History in Five Minutes Podcast
159 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 7 years ago - ★★★★ - 97 ratingsHistory. Only Not Boring.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
HFM 109 | Play-Doh was originally wall paper cleaner? The most useful inventions originally designed with a completely different purpose, part 2
January 19, 2015 10:08 - 6 minutes - 3.08 MBEvery pre-schooler's favorite snack has had a strange journey. What was once the cure to wall-paper stains left by coal smoke is now one of the world's most popular toys. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 108 | The tattoo needle: The most useful inventions originally designed with a completely different purpose, part 1
January 12, 2015 10:05 - 6 minutes - 2.85 MBInventing is a messy process. Things don't work, ideas are discarded, and technology thrown away. Sometimes technology is used for a completely different purpose than what the inventor intended. Find out how Thomas Edison's electric pen became the best friend of professional skateboarders everywhere. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 107 | Candlemas: Why the British Once Kept Up Their Christmas Decorations Until February
January 05, 2015 10:03 - 6 minutes - 3.19 MBIt's bad luck to keep up your Christmas decorations past January 6. But it wasn't so long ago that wreathes and holly remained up through February. What happened? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 106 | What Does Auld Lang Syne Mean and Where Did It Come From?
December 29, 2014 12:03 - 5 minutes - 2.67 MBWhy do we all belt out this tune at New Years -- or at least the two or three words we know? It has to do with 18th-century Scottish poetry and the influence of the Scottish Diaspora. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 105 | The Historical Origins of Santa Claus
December 22, 2014 12:03 - 7 minutes - 3.31 MBHow did St. Nicholas transform from a third-century Greek bishop into Santa Clause? I explain it all in five minutes. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 104 | Where Does the Phrase “On the Wagon” Come From?
December 15, 2014 11:41 - 5 MBWhy do drunks fall off the wagon while teetotalers stay on the wagon? Some say it has to do with an English tradition before execution. Others say it comes from America's temperance movement. Find out which one is correct! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 103 | Ned Kelly: Australia’s Iron-Suited Robin Hood
December 08, 2014 10:39 - 7 minutes - 3.41 MBNed Kelly was Australia's Robin Hood. His theft and killings of police made the British Empire put the highest bounty in its history on the heads of him and his gang. Learn about his deeds and how he went down in a blaze of glory while wearing a homemade Iron Man suit. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 102 | Kara Feyzi: The Ottoman Mafioso Who Controlled Bulgaria from 1792 to 1808
December 01, 2014 12:17 - 8 minutes - 3.96 MBThe line between mafia and legitimate government can get very blurry. In the case of Kara Feyzi, an Ottoman bandit in the 19th century who practically controlled Bulgaria, the line was non-existent. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes FROM NOVEMBER 27 TO DECEMBER 1, ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE ONLY $0.99! Click on the titles below to go to the sales page and get them at the discount. 1. Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers...
HFM 101 | The Yakuza: Japan’s Largest Mafia Organization….. And First Responder
November 30, 2014 12:10 - 8 minutes - 3.95 MBJapan has 10 times the mafia members per capita than the U.S. But they are more than a mafia -- the Yakuza has public clubs, members on large businesses' board of directors, and even disaster relief organizations. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes FROM NOVEMBER 27 TO DECEMBER 1, ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE ONLY $0.99! Click on the titles below to go to the sales page and get them at the discount. 1. Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9...
HFM 100 | The Italian Mafia in America
November 29, 2014 12:10 - 10 minutes - 4.72 MBFor nearly a century the Italian mafia dominated America, but they had such a good policy of stopping rats that we didn't know about their inner workings until very recently. Find out what separates a foot soldier from a don in this episode. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes FROM NOVEMBER 27 TO DECEMBER 1, ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE ONLY $0.99! Click on the titles below to go to the sales page and get them at the discount. 1. Off the Edge of the Map: Mar...
HFM 099 | How Russia’s Mafia Spread Across the World
November 28, 2014 10:10 - 8 minutes - 4.01 MBRussia's mafia excels at money laundering, organ trafficking, and the trade. It has to do with inefficient local govenrment extending from the tsarist period to today. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes FROM NOVEMBER 27 TO DECEMBER 1, ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE ONLY $0.99! Click on the titles below to go to the sales page and get them at the discount. 1. Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers that Pushed the...
HFM 098 | The Origin of the Sicilian Mafia
November 27, 2014 09:49 - 8 minutes - 4.16 MBWhy did you have to be 100% Sicilian to join the Italian Mafia in 1950s New York? It all has to do with Sicily's history of foreign governments and solving problems itself. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes FROM NOVEMBER 27 TO DECEMBER 1, ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE ONLY $0.99! Click on the titles below to go to the sales page and get them at the discount. 1. Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers that Pu...
HFM 097 | Cassius Marcus Clay – Abraham Lincoln’s Blue Suited, Bowie-Knife Carrying, Diplomat to Russia – and Namesake for the Famous Boxer
November 24, 2014 07:29 - 8 minutes - 4.01 MBIn this episode, learn about the man who dressed like Django, convinced LIncoln to enact the Emancipation Proclamation, and fought off men by the dozen with his bowie knife. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 096 | Why the British Govt. Lied About Carrots Being Good For Your Eyes: The Best Deceptive Tactics Used During War, Part 4
November 17, 2014 07:40 - 7 minutes - 3.54 MBEverybody believes carrots improve your eyesight, so of course this fact is not true. But why does everybody believe it? Because the British government lied to the public during World War II to make them eat an unpopular vegetable during war rationing, of course! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 095 | General Patton’s Ghost Army and Operation Quicksilver: The Best Deceptive Tactics Used During War, Part 3
November 10, 2014 08:19 - 6 minutes - 3.24 MBTricking enemy intelligence into thinking your army is larger than it actually is has been a favorite move for generals throughout history. General Patton used this trick to defeat the Germans several times using nothing but inflatable tanks and wooden guns. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 094 | How The Ottomans Pushed Dozens of Ships Up a Hill To Conquer Constantinople in 1453: The Best Deceptive Tactics Used During War, Part 2
November 03, 2014 07:16 - 8 minutes - 3.83 MBHow do you get your ships into an enemy harbor when it sits behind the strongest fortifications on earth and guarded by a massive sea chain? If you are Sultan Mehmed fighting the Siege of Constantinople in 1453, you grease timbers and push the ships up a hill, of course! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 093 | How the Persian Empire Conquered Egypt With Cats: The Most Deceptive Practices in Warfare, Part 1
October 27, 2014 11:25 - 6 minutes - 2.95 MBWar is deceit. But some are better at deceit than others. Especially the Persian Empire, who managed to conquer the Egyptians by playing on one of their most deeply held religious beliefs -- cat worship. See the novel way that Persia defeated Egypt in the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC) Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 092 | Where Do Vampire Myths Come From?
October 20, 2014 10:01 - 7 minutes - 3.7 MBVampires didn't always sparkle or maintain a vegan diet of deer -- they were once known as bloodthirsty killers. The myth of vampires goes back centuries and exists in many different cultures. But where does the myth originate? Are there any real historical figures that inspired the myth? Find out in this episode! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 091 | Legends of the Knights Templar, Part 3: Embalming Your Enemies to Show Your Love
October 13, 2014 10:22 - 4 minutes - 1.98 MBNobody believes that love conquers all more than a Knight Templar. Particularly since one knight embalmed his enemy to prove his love to his paramour. To learn more about the Knights Templar check out A.A. Grishin's new book "Legends of the Knights Templar." You can learn more about his work at his website http://knightstemplarvault.com/. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 090 | Legends of the Knights Templar, Part 2: The Skull of Sidon that Became the Pirate Skull and Crossbones
October 06, 2014 10:22 - 5 minutes - 2.56 MBIn our second part of the Knight's Templar podcast series, we'll look at a particular gruesome story. You will never look at a skull and crossbones flag the same way. To learn more about the Knights Templar check out A.A. Grishin's new book "Legends of the Knights Templar." You can learn more about his work at his website http://knightstemplarvault.com/. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 089 | Legends of the Knights Templar, Part 1: The Headless Templar Who Haunts Prague
September 29, 2014 08:30 - 5 minutes - 2.58 MBLearn about crazy legends from the Knights Templar, the military order founded during The Crusades. Our first story is about a headless man that terrorizes the Czech Republic's capital. To learn more about the Knights Templar check out A.A. Grishin's new book "Legends of the Knights Templar." You can learn more about his work at his website http://knightstemplarvault.com/. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 088 | The Greatest Unintended Consequences In History, Part 3: Prohibition
September 22, 2014 08:30 - 6 minutes - 3.26 MBProhibition is a byword for a failed policy. But it failed in ways you might not expect. Find out how Prohibition is unintentionally responsible for the creation of the U.S. Income Tax code, homebrewing, and an upsurge in fake rabbis running around New York. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 087 | Greatest Unintended Consequences in History, Part 2: The Cobra Effect
September 15, 2014 08:30 - 6 minutes - 3.16 MBIf you want to get rid of a nasty pest, it might seem sensible to offer a bounty as a reward. But nothing backfires quite like a bounty. We look at bounties on snakes in Delhi, rats in Vietnam; and feral pigs in Fort Benning, Georgia. In each case, bounty hunters found loopholes in the system and made the problem much worse than it was in the beginning. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 086 | Best Examples of Unintended Consequences in History: Part 1 – Destroying an Ecosystem with Invasion Biology
September 08, 2014 08:30 - 9 minutes - 4.33 MBBeware those who test Murphy's Law. We will look at the greatest unintended consequences in history, starting with Australia's introduction of the rabbit into its ecosystem. Spoiler alert: Disaster ensues. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 085 | How Vaccines saved the Revolutionary War
September 01, 2014 08:00 - 7 minutes - 3.57 MBDebates over vaccines go back way further than Jenny McCarthy. And they have influenced history in ways we still don't appreciate -- chief among them helping America win the Revolutionary War. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 084 | What is the Worst Job in History?
August 25, 2014 08:00 - 6 minutes - 3.27 MBThink your job is the worst in the world? Well, it isn't. Not by a long shot. Try being a Roman slave, condemned to walk a water wheel for the rest of their life. Or an English tosher, who roamed London's sewers, looking for treasure. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 083 | Anne Askew: The 16th Century Protestant Martyr and the Tower of London’s Only Female Victim
August 18, 2014 07:09 - 8 minutes - 4.01 MBMeet England's 16th-century martyr who boldly challenged the government establishment for her faith. Think of Anne Askew as England's Joan of Arc, but with less swordsmanship. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 082 | The President Who United a Fractured Washington, Paid Off the National Debt, and Grew America’s Colonies
August 11, 2014 07:06 - 8 minutes - 3.87 MBIn this episode, we do a Paul Harvey-esque description of a U.S. president, where his identity isn't revealed until the end. You know what the news is. In a minute, you're going to hear the rest of the story! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 081 | What Exactly Did a Lady in Waiting Do?
August 04, 2014 03:00 - 5 minutes - 2.8 MBLadies in waiting were required parts of any royal court. But why is the job so enduring -- even up to the 21st century -- when all they appeared to do was help the queen get dressed? Is there more to the job than this? You bet! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 080 | History’s Greatest Spies, Part 5: George Koval (1913-2006): The Soviet Nuclear Spy from Sioux City, Iowa
July 28, 2014 03:00 - 9 minutes - 4.49 MBGeorge Koval was as American as they came -- he was from Iowa, a World War II vet, and loved baseball…. Except for the fact that he stole nuclear secrets for the Soviets and launched the Cold War nuclear arms race. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 079 – History’s Greatest Spies, Part 4: Nancy Wake (1912-2011): The “White Mouse” of the French Resistance
July 21, 2014 08:00 - 5 MBNancy Wake was a World War II spy and saboteur who operated behind enemy lines to organize the French Resistance, helping soldiers and escaped prisoners flee the country. She was a high-society hostess-turned-decorated-war hero who led a guerrilla army of seven thousand men, blew up German supply depots and even killed a man with her bare hands. German intelligence dubbed her the “White Mouse” for her ability to elude capture. She may have looked like a Hollywood starlet, but between 1940 and...
HFM 078 – History’s Greatest Spies, Part 3: Richard Sorge (1895-1944) The Soviet Spymaster
July 14, 2014 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5 MBRichard Sorge was a hard-drinking journalist and Nazi Party member, widely respected by the German embassy for his intuition of Japanese politics. By day he charmed German ambassadors in Tokyo and earning their trust to the point of accessing classified diplomatic intelligence. By night he worked as Russia's most embedded spy and an officer in the Soviet foreign military intelligence service. Sorge's reports of German-Japanese military plans were so valuable that he likely prevented the Sov...
HFM 077 – History’s Greatest Spies, Part 2: Mata Hari (1876-1917): World War One’s Sweetest Honeypot
July 07, 2014 06:00 - 7 minutes - 3.52 MBMata Hari was Europe's most famous exotic dancer and courtesan in pre-World War I times, sleeping with high society's most important politicians and military officers. She was also a spy and honey pot in World War I. But was she a mastermind or caught in a game far beyond her ability? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 076 | History’s Greatest Spies, Part 1: Sir Francis Walsingham (1532-1590) On Her Majesty Elizabeth’s Secret Service
June 30, 2014 03:00 - 7 minutes - 3.44 MBBefore James Bond had his M, Queen Elizabeth had her Francis Walsingham. Learn about the original spymaster, who uncovered multiple plots against Elizabeth in the 16th century and managed the extraordinary feat of preventing her assassination. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 075 | Ancient Peoples That Are Still Around Today, Part 2: The Greeks
June 23, 2014 07:48 - 8 minutes - 3.96 MBEveryone knows the Greeks are important throughout history. But what is their secret for maintaining a language and culture for 3,000 years. It's easier than you think -- write books! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 074 | Ancient Peoples That Are Still Around Today, Part 1: The Chaldeans
June 16, 2014 09:36 - 8 minutes - 4.09 MBWhat if you met somebody claiming to be from the Roman Empire? You would hopefully disbelieve their sanity. But the idea of a modern person with a direct connection to an ancient civilization isn't all that far-fetched. Today we look at such a group today, the Chaldeans. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 073 | The Biggest Technological Advances of the Civil War
June 09, 2014 19:12 - 8 minutes - 4.09 MBWhat do the telegraph, balloon surveillance, the submarine, land mines, machine guns, tin cans, and standard shoe sizes have in common? They became commonplace, thanks to the Civil War! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 072 | A Million Ways to Die in the Middle Ages
June 02, 2014 09:27 - 7 minutes - 3.61 MBThink there are a million ways to die in the West? There are even more ways to die in the Middle Ages! They include, but are limited to, indigestion from eating an entire goose, being dragged 16 miles by a deer, and literally being crushed by a dwarf. Here is a great post from medievalist.net that inspired this podcast: http://www.medievalists.net/2014/05/14/top-10-strangest-deaths-middle-ages/ Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 071 | What Archeology Tells us about Old Testament Jericho
May 26, 2014 07:00 - 7 minutes - 3.66 MBAnd the walls came tumbling down! Or did they? Today we step into the world of archeology and look at the evidence for and against the Biblical account of Israel's conquest of the city of Jericho. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 070 | Marozia of Rome: The Woman who Ruled the Papacy
May 19, 2014 10:25 - 6 minutes - 3.03 MBDespite what most people think about the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, the pope wasn't all that powerful. In fact -- it was easy to manipulate him for your own ends. One such woman who did just that was Marozia of Rome: Mother to one pope, lover to another, grandmother to yet another. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 069 | Why People on the Fringes and Borderlands of Empires Mattered Just as Much as Those Living in the Hinterlands
May 12, 2014 14:03 - 7 minutes - 3.54 MBThe Varangians, Cossacks, and inhabitants of Ryukyu lived in very different places and times. The Varagians were Vikings that controlled trade between Arabia, Byzantium, and Europe during the 1000s and lived on the borders of Byzantium. The Cossacks lived on Russia's frontier and formed the core of the military. Ryukyu island became a trade hub between Japan and China before the modern era. Find out why it paid to be an outsider of an empire. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe t...
H5M 068 | How Iowa Conquered the World, Part 5: Why Iowa Standardized the English Language
May 05, 2014 10:17 - 5 minutes - 2.6 MBWhy is it that all news broadcasters talk with a Midwestern accent? For many reasons, but partly because Iowa standardized the English language by sending lots of talent to California during Hollywood's golden age. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 067 | How Iowa Conquered the World, Part 4: Why Iowa Controls Your Political Destiny, Wherever You Live on Earth
April 28, 2014 11:03 - 8 minutes - 3.85 MBIowans have more political power proportionally than anyone else on earth. Do you want to be the U.S. president? Prepare to spend months in all of Iowan's 99 counties, meeting groups of 20 at Pizza Ranches, and shaking hands with factory works at 6 a.m., in -10 F weather. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 066 | How Iowa Conquered the World, Part 3: Why Iowa is the Multicultural Center of the World
April 21, 2014 08:12 - 10 minutes - 4.78 MBYou don't think of diversity or multicultural when you think of Iowa -- more likely, thoughts of middle aged white farmers in Carhartt overalls come to mind. But in this podcast, I will show that not only is Iowa more exotic than most people realize, it is has been an engine for developing unique cultures in America throughout its history. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 065 | How Iowa Conquered the World, Part 2: The State that Created the Global University System
April 14, 2014 09:01 - 8 minutes - 4.13 MBDid you graduate from college? Whether it was in America, the UK, Turkey, Brazil, or Kazakhstan, there is a strong chance that the direct inspiration for your university is Iowa State University -- considered by coastal elites as a forgettable farm college. How did this university -- which literally started out as a large farm house that housed two dozen students who split their time between tilling the soil and learning about crop rotation -- create the global system of higher education? ...
HFM 064 | How Iowa Conquered the World, Part 1: The State that Saved Billions of Lives in the 20th Century
April 07, 2014 13:56 - 8 minutes - 3.86 MBYou probably didn't know that Iowa saved over a billion lives in the 20th century. You also probably didn't that Iowa is the greatest cultural force in the world. This is the first part of a podcast series in which I will make a case for just that. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 063 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 5.5: Ernest Shackleton’s Daring Anatarctic Rescue of His Stranded Crew
March 31, 2014 12:07 - 7 minutes - 3.71 MBErnest Shackleton set out in a tiny 22-foot-long lifeboat with a few helpers to brave an 18-day voyage across open Antarctic sea in order to save his stranded crew. How did he manage to succeed despite the terrible odds against him? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 062 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 5: Ernest Shackleton’s Frozen March at the Bottom of the World
March 24, 2014 13:37 - 7 minutes - 3.65 MBErnest Shackleton's attempted crossing of Antarctica and the disaster that befell the expedition led to one of the greatest moments of bravery in the 20th century. Find out about the terrible conditions his crew faced, and their daring rescue attempt in this episode. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 061 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 4:Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) – Spy, Soldier, Linguist, Swordsman, Secret Pilgrim to Mecca
March 17, 2014 08:00 - 7 minutes - 3.62 MBRichard Francis Burton -- sword fighter, explorer, learner of 29 languages, is quite possibly the real life World's Most Interesting Man. Learn the many fascinating exploits of this Victorian traveler. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes
HFM 060 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 3: Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) – The Portuguese Navigator’s Terrifying Voyage Across an Endless Sea
March 10, 2014 03:58 - 7 minutes - 3.68 MBEveryone knows that Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe was hard, but they don't know how hard. Nor do they realize how tragic and unnecessary his death was. Learn more about the explorer that boldly ventured into an ocean that took 95 days longer to cross than his original estimate of 3. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes