History in Five Minutes Podcast
159 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 7 years ago - ★★★★ - 97 ratingsHistory. Only Not Boring.
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Episodes
HFM 059 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 2: Admiral Ming Zheng He, China’s Master of the Seas (1371-1433)
March 03, 2014 13:17 - 7 minutes - 3.67 MBWhat would have happened if China discovered America before Europe? More importantly, what would have happened if it colonized America? We can't know, but what we do know is that China discovered much of the world at the high of its naval power 600 years, a full century before Europe. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 59
HFM 058 | Explorers that Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, Part 1: Marco Polo – Opening Europe’s Window to the East
February 24, 2014 05:32 - 8 minutes - 3.83 MBMarco Polo is more than a game you play at the YMCA pool -- he spent 20 years traveling throughout the farthest domains of the Mongolian Empire, wrote a best-selling travel account, and permanently altered Europe's mental map of the world. Find out in this episode how he helped usher in the Age of Exploration two centuries later. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 58 (PDF)
HFM 057 | Dark Ages in History, Part 3: Europe’s Collapse in 476 AD – And its Rise that Happened Much Sooner than the 1500s
February 17, 2014 08:16 - 8 minutes - 3.86 MBWe all know that the Dark Ages in Europe began after the fall of Rome and continued until the Renaissance in the 1400-1500s. But what if what we all know is all wrong? Find out when, how, and why the European dark ages began, and why it was much different than we expect, and much shorter than we think. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 57 (PDF)
HFM 056 | Dark Ages in History, Part 2: England’s Anglo-Saxon Invasion in the 6th Century… and the Rise of the Irish
February 10, 2014 07:42 - 7 minutes - 3.58 MBEngland fell apart in the fourth century after the Roman withdrawal and the Anglo-Saxon invasion. They managed to put the pieces back together four hundred years later. Who helped them? Believe it or not, the Irish! Click here to read Thomas Cahill's book on this top, "How the Irish Saved Civilization." Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 56 (PDF)
HFM 055 | Dark Ages in History, Part 1: 1177 B.C. and the Late Bronze Age Collapse
February 03, 2014 14:27 - 8 minutes - 3.97 MBDid you know there was a Dark Ages before the Dark Ages? There was such an event in 1177 BC, and it was so monumental that it inspired Homer's 'The Iliad' Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes Click here to check out Eric Cline's book "1177: The Year Civilization Collapsed" TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 55 (PDF)
HFM 054 | United We Stand? How Many Americans Actually Fought In – Or Even Cared About – The Revolutionary War?
January 27, 2014 09:16 - 9 minutes - 4.33 MBDid all Americans fight for the cause of liberty in the American Revolution, or was it a war of few, or even the 1%. In other words, did the common man really care whether they were a British subject? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes Recommended Resources: John Adams HBO miniseries on DVD. This miniseries does a great job of depicting all the differing ideologies that made the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States such a difficult tas...
HFM 053 | The Republic of the Mediterranean – Why a Coastal Frenchman and Moroccan Have More in Common with Each Other Than Their Countrymen
January 20, 2014 18:14 - 8 minutes - 3.82 MBThe Mediterranean Sea did far more to connect people in history than it did to separate them. After all, they were united by olive oil, wine, and plenty of piracy. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 53 (PDF)
HFM 052 | The Norman Invasion of 1066: Why England Took 400 Years to Assimilate its Own Kings
January 13, 2014 12:11 - 8 minutes - 3.95 MBWhen the Normans invaded England in 1066, they did not assimilate into the culture quickly. In fact, becoming fluent in the language took the kings and aristocracy nearly 400 years! What kept them so stuck in their old customs, and what caused them to finally learn English? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 52 (PDF)
HFM 051 | History’s Greatest Alchemists, Part 3: Ge Hong (283-343) The Chinese Polymath Who Sought Immortality, with Travis Dow of the History of Alchemy Podcast
January 06, 2014 13:25 - 9 minutes - 4.64 MBIn this third part of our series on history's greatest alchemists, we step out of Europe and the Middle East and explore the life of Ge Hong, a government official best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and attempts at immortality. Did he stumble onto the recipe for limitless life? Check out Travis' History of Alchemy Podcast by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 51 (PDF)
HFM 050 | History’s Greatest Alchemists, Part 2: Al-Ghazali (1058-1111) Medieval Islam’s Foremost Intellectual Who Was Most Concerned with The Alchemy of Happiness, with Travis Dow of the History of Alchemy Podcast
December 30, 2013 13:16 - 8 minutes - 3.78 MBThe foremost intellectual in the medieval Islamic world was a theologian, juristic, mystic, and philosophy. He wrote a landmark treatise in which he attempted to construct a unified explanation of human knowledge. But what was the branch of knowledge that he thought tied in all the sciences together? Alchemy, of course! Check out Travis' History of Alchemy Podcast by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the...
HFM 049 | History’s Greatest Alchemists, Part 1: Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the Father of Modern Physics, Who Would Rather be Transmuting Metals into Gold, with Travis Dow of the History of Alchemy Podcast
December 23, 2013 13:02 - 12 minutes - 5.66 MBThink that Isaac Newton was only interested in advancing science and banishing all forms of superstition or empirical research? Think again! Find out how the father of modern physics and mathematics spent far more of his time attempting to unlock the secrets of transmuting base metals into gold and figuring out the date for the end of the world. Check out Travis' History of Alchemy Podcast by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT ...
HFM 048 | Lost Civilizations, Part 3: Ancient American Explorers: The Unknown Adventurers Who Arrived a Millennium Before Columbus
December 16, 2013 10:47 - 8 minutes - 4.14 MBArcheologists have discovered hundreds of remains of ancient cultures who arrived at America centuries before Columbus, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Chinese, and Polynesians. But who came first, and why didn't they stay? Find out in these week's podcast episode! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 48 (PDF)
HFM 047 | Lost Civilizations, Part 2: The Pyramid Builders: Skilled Craftsmen to Some, Visitors from Another Planet to Others
December 09, 2013 22:04 - 8 minutes - 3.87 MBDid slaves actually build Egypt's pyramids or was it really the work of aliens, as the History Channel and wild-haired conspiracy theorists suggest? We hoped for the latter but found it to be the former. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 47 (PDF)
HFM 046 | Lost Civilizations, Part 1: Atlantis: Did the Greatest Society that Ever Existed Ever Exist?
December 05, 2013 16:11 - 7 minutes - 3.57 MBIs there any good reason to believe that an advanced society that existed 11,000 years ago really exist, or do we have to take Plato's word for it? Find out today in this episode. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 46 (PDF)
HFM 045 | The Biggest Forgeries in History, Part 2: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
December 02, 2013 07:33 - 7 minutes - 3.71 MBHow did this fake document that was printed in 1897 in Russia and stuffed full of wild conspiracy theories against the Jews end up responsible for anti-semitism in the 20th century, the rise of the Nazi Party, and possibly the Holocaust? Find out in this week's episode, and why the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is sadly influential to this day. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 45 (PDF)
HFM 044 | The Biggest Forgeries in History, Part 1: The Donation of Constantine
November 25, 2013 09:52 - 9 minutes - 4.42 MBHow did an anonymous medieval clergyman try to forge a letter from Emperor Constantine to Pope Sylvester justified all the land holdings of the Roman Catholic Church? Find out in this week's podcast. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 44 (PDF)
HFM 043 | How Jamaica Conquered the World – with Roifield Brown from the ‘How Jamaica Conquered the World’ Podcast
November 18, 2013 10:53 - 10 minutes - 4.83 MBHow did a Caribbean island of 3 million people manage to conquer the world with its popular culture? Author and podcaster Roifield Brown answers these questions in our latest podcast. Check out Royfield's podcast here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 43 (PDF)
HFM 042 | Why Medieval Peasants Worked a Lot Less Than You Think
November 11, 2013 09:27 - 7 minutes - 3.34 MBWe all know that working conditions were far more terrible in the past than today. There were no rights for laborers, and people routinely dropped dead from their jobs. But is that truth or a myth? If we take a look at the average day of a medieval peasant, it is enough to make us jealous -- minus the bubonic plague, of course. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 42 (PDF)
HFM 041 | Leonardo da Vinci’s Sleep Schedule: Did He Really Only Rest 2 Hours a Day?
November 04, 2013 14:15 - 8 minutes - 4.07 MBDid everyone's favorite Renaissance inventor really only sleep 2 hours a day? If so, did anyone else in history do so? How is it possible without dying? We explore all this and more in today's episode. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 41 (PDF)
HFM 040 | Where Did the Sea Monsters on the Edge of Medieval Maps Come From?
October 31, 2013 11:59 - 7 minutes - 3.41 MBWhy do old maps have enormous serpents, giant squids, Krakken, and other terrifying creatures drawn on its edges? Were the oceans infested with mythological creatures in the past, or is there another reason for their appearance? We find out in today's podcast. Click here to read more about this topic via an article from the Smithsonian, which inspired me to record this episode. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the tran...
HFM 039 | Going on Strike in Ancient Egypt with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
October 28, 2013 21:30 - 8 minutes - 3.98 MBGovernment departments went on strike in similar ways during the reign of Ramses III (1186-1155 BC) as they do in the 21st century. But how do temple priests strike in similar ways as BART employees in San Francisco? We are joined by Dominic Perry from the Egyptian History Podcast to explain all this for us. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 39 (PDF)
HFM 038 | Love in Ancient Egypt – How to Win the Heart of a Pharoah or Priestess of Isis in a Few Stanzas, with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
October 21, 2013 08:34 - 6 minutes - 3.28 MBWhat was love like in Ancient Egypt? Did a society that worshipped the sun and cats approach amor in the same way that we do today? We will find out all that and more with our special guest Dominic Perry from the Egyptian History Podcast. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript for Episode 38 (PDF)
HFM 037 | Akhenaten: The Heretic King of Egypt and Father of Tutankhamun (r. 1353-1334 B.C.) with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
October 14, 2013 11:54 - 7 minutes - 3.53 MBWhat does it take to be considered the "heretic king" in a society that worshipped cats and literally everything under the sun? We find out by exploring the life of Akhenaten: the father of the famed Tutankhamun. He reigned from 1353-1334 B.C. and has quite an interesting life. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 37
HFM 036 | Why Russian Revolutions of the 17th and 18th Century Were the Cause of the USSR – With Mark Schauss of the Russian Rulers History Podcast
October 07, 2013 10:00 - 12 minutes - 5.73 MBWhat caused the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917? Was it the result of a few days of rioting getting out of control? Or is there a much deeper reason? Today we have Mark Schauss of the Russian Rulers History Podcast to discuss this question. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 36 (PDF)
HFM 035 | Hannibal of Carthage and the Pincher Move: The Hardest Military Maneuver in History
September 30, 2013 07:27 - 8 minutes - 4.01 MBHannibal almost destroyed the Roman Empire by deploying an incredibly effective maneuver -- the double pincher. How did he do it, and why is it so hard to pull off? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 35 (PDF)
HFM 034 | Alexander the Great, Part 2: How He Conquered Everything Between Macedonia and India
September 23, 2013 10:51 - 8 minutes - 3.96 MBHow did Alexander the Great practically conquer the entire known world? By six easy steps. If you can do them, then maybe the sobriquet "Great" is yours for the taking! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 34 (PDF)
HFM 033 | Alexander the Great, Part 1: Myths about Alexander’s Life
September 16, 2013 04:49 - 8 minutes - 3.89 MBIt's almost impossible to separate Alexander the man from Alexander the myth, but we'll give it a try. Was he really tutored by Aristotle and cut a knot in half with his sword? Yes. Did he impregnate 300 Amazonian woman to create a master race? Hopefully not. Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 33 (PDF)
HFM 032 | 3 Inventions That Are Much Older Than You Think
September 09, 2013 11:26 - 9 minutes - 4.21 MBCars, computers, and batteries are modern inventions, and before that we lived in a technological dark age, right? Not exactly. Some of your favorite inventions are much older than you thought. Find out in this podcast! Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 32 (PDF)
HFM 031 | The Library of Alexandria and its Destruction
September 02, 2013 11:45 - 8 minutes - 3.76 MBThe Great Library of Alexandria is believed to have housed many, if not most, of the books in the ancient world. All of the plays of Sophocles were held there, over 100, and we only have 7 that survive today. What did we lose by its destruction, and who burned it down? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 31 (PDF)
HFM 030 | The Most Powerful Women in the Middle Ages, Part 3: Queen Elizabeth of Tudor
August 26, 2013 07:45 - 8 minutes - 3.91 MBQueen Elizabeth of Tudor is considered the greatest queen of England. Learn how she defeated the Armada, funded Shakespeare, and forged an English identity in this podcast. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download a transcript to Episode 30 (PDF)
HFM 029 | The Most Powerful Women in the Middle Ages, Part 2: Joan of Arc (1412-1431): The Maiden of Orléans and History’s Most Lethal ‘Heretic’
August 19, 2013 07:42 - 7 minutes - 3.7 MBJoan of Arc has one of the most incredible stories in history. How did an illiterate peasant lead an army into victory against England in the Hundred Years War? Learn about her upbringing, her visions from God, how she learned years of military strategy in a matter of weeks, and why she convinced King Charles VII to give her command of the army even though she had no combat experience. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download t...
HFM 028 | The Most Powerful Women in the Middle Ages, Part 1: Lady Aethelflaed of the Mercians (872-918): The Real-Life Eowyn of Rohan and Viking Slayer
August 12, 2013 11:13 - 9 minutes - 4.22 MBEowyn of Rohan from the "Lord of the Rings" is based on a real person, but she was far more fericious! Learn about Lady Aethelflaed, ruler of England in the 900s and slayer of Vikings. This is the first in a three-part series on the most powerful women in the Middle Ages. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 28 (PDF)
HFM 027 | The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein: Johann Conrad Dippel (1673-1734)
August 08, 2013 12:30 - 9 minutes - 4.32 MBWas there a real life Dr. Frankenstein who tried to bring the dead back to life by science and alchemy? Yes there was, and his name was Johann Dippel. He lived in the transitional period between alchemy and modern science. He may have experimented on bringing dead animals back to life, but modern physiology owes a lot to him. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 27 (PDF)
HFM 026 | The Most Interesting Crusaders, Part 3: Richard the Lionheart: The Hero of the Battlefield and Absentee King of England
August 05, 2013 11:20 - 10 minutes - 4.95 MBDoes Richard the Lionheart, the hero of Robin Hood, live up to the legend? On the battlefield yes, but as a king, not exactly. We look at the larger-than-life leader of the Third Crusade in this podcast. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 26 (PDF)
HFM 025 | The Most Interesting Crusaders, Part 2: Godfrey of Bouillon (1060-1100): Jerusalem’s Conqueror and Wielder of Christendom’s Enchanted Blade
July 29, 2013 12:46 - 10 minutes - 4.96 MBGodfrey of Boullion, a commander of the First Crusade, was immortalized for being the first knight to enter Jerusalem. To arrive at this point he led thousands of soldiers on an expensive and dangerous adventure across a continent. How did he do it? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 25 (PDF)
HFM 024 | The Most Interesting Crusaders, Part 1: Peter the Hermit — The People’s Preacher Who Resembled his Donkey
July 22, 2013 07:43 - 8 minutes - 4.05 MBToday we look at the life of Peter the Hermit, the rag-tag leader of the first crusading force (whom many said resembled the donkey he rode), and one that would meet its complete slaughter at the hands of the Seljuk Turks. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 24 (PDF)
HFM 023 | Common Knowledge About Medieval History that is Incorrect, Part 3: With Tim O’Neill
July 15, 2013 10:11 - 10 minutes - 5.09 MBToday special guest Tim O'Neill, medievalist and Quora's resident historian, explains that the idea that millions of women died in the medieval period (500-1500 A.D.) from witch burnings due to superstition and is incorrect. Witch burnings did happen, but at a time and for reasons that we wouldn't expect. If you would like to see Tim's book review website Armarium Magnum, you can check it out by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRI...
HFM 022 | Common Knowledge About Medieval History that is Incorrect, Part 2: With Tim O’Neill
July 08, 2013 09:17 - 12 minutes - 5.87 MBToday special guest Tim O'Neill, medievalist and Quora's resident historian, explains that in the medieval period (500-1500 A.D.), rather than being the Dark Ages, was a time of great technological advancement. If you appreciate the printing press, clocks, eye glass, or modern agriculture, then you have the Middle Ages to thank. If you would like to see Tim's book review website Armarium Magnum, you can check it out by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podc...
HFM 021 | Common Knowledge About Medieval History that is Incorrect, Part 1: With Tim O’Neill
July 01, 2013 11:17 - 8 minutes - 3.89 MBToday special guest Tim O'Neill, medievalist and Quora's resident historian, explains that no educated person thought the earth was flat in the Middle Ages in the first of a three-part series on common knowledge about medieval history that is incorrect. If you would like to see Tim's book review website Armarium Magnum, you can check it out by clicking here. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode ...
HFM 020 | When did ancient Greeks and Romans stop worshipping Greek Gods and Goddesses?
June 24, 2013 08:29 - 7 minutes - 3.74 MBWhen did ancients stop believing in Greek gods and goddesses? Was it Constantine's conversion to Christianity? Zeus no longer sending down thunderbolts? Dionysus no longer providing his wine? Find out here, and learn that it probably took much longer than you think. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 20
HFM 019 | Imposters in History, Part 2: George Psalmanazar, the Native of Formosa
June 17, 2013 13:04 - 8 minutes - 3.77 MBThis podcast looks at the life of George Psalamanazar: The French youth who managed to convince England he was from Taiwan, and that all the natives were sun-worshipping cannibals who followed a strange calendar and lived underground. How did he managed to fool all of society? Did he know a trick that we can still use today? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 19 (PDF)
HFM 018 | Imposters in History, Part 1: Martin Guerre and the 16th c. Trickster Who Fooled a French Village
June 10, 2013 11:48 - 7 minutes - 3.7 MBHow did a man who stole the identity of the 16th c. Frenchman Martin Guerre manage to fool his neighbors, family, and even wife into believing he was the long-lost man for three years? Was he a master con artists or did he prey on the village's suspension of disbelief? This podcast is Part 1 in a two-part series on history's most famous imposters. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 18 (PDF)
HFM 017 | How to Memorize Like Cicero: Why Ancients Could Memorize the Phone Book
June 03, 2013 15:07 - 7 minutes - 3.5 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast we look at the lost art of memorization. Boys in ancient Greece memorized Homer's The Odyssey and the Iliad, medieval monks committed dozens of sermons to memory, and Augustine could fire off Cicero without breaking a sweat. Were all people in the ancient world like Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man, or did they make use of lost techniques? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download ...
HFM 016 | Indulgences: A Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card?
May 27, 2013 18:18 - 7 minutes - 3.59 MBWas it really possible to buy your way out of hell in the Middle Ages? If so, how much did it cost? And what did the Catholic Church do with this money? This episode of History in Five Minutes Podcast looks at all these issues and more. Additionally, you will find out that indulgences still exist today, although not in the way that you think. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download a transcript to Episode 16 (PDF)
HFM 015 | The U.S. Camel Corps of 1856: A Failed Attempt to Bring Caravans to America
May 22, 2013 20:32 - 7 minutes - 3.57 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the US Army's experiment of using camels as the military's main pack animal in the American Southwest. The new land that was conquered after the Mexican-American war required a sturdier animal than donkeys and horses, something that could withstand the heat of Death Valley. Would the project work? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes To listen to a country song inspired by one of the camel...
HFM 014 | How Kim Jong Il Shot 38-Under-Par the First Time He Golfed
May 15, 2013 10:34 - 6 minutes - 6.23 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the crazed ruled of Kim Jong Il, the legends he spread about himself, and why the depiction of him in "Team America: World Police" is not so far off. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 14
HFM 013 | Ataturk’s Legacy: If One Person Were as Influential as Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin Combined
May 14, 2013 09:30 - 5 minutes - 5.53 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the larger-than-life figure of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Overstating his role in the formation of Turkey is impossible, as is avoiding pictures of him in the country. What did he do to make such an indelible mark on history? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 13
HFM 012 | Vlad Dracul: The Brutal Life of Count Dracula’s Inspiration
May 03, 2013 10:32 - 8 minutes - 8.01 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the life of Vlad Dracul -- the namesake and inspiration of Count Dracula. He was also known as "The Impaler" due to his constant use of this gruesome means of medieval torture. How did he earn this blood reputation and what circumstances in life led him down this path? Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here to download the transcript to Episode 12
HFM 011 | Ancient Middle East Civilization
January 08, 2013 12:23 - 5 minutes - 5.31 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at Ancient Middle East civilization. We look at the influence of Roman and Persian culture on the Arab tribes and Christian heretics that would one day form early Islamic civilization. Like this podcast? Click here to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes TRANSCRIPT Click here for the transcript to Episode 11 (PDF)
HFM 010 | The Fall of Constantinople in 1453
December 06, 2012 08:36 - 6 minutes - 6.41 MBIn this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks. Most people only know about the event thanks to the immortal song “Istanbul, not Constantinople” by They Might Be Giants, but they don’t know who the fighters were on each side or why it is a historically significant event. The first question is easy to answer – the Byzantine Greeks fought the Ottoman Turks. The second question is more difficult, but suffice it to say that ...