. His latest work is the biography of James A Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, entitled “President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier.”

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When the war between Russian and Ukraine started in February of 2022 it was the continuation of an ongoing conflict. Ukraine desires independence and Russia wants to draw the nation back into the Russo fold. Dustin Bass and Alan Wakim discuss the Russo-Ukrainian history, the problem with NATO, Putin's reasons for invading, and Zelensky's leadership.

As the rights of Americans continue to ebb and flow with each Supreme Court session, as well as local, state and federal edicts, the question arises: What would The Sons of Liberty do? Dustin and Alan break down what this freedom fighting group did and is it something Americans replicate. They also discuss the states' power of non-compliance, as well as that of the everyday citizen. A roadmap to maintaining our everyday freedoms.

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It is considered the single greatest defeat of an American Army by Indians, but it isn't nearly as well known as many other battles of the Indian Wars. The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair's Defeat, is not merely an important battle for the sake of American history, but also for the sake of military history and strategy. As cascade of failures ultimately led the destruction of General Arthur St. Clair's army, but there are many things believed about this battle-turned-massacre that are misunderstood.

Alan D. Gaff is an independent scholar and the author of several works, including the bestselling Lou Gehrig: The Lost Memoir; Blood in the Argonne: The “Lost Battalion” of World War I; Bayonets in the Wilderness: Anthony Wayne’s Legion in the Old Northwest; and his latest book that came out this year Field of Corpses: Arthur St. Clair and the Death of an American Army.

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A military victory in the Mexican-American War and the discovery of gold in California led to the great land and gold rushes that renowned historian Elliott West calls the Great Coincidence. Learn about the westward expansion, the violence that erupted, the opportunities it offered, the wealth it created, and how the new lands leveraged America's power in the world. A memorable conversation full of information, dispute, and American history.

Elliott West is the Alumni Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Arkansas. He is the author of several works, including The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado, which won the Francis Parkman Prize and the PEN Center Award. And his latest book, which we are going to discuss, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion.

WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/

The Texas Rangers are celebrating their bicentennial this year. You may be thinking how that is possible since Texas wasn't even declared a republic until 1836 and didn't become the 28th state until 1845. Dr. Jody Edward Ginn, author, historian, and the Director of Development for the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame & Museum, talks all things Texas Rangers - the highs, the lows, and the misunderstood.

Jody Edward Ginn is Director of Development for the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame & Museum. He’s the former Executive Director of the Texas Rangers Heritage Center in Fredericksburg, Texas. He is a former law enforcement investigator/administrator and U.S. Army veteran with two decades of experience as a Public Historian. He’s the author of East Texas Troubles. He was also a history consultant on the Netflix Original film The Highwaymen with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson about the Bonne and Clyde saga. And lastly and probably most importantly, he made a special guest appearance on our two-part Eisenhower/Nimitz road trip documentary that came out last year.

WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/

Patrick Weil joins the podcast to discuss Woodrow Wilson's sanity during the process of trying to ratify the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. His book, The Madman in the White House, addresses the psychobiography of Wilson written by Ambassador William Bullitt and Dr. Sigmund Freud and how they came to their conclusion - based on the testimony of many others who were close Wilson at the time - and the use of Freud's psychoanalysis.

Patrick Weil is an Oscar M. Ruebhausen Distinguished Fellow at Yale Law School and a research professor at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. He is the founder and president of Libraries Without Borders. He is also the author of The Sovereign Citizen, How to Be French, and his latest - The Madman in the White House: Sigmund Freud, Ambassador Bullitt, and the Lost Psychobiography of Woodrow Wilson.

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WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/